Editing Detonator (section)

==History==
The first blasting cap or detonator was demonstrated in 1745 when British physician and apothecary [[William Watson (scientist)|William Watson]] showed that the [[electric spark]] of a [[Electrostatic generator#Friction machines|friction machine]] could ignite black powder, by way of igniting a flammable substance mixed in with the black powder.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Watson|first1= William |date=1744|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/204890#page/639/mode/1up |title=Experiments and observations tending to illustrate the nature and properties of electricity|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London|volume=43|issue= 477 |pages=  481–501|doi=10.1098/rstl.1744.0094|doi-access=free}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/204890#page/658/mode/1up From p. 500:] "But I can, at pleasure, fire gunpowder, and even discharge a musket, by the power of electricity, when the gunpowder has been ground with a little camphor, or with a few drops of some inflammable chemical oil."</ref>

In 1750, [[Benjamin Franklin]] in Philadelphia made a commercial blasting cap consisting of a paper tube full of [[black powder]], with wires leading in both sides and wadding sealing up the ends.  The two wires came close but did not touch, so a large electric spark discharge between the two wires would fire the cap.<ref>Franklin, Benjamin, ''Experiments and Observations on Electricity at Philadelphia in America'' (London, England: Francis Newberg, 1769), p. 92.  [https://books.google.com/books?id=-48_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA92 From p. 92:] "A small cartridge is filled with dry powder, hard rammed, so as to bruise some of the grains; two pointed wires are then thrust in, one at each end, the points approaching each other in the middle of the cartridge till within the distance of half an inch [1.27 cm]; then, the cartridge being placed in the circle [i.e., circuit], when the four [[Leyden jar|[Leyden] jars]] are discharged, the electric flame leaping from the point of one wire to the point of the other, within the cartridge amongst the powder, ''fires it'', and the explosion of the powder is at the same instant with the crack of the discharge."</ref>

In 1832, a hot wire detonator was produced by American chemist [[Robert Hare (chemist)|Robert Hare]], although attempts along similar lines had earlier been attempted by the Italians Volta and Cavallo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.standingwellback.com/home/2012/11/18/inventing-detonators.html|title=Standing Well Back - Home - Inventing detonators|website=www.standingwellback.com|date=18 November 2012|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref>  Hare constructed his blasting cap by passing a multistrand wire through a charge of gunpowder inside a tin tube; he had cut all but one fine strand of the multistrand wire so that the fine strand would serve as the hot bridgewire. When a strong current from a large battery (which he called a "deflagrator" or "calorimotor") was passed through the fine strand, it became incandescent and ignited the charge of gunpowder.<ref>Hare, Robert (1832) [https://books.google.com/books?id=kAoAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA266 "Application of galvanism to the blasting of rocks,"] ''The Mechanics' Magazine'', '''17''':  266–267.</ref><ref>Note: Robert Hare had constructed his large battery (or "deflagrator" or "calorimotor", as he called it) in 1821. See: Hare, R. (1821) [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/51988#page/115/mode/1up "A memoir on some new modifications of galvanic apparatus, with observations in support of his new theory of galvanism,"] ''The American Journal of Science and Arts'', '''3''':  105–117.</ref>

In 1863, [[Alfred Nobel]] realized that although nitroglycerin could not be detonated by a fuse, it could be detonated by the explosion of a small charge of gunpowder, which in turn was ignited by a fuse.<ref>Patent for nitroglycerin: Nobel, A., British patent no. 1,813 (July 20, 1864).</ref> Within a year, he was adding [[mercury fulminate]] to the gunpowder charges of his detonators, and by 1867 he was using small copper capsules of mercury fulminate, triggered by a fuse, to detonate nitroglycerin.<ref>See:
* Patent for dynamite: Nobel, Alfred, English patent no. 1,345 (May 7, 1867).
* Nobel, Alfred, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00078317&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0078317.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F78317%2526RS%3DPN%2F78317&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Improved explosive compound"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403194839/http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00078317&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0078317.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F78317%2526RS%3DPN%2F78317&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2017-04-03 }}, U.S. patent no. 78,317 (May 26, 1868). (See p. 2 for the description of the "percussion-cap".)
* de Mosenthal, Henry (1899) [https://books.google.com/books?id=WyEAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA443 "The life-work of Alfred Nobel,"] ''Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry'', '''18''':  443–451; see p. 444.</ref>

In 1868, Henry Julius Smith of Boston introduced a cap that combined a spark gap ignitor and mercury fulminate, the first electric cap able to detonate dynamite.<ref>Smith, Henry Julius, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00079268&PageNum=2&IDKey=1204F9662960&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=0079268.PN.%2526OS=PN/79268%2526RS=PN/79268 "Improvement in electric fuses,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831235521/https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00079268&PageNum=2&IDKey=1204F9662960&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0079268.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F79268%2526RS%3DPN%2F79268 |date=2021-08-31 }} U.S. Patent no. 79,268 (June 23, 1868).</ref>

In 1875, Smith—and then in 1887, Perry G. Gardner of North Adams, Massachusetts—developed electric detonators that combined a hot wire detonator with mercury fulminate explosive.<ref>Cooper, Paul W., ''Explosives Engineering'' (New York, New York:  Wiley-VHC, 1996), p. 339.</ref><ref>See:
* Smith, Henry Julius, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00173681&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0173681.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F173681%2526RS%3DPN%2F173681&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Improvement in electric fuses,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404042926/http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00173681&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0173681.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F173681%2526RS%3DPN%2F173681&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2017-04-04 }} U.S. Patent no. 173,681 (February 15, 1876).
* Smith, Henry Julius, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00225173&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0225173.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F225173%2526RS%3DPN%2F225173&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Electric fuse,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831114635/https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00225173&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0225173.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F225173%2526RS%3DPN%2F225173&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2021-08-31 }} U.S. Patent no. 225,173 (March 2, 1880).</ref><ref>Gardner, Perry G., [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00377851&PageNum=1&IDKey=8E65968AE52D&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=0377851.PN.%2526OS=PN/377851%2526RS=PN/377851 "Electric fuse,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404042924/http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00377851&PageNum=1&IDKey=8E65968AE52D&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0377851.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F377851%2526RS%3DPN%2F377851 |date=2017-04-04 }} U.S. Patent no. 377,851 (February 14, 1888).</ref> These were the first generally modern type blasting caps. Modern caps use different explosives and separate primary and secondary explosive charges, but are generally very similar to the Gardner and Smith caps.

Smith also invented the first satisfactory [[blasting machine|portable power supply for igniting blasting caps]]: a [[Ignition magneto|high-voltage magneto]] that was driven by a [[rack and pinion]], which in turn was driven by a T-handle that was pushed downwards.<ref>See:
* Smith, Henry Julius, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00201296&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0201,296.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0201,296%2526RS%3DPN%2F0201,296&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Improvement in magneto-electric machines,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505132754/https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00201296&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D0201%2C296.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0201%2C296%2526RS%3DPN%2F0201%2C296&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2022-05-05 }} U.S. Patent no. 201,296 (January 17, 1878).
* Smith, Henry Julius, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00353827&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0353827.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F353827%2526RS%3DPN%2F353827&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Dynamo-electric igniting machine,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505132754/https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00353827&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0353827.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F353827%2526RS%3DPN%2F353827&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2022-05-05 }} U.S. Patent no. 353,827 (December 7, 1886).
* Smith, Henry Julius, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00534289&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0534289.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F534289%2526RS%3DPN%2F534289&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page "Art of blasting,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505132756/https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00534289&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0534289.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F534289%2526RS%3DPN%2F534289&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page |date=2022-05-05 }} U.S. Patent no. 534,289 (February 19, 1895).
* Krehl, Peter O. K., ''History of Shock Waves, Explosions and Impact: A Chronological and Biographical Reference'' (Berlin, Germany:  Springer, 2009), p. 365.</ref>

Electric match caps were developed in the early 1900s in Germany, and spread to the US in the 1950s when [[Imperial Chemical Industries|ICI International]] purchased Atlas Powder Co. These match caps have become the predominant world standard cap type.