Do you remember the famous book of The grandfather who jumped out the window and took off? It is one of the most curious books on the Swedish market that became Book of the Year the same year it was released and received the Booksellers Award in Sweden in 2010. In addition, it became a very nice film that reached theaters around the world as of 2013.
This story narrated the life of a centenarian, who decides to leave the residence where he was living on his 100th birthday. From that moment we will be told about the life of this curious character who spent his youth making gunpowder and who managed to meet the world leaders of the moment.
It is possible that after having seen this film or read this book, you have had a tremendous desire to know how to make gunpowder, something that had never crossed your mind. We are going to teach you how gunpowder is made, but, of course, only so that you learn the theory, in no case so that you can put it into practice.
How to make gunpowder and its history?
What can we tell you about gunpowder? That it is a mixture of saltpeter, sulfur and carbon and that it is used as a propellant for firearms and as part of fireworks, to achieve that unique acoustics and that it was precisely these two uses that made gunpowder become invent. This explosive substance was invented in China by the Taoists with the intention of creating a substance that would grant people immortality. Its uses and the importance of its application for military purposes were soon understood, so the Chinese armies began to use it for their weapons, such as muskets or cannons or for different types of bombs and explosives.
It seems that gunpowder began to spread throughout Asia thanks to the Mongols. Data on it are found from the 9th century, although a Chinese alchemist seemed to already know its process from 492 BC.
The Muslims would learn to make it between the years 1240 and 1280, and it seems that from that date they began to introduce it into Europe. The first reference to its manufacture in the European world is from 1250 and is given in a document by Roger Bacon.
What do you need to make gunpowder?
To make gunpowder you will need:
- Sulfur
- Saltpeter
- Coal
Instructions for making gunpowder
Step by step to make gunpowder:
- The first thing you should do is find sulfur. Sulfur is a natural substance that is often used in gardening as a fungicide, so it will not be difficult for you to find it in specialized DIY or gardening stores, both online and in physical stores.
- Get saltpeter. Saltpeter is the common name for potassium nitrate. Although bat droppings were once used to make saltpeter and even horse urine, today you can find it, like sulfur, in garden stores as it is used as a natural nitrogenous fertilizer that replaces urea. Look for coal. The last ingredient we need to make gunpowder is coal. You can easily use the one you normally use to light the fire in the fireplace or to cook on the garden barbecue. If you want to make your own charcoal, you can do so by burning pieces of natural wood, such as willow, about 7 cm wide, inside a barrel. Next, you have to place the barrel on the coals and leave, cover it and heat it for 5 or 6 hours. Once that time has passed, if you open the barrel you will see that the wood has turned into pieces of natural charcoal.
- The next step is to grind the ingredients. It is very important that they all turn into a very fine powder. The finer it is, the more forcefully your gunpowder will explode. You can use a mortar and pestle to grind each of these products separately.
- Once you have ground all the ingredients, it is time to mix them, and if you want to make gunpowder, you have to do it in the right proportion. Mix 2/3 parts of sulfur (10%), 5 parts of saltpeter (75%) and 1 part of coal (15%).
- Place all the ingredients in the mortar and pound them again, but this time do it all together and for a minimum of 10 minutes. You must be very careful with this process. Think that it is already gunpowder, even if you keep mixing it, so you will not be able to smoke nearby and you should keep it away from the fire and heat.
- If you want your gunpowder to burn even better, add 8% water little by little to the mixture and continue pounding in the mortar. You will see how, in a short time, it acquires a clayey appearance. Create a ball when you are done with it and separate it into small pieces.
- Finally, don’t forget to store your gunpowder in a safe place until you are ready to use it. Get a special container to store it that you can find in any hardware store or through the Internet.
Tips for Making Gunpowder
Tip for making gunpowder:
If you want your gunpowder to be truly “strong”, keep it in the mortar for as long as you can when you pound all the ingredients together. Also, remember the following trick; the finer the gunpowder, that is, the finer the powder you have mixed, the faster it will explode.