Date Posted:22:37:03 10/21/08 Tue Author:jim straight Subject: Question... "shelf life" of a dynamite blasting cap?
Over the many years while out detecting for eluvial gold around old dryplacer areas I have accentally found old unused detonating caps. According to what I know some
placer miners to avoid hand picking tough ground just gadded
a hole into the ground a couple of feet and used a stick of
dynamite.
As I remember(?) a cap contains fulmanite of mercury. In the
past I have found some that looked just like new and carefully disposed of them so they would not be again found.
Back when I was a kid I knew of a "townie" who found a box of them and not knowing hit one with a toy bowling pin. The
result was he lost one eye.
I guess my question refers to a cap that has been lost and
buried in the dirt in a dry desert area such as around Randsburg CA or in one of the Nevada placer mining areas.
