25 pounder

SIGP2101

SIGP2101

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Hi guys, I obtained yesterday what I think it is 25 pounds wooden powder keg similar to this one in this pic.
It is 12 inches across.

PowderKeg.gif


There is no labels or any marking present except on the bottom of the keg it is printed "Cartridge #4". That is it that is all.
Wood screw is identical to one in the pic only it is not placed in the center but more towards the edge of the keg. It is half full. :)
Does anyone know more about these?
 
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saw the same kind of keg for sale at the Woodstock gun show last Sunday, but it was empty.
I wouldn't touch the powder, better dispose of it, if it is really powder and not just black granules.
 
skneub said:
if it is half full.....be very very careful with that.
Might be very old and unstable black powder in it......
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Black powder does not get unstable with age. Nitro powders can, but there is no nitro in black powder. If it gets wet it won't work. If it is dry it is a low explosive and requires the same care whether old or new.
 
Interesting keg, I'd take a tiny bit on a spoon outside, and see if it burns. If its really old stuff, its most likely gone bad.
 
Shooting Centre said:
Black powder does not get unstable with age. Nitro powders can, but there is no nitro in black powder. If it gets wet it won't work. If it is dry it is a low explosive and requires the same care whether old or new.
Click to expand...

learn something new every day...


Still though , what the contents are is an unknown ...be very careful with it
 
Old black powder works fine, I've touched off many 19th century charges taken from old cartridges over the years, haven't tried them in a cartridge yet but I will one day. No duds yet; primers I've tried have been hit and miss often no good, the old priming compounds do seem to break down. On Cast Boolits there is a thread on people running original black powder loads through chronies (usually re-priming or loading it in new brass), with impressive results.

Even if the powder is wet, you can often dry it out and touch it off. Just spread it out in a dry place on a cookie sheet, you'd be surprised...

Would love one of those kegs!
 
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Content is black powder and it works fine. tested already. Granules are either FFF or FF, but nor sure. Still have to compare with what I have. It is much coarser then 777 I have and use most of the time. I will take some pictures maybe tonight and post here again. My curiosity is that print "cartridge #4" at the bottom.
Could this be a keg of blasting powder?
 
SIGP2101 said:
Content is black powder and it works fine. tested already. Granules are either FFF or FF, but nor sure. Still have to compare with what I have. It is much coarser then 777 I have and use most of the time. I will take some pictures maybe tonight and post here again. My curiosity is that print "cartridge #4" at the bottom.
Could this be a keg of blasting powder?
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sweet, perhaps it was the blasting charge ?
 
Great catch. I am jealous always wanted an original keg. Post a picture.

I have seen a couple of kegs that were made as working props for the movie industry. Take a little of the powder outside and ignite it to see if it burns.

I do not believe that there was a standard for classifying or grading powder back in the day. Each manufacturer had their own. I did a brief look in my books but could not find cartridge #4 as of yet.

If you have access to some screens see what mesh size it barely sifts thru.

As far as BP goes it appears that it does not degrade with age. While living in TN I had the opportunity to shoot BP from the WBTS. Actually I think it burned faster than my Goex.
 
And here are some pictures, has anyone seen something similar. I would like some data like origin and age.

BPKEG_2_.JPG


BPKEG_7_.JPG


BPKEG_9_.JPG


BPKEG_10_.JPG


I had to open bottom because some lumping occurred over the time.
It can be put back together like it was. It had 15 pounds of BP inside,
all good except for those lumps that I will crush into something useful:cool:.
Looking forward to Victoria Day

BPKEG_4_.JPG


Here is comparison with today's brands.

BPKEG_5_.JPG


Keg is one on the right. FFFg is in the middle, 777 on the left.
 
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SIGP2101 said:
And here are some pictures, has anyone seen something similar. I would like some data like origin and age.

BPKEG_2_.JPG


BPKEG_7_.JPG


BPKEG_9_.JPG


BPKEG_10_.JPG


I had to open the bottom because some lumping occurred over the time.
It can be put back together like it was. It had 15 pounds of BP inside,
all good except for those lumps that I will crush into something useful:cool:.
Looking forward to Victoria Day

BPKEG_4_.JPG


Here is comparison with today's brands.

BPKEG_5_.JPG


Keg is one on the right. FFFg is in the middle, 777 on the left.
Click to expand...

The Keg reminds me of the old cowboy movies nice
 
I'm betting some painted markings have worn off over time.

I've used photoshop on a number of occasions to reconstruct labels too faded to read. Try taking some pictures of it at different angles then (using photoshop or sometging similar) change the colour balances and/or hues. I've managed to get words and letters that were completely invisible to look at the thing.

I should add, this takes time and patience trying different filters. But when you get a result it is pretty neat and, hopefully, worthwhile.
 
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By the look of the bottom of some of the staves this keg it has been around for some time. I would resist doing any refinishing on the keg. It would diminish its market value..The stenciled "CARTRIDGE No4" is burning a hole in my brain. I have seen this mark before, but cannot recall where. Powder was manufactured everywhere with no industry standardization in grade, classification or markings.

You got a good score.....

Maybe Doug might be able to add some info.....
 
Magellann said:
Interesting keg, I'd take a tiny bit on a spoon outside, and see if it burns. If its really old stuff, its most likely gone bad.
Click to expand...
Black powder does not go bad. It will still fire in a loaded gun after hundreds of years as long as it is kept dry.
 
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