Cosmoline
Member
I don't doubt that it was locally produced, buy my understanding is it was locally produced in mills, not on the hearth.
I've read that, but not that the urine was collected for a backyard powder making operation. The powder was being made at mills. The saltpeter was created to fuel the mills. Indeed some of the very first colonial laws concerned the making of saltpeter and the founding of mills, precisely because it could not be done easily by individuals or families. It required a mill and dedicated craftsmen to have any kind of success.
I could be wrong about that, but if someone has a primary or secondary account of backyard ad-hoc powder making in the colonies or early Republic feel free to post it. My understanding is the interest in at-home powder making is pretty modern. Unlike, say, at-home hooch making ;-)
They used to collect urine to pour over ashes to make saltpeter, I'm surprised that you haven't read that.
I've read that, but not that the urine was collected for a backyard powder making operation. The powder was being made at mills. The saltpeter was created to fuel the mills. Indeed some of the very first colonial laws concerned the making of saltpeter and the founding of mills, precisely because it could not be done easily by individuals or families. It required a mill and dedicated craftsmen to have any kind of success.
I could be wrong about that, but if someone has a primary or secondary account of backyard ad-hoc powder making in the colonies or early Republic feel free to post it. My understanding is the interest in at-home powder making is pretty modern. Unlike, say, at-home hooch making ;-)
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