I would like to thank all those who have made contact since my letter was published in several Cumbrian newspapers. As a result I have arranged interviews in Ambleside and Sedgwick over the next week with the prospect of some very exciting new information. However, if you were going to call me but still thinking about it, then please pick up the phone because the more the merrier on this journey. What you have to say could make a real difference.
So let's make some….
To make gunpowder, or black powder as it is also called, you need – seventy-five parts saltpetre finely ground, fifteen parts charcoal and ten parts sulphur.
All ingredients must be fine ground separately. This can be done by hand using a pestle and mortar. Never mix all three ingredients before grinding unless you want to turn you mortar into a canon and blow your hand off!
Once ground, the ingredients can be mixed with a small amount of water so that the mixture comes out as a paste, like biscuit dough. Stale urine can also be used as it improves the performance of the gunpowder. Then spread the paste onto a sheet of foil and let it dry for 2 to 3 days until it is a thin hard cake. Grind it up once again into the finest powder to make your “proper, fast burning gunpowder”.
When making your gunpowder never add any other ingredients or explosive powders unless you want to turn your gun into a grenade that can kill you or cripple you for life. Keep the black powder stored in steel, airtight tins in a cool, dry place, out of the reach of children.
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