AN IMPROVED EXPLOSIVE COMPOUND OR GUNPOWDER
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Fenton, of Colchester, in the County of
Essex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED EXPLOSIVE COMPOUND OR
GUNPOWDER."
Scaled the 12th June 1874, and dated the 17th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Fenton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th December 1873.
I, JOSEPH FENTON, of Colchester, in the County of Essex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED EXPLOSIVE
COMPOUND OR GUNPOWDER," to be follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved explosive compound or white
gunpowder suitable for all kinds of fire-arms and ordnance, and also for
blasting purposes. This gunpowder is more easily made, and without
any danger whatever, is more powerful than ordinary gunpowder, is not
dangerous in handling or ramming, does not foul the gun, causes little
or no recoil, is non-corrosive, and produces less smoke.

page_text: The ingredients I employ are yellow prussiate of potash, loaf sugar,
and chlorate of potash.
The proportions of the several ingredients vary according to the
desired strength of the powder. Thus for every pound of the chlorate
of potash in a humid state the respective proportions of the sugar and
yellow prussiate of potash may each vary from, say, eight to four ounces,
the proportions of these two ingredients decreasing as the strength of the
powder is to be increased.
The following is the mode of manufacture:-The chlorate of potash is
first wetted with pure lime water free from all sediment, or soft water in
which a small quantity of gum arabic is dissolved, or water alone may
be used. The chlorate of potash is then ground fine, and the other two
ingredients are also finely ground and added in a dry state, and the
whole is kneaded to the consistency of stiff dough. The compound is
then dried until it will crumble freely, after which it is cut up and
rubbed to pieces, and then passed through sieves of various sizes to
obtain the different sized grains required. It is next sifted on to trays
and completely dried, after which all dust is separated from the grains,
which dust on being wetted can also be made into grains, and thus all
waste is avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Fenton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
FENTON, of Colchester, in the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three,
in the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Fenton, Her
special licence that I, the said Joseph Fenton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Fenton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to time, and at all times thereafter during the

page_text: term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
EXPLOSIVE COMPOUND OR GUNPOWDER," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Joseph Fenton, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Fenton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:
-
My Invention relates to an improved explosive compound or white
gunpowder, suitable for all kinds of fire-arms and ordnance, and also for
blasting purposes. The advantages of this gunpowder are that it is more
easily made than others in use, its manufacture is devoid of all danger,
it is more powerful than ordinary gunpowder, is not dangerous in
handling or ramming, does not foul the gun, causes little or no recoil, is
non-corrosive, and produces but little smoke.
The ingredients I employ are yellow prussiate of potash, loaf sugar,
and chlorate of potash.
The proportions of the several ingredients vary according to the
desired strength of the powder. Thus for every pound of the chlorate
of potash in a humid state the respective proportions of the sugar and
yellow prussiate of potash may each vary from, say, eight to four ounces,
the proportions of these two ingredients decreasing as the strength of the
powder is to be increased.
For convenience I will put in a tabular form the proportions I find to
answer for three different strengths of powder likely to be required for

page_text: No. 3, very strong.
Yellow prussiate of potash
4 oz.
i
Loaf sugar
Chlorate of potash in a humid state •
4
"
1 lb.
I first damp the
I will now describe the mode of manufacture.
chlorate of potash with pure lime water free from all sediment (or soft
water in which a small quantity of gum arabic is dissolved, or water
alone may be used), and grind the chlorate of potash finely in a marble
mortar. I next add the other two ingredients in a dry state, they having
been previously finely ground, and the whole is then kneaded well
together. Care should be taken not to wet the chlorate of potash or the
compound more than is necessary to form when kneaded with the other
ingredients a compound of the consistency of stiff dough. The com-
pound is then dried in earthen vessels placed in a sort of japanner's oven
at a temperature of 150° to 250° until it will crumble freely, after which
it is cut up with brass knives and rubbed to pieces, and then passed
through wire sieves of various sizes to obtain the different size grains
required. It is next sifted on to sheet iron trays and completely dried
in the stove or by solar heat, the trays being shaken occasionally to assist
the hardening of the grains, after which all dust is separated from the
said grains. This dust on being wetted can also be made into grains,
and thus all waste is avoided.
It may be mentioned that the powder or compound is not necessarily
white, but may be made of other colors by the addition of a small
quantity of coloring matter, finely ground and mixed in the wetting.
For blue I use finely ground common stone blue; for red, Chinese red
or red ochre; for yellow, best yellow ochre or chrome; for green,
Brunswick green; for black, best Prussian lampblack or charcoal burnt
in a large pan or ladle, and when cold well sifted and added in lieu of
and in the same proportion. as the sugar before mentioned, which is
omitted in this latter case.

page_text: Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that I claim as my Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, an explosive com-
pound or gunpowder prepared with the three materials herein-before
specified, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Fenton, have set my hand
and seal to this my Specification, this Sixteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.