Black powder vs. Stun Gun

[Maillemaker]

Can static electricity set off black powder? Let's test some non-graphite-coated homemade 3F against a stun gun!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdHdnnhy5Ro

Steve

[Hal]

I've seen similar experiments recently on the web. In my mind, that pretty well blows the theory of static electricity setting off black powder. Of course there will always be the ones who will say that it could still happen under some extraordinary circumstance and that it only has to happen once, and.....yada yada yada. I used my Lee Perfect Powder Measure with plastic hopper for black powder for the first time this past weekend. I'm over that unfounded fear.

[Ben Nevlezer]

I've used RCBS and Lyman measures with plastic hoppers for years, literally 100's if not 1000's of pounds of BP. Never had a problem other than rust if not cleaned regularly. Wish they made one with a plastic body as well! My biggest concern has always been keeping my ashtray at least an arms length away... But ofcourse you should always read and heed the directions and warnings.........

[Lou Lou Lou]

Loading BP made me quit smoking 40 years ago

[Ben Nevlezer]

Loading BP made me quit smoking 40 years ago
How's that Lou? Did your kids do like my brothers and I did? Add just enough Goex to dad and uncle Daves ashtray to take the hair off their knuckles? Just don't try that trick on mom! Again!!!
Inquiring minds love entertaining stories like that!

[Lou Lou Lou]

Nope , found myself loading powder charges with a cigarette in my mouth. Something had to give. Luckily , I quit

[Michael Bodner]

Whew! Now I know I can safely carry and use a stun gun on the line with teammates that keep missing without any interference from the Safety!

Cool experiment. I would have bet money the stuff would have gone off.

Boots

[Kevin Tinny]

Hello:

Many thanks for the most helpful, video presentation link.

Please, none of the following is intended to question posters here.
All I hope to do is share some history about how things are distorted at high levels.

The subject of static electricity and black powder has been thrashed over my 60 years in our sport. My first exposure was while working as a machinist for South Bend Replicas, helping make muzzle loading black powder cannon. Around 1969, ammonium nitrate "ditching dynamite to us" in the bed of a pickup truck was used to blow up part of a Wisconsin laboratory doing wartime research.

That prompted Senate Bill S-1083, that among other things, would have severly impacted legitimate sporting/historical use of black powder via possession limits.
Like now, the media got the subject ginned-up with a Dick Tracy comic strip that included a bad guy sprinkling black powder on the floor of a facility AND it igniting from static electricity when the cleaning crew swept it.

As part of the Indiana Sportsmen's Council, several of us went to DC to testify before Sen. Birch Bye, who Chaired the Hearing on the proposed Bill. We listened during the morning presentation to the FBI show and explain a chart about the explosives used in all bombings for the prior twenty years. That chart showed 65% of the bombs were black powder! We were suspicious of the Bureau's chart, and during lunch slipped Sen. Bye a note. He resumed the Hearing and recalled the Special Agent who was still UNDER OATH. Sen. Bye asked the Agent where the Bureau got its figures for black powder involvement. The Agent turned around, looked to the back of the room where another person was seen shaking his head. The Agent then admitted, on the Record, that he had been instructed to classify all bombs not clearly from other explosives as black powder fueled. A groan went through the chamber, and Sen. Bye gave the Agent/Bureau a tongue lashing. The next day there was a signed Presidential Order exempting sporting use from what would have been very narrow possession limits.

This morning I Googled "Can static electricity ignite black powder?".
Lots of good info that includes the need for heat, which static electricity does not produce in ample amounts.

It seems that every few years, this bunk resurfaces.
It has been a topic in earlier Threads here.
Thanks and an appreciative smile.

Very respectfully,
Kevin Tinny

[Hal]

I ran across one video that showed the spark trail actually travelling THROUGH the grains of powder as the carbon conducted the current.

[Maillemaker]

Yup, I've followed along the idea of static kicking off BP for years. In particular I was interested in this series of articles about a guy who tried to build an electrically-fired muzzle loader:

https://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/electric_ml/electricml.html

and

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html

and

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/electric_ignition/eignition.html

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/spark_train.jpg

And it turns out it is actually somewhat difficult to do. Black powder, particularly graphite-coated black powder is fairly electrically conductive so that there is very little resistance to the current, and thus, little heat.

I was prompted to revisit this experiment when I started making my own BP a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to satisfy myself that my home-made BP, which is contains no graphite, was still not very much at risk to static discharge. So I bought myself a cheap-o $10 stun gun off of Amazon and repeated the experiments seen in the link above.

I figured I would share the, ahem, shocking results. :)

Steve

[Michael Bodner]

Very Informative!!

However, this sparks another question...

I recall seeing a few years ago a major manufacturer offering BP guns with electronic ignition (no primer, just pull the trigger and electricity set off the charge).

Anyone know how that worked??

-Boots

[Maillemaker]

The links I gave above chronicle one man's attempt to make his own electrically-fired muzzle loader. He talks about the commercial one along and along.

As he demonstrates, it can be done, but it requires a lot more juice over a lot longer time than your usual static discharge.

Steve

[Maillemaker]

The CVA Electra - the electrically-fired muzzle loader.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvxHBUNXBA0

Neat in that because there is no breech hole it should have been easier to clean - only the bore.

Steve

[Eggman]

20mm Vulcan is electronically fired.

[Lou Lou Lou]

So is the 20 mm M-39 Cannon appropriated from Krupp and used in F-100 fighters

[Michael Bodner]

20mm Vulcan is electronically fired.


That's gonna change the whole dynamics on the Pigeon Board event...

[H.Liniger]

One of the most extensive investigations concerning black powder and static electricity was conducted by Sandia Labs when the center gun of Turret 2 of U.S.S. Iowa blew up igniting 5 100 pound bags of black powder in an open breech killing 47 sailors. It is a good read if you have the time.

[RangerFrog]

I could see an electronic ignition Gatling Gun doing interesting things to a pigeon board. Better be fast with the stop watch! :p

Froggie