Black powder mills

At the opening of business on January 1, 1913, Hercules Powder Company, incorporated in Delaware, began with nine black powder mills and two active dynamite plants ... 

French-American scientist and industrialist, who studied in France under famous chemist A.L. Lavoisier (1743— 1794), unjustly accused and executed by French revolutionists. DuPont was, before emigrating to America, one of the first directors of L Administration des Poudres et Salpeters created in France in 1777 under Minister of Finances, A.R.J. Turgot (1727— 1781). DuPont arrived in this country at the end of the 18th century and in 1802 established a Black Powder Mill neat Wilmington, Delaware. This was the forerunner of the E.L duPont de Nemours St Co (Inc) of today, which is one of the largest chemical companies in the world. 

Austin Powder Co, Cleveland, Ohio was established in 1883 under the name of Austin Black Powder Mills by L. Austin(18l7-1887) and his brothers (Ref 1). The plant manufactures mining expis among them "Austin Red-D-Gel" (gelatinous permissible expis) and "Austin Red Diamond" (nonge latino us permissible expl) (Ref 2)... 

Typically, dry potassium nitrate is pulverized in a ball mill. Sulfur is milled into cellular charcoal to form a uniform mix in a separate ball mill. The nitrate and the sulfur—charcoal mix are screened and then loosely mixed by hand or in a tumbling machine. Magnetic separators may be used to ensure the absence of ferrous metals. The preliminary mix is transferred to an edge-mimer wheel mill with large, heavy cast iron wheels. A clearance between the pan and the wheels is required for safety purposes. The size of this gap also contributes to the density of the black powder granules obtained. Water is added to minimize dusting and improve incorporation of the nitrate into the charcoal. The milling operation requires ca 3 to 6 h. 

BLACK POWDER (synonymous with Gunpowder) An intimately milled mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal that has propellant or explosive properties. 

Corning mill dust, the most finely divided and intimately incorporated black powder which it is possible to procure. Lacking this, black sporting powder may be ground up in small portions at a time in a porcelain mortar. 

Figure 19. Stamp Mill for Making Black Powder. (Courtesy National Fireworks Company and the Boston Globe.) This mill, which makes powder for use in the manufacture of fireworks, consists of a single block of granite in which three deep cup-shaped cavities have been cut. The stamps which operate in these cups are supplied at their lower ends with cylindrical blocks of wood, sections cut from the trunk of a hornbeam tree. These are replaced when worn out. The powder from the mill is called meal powder and is used as such in the manufacture of fireworks. Also it is moistened slightly with water and rubbed through sieves to form granular gunpowder for use in making rockets, Roman candles, aerial bombshells, and other artifices.

The black powder wheel mill is also used for reducing (under water) deteriorated smokeless powder to a fine meal in order that it may be reworked or used in the compounding of commercial explosives, and for the intimate incorporation of such explosives as the French schneiderite. 

Figure 20. Modem Wheel Mill for Making Black Powder. (Courtesy Atlas Powder Company.) The large wheels weigh 10 tons each.

Coming or granulating is the most dangerous of the operations in the manufacture of black powder. The corning mill is usually situated at a distance from the other buildings, is barri-... 

When 2 ps of thismixture were milled for 3 hours with 100 psof black powder consisting of KNOj 75, alder charcoal 17 and sulfur 8%. the resulting product burned in fuses at the rate of 250-300 sec/yd (Ref 1), whereas ordinary fuse powder burns at the rate of 120 sec/yd (Ref 2). This aldoi-naphthylamine condensation product was proposed as an ingredient of slow burning fuse powders... 

Kollergang = heavy roller mill for black powder mixing Kollodiumwolle = nitrocellulose 12-12.6% N (german) 222 Kolloksilin = nitrocellulose 11-12% N (russian) 222... 

Explosive Actuator XE-16A was developed at NAVORD Labs to replace the Mk 1 Mod 0 actuator for use in Mk 52 drill mine. Better surveillance characteristics were obtd by using Unique Powder (a smokeless proplnt of unspecified compn)as a substitute for Black Powder formerly used as the base chge. Milled normal Pb Styphnate was substituted for DDNP-Potassium Chlorate mix as die ignition chge. Several design- changes to increase ruggedness were also made. Laboratory field tests indicated that the XE-16A Actuator would be a satisfactory actuator in the Mk 52 Drill Mine Ref E.E. Kilmer M.J. Falbo, NAVORD Rept 6111(1958)... 

Black Blasting Powder Mills Dynamite Plants... 

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