Production standardization and quality control for the manufacture of black powder are discussed. The powder is to conform to Spec JAN-223A. Results of Process I (the impregnating S is dissolved in CS2) and Process II (no CS2 is used) are compared. Of 6 powder batches prepared by Process I, and 6 by Process II, one made by Process II (from 6 micron charcoal and medium finess nitrate with ethanol as a slurry medium) produced ballistic traces of 137 and 51.5% relative quickness as compared to the DuPont reference powder. The next best trace was 72% from a Process I batch. Duplication attempts indicated that factors and conditions involved in the processing are not sufficiently standardized. Manufacturing methods, production costs, and testing results are being analyzed.

A guide on procedures, administration, and equipment, Bombs, IEDs, and Explosives: Identification, Investigation, and Disposal Techniques introduces concepts, basic knowledge, and necessary skill sets for bomb technicians. It covers topics such as training resources, bomb threat and incident response, legal aspects of bomb disposal, explosives and

Some 600 pipe bomb explosions have occurred annually in the United States during the past several years. How can technology help protect the public from these homemade devices? This book, a response to a Congressional mandate, focuses on ways to improve public safety by preventing bombings involving smokeless or black powders and apprehending the makers of the explosive devices. It examines technologies used for detection of explosive devices before they explodeâ€"including the possible addition of marking agents to the powdersâ€"and technologies used in criminal investigations for identification of these powdersâ€"including the possible addition of taggants to the powdersâ€"in the context of current technical capabilities. The book offers general conclusions and recommendations about the detection of devices containing smokeless and black powders and the feasibility of identifying makers of the devices from recovered powder or residue. It also makes specific recommendations about marking and tagging technologies. This volume follows the work reported in Containing the Threat from Illegal Bombings (NRC 1998), which studied similar issues for bombings that utilize high explosives.

For over a thousand years, individuals made their own black powder, but then the technology was lost to the Industrial Revolution. This lost technology is now being brought back and made available once again. No chemical formula has had a more profound effect on the history of mankind than that of black powder. Even nuclear energy has not changed mankind to the extent that black powder has. For hundreds of years, the process of manufacturing black powder was a closely guarded secret. Black powder was a luxury item which was affordable to only the most powerful nations, and as such, has radically changed the history of governments throughout the ages. People have won their freedom from the tyranny of oppressive governments by the use of black powder in guns and cannon. The Industrial Revolution would not have happened as it did without black powder for mining coal and iron. Only black powder made possible the largest engineering projects of the 18th and early 19th centuries.Now for the first time, the manual Black Powder and How to Make It will show you how to make your own black powder. The author will guide you through each step and operation. He doesn't just explain how to make black powder, but tells you the reason for each process, why it is needed, and all in easy to understand terms. The result is that you will have all the knowledge at hand to make your own black powder for fireworks, rockets, blasting, and especially for use in black powder firearms.