Post #715277 by AceExplorer on Tue, Apr 29, 2014 10:47 AM

Yes, very interesting rum and gunpowder information! One thing I thought was odd in the article is that they stated "there must be gaps between grains of gunpowder for the oxygen-fed chain reaction to occur." I don't think that is true -- the saltpeter (potassium nitrate) is the actual source of oxygen, otherwise how could black powder burn when firmly tamped down inside a cannon? The variation in black powder grain sizes is related to regulating surface area and therefore has an impact on the speed at which the powder burns.

We used to make gunpowder at home when I was in high school and when you could still buy saltpeter over-the-counter as a diuretic or for pickling purposes. Me and a friend, over a period of several months, came up with a little contest to see who could come up with the cleanest-burning home-made gunpowder. I won that contest.