in case you were wondering

It is well known that black powder is really inefficant with only about 40% being gasses, the rest smoke and solids..... I was cleaning my rifle and wonderd what that black goop coming out of my barrel was. I wipped out my trusty Gilbert chemestery set and found out. That black stuff is..
61% potassium carbonate
15% potassium sulfate
14.45% potaswsium sulfide
0.22% potassium thiocyanate
0.27% potassium nitrate
0.74% ammonium carbonate
8.74% sulphur
0.08% carbon
I showed my results to a friend and he said it looks like fouling.

 

[bob1961]

I was cleaning my rifle and wonderd what that black goop coming out of my barrel was

maybe yer rifle is sick and that' just rifle snot comin out :rotf: :v ...........bob

 

[TANSTAAFL]

...I wipped out my trusty Gilbert chemestery set and found out. That black stuff is..

Dang, and all this time I thought it was just BP fouling. :rotf:

 

[Rebel]

Dread my friend, you have way too much time on yer hands. :grin:

 

[bob308]

really it is a good people replent. get a good dose on you like at a big match. then stop in a store on the way home and no one comes near you.

 

[scott k]

61% potassium carbonate
15% potassium sulfate
14.45% potaswsium sulfide
0.22% potassium thiocyanate
0.27% potassium nitrate
0.74% ammonium carbonate
8.74% sulphur
0.08% carbon

Neat carbon is the lowest.
Doesn't it start out the highest?
lehigh...

 

[Zonie]

Ah yes! The old Gilbert Chemistry Set!

I haven't seen one of those for years! In fact, I doubt that a Chemistry set of any kind is on the market now.
Just think of all of those potentially harmful chemicals that are in it. Not only that, but the not so harmful ones can be combined to make harmful things.
We can't have that now. Little Johnie or Billie might get interested in something besides his/her PlayStation. :rotf:

Who knows... They might even get interested in Science and come up with something to eliminate Cancer and other similar scourges when they grow up.

zonie

 

[renovato]

I showed my results to a friend and he said it looks like fouling.

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[paulvallandigham]

The carbon does begin as the highest amount, but that Potassium CARBONate, and the Ammonium CARBONate explain where a large percentage of the carbon goes. A little over 63% of the residue involves carbon in one form or another. I would say that carbon still represents the bulk of the residue.

 

[faw3]

Lets not forget.. main ingredient (charcoal) it has a LOT to do with what tree got used as in Curtis + Harveys #6 used up a forest of one kind of tree as Goex's EXPRESS they ckd a bunch of trees to find the right one. Those old chem sets ?? dang fun> Fred :hatsoff:

 

[dmills]

So the next time I'm at the range, I'll wait until a couple of the curious are in the area. I'll swab the barrel and then sniff the patch and I'll say:

Yup, that's

61% potassium carbonate
15% potassium sulfate
14.45% potaswsium sulfide
0.22% potassium thiocyanate
0.27% potassium nitrate
0.74% ammonium carbonate
8.74% sulphur
0.08% carbon

Just like I thought

:rotf: