Serpentine Powder

Serpentine Powder

The first type of black powder, called serpentine powder, was made while it was dry and it tended to explode during preparation. Perhaps the earliest process for making serpentine powder was to dump the constituent materials into a grinding apparatus, such as a mortar and pestle, and then grind it by hand. After a great amount of grinding, the materials form black powder.

The ingredients frequently exploded during formulation with these processes and many powder makers met their demise while plying their trade. Even after preparation, serpentine powder was unstable, unreliable and gained moisture, or hydrated, easily. It was particularly affected by decomposition during transit and frequently had to be recombined before it could be used in battle. It was very tricky to load a gun with serpentine powder; if it was packed too-tightly, it caused the gun to explode.