Exploding Powder Horn

[flintlock75]

I just read a story on cnn about an heirloom gift of an old powder horn exploding when the teenage recipient threw it onto the floor. The story is weird and not well detailed, i dougt the horn just exploded on impact but might be possible if the powder had crystalized and leached thru the horn, and possible friction set it off. My quess is that there was powder in it and the kid put a lighter to the horn and it detonated the powder. anyway read for yourselves.
http://www.wcti12.com/news/28904493/detail.html?hpt=us_bn4

 

[PreserveFreedom]

I call BS. Especially since the horn was made of wood. There is no way that throwing wood against any surface created enough heat to ignite the powder. More likely he was trying to light the powder on fire and made up the story so he wouldn't get in trouble.

 

[Zonie]

Black powder will not detonate from an impact.
It needs a heat source like a spark.

I suppose it's possible that an iron or steel headed nail sparked when it hit something hard like concrete but to my way of thinking that would be stretching it some.

More than likely the boy did what most normal 13 year old boys would do. He got a match to see if that black stuff would burn and sure enough, it did. :grin:

Of course if that happened it would be a cold day in Phoenix before he ever admitted it. :hmm:

 

[MSW]

Preserve, i'm with you on this one... look closer and you'll find a missing book of matches in this young baseball players inventory of BS stories he'll tell anyone to get out of the responsibility for doing stupid stuff, destroying a family heirloom, and nearly blowing himself to perdition.

and, mom, where were you when the kid was playing with explosives? at a doctor's appointment. here you go, kid, have a de facto hand grenade. now play nice. did it ever occur to this nitwit to see if there was anything inside the wooden horn?

OK, let me climb down from my soap box before i fall and get hurt...

 

Black powder will not detonate from an impact.
It needs a heat source like a spark.

I suppose it's possible that an iron or steel headed nail sparked when it hit something hard like concrete but to my way of thinking that would be stretching it some.

More than likely the boy did what most normal 13 year old boys would do. He got a match to see if that black stuff would burn and sure enough, it did. :grin:

Of course if that happened it would be a cold day in Phoenix before he ever admitted it. :hmm:

I think you are right -- and since the kid was the only one hurt, the police were not about to waste time on it, even if they knew that the "accident" was well nigh impossible :bull:

 

[William O.]

I call BS as well, but you should read the comments that have been attached to this article. One person stated :bull: that black powder "crystalizes" as it ages making it "shock" sensitive and that modern smokeless powder is "stabilized" ;

It doesn't need match/heat source. Old powder becomes unstable and shock sensitive. New smokeless powder is stabilized. The stuff you would find in an actual powder horn that was used would not be a modern smokeless powder.

Lots of experts wading into this one. :rotf:

 

[Dphar]

I call BS as well, but you should read the comments that have been attached to this article. One person stated :bull: that black powder "crystalizes" as it ages making it "shock" sensitive and that modern smokeless powder is "stabilized" ;


Lots of experts wading into this one. :rotf:

I have to admit that this is a new one.
I would love to see his citations of research showing BP degrading simply from age.
Throwing a powder horn on any surface, unless its a heated metal plate, is not going to ignite the powder.
Dan

 

[Jumpshot]

So he threw it on the ground and then it burned his arms, huh? What about other things in the general vicinity, like legs, torso, clothes, etc? How did only his arms manage to get burned from the ground?

I also noticed it didn't take long for an anti to chime in...

What an heirloom! What ever happened to rings, portraits, roll top desks? Or how about a lovely hand grenade?

:yakyak:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Too much left out of that story :bull: to come to a good conclusion.
But, bp does not "crystalize" with time and age. As said, impact will not ignite it.
Sad it got publicized. Now some will claim bp is dangerous and try to get restrictions.

 

[paulvallandigham]

" The Devil Made me DO IT!" [ Flip Wilson's "Geraldine's" answer to everything that went wrong.]

 

If you look at the picture with the article, the horn appears to be horn and not wood. The one visible nail is undoubtably from the base plug.
Mark

 

[bangfxr]

It looks like a horn. As for the injuries I'll bet the young Einstien was sitting at a table or desk playing with it and a lighter or matches came into the picture :hmm: wonder what will happen if I do this ?? . I have accidently dropped my horns on concrete floor and had no spark. Yes there is alot more to this then what been told.

 

[Emet Huntsman]

Jumpshot beat me to it. Seems an arm will get burned before anything else because at the end of the arm is a hand and fingers to hold a match to ignite some powder poured out of the "heirloom." :hmm:

 

[David W.]

"I wonder what that black powdery looking stuff is in there"? "I think I'll strike a match and see"!

I have never been able to set off BP by percussion. I've even placed some on an anvil and hit it with a sledge.

 

[wulf]

The first question I had was why would the kid
look at the horn and "Then Throw It Down on the
Ground"....THROW it down????? Even a brat would
set it down if not interested in it....But throw
it down [more???]

 

[rabjr]

This is simply a 13 year old being a 13 year old and not admitting it.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The first question I had was why would the kid look at the horn and "Then Throw It Down on the Ground"....THROW it down????? Even a brat would set it down if not interested in it....But throw it down [more???]

He was 13. It didn't have WiFi and no food came out of it, so throw it away.

 

[gearheart]

He threw it on the floor where it exploded and burned his arms but not his legs and feet? :bull: :bull:

 

[BigDeutscher]

Once apon a time in a small Pennsylvania town a little drummer boy bought a 45 .cal pistol from one of the older guys in his C/W unit
His parents did not know he had it.
Seeing that the pistol was clogged with a gray green substance and had not been cleaned in a ***** age .The drummer boy desided to clean it buy fire........That should do it!
He opened his window in his bedroom layed the small pistol on the window sill and grabbing one of his favorites {an old fashioned barn burner wooden match}.The match was lit and placed near the muzzle of the pistol,Va Voom.. Woosh!! when the smoke cleared and the little boy looked down at his now black fingers on his right hand.
Realizing his mistake and in quite alot of pain
he reached for the pillow on the bed and placeing it over his mouth ,he sceamed as little as possible while danceing around in a circle.
As the sound of the pounding feet of his mother came near his door ,he knew his purchase and mistakes in the cleaning were about to be found out.No words were spoken by the concerned mother as she ran cool water over the burn and rubbed the back of the teary eyed little soldier.
When his father arived home and the family sat down for dinner ,the question was asked what happened to your hand ? Hot water the Mother spoke up we were makeing tea it spilled on him
We were makeing tea.
When the boy returned to his room the pistol was gone the smell of smoke and burned flesh was no longer there.
The boy never asked about the missing pistol
He searched all the known hiding places in the house but it was never found.
Many years later while sitting and talking with his mother he had to ask
What ever happened to that little pistol I had.
The now old and frail mother just smiled placed her hand in his,rubbed it softly with her fingers, looked down and said...
I have know idea what you are talking about.
turned away and smiled again.
Sometimes Things are better left unsaid !
Deutsch

 

[Emet Huntsman]

Hope your hand healed without any scarring. :wink: