Finds Tray – Eprouvette

This unusual object was recently found in a garden near Boldre in the New Forest. While its function was a bit of a mystery when the finder first brought it to the Finds Liaison Officer to be recorded, it was soon solved when it was discovered to be the firing mechanism from an eprouvette, or powder-tester pistol. Dating to the 18th century, eprouvettes were used to test the quality of gunpowder by measuring the explosive force of the charge using a rotating indicator wheel. Only the firing mechanism from this eprouvette remains, made up of two components joined together by a rotating pivot. The first element has a narrow, flat plate attached to a small hollow cylindrical barrel with