Important: Safety Warning
This page contains instructions involving gunpowder or other explosive or pyrotechnic compositions. Preparing explosives as described has caused severe injuries and deaths, and is illegal in most places.
In addition, this page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Pyrotechny › To Prepare Gun-Cotton
To Prepare Gun-Cotton
The simplest way consists in immersing, for a few seconds, well-carded cotton in a mixture of sion of this substance. At most 1 or 2 grains equal parts, by volume, of oil of vitriol of can be exploded with safety at one time. specific gravity 1.845, and nitric acid of spe-