#Saltpeter new world how to
#Saltpeter new world series

In addition, sources of urine-soaked soil and manure were gathered by the Saltpetre Men. There were daily collections in London in the Summer. Which our commandment and royal pleasure, being easy to observe, and so necessary for the public service of us and our people, that if any person do be remiss thereof we shall esteem all such persons contemptuous and ill affected both to our person and estate, and are resolved to proceed to the punishment of that offender with what severity we may.” The increased demand for saltpetre in the next century led King Charles I to order “his loving subjects carefully and constantly keep and preserve in some convenient vessels or receptacles fit for the purpose, all the urine of man during the whole year, and all the stale of beasts which they can save and gather together whilst their beasts are in their stables and stalls, and that they be careful to use the best means of gathering together and preserving the urine and stale, without mixture of water or other thing put therein.

They will be dissolved and recrystallised in the buildings above Saltpetre refining, 1698 The Saltpetre Men (Left to Right): A typical nitrary (Germany, circa 1580) – in the bottom left a worker is scraping crystals from the surface. (Frederick Nathan, second President of IChemE, was Superintendent of the Royal Gunpowder and Small Arms Factories.) Particle technology was critical in the quality of the product in the Royal Gunpowder Mills. This reliability under royal control was a major advantage for armed forces in Empire building.īritain also developed “corning”, which we now call granulation, with wet grinding as used in the pharmaceutical industry todayīritain also developed “corning”, which we now call granulation, with wet grinding as used in the pharmaceutical industry today giving “black powder” where each grain (or corn) contained all the ingredients, giving even burning, and the corn size was suited for different weapons (larger for cannons). With balls all being the same size and weight, gun barrels evenly and precisely sized, and consistent burning gunpowder, artillery and firearms were more accurate. Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, had established a quality control system for armaments, and this was applied to gunpowder. With this home-grown source, England was able to see off its European rivals. (Because of their different solubility curves, KNO 3 crystallises preferentially to NaNO 3, though the latter also works in gunpowder, if the recipe is adjusted for the different mass.) Eventually crystals of KNO 3 would appear on the surface in the same way that white minerals sometimes appear on the surface of damp brickwork, and would be scraped off, dissolved to separate out the earth, and recrystallised. The mixture, depth of bed, and frequency of turning were part of the secret knowhow. Essentially, urine-soaked earth and animal manure was mixed with lime or potash and exposed to the atmosphere, turning at intervals.

#Saltpeter new world how to

The secret was how to make saltpetre from pee and poo, (of which pee was the most important) in what was called a nitrary, by greatly accelerating the natural process and performing a crystallisation. It has been compared to oil or uranium in strategic importance. Natural processes led to deposits in various places, particularly hotter countries, and England traded as far as Persia, and employed smugglers to try to get more than other nations, in preparation for war. The others are charcoal (available from English trees) and sulfur (mined in Iceland, so available). Saltpetre or saltpeter (also known as nitre) is crude potassium nitrate, the main ingredient of gunpowder (about 75%).

#Saltpeter new world series

(Left to Right): Queen Elizabeth I started a series of historical changes with her £300 payment for an industrial process for making saltpetre Minerals crystallising on the surface of brickwork, as KNO3 does on nitrary beds Saltpetre, also known as potassium nitrate Saltpetre – the “mother of gunpowder”