Is black powder residue acidic?
09-30-2012, 05:11 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MICHIGAN
Posts: 2,568
Is black powder residue acidic?
This was posted else where on a non black powder site. I am intrested in the answers for black powder shooters.
"This is a question that came up at yesterday's Hunter Safety class.
It is to my understanding that it makes a hygroscopic salt that attracts moisture, holds it against the metal and that is what does the BP firearm damage.
Another instructor said BP turns to sulfuric acid when fired and eats the steel chemically.
I "googled" it and got conflicting answers from armchair chemists.
Will somebody here, with a chemist background (or a link to such) give me a definitive answer to this question? Please!"
Al
"This is a question that came up at yesterday's Hunter Safety class.
It is to my understanding that it makes a hygroscopic salt that attracts moisture, holds it against the metal and that is what does the BP firearm damage.
Another instructor said BP turns to sulfuric acid when fired and eats the steel chemically.
I "googled" it and got conflicting answers from armchair chemists.
Will somebody here, with a chemist background (or a link to such) give me a definitive answer to this question? Please!"
Al
09-30-2012, 06:34 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 1,068
Good question that I would like to see the answer to. I was always f the understanding that it turned to a hygroscopic salt that held moisture. This belief was furthered when I moved from WY to MN and saw that in a state with more moisture and humidity I have to be more careful cleaning or I end up with rust more easily.
09-30-2012, 06:56 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 11,703
Yooper
One answer from one chemist... He claims it is a 'form' of acidid acid... it will certainly etich you barrel...
Here is a another quote....
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NITRIC ACID & ITS SALTS
Nitric Acid is a colourless, highly corrosive, poisonous liquid (freezing point : -42° C, boiling point: 83° C) that will react with water or steam to produce heat and toxic, corrosive, and flammable vapors.
One answer from one chemist... He claims it is a 'form' of acidid acid... it will certainly etich you barrel...
Here is a another quote....
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NITRIC ACID & ITS SALTS
Nitric Acid is a colourless, highly corrosive, poisonous liquid (freezing point : -42° C, boiling point: 83° C) that will react with water or steam to produce heat and toxic, corrosive, and flammable vapors.
Last edited by sabotloader; 09-30-2012 at 07:16 AM.
09-30-2012, 09:08 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
Alley....I'll try to find my souces but I have seen somewhere what happens when you shoot real black powder, it will absorb water and turn into sulffuric acid which is H2SO4...
We know real black powder has sulfur in it so it makes sense that with high humidity burned black powder can be corrosive...
This simply means you should clean as soon as possible...I've got flintlocks from the 70s and 80s that don't have any rust damage...
We know real black powder has sulfur in it so it makes sense that with high humidity burned black powder can be corrosive...
This simply means you should clean as soon as possible...I've got flintlocks from the 70s and 80s that don't have any rust damage...
