How to Make Gun Powder

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for what you do with this information. This information is strictly educational. If you use this information for purposes other than educational, you do so at your own risk.

There may come a time when knowing how to make gun powder could come in handy in an emergency situation. There are three main ingredients in gun powder: potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur. Here is a list of materials you will need.

·         3 cups of granulated potassium nitrate

·         2 cups of powdered charcoal

·         ½ cup of powdered sulfur

·         10 cups of rubbing alcohol

·         3 cups of water

·         2 two gallon metal buckets

·         1 metal window screen big enough to fit on top of your buckets

·         1 large wooden spoon

·         1 old T-shirt

·         A heat source

The amounts above will produce 2 pounds of gun powder. Below is a step by step guide for making gun powder using the materials listed above.

1. Mix 3 cups of potassium nitrate, 2 cups of powdered charcoal, 1 cup of water, and ½ cup of powdered sulfur in one of the metal buckets. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly.

2. Add 2 cups of water to the mixture and begin heating. Heat the mixture while stirring until it starts bubbling.

3. Pour 10 cups of alcohol in the unused metal bucket.

4. Take the mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur off of the heat and pour the mixture into the bucket with the alcohol while mixing vigorously.

5. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

6. Take your old t-shirt and secure half of it over the now empty bucket. Pour the alcohol mixture through your t-shirt filter.

7. Discard the liquid in the bucket. Take the powder that is left on the cloth and squeeze out the rest of the liquid.

8. Dry your empty bucket with the rest of your t-shirt.

9. Place the screen over the dry empty bucket.

10. Push the damp gun powder through the screen.

11. Take the powder that has been pushed through the screen and spread it out thinly on a clean dry surface free of debris. The mixture should be dried as fast as possible. The longer the mixture takes to dry the less powerful the gun powder will be.

gun powder is dangerous and caution should be used when handling it. Store your gun powder in a moisture proof container away from sparks and heat.

How to Start a Fire with a Magnifying Glass

A magnifying glass should be a part of everyone’s survival kit. The great thing about a magnifying glass is that it can be used over and over again. On dry sunny days it makes no sense to waste your waterproof matches, magnesium strip or other fire starters. You will only need to gather some basic items to start a fire with a magnifying glass. You will need some dried out grass, cattail, or any other easily combustible material. You will also need some pine straw or leaves. Gather some pine and hard wood twigs and gather some bigger pieces of wood. Hard wood will burn longer than soft wood, but soft wood is better for starting the fire.

1. Form your dry grass into the shape of a birds nest.

2. Focus the suns light through the magnifying glass. The focused light will appear as a very bright small dot. The pile of grass should start to smoke immediately. Keeping your light focused work around in an outward circular motion slowly. It should take about two minutes to catch on fire. It may take longer than two minutes so be patient if it does not ignite quickly.

3. Once your grass or cattail has ignited place the pine straw or leaves on top. The leaves and pine straw should combust quickly.

4. You are now ready to add your twigs make sure you do not smother your fire or it will go out. Cross the twigs leaving gaps for the fire to breath.

5. You can now start adding bigger pieces of wood to your fire.

When making a fire in the woods make sure to clear a five to ten foot radius around your fire area to avoid catching debris outside the area on fire. Below is a quick video tutorial. Be sure to properly extinguish your fire as it may reignite later.