Archive for September 4th, 2007

Reposted:

The first is a website that discusses historical gun powder through the eyes of a chemist. Reading his history of gun powder is interesting because he gives evidence that gun powder in Europe was developed by Europeans. He discusses the development of saltpeter, also known as potassium nitrate, and how very pure stock of this gun powder ingredient was “grown.” The importance of charcoal is discussed, and he tells us how to make a historical slow match for musketeers that will burn at a rate of 8 inches an hour.

If you like history or you want to make your own slow match, this is a fantastic website. http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/history.html

Focusing on the common reenactor, I found another site that gives instructions on how to quickly create a good slow match. No historical evidence is cited, but the author offers his own experiments and results for a potassium nitrate-based match. He obtains his potassium nitrate from a chemical supply store. For comparison, the website mentioned previously, who cited his source to 1668, uses potassium carbonate from common hearth ash and lead acetate.

Despite not being 100% historically accurate, the match creation process from this site is quick, easy, and functions well in wind. http://www.metamuseum.com/us/slowmatch/index.cfm

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