Re: blasting smallish tunnels in hard rock

On 25/03/2024 18:39, Bob La Londe wrote:

On 3/25/2024 2:59 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" <muratlanne@gmail.com> writes:
>

Could you blast with black powder as a historical re-enactment without
official hindrance?

>
Black powder can be had - you are allowed to own muzzle-loaders here in
the UK.  With licencing yes; but "doable".

You need a firearms certificate for the muzzle-loader, and a separate explosives certificate for the black powder.
Strangely, you don't need an explosives certificate to buy smokeless, double-base etc powders, though you do in theory need a firearm certificate.
You may also need a license to store the stuff (if over 15kg? iirc).

Whether a larger amount in the kg's could be had that way...

Afaik there is no limit to the amount allowable on the certificate, though a black powder certificate will say you are allowed eg 10kg: and the storage license if needed.

Black powder is used by stone masons because it will split rock without
any shattering.
It is on sale in bulk - but sure you would need a licence for that.

 Its can also reasonably be made in a home shop.

Not legal in the UK without a manufacturing license, which is way harder to get and WAY WAY more expensive than a certificate to just buy it unless you are talking multi-ton quantities.
There used to be a small fireworks factory license, which was cheap and you could make half a ton of BP under it; but alas no more :(
UK explosives licensing law is complex; there used to be a load of acronyms for documents - COER, RCA, POMSTER - but they "simplified" it by taking out the acronyms, and leaving everything else the same ... so if you talk about a license nowadays, it could be one of many types (make, store, transport etc) , and without the acronyms you don't know what it is.
(there is only one type of explosives certificate, it says you are a good boy and can do what it says on the certificate, generally acquire and maybe keep specified explosives in specified quantities, though that can vary widely. There is also a firearms certificate, which is different)
(this is a basic overview, there are some differences for very large quantities of BP and for storage in mines which I'm not too sure about)
Peter Fairbrother