Static and blackpowder.

[Loyalist Dave]

Is this why graphite is used as a component in black powder?

Um...I think it was added as an anti-caking agent, but it helps in other ways...(iirc) it helps to keep the granules from breaking down farther when jostled against each other, but unsure where I learned that. Glazing of the powder started before they used graphite. Until I learned that, I thought that "glazing" was the term used when they added the graphite in the first place.

I think you have much more chance of something bad happening to you from firing a black powder muzzle loading firearm than you do from static electricity setting off your powder.....of course if you get struck by lightning while wearing your horn, all bets are off.....

LD

 

[Zonie]

Is this why graphite is used as a component in black powder?

The graphite coating is to make the powder granules flow easier thru the screens that separate the different sizes.
The tumbling process used to apply the graphite also breaks off the tiny sharp corners of the granules.

 

[51colt]

When making black powder after its milled and hydrated in can be screened and left to dry. High-Quality black powder is put into a mold after it is hydrated and put in a hydraulic press and left to dry. When dry you end up with a puck. The puck is broken up into chunks that are grown up using a ceramic grinder. During this process, if you are not careful you can get too much fine black powder air-born this condition is similar to filling a room with natural gas fumes the smallest spark will touch it off. Let's say you have some old black powder and you want to see if it is still good. Outside away from anything that can burn put a three-inch line of powder on some concrete then using a tape measure put a wooden match in the hole at the end of the tape measure and extend the tape measure three foot light the match and light the powder. Doing this you will see back powder has to burn before it goes off. It takes a lot more than you think to get to go off. Not at all like the movies. After the black powder is lit the faster it burn the better it is.

 

[Rich]

The answer to all this is really simple easy. If static electricity set off BP explosions, most of us would be dead or at least missing a few fingers.

 

[51colt]

Anyone that thinks static electricity can touch off BP needs to safely light some BP. It does not light that easy it has to burn some before it goes poof. Pyrodex lights about the same as BP. When BP goes off it burns in a very quick poof Pyrodex does not burn as fast as BP it burns a lot longer.

51

 

[Scota@4570]

Smokeless ignites at a lower temperature than BP. IF static were an issue smokeless would be spontaneously igniting.