John Wayne's Sons of Katie Elder question

**4V50 Gary** · August 19, 2010, 10:50 PM

Just saw the movie for the first time in over twenty years. In the final scene, John Elder (the John Wayne character) is inside a gunstore. He notices there are red metal cans of blasting powder. I know blackpowder came in small one pound cans and perhaps even five pounds. This can looked like it could be 20 lbs!

Was there such a critter as a 20 lb metallic can of blasting powder? I know the military used wood with non-ferrous metal for their powder kegs.

LaserSpot · August 19, 2010, 11:07 PM

I haven't seen that one in a while. Here's a 25 lb. powder keg; it looks like a metal can with a wooden lid.

http://www.gatling-gun.com/

Slowhand · August 20, 2010, 02:33 AM

Well done Laserspot.

the Black Spot · August 20, 2010, 08:24 AM

i have one of those "coffee" can size metal cans that had powder in it i will see if there is a date on it and how many pounds it lists.

wittzo · August 20, 2010, 09:52 AM

I thought about buying a 25 pound "keg" of powder from Jack's a few months ago and then had visions of my house going up in a blast and then thought,"Hell, no!"

Of course a keg is a big black plastic pickle jar or a plastic bag inside a cardboard box nowadays. I would rather my 25lbs of powder go off a pound at a time instead of one big conflagration. Humidity would make it cake into one big mass I would have to scrape or beat on to get a flask worth of powder, like a salt cube.

**Mike Irwin** · August 20, 2010, 10:10 AM

For industrial applications, blasting powder was also packaged in 100 pound kegs.

Rifleman1776 · August 20, 2010, 02:06 PM

In the early 1980s when black powder was hard to find, I bought in 25 pound metal barrels/kegs. They were lined with plastic. I repackaged in one pound lots to resell in my gunshop.

Model-P · August 20, 2010, 11:15 PM

Around the mid-1870s the wooden kegs gave way to steel kegs. Weights between 25 and 40 pounds were pretty common.

the Black Spot · August 21, 2010, 01:22 PM

i checked the red metal can that i have. it looks real close to the same size in the sons of katie elder movie. on my can it says "red dot, lot 316, 3 lbs".
it is an all red metal can with metal lid. this was back when hercules powder was in wilmington, delaware.
of course, 3 lbs of red dot may not weigh as much as the same amound of black.
i can send a pic to someones email if interested to see it.

August 19, 2010, 10:50 PM	#1
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	John Wayne's Sons of Katie Elder question Just saw the movie for the first time in over twenty years. In the final scene, John Elder (the John Wayne character) is inside a gunstore. He notices there are red metal cans of blasting powder. I know blackpowder came in small one pound cans and perhaps even five pounds. This can looked like it could be 20 lbs! Was there such a critter as a 20 lb metallic can of blasting powder? I know the military used wood with non-ferrous metal for their powder kegs. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

August 20, 2010, 02:33 AM	#3
Slowhand Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2010 Location: Irmo, SC Posts: 263	LOL Well done Laserspot.

August 20, 2010, 10:10 AM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,389	For industrial applications, blasting powder was also packaged in 100 pound kegs. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 19, 2010, 11:07 PM	#2
LaserSpot Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 311	I haven't seen that one in a while. Here's a 25 lb. powder keg; it looks like a metal can with a wooden lid. http://www.gatling-gun.com/

August 20, 2010, 08:24 AM	#4
the Black Spot Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2009 Location: arkansas Posts: 218	i have one of those "coffee" can size metal cans that had powder in it i will see if there is a date on it and how many pounds it lists.

August 20, 2010, 09:52 AM	#5
wittzo Member Join Date: February 10, 2010 Posts: 95	I thought about buying a 25 pound "keg" of powder from Jack's a few months ago and then had visions of my house going up in a blast and then thought,"Hell, no!" Of course a keg is a big black plastic pickle jar or a plastic bag inside a cardboard box nowadays. I would rather my 25lbs of powder go off a pound at a time instead of one big conflagration. Humidity would make it cake into one big mass I would have to scrape or beat on to get a flask worth of powder, like a salt cube.

August 20, 2010, 02:06 PM	#7
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	In the early 1980s when black powder was hard to find, I bought in 25 pound metal barrels/kegs. They were lined with plastic. I repackaged in one pound lots to resell in my gunshop.

August 20, 2010, 11:15 PM	#8
Model-P Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2009 Posts: 727	Around the mid-1870s the wooden kegs gave way to steel kegs. Weights between 25 and 40 pounds were pretty common.

August 21, 2010, 01:22 PM	#9
the Black Spot Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2009 Location: arkansas Posts: 218	i checked the red metal can that i have. it looks real close to the same size in the sons of katie elder movie. on my can it says "red dot, lot 316, 3 lbs". it is an all red metal can with metal lid. this was back when hercules powder was in wilmington, delaware. of course, 3 lbs of red dot may not weigh as much as the same amound of black. i can send a pic to someones email if interested to see it.