Joshua Shaw worked on a farm (aged 7) after his father died, minding cattle and using an old flintlock musket to scare plundering birds from corn fields. Over the next three years the kid taught himself to draw, read and write in the sand at his feet - and also became familiar with the use of firearms before his tenth birthday. His stepfather trained the ten year old as a glazier and his Uncle gave him schooling for nine weeks before he continued his education in the "university of life" in rural England.
He got a job as an apprentice painter by answering a newspaper 'help wanted' ad and quickly gained a reputation as a superb artist - moving to London then Bath where he came in contact with higher society. - Finding aristocratic attitudes of the day politically disgusting ( what changes?) Like millions before (and after) Shaw sought change by emigrating to the New World of America.
Aged 38, Joshua Shaw had used his experience with firearms to develop the Percussion Cap. - He expanded on the earlier work of Reverend Alexander Forsyth a Scotsman who had experimented with various explosive compounds to improve reliability and ignition times of black powder guns. - Does this pose questions about the value or need for a 'University Education' - as Shaw had hardly any schooling at all?
- Forsyth who 'discovered' and patented the use of fulminate of mercury ( after its discovery by E C Howard in 1800 !) was himself little rewarded or recognised for his work - using loose fulminate powder in the flash pan of flintlocks - this step forward of itself greatly improved reliability and lock-times igniting the powder charge.
Once settled in USA Joshua Shaw applied for a patent for his percussion cap and cap lock (1822) . His application was refused on a technicality but after years of protracted investigation by the US Patent Office his claim to the invention was supported - but he got very little financial compensation for his inventions.
US Committee of Patents report dated February 10, 1846 :
" this is one of the most ingenious, and one of the most useful inventions of modern times."
'Cap-Locks' were and are, vastly easier to use than the older flintlocks and their antecedent matchlocks.
In a 'cap-lock'- the cap placed on the nipple was made of copper containing the detonating composition made of three parts of chlorate of potash, two parts of fulminate of mercury, and one part of ground powdered glass as a friction agent.
Later again, these loose-used percussion caps were, in the 1850s, fitted into the base of brass cartridge cases as the primers that we would recognise today.
I guess that we all "stand on the shoulders" of those who came and went before us - so perhaps, in theory, we humans are slowly rising above the animal baseline we started from ?? - Don't hold your breath though eh.
If enough people read this post, - I'll try a follow-up on centre-fire cartridges and primers !
Marty K
After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=16618870
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