Serpentine gunpowder

Wet or Dry?
Geoff Smith1
The earliest type of gunpowder was a simple mixture of saltpetre, charcoal and
sulphur, commonly referred to as serpentine after the early artillery piece known as a
serpent. The name long outlived the gun and it was in common use until about the end of
the sixteenth century because the burning chracteristics were found to suite several types
of contemporary ordnance.2
The useage of serpentine has been discussed by several authors and a common
point of discussion has been the question of whether the powder was prepared in the dry
or wet state. This brief note examines the available evidence.
Early texts on the preparation of gunpowder are scarce and are not written in a style
that would be expected of a modern production instruction. However there are clues and
knowledge of modern chemistry helps to understand the observations of the time.
Given the three basic ingredients, the first attempt of a fourteenth century gunner
would presumably be to simply mix them in the dry state. However, the components must
first be reduced to a fine state to ensure complete mixing. It is abundently clear to anyone
who has handled finely ground charcoal 3 that the dust is messy, pervasive and easily
dispersed by the slightest draft. The latter point, of course, potentially changes the
carefully weighed addition to the mix.
Simply stirring the mix is a very inefficient way of obtaining uniformity and it is
evident from earliest MS illustrations and instructions that they were ground together in a
pestel and mortar, initially by hand and, as production quantities increased, by manual and
later horse or water powered stamp mill.
It has been shown conclusively that even the earliest saltpetre was sustantially pure
potassium nitrate4. However the saltpetre crystalises from a solution that contains other
salts and unless the product is washed thoroughly and/or subjected to repeated
recrystalisation, the crystals will be coated with a residue of the mother liquor which
contains some of these contaminants. The earliest account of gunpowder production in
Western literature is Das Fuerwerkbuche of the late fourteenth century. translated as The
Firework Book5. It contains the following statement6 'When you grind the components
down to powder in a mortar7, they will mix very closely and become a little moist. Do not
let this trouble youThis has been fully discussed in a previous paper, but briefly, any
calcium salts are converted to potassium nitrate by the potash always present in charcoal
and water of crystallisation is is released causing the mix to become moist 8. The reader is
told not be troubled since the final product had to be dried anyway.
It follows that, certainly before saltpetre was routinely subject to repeated
crystallisations, the operator was familiar with (indeed, could not avoid) a damp mix even
1
2
3
4

Smithgcp@aol.com
The internal ballistics of serpentine will be the subject of a future paper.
It is in common use in the author's experience for e.g. removing organic contaminants from plating solutions.
Saltpetre in Medieval Gunpowder; Calcium or Potassium. G Smith, Journal of the Arms and Armour Society Vol.
XIX No.3, p121
5 The Firework Book, Arms and Armour society 2001
6 FWB Folio 81v p38
7 Note; grind in a mortar not simply mixing (GS)
8 On the Absence of Wood Ash from the Firework Book; an Unreported Reaction. G Smith, Journal of the Arms and
Armour Society Vol. XIX No.2 p 54.

without adding water or the urine as was frequently specified.

The advantages are obvious; less dust, less chance of accidental explosion and
although the FWB does not record corned powder as such, it certainly gives instruction for
its predecessor knollenpulver9 which is a logical development from a damp mix.
It is also claimed by some modern authors that wet processed serpentine would be
noticably "stronger" than the dry mixed variety although no substantive evidence is offered.
In the face of these advantages it is difficult to see why an operator, knowing that
wet mixing works, would consider dry mixing. As further evidence, Biringuccio 10 gives
instruction for several gunpowder varients each of which ends with the words .....and
dried11.
Proof to scientific standards is not possible but the legal standard of beyond
reasonable doubt must stand in the absence of any conflicting evidence.
Thus it is concluded it is highly probable that all types gunpowder since about 1400
have been routinely made by an essentially 'wet' method and discussion of any diference
in ballistics between wet and dry manufactured powders are hypothetical.
Geoff Smith
Sept 2016

9 Small cakes of powder significantly larger than the grains implied by the term corned powder.
10 Biringuccio, Pyrotechnica c. 1538
11 Ibid.