Popping wood

[Wood Doctor]

Tulip poplar and poplar are different things. Do they have tulip poplar in NY, or are you talking about cottonwood/Aspen trees? I've never burned tulip poplar, but I would say from my experience burning the poplar we have in WI, that it's not particularly poppy.

Neither is the poplar growing in Nebraska. I burn it all the time, especially for starting the fire in the stove, and it never pops or crackles. It lights like a charm and dries in six months. Folks also love it for campfire wood.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I have heard that wood pops because of air pockets, whether that is the reason or not I don't know, but as said Mulberry and Sassy will put on quite the fireworks show!

 

[Erik B]

I believe this led to gunpowder. One of the ingredients in homemade gunpowder is charcoal. Saltpeter, and something else. It took a lot of powder to fire a musket ball.

IIRC the third ingredient is sulfur. When I was a lot younger we found the recipe for gun powder in an encyclopedia and mixed up a batch. We did not get it to go bang but it burned nice. We packed it in a empty rifle cartridge and lit it. Nice long flame like a rocket. Good thing mom and dad didn't know what we were doing.

 

[grizz55chev]

IIRC the third ingredient is sulfur. When I was a lot younger we found the recipe for gun powder in an encyclopedia and mixed up a batch. We did not get it to go bang but it burned nice. We packed it in a empty rifle cartridge and lit it. Nice long flame like a rocket. Good thing mom and dad didn't know what we were doing.

We tookmatch heads and stuffed em in co-2 cartridges, put em in a length of pipe and lit it, shot that cartridge out like a rocket!

 

[Erik B]

We tookmatch heads and stuffed em in co-2 cartridges, put em in a length of pipe and lit it, shot that cartridge out like a rocket!

It is a miracle we survived childhood

 

[grizz55chev]

It is a miracle we survived childhood

We were tough back then!

 

[Trapper_Pete]

It is a miracle we survived childhood

I could comment more but it would be self incriminating so , Yes , Yes it is.