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Black Powder-Ingredients
Understanding Potassium Nitrate
Black Powder-Powder Mill
POTASSIUM NITRATE is the main ingredient of black powder and is commonly referred to as Saltpetre. There are many ways to get Potassium Nitrate. The easiest way to get it is to buy it online. There are several sites on the Internet that offer Potassium Nitrate. I will Post several links to check out. The second way to get it, though it requires a little extra work, is from a local nursery or agricultural supplier. As many of you may know you can buy Potassium Nitrate as a fertilizer. In this form the Potassium Nitrate is very contaminated and will need to be cleaned for use in rockets. Failure to clean the Potassium Nitrate properly, will drastically affect your rocket. What you are looking for is the bag that says 13-0-46 this is the purest Potassium Nitrate fertilizer. Another way to get Potassium Nitrate is to buy it in small amounts from your local pharmacist. This is the worst way to get it because it comes in little 4 oz. bottles. You will spend quite a bit of money on this little bit of pure Potassium Nitrate. The last way is the hardest. You can make your own Potassium Nitrate. click here to learn how.
CHARCOAL is the second most abundant ingredient in black powder. You can make it yourself or buy it as "horticultural charcoal." It is manufactured in little quarter-inch sized chunks. Please don not attempt to use charcoal briquettes (the kind you use in your Bar-B-Que). These do contain a small amount of charcoal, but the remainder of it is composed of additives and binders that will drastically interfere with your rockets' performance. If you would like to learn how to make your own click here.
SULFUR is the third ingredient and is packaged as "dusting sulfur." You can find it at a nursery or agricultural supplier. "Dusting Sulfur" is used to control insects.
All of these ingredients are completely non-explosive when stored separately. When put together in the proper proportions they produce a powerful propellant capable of lifting your rocket thousands of feet into the air. Remember, check your local laws, possessing these ingredients may be illegal where you live.
