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How to Corn Black Powder

In the process of constructing fireworks and other forms of pyrotechnics, it is essential to properly prepare your incendiary so as to create an effective chemical reaction for propulsion and avoid an explosion upon ignition. If your incendiary is black powder, this becomes even more important. Black powder must be broken up into a suitable size for packing. This process is known as "corning," and can be done using materials found in any hardware store.

Things You'll Need

Black powder pucks
Plastic baggies
Metal-headed meat tenderizing hammer
Sheet of 1/4-inch mesh
Bowl

Instructions

- 1
  Seal your black powder pucks inside your plastic baggies.
- 2
  Gently hammer on the outside of the baggies with your hammer until the powder is broken down into grains.
- 3
  Place the sheet of mesh over top of your bowl and pour the black powder out onto it. Hold the sheet down firmly along the edge of the bowl and shake the bowl back and forth to sift the pieces that are small enough to pass through the mesh into the bowl.
- 4
  Pour the pieces of the black powder that did not pass through the mesh back into the plastic baggies.
- 5
  Repeat Steps 2 through 4 until all of the black powder has passed through the mesh. Transport the powder from the bowl into its final receptacle.

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