Another Flash in the Pan

[kwhi43@kc.rr.com]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o127/prizzel/anigif.gif

[fastforty]

Dang, don't want yer eyeball too close to that :eek:

[4V50 Gary]

Why worry? It's over in a flash.

You can barely see it in the above image, but some sparks actually go down and then jump up from the pan. It's been suggested by one master gunsmith at Colonial Williamsburg that it is better to use coarser powder to prime since larger grains would trap the sparks better.

[mykeal]

larger grains would trap the sparks better
I'm having difficulty understanding how larger grains would 'trap' sparks better, and why that would be desireable. That just doesn't seem to fit. There will be larger 'holes' between the grains with larger granules, but the physical dimensions of the burning spark material are much smaller, so the 'holes' between the finer granules are big enough. Plus, the smaller granules have more surface area to ignite. Finally, 'trapping' the spark material isn't the goal - it's subjecting the granule surface to high temperature, which is accomplished by landing the burning material on the grain surface.

By the way kwhi43@kc.rr.com, did you make that video or is it one of Larry Pletch's? If the latter he might appreciate you publishing the attributes as it was done with some very expensive donated equipment.

[FrontierGander]

doesnt look like that frizzen throws a whole lot of spark. May reharden it some day.

[Gbro]

doesnt look like that frizzen throws a whole lot of spark. May reharden it some day.
A possibility,
I would look to the flint 1st. A well knapped flint will scrape better.