Golden Powder.

[Yafmot]

It seems like everyone's fixated on blackpowder for bursting charges, rockets, star primes and other applications (like muzzle loaders). The standard milling process is well proven, but quite involved. The precipitation method produces some first class product, but batches of more than a few ounces are impractical without a lot of dedicated equipment.

There is a viable & easy to produce alternative, however. This would be "Golden Powder," originally developed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, back in the late '60s. It is so-named because of its appearance, sort of an amber, golden brown.

You'll need the following:

KNO3.............................................. ..............................60%

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).......................................40%

Sodium bicarbonate (optional, see below).

Pyrex beaker (size depends on amount desired).


Place a few drops of distilled water in the bottom of the beaker, and no more. It's just there for a thermal coupling, to spread the heat more evenly.

Mix the KNO3 & Vitamin C and dump in beaker.

Heat SLOWLY until ingredients melt together.

Stir to mix THOROUGHLY.

Bring to a boil until the liquid turns a yellow to light amber color.

When bubbling slows, but before the liquid turns dark (very important), pour out on a piece of Al foil and spread thinly & evenly.

Place in the oven on no more than 225 degrees F overnight, or until it will all crumble. A vacuum dessicator is a definite plus here. Better yet, a heated one.

Crush until it fits through a standard window screen.

Store with a strong, fresh dessicant.

Use as for blackpowder.


This stuff actually shoots better than blackpowder, with about 12% higher pressure and velocity for a given weight bullet. (A world record Leopard was taken with a muzzleloader shooting this stuff back in the '80s)

If you live, or will be shooting, in a humid climate, you might want to consider adding a bit of Carbon Black and shaking to coat the individual particles. Mag-Kor, the manufacturer of the commercial product, Black Mag III, also suggested a dry Phthalate.

Cleaning up your beaker will be stupid easy. Just let the stuff dry out 'till it's hardened, set it out in the open, and toss a burning piece of visco into it. You'll get a nice blast of smoke & flame spouting into the air, and sometimes it makes a cool smoke ring if the wind is calm. Then you just rinse it out to get the big stuff, and then wipe it clean with a damp paper towel.

Cleaning your gun is similarly easy. Run a damp patch down the bore, then a dry one, and then a lightly oiled one, and you're finished. The stuff's got it over on blackpowder so big it's just a joke.

I've also tried it for other applications. It's an excellent rocket propellant if it's pressed dry & then kept that way. And it's also good for stars, though this requires some experimentation.

So there you go. Have fun & don't hurt yourself.

[crazy white guy]

Sodium bicarbonate (optional, see below).

I see no mention of that substance later in the article.

Also, Have you fooled around with adding other substances to change the effects? Something like activated carbon or what have you.

[Yafmot]

Some formulas call for a (very) small amount of bicarbonate to avoid acid formation, but it's never been a problem for me.

As for the lampblack, it's mainly to help with the handling properties and to minimize hygroscopicity.

[iceniner]

Usually when the Naval Surface Warfare Lab develops something, it's optimal past the point where tweaks by pyro hobbyists can improve it much.

Yafmot, another excellent post.

[zero existence]

It seems like everyone's fixated on blackpowder for bursting charges, rockets, star primes and other applications (like muzzle loaders). The standard milling process is well proven, but quite involved.

You'll need the following:

KNO3.............................................. ..............................60%

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).......................................40%

Sodium bicarbonate (optional, see below).

Pyrex beaker (size depends on amount desired).



FYI, You can get KN03 from home depot as "stump remover", 'grant's' is the brand. It has impurities, but works. You just have to grind it into a powder. Keep it sealed, or throw some of those packets and suck up moisture cause it loves to cake.
Help me understand the chemistry. I understand that, for instance if you add sugar and KN03, the KN03 "supplies the oxygen" from what I have read, and the sugar is the carbon fuel which produces smoke when burned. So what's the ascorbic acid's function. and why does it work? Also, what about ph neutral ascorbic acid, ya know, for ease on digestion, does that work just as well? ;)

[Yafmot]

Yeah, I've used lots of Grant's. It's not too expensive, it's always available, and it's 98% pure, the remainder being Carboxymethylcellulose and a bit of beeswax. The CMC serves to keep the prills intact, and the wax keeps them from sticking to each other.

Yes KNO3 is an Oxidizer, and that's what's happening in this case. Chemically, as far as how the KNO3 reacts specifically with Vitamin-C, I'm stumped (no pun intended). I did learn from a few sources that the Vit-C actually forms a polymer encasing the KNO3 molecules. But again, I still have no idea what the actual chemical reaction is, other than it's definitely a rapid oxidation.

Ph neutral Ascorbic Acid? Never heard of it, but it sounds a bit self-contradictory. All I've used is the stuff I get from the home brew shop. Oddly, no matter where you get it, and in whatever quantity, it's always going to run about $20 a pound. From a few ounces to a drum, that's the number

I've got a 12", heated vacuum dessicator that must've cost at least a thousand new, but I got it on the Lab-X auction for $18, plus shipping. As soon as I get a vacuum pump going, I'm going to see how dry I can get the stuff. (Ought to make a hell of a food dryer, too.)

My first contact with GP was about 25 years ago at a trade-only gun show in Reno. The product was called, of all things, Golden Powder, as was the company. They had the original chemist on staff, in an emeritus position. The guy at the booth gave me a pressed, cylindrical chunk about 1 3/4" dia. by 1 1/2 " long. It had been pressed at 40 ksi, and was hard as a rock. He busted off a little piece about 1/2" across by 1/8" thick. He placed it on the edge of the counter with just enough overhang to get a lighter flame on it. The thing lit, spun around a bit, and then sped up & took off under its own power, disappearing into thin air as it exhausted itself. I was tickled pink, so we did it a few more times. (Okay, maybe a LOT of times.)

They also had some primer caps they had developed, using the same chemistry. The guy was pretty closed-mouthed about that one, but we dry-fired a couple on some cap & ball replica and, by God, the things worked. I would love to find out what they did to that stuff to get it that sensitive to impact. If I can squeeze the informatioon out of Mag-Kor, I'm definitely going to have some fun.

I've got a bunch of crucibles, so maybe I'll try some Vit-C with some KClO3/4. With goggles and welding gloves in case it works TOO well.

I'll post the results.