guncotton tube

[turpin42]

Hi
Finally got myself a guncotton tube.
From whats left of the label it appears to be from 1944.
Can anyone help with drawings/details/pictures of the charges it held?
I know they were conical and have writing on them but otherwise don't have much to go on.

Many thanks
T42

 

[TimG]

Turpin,

This was not for guncotton primers but C.E. (Tetryl) primers.

Regards

TimG

 

[turpin42]

Thanks

Thanks TimG
Any info about how they look?

All the best
T42

 

[E-tech]

I've read that the British used Guncotton as a "primer" to set off demolition materials, using it as a booster between the main charge, and the blasting cap- is that right?
Was this done for all demolition materials, or just the "wet gun cotton slab" charges?

 

[TimG]

Turpin,

I don't believe I ever seen one. I suspect they are the same as the Guncotton primers, namely a truncated cone with an axial through hole. If you have look at Lexpev's site I think there is a Field Engineering Pamphlet on it, which may be of assistance.

Regards

Tim

 

[turpin42]

Tahnks again

Cheers TimG
I'll have a look...

T42

 

[TimG]

T42,

http://www.lexpev.nl/downloads/fieldengineeringpart4demolitions1945.pdf pages 7,8 & 9.

Regards

Tim

 

[turpin42]

C.E. Primer

Hi again
Had a go at making one of the primers from the info on Lexpev's website (good stuff on that site!)
Copied the writing from the label on the tube and printed out on waxpaper adjusted to fit the shape.
Used fine compressed cork top and bottom with wood in between for the core. Hole in the middel for the detonator.
Does anyone know if this would be the correct colour/consistence of the primer?

All the best
T42

 

[Fjordhouse]

Hello, i saw one complete tupe with all the insides, i think you are oke, was nice to meet you in Stavanger, was a good day and such nice weather, hope to see you soon, perhaps Oslo? regards Ben

 

[turpin42]

Cheers

Hi Ben
Thanks for that. Good to hear from you. Nice to meet you again at Sviland! Great stuff you had with you! I'll try and make it to Oslo...
All the very best

T42

 

[AMMOTECHXT]

Hi turpin, 1 oz primers, both CE and GC were the same size and shape and coated in a hard waterproof compound, maybe some type of wax. The central hole for the detonator often had to be `rectified' to enlarge the channel so that the detonator could fit. I say wax because it was shiny and clear. In UK we destroyed most of the remaining WW2 stocks of GC (Guncotton) primers in 1980 on the imaginatively titled Exercise Elbow Room. We were still using CE primers operationally into the mid 1980s. I never used 1 Lb GC or CE/TNT slabs operationally (Exercise Elbow Room was also used for the disposal of the last WW2 CE/TNT slabs) so am not certain how they were designed to be used with the 1 oz primers. GC stocks were probably already gone by then as it tended to form sensitive crystals in damp conditions. Cordtex and PE4 had already been in service a few years by 1980 and were superceding the old designs. SX2 (sheet explosive No 2) was also introduced around the same time.

 

[turpin42]

Primers

Thanks for the info AMMOTECHXT.
Great stuff!
I'm trying to find the screw on lid for the tube... anyone out there maybe have a spare one for sale?

All the best
T42

 

[AMMOTECHXT]

Sorry I don't have any of the things you are after. Just to let you know I read up from my course notes and found that GC primers were dipped in acetone to gelatinise the surfaces, to make them waterproof. CE primers were waxed. A drill version of 1 oz primer was made of wood. We did a little mix and matching on the dem ground when we used the old 1 oz primers - cordtex could be threaded through the middle, tied off and surrounded by PE4 that was all taped in place as a blob. The reason was that the older (small) No 27 (igniferous) and No 33 (electric) dets were not considered powerful enough to guarantee detonation when inserted straight into PE4, whereas the modern L1 (igniferous) and L2 (electric) dets that replaced them are. Having said that both the old and the new types, when used with cordtex and correctly arranged, worked every time.