IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVE, PYROTECHNICAL, AND ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES OR COMPOUNDS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Hannan and Edmund James
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th November
1882.
ROBERT HANNAN, Merchant, and EDMUND JAMES MILLS, D.Sc., F.R.S., Professsor
of Technical Chemistry, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVE, PYROTECHNICAL,
AND ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES OR COMPOUNDS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES."
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This Invention comprises new combinations of ingredients forming a class of
improved explosive substances or compounds, suitable for using in fire arms, for
blasting and for similar purposes; and it is also in part advantageously applicable
in the manufacture of any explosive, pyrotechnical, or analogous substance or
compound which, as ordinarily made, is liable to be deteriorated, or to have its
efficiency impaired by the action of damp or moisture.
The improved explosive substances are compounds made up of the ingredients
and in the manner hereinafter described, the proportions of the different ingredients
being variable to suit different requirements. One ingredient is yellow or red
prussiate of potash or a mixture of both; a second ingredient is nitrate of potash ;
a tbird ingredient is chlorate of potash; and a fourth ingredient is vegetable or
animal charcoal or other suitable carbonaceous substance in a ground state. In
making the compound the first, second, and third ingredients are dissolved and are
mixed with each other and with the fourth ingredient; and the water of solution
is evaporated, the boiling action serving as a simple means for thoroughly inter-
mixing the ingredients. For the purpose of binding together or agglutinating the
ingredients they are mixed or treated with paraffin or other oleaginous or fatty
substance, in a solid, liquid, semi-liquid, or pastle-like condition, and one or more
of such substances being used. Aromatic or resinous gums may also be used for
binding or agglutinating the ingredients.
The explosive compounds made as hereinbefore described may be used alone or
in the form of lumps or blocks of any convenient size, or in a granulated or
powdered state; or they may be mixed with or have added to them charcoal, wood,
cotton, paper, or other vegetable matter. Or any of the explosive compounds may
be spread as a coating upon paper or cloth or other material. When the explosive

page_text: compound is intended for blasting and similar operations, there may be used as an
additional ingredient in its manufacture any one or more of the higher metallic
oxides such for example as sesquioxide of iron, oxide of copper, binoxide of
manganese, binoxide of lead, or other similar oxide.
The employment of paraffin or other oleaginous or fatty substances as herein-
before described renders the compounds insusceptible of injury from damp or
moisture; and such substances may be advantageously used in the manufacture of
various compounds as herein before stated. Amongst such compounds may be
mentioned ordinary gunpowders, chlorate powders, picrate powders, explosives
consisting of or made with nitrated cellulose, explosives consisting of or made with
nitroglycerin or similar nitro-compounds, also the various pyrotechnical compounds
whether to be used for ordinary firework displays, or for signals or otherwise, and
also frictional igniting compositions for matches, fuses, and the like.
In practically applying paraffin or the like according to one modification the
material in a state of fine division is intimately mixed with the powder or
-ingredients when in the state of a moist or watery paste, the mixture being sub-
sequently dried and heated sufficiently to just melt the paraffin.
Parafin may also be applied in various other ways; thus a solution of the
paraffin in benzene or other volatile solvent may be mixed with the dry powder
and the solvent be separated by distillation or evaporation; or solid or wax-like
paraffin may be acted on by rotating brushes arranged to take up minute portions
and transfer them to the powder or substance-to-be treated. Different-kinds..of
paraffin may be used, either such as are solid at ordinary temperatures or such as
are soft or more or less liquid. In applying the paraffin to or in combination-with.
_nitroglycerin the paraffin in a state of fine division may be stirred up with the
-mixture-of-glycerin-and-acids during the process of nitration.
The-proportion of paraffin to be used may in some cases be as little as three
parts by weight to every hundred parts of the explosive, pyrotechnical or analognus-
substance. In other cases larger proportions may be advantageously used and the
paraffin may be thus used instead of more or less of the charcoal or other
carbonaceous matter ordinarily employed.