Made my first batch of Black Powder

[AlaskanGuy]

Woooo hooo.....

Made my first batch of BP yesterday.... I am sure it aint that great being the first time, but i placed a 1/2 cap full into one of the dry coffee filters I used to filter the mix, and it went POOOOOOOFFFFFFF..... He he... Very fun....

100119

AG

[Texantothecore]

Well that was quick. I am going to be testing my first ball mill incorporated batch in the next day or so and I suspect it will be very fast. We'll see.

[Texantothecore]

AG,
Congratulations on first light for your powder.

If you take a small amount
and arrange it so that it is in a line you can see how fast it burns.

[AlaskanGuy]

Lol... It really wasnt that quick... I had prepared the charcoal and other chemicals in advance... I should have said i did the final steps yesterday, and dried it and it was ready to rock and roll this morning... How about that for more complete info...

AG

[Texantothecore]

It may not be fully dry so you might want let it dry for a day or so.

On the other hand, who cares? You got First Light!

[Fly]

Good to hear that.I agree some times powder takes a time to dry.One of the biggest
things I find with newbies making powder that is slow, is ball mill time or not enough
balls in the grinding drum.

That drum needs to be almost 1/2 full of lead balls.If not it will take for EVER to
grind the meal fine enough.The meal powder should be as fine as baby powder.

Hope this helped Fly

[Texantothecore]

Right now I have 3 lbs of grinding media in my tumbler and 20 oz of powder. I need to empty my melter of ww and replace it with pure pb for my pistol and I think I'll go ahead and cast another 3 lbs of 405 grn bullets and throw them in the mill. The mill's capacity is 9 lbs so it should work well.

[AlaskanGuy]

Explain to me how to test for the burn rate speed.... Make a thin line and........ Time it.....??? How long of a line, and then how to tell the speed??? And how does it compare to commercial??? I can use some pyrodex as a baseline, but dont have access to real commercial...

AG

[Whiterabbit]

hi AG.

Questions!

Where did you get your screens? What screen sizes are you using?
Did you compress the powder, or just screen it right away?
Did you buy BP in a kit? (ie skylighter) if so where?
What material are you using for charcoal? (maple? willow? balsa? whatever came in the kit?)

Can you hurry up and shoot some over a chrono (eventually equivalent volume compared to pyrodex) and tell us how the speed compares?? :)

I think I'm 30-60 days out from putting in the order for all my stuff.

[Texantothecore]

Just a small line. Over a period of time you'll be able to tell whether you have a fast batch or one which needs more work. If you have some commercial black you can test that to see how it burns and compare it to your own stuff. This not an area in which precision is required as you'll will be able to recognize good versus bad pretty quickly.

[OverMax]

BLACK POWDER GALVANIZED SCREEN SIZE TO SCREED MEAL POWDER THRU.

Fg. 12 - 16 Mesh 1,68 - 1,19 mm
FFg. 16 - 30 Mesh 1,19 - 0,60 mm
FFFg. 20 - 50 Mesh 0,84 - 0,30 mm
FFFFg. 40 - 100 Mesh 0,42 - 0,15 mm

[Fly]

OK here is my buddy Brush Hippies video on making BP.You don't have to watch the whole
thing.But about 12 min into the thing, He does a burn test of the first stuff he did to the
later fast stuff.It will give you a very good idea to what slow is & fast.

Fly:bigsmyl2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUVo_hOadyc

[AlaskanGuy]

Well... To answer the questions, here is what I use for a screen.... Remember I dont have access to them box stores you guys do, so i just make do.....
This is a steel screen for deep frying 100138

Willow grows like a weed around my place, this is ready to cut and burn in my dutch oven with a hold drilled in the lid...100139

Sulphur i got from ebay, and the potasium nitrate was also from ebay... Bought a 4lb bag... But when that is gone, i am gunna make my own, by them time i finish all my potasium, the ground should be unfrozen enough to be able to make it from dirt and decaying plant stuff.... I learned how from the old USMC improvised munitions field manual.... So really the only thing I will need to get a supply of is the sulfur.....

[starmac]

Build a bowling ball cannon, you shouldn't have any trouble getting bowling balls for ammo there. lol

How much did you get out of a batch?

[AlaskanGuy]

Well, i ended up with about 350 grams??? I diddnt weigh it, but it will about a 3rd of a old 4064 metal can.

[starmac]

350 grams?? what language is that. lol I savvy the 1/3 can though. lol

[Mike 56]

I made my first batch last week. My powder was a little slower than KIK fffg. My powder was alot lighter than KIK fffg and compressed a lot more when loading. It shot very well in 58 Remey and my 44 cal 1851 44 cal Colt Sheriff. I only tried two loads in both guns using 45 acp and 7.62x39 cases. The load using a 45 acp case (15.2 grn) shot about two inches high at 7 yd and made a crack sound when fired. The load using the 7.62x39 case (21.6 grn) shot on target both loads shot very clean and did not make a lot of smoke.

[AlaskanGuy]

Really nice Mike... Diddnt that feel good to make your own???? And have it shoot nice.... I havent tried mine yet in the muzzie, hopefully this weekend....

I want to try using my vibrating tumbler to grind charcoal... I would think if I use regular boolits instead of round balls, it should work ok I think.....

[Mike 56]

It is a lot of fun making powder and it feels real good shooting it knowing i made it yourself. I think bullets would be fine in your ball mill.

[johnson1942]

mike 56, sounds like your powder is like 4f. i used 4f in a .50 cal roundball rifle once and it really cracked and was very very clean. shot real accurate also.

[Mike 56]

My powder looks like ff but it does crack when you shoot it. I can't wait to try it in my 31 cal 49 Colt and my Walker just for grins.

[Whiterabbit]

350 grams?? what language is that. lol I savvy the 1/3 can though. lol


Well, i ended up with about 350 grams??? I diddnt weigh it, but it will about a 3rd of a old 4064 metal can.

That's pretty wild, 350 grams is .75 lb.

[AlaskanGuy]

Well, i am pleased... He he.... Now if it will just shoot.....

[Mike 56]

It will shoot. :-P

[tacklebury]

Lemme know how that Buckstalker likes your home brew. ;)

[AlaskanGuy]

Will Do TackleBury..... :D Loving the gun.. Gotta get some rings though.. but otherwise, it shoots fine.. My eyes need scopes.. LOL

[tacklebury]

Cool. ;) If you like weaver quadlocks, I can send you a set. I have an unopened package I got from a clearance rack at Wally world. ;)

[Mike 56]

What are weaver quadlocks?

[AlaskanGuy]

They are rings that have a hole in the base so you can use your regular rifle sights....

[Texantothecore]

I just tested my gunpowder and it looks rather like Brush Hippies first batch, slow. Not sure where to go from here.

[Nobade]

I just tested my gunpowder and it looks rather like Brush Hippies first batch, slow. Not sure where to go from here.

Sounds like it is time to go back and examine every step of your process, and see where it can be improved. My first attempts weren't all that impressive either but I kept at it and tried to improve things on every batch.

-Nobade

[Boz330]

I just tested my gunpowder and it looks rather like Brush Hippies first batch, slow. Not sure where to go from here.

Shoot it and see what it does, especially if you can chrono it. My 1st batches were screened and for what I was doing it wasn't getting much velocity. That was fixed when I corned it.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

Bob,

That was one of the questions which I had: whether corning would affect the speed. Thanks for the info.

The charcoal I think is good as it is from Eastern Cedar and the only thing I can think of which might be bothering it is the use of garden sulfur which is 10% clay. I did not adjust the sulfur content upwards for the 10% clay. Future batches are going to be run with pure sulfur to eliminate any problems which might result from the clay.

I suspect that the amount of grinding media is enough to grind the mix but may not be sufficient to pound the sulfur and KNO3 into the charcoal for incorporation. So I am going to add media until the ball mill is closer to being maxed out for weight as it appears that the mill will handle it without any problems.

So, I still have a way to go. This is such a good project.

[Boz330]

Corning makes the powder denser so it weighs more per volume. If you weigh the powder instead of using the volume measure the velocity should be pretty consistent with store bought. I ran one test where I weighed store bought (Kik I believe), screened, and corned powder and ran those loads across the chrono and the difference in velocity wasn't enough to argue about. The volume was another thing altogether, the screened was almost twice as much. That test is in the sticky above somewhere and has been so long ago I don't remember exactly the results. The CC in that test was Sandbar Willow. Black willow is slightly better and I'm going to work with Tree of Heaven next. Initial tests showed an improvement in velocity in the cartridge rounds I tried it in.
The clay in the sulfur was probably the issue, but I'd still give it a try anyway. It is all part of the learning curve. You really don't need the sulfur but it lowers the ignition temperature. I'm eventually going to try some that way since most of my powder is used in a cartridge gun.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

The powder lit off very easily so I am less worried about the sulfur content than the incorporation at this time. Apparently a lot of people use the garden sulfur and it has been reported that it works pretty well as a binder instead of dextrin.
The powder burned rather merrily so I suspect that I am just about there, but I have a ways to go.

It burned faster than Brush Hippies's first batch but definitely did not go pfft.

[Fly]

You can get very good sulfur from Hobby Chemicals.It is cheap & last for ever.One other
thing I might add in making your charcoal.Be sure it is cooked good.That can slow it down also.

Fly

[Texantothecore]

Thanks Fly. I have thought about recooking it and may do so. I also had a number of batches which were kept outside during wet weather and this may be one that picked up some moisture.

The 36% cc to wood yield has made wonder if it was fully cooked out. My expectation was about 20% yield which makes me wonder whether it was completely processed or whether I messed up on that process. I do remember that for all batches, they were removed when the smoke stopped.

Good leads here, thanks.

[Fly]

Ya there is no reason eastern cedar should be slow.I have used it alot with my fireworks, & shot
it my guns.It is not as fast as black willow but still very good.If you measured every thing right
& ball milled long enough then that may be it.

Fly

[Texantothecore]

I am going to confirm my scale's accuracy tonight and may put in some bulk rice for a few days to see if the problem is water as Houston has been extremely wet during the last 3 or 4 months.

We'll find out just what is going on and fix it.

[tacklebury]

Got the rings in a box but missed USPS. Being on overtime a bit lately. Will try tomorrow to make it there. ;)

[AlaskanGuy]

No Problem Sir.. thanks TB

[AlaskanGuy]

Wooooo hoooooo.... Shot my home made BP today... Gave a great thump and loud crack...... And shot well at 100 yards... Yeeeeee haw...

[starmac]

Great to hear a success story. This is getting me interested now, and I don't NEED to be. lol

[AlaskanGuy]

Lol.... Ahhh milton, you need to check it out... I sent you the recipe already... Kinda fun...

[johnson1942]

i know nothing about makeing powder, so heres a question. is it possible to make powder like blackhorn 209 at home your self?

[nodda duma]

Interesting to read. My first batch was last month and it burns significantly faster than Pyrodex. I think it was the corn size since I used a fine mesh. I'm wondering if I ought to test it in a BP rifle or make a batch using a larger mesh screen so it burns slower.

I used charcoal I made from white birch.

[AlaskanGuy]

Gosh Roger, i have no Idea... I have never even seen a can of blackhorn 209... I am sure that a craftsman like you, with pratice, can make something much better then blackhorn... When making it yourself, you control the outcome sir... Its like finishing your rifle stock sir... In the beginning, you wonder how those things are sooooo soft and beautiful, and it seems like magic, but once understood, you realize at with pratice and patience, you can do just as well, if not better sir....

Give it a go my friend, and I can email you some stuff that will make it easier sir, if need be....

AG

[johnson1942]

to be honest in the learning process i just may get to heaven earlier that i was supposed to. what a obituary, he went out with a bang. i have often thought that why cant they coat black powder with a little coating of something that makes it burn cleaner and not really change the way it goes off by no more than 10 percent. if that was done that would be a real contribution to the black powder shooting world. by the way we have a real blizzard going on out side, supposed to last 3 days. thousands of calves dropping around here, bad time to do it. i always said is easier to die out side in march and april than any other month. 75 degrees yesterday and to day i cant see the road. i love this high desert but you got to be careful here.

[AlaskanGuy]

Yea, I heard about the blizzards around here right now.... Just glad we aint getting it.....

I have a very nice video that I can email you if you would like... Pretty much spells it out... It was easy enough and safe enough for me to do it in the house... I made it using the wet method, and used a cheap bladed coffee grinder to grind to airfloat... It was easy.... Combined the stuff in a pot with a bit of water and stirred it over medium heat till it bubbled, and strained it, made a ball, and corned it.... That was pretty much all there is to it... 75 / 15 / 10 is the mix....

I have been working with the chemistry class at school... I am teaching the kids to make rockets out of various different fuels, like sugar/potasiam, and black powder fuels.. It is a blast..[smilie=1:

AG

[johnson1942]

im sure it is as safe as you say but i will stick with building and shooting guns.wont be long untill my new muzzle loader is done then i will post that one here. thanks for the offer. now i have a close friend that may take you up on that. he would love to make his own powder. he is from london and moved here a couple of years ago and took to the west with a passion. he has bought more guns than ive even shot. he bought two of my mountain man .50 cal roundball side locks. ill give him a call.

[Fly]

What,s funny is I have for years, been trying to get people to making there own BP.
When I first came to this very form I got alot of flack.Things as your crazy, & will blow
your self up, & so on.

I,m not saying people should quit buying the over the counter powder.It does group
a little better than what we make.But it if fun making your own & shooting that first
shot.But with all said KEEP IT SAFE.Remember sparks & heat are what gets people
in trouble.

Do not get careless.
Fly

[AlaskanGuy]

Good for you Fly...... Just a perfect of example of folks saying, "If you sail too far to the west, you will fall off the edge of the earth"... It always takes pioneers to pave the way.... You did it.. and our Fore Fathers did it... And really, although it is time consuming a bit, it is a Blast... just like casting... and there is a learning curve..

Any Technology, not understood, can seem like Magic... Once understood, can become an everyday addiction.. :D I am working on my 3rd Batch... Grinding willow Charcoal as we speak.

AG

[starmac]

Last I checked I can buy real black commercial black for 20 bucks a pound, soo making my own is not that important. But on the other hand having the knowledge and ability to confidently make it, would guarantee that my grandkids could continue to shoot years from now, when there possibly would be no other option. PLUS it would be fun.

[johnson1942]

times are changeing and people want to take control of their own lives. remember when you were you were young and their was no such thing as garbage. on the ranch in n.dak. in the 40/s and 50/s i dont think we even knew what that word ment. now every other day im going to town with sacks of garbage. its the same with every thing. as the poet said, simplefy, simplefy, simplefy. the south fought with black powder that for a large part was made in batches in the back country when they couldnt get british powder. they used nitrogen from manure heaps. i bet you guys home made powder would shoot good groups in my guns, i love tweeking things to make them work. my native friends keep telling me i must be part native as i can get things done with nothing to start with. well they are part right. my dad was full blood sami norwegian. sami norwegians are 2/3rds viking white and 1/3 mongol. a good mixture for tough surviveing.

[AlaskanGuy]

I emailed some stuff for your review Roger..... Take a Peek sir.... Its fun.... and just adds another dimension to your Black Powder Fun.... :D SOme of the stuff I emails ya are for your eyes only, not for the grandkids.. LOL

[Boz330]

Last I checked I can buy real black commercial black for 20 bucks a pound, soo making my own is not that important. But on the other hand having the knowledge and ability to confidently make it, would guarantee that my grandkids could continue to shoot years from now, when there possibly would be no other option. PLUS it would be fun.
Several years ago there was an attempt to regulate BP to the point it wouldn't be available to the general public. So far it is still available for sporting use but the way things are going in this country who knows for how long. Dynamite was available to anyone who needed it just for signing some forms and paying for it less that 40 years ago. Try and get some now.
If you know how to make BP you are set. I've been hunting with mine for the last 3 seasons and for that it works just fine. I use store bought for competition though since I'm shooting out to 1000yd with it. Any kind of variation in velocity at those distances plays havoc with POI.

Bob

[bigted]

Last I checked I can buy real black commercial black for 20 bucks a pound, soo making my own is not that important. But on the other hand having the knowledge and ability to confidently make it, would guarantee that my grandkids could continue to shoot years from now, when there possibly would be no other option. PLUS it would be fun.

wowww ... when was the last time you bought powder [good real blackpowder as in GOEX] for 20 bucks a pound up here? I just seen Swanny and received unto myself 5 pounds of 2F at 30 bucks each ... am I getting hosed?

[AlaskanGuy]

Nope.. You just paid the Alaskan Price

[starmac]

wowww ... when was the last time you bought powder [good real blackpowder as in GOEX] for 20 bucks a pound up here? I just seen Swanny and received unto myself 5 pounds of 2F at 30 bucks each ... am I getting hosed?

LOL Apparently it has gone up. Swannys price, probably a year and a half ago was 20 bucks. I would bet his price with shipping has gone up in the last year or so.

[Whiterabbit]

I am going to confirm my scale's accuracy tonight and may put in some bulk rice for a few days to see if the problem is water as Houston has been extremely wet during the last 3 or 4 months.

We'll find out just what is going on and fix it.

sort of off topic, but I want an update as to your experience. Did you shoot your slow stuff? How does it shoot compared to commercial? Did you try a new recipe? what did you change? how did that affect the resulting product?

[AlaskanGuy]

My stuff shoots great... But i dont think you were talking to me were ya???

[Texantothecore]

The powder is still slow. I think it may need more milling but I will unload it first and put some bulk rice with it to make sure that it is dry. Rain has really been a problem this winter and spring and I do know one of the cans got some water in it during a torrential rainstorm so we will see what happens.

I am still on the front end of this project which has developed much more slowly than expected. We'll get the good powder, hopefully sooner than later.

I am going to start a new batch using Cal50s protocol for ball milling and see if that gets me closer.

[Boz330]

Maybe I'm just lucky but I never found that the milling time was all that critical. I always mill everything together and anything over 4 hours has worked fine for me. More hasn't made the powder any better. My CC goes in the mill after grinding in a meat grinder as is. Some of the chunks are fairly large but comes out as fine as everything else.
When you say that you are checking the speed of you powder it sounds like you might be testing the meal not the finished powder, if so it will be slow.

Bob

[w5pv]

I haven't done it since but when I was a kid I read some where about the 1/3 charcoal,1/3 sulphur and 1/3 salt petri mix made a batch of it and pulled the shot and powder from a shot gun shell and fired it off.The shot looked like it was traveling at about 300 to 400 feet per second.Being the dummie I was I didn't try it any more the reason being that a kid over the way blew half of his hand away packing some in a pipe he using to make a small cannon.People said that he was using a steel rod to tamp the pwder and ball in place and surmized that he made a spark that set it off.
I am going to learn the proper process and make some myself just to get the supplies and keep them stored for what ever happens.
With the government and their attitude there is no telling.

[Texantothecore]

Maybe I'm just lucky but I never found that the milling time was all that critical. I always mill everything together and anything over 4 hours has worked fine for me. More hasn't made the powder any better. My CC goes in the mill after grinding in a meat grinder as is. Some of the chunks are fairly large but comes out as fine as everything else.
When you say that you are checking the speed of you powder it sounds like you might be testing the meal not the finished powder, if so it will be slow.

Bob

Thanks for the info. I am indeed testing meal and it is burning at the rate of 4 inches in one second or so.

The charcoal was milled for two hours before mixing and the incorporation milling has run for 8.5 hours both at 20 rpm.

When the meal burns it shows the following characteristics:

It ignites easily
It burns aggresively at the rate of 4 inches per second
It leaves virtually no residue.
When burning there is a good deal of flame and smoke.

The possibility that I should compress for testing has occurred to me and I am going to set up the press and compress it and see what happens. I sort of suspect that it will turn out fast but I won't know for a week or two.

If it does turn out well, however, I will have a good feel for how the meal burns for good powder.

[Boz330]

Thanks for the info. I am indeed testing meal and it is burning at the rate of 4 inches in one second or so.

The charcoal was milled for two hours before mixing and the incorporation milling has run for 8.5 hours both at 20 rpm.



That possibility has occurred to me and I am going to set up the press and compress it and see what happens.

More time sure isn't going to hurt anything, just relating my experience.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

I may try to vise press a small amount to see what happens.

[Boz330]

I would think that your density would be better with a hydraulic press if you have one. I use a vice because I don't have one. It works fairly well for me. My velocity per grain of powder is better than Swiss but the case (40-65) doesn't hold as much weight wise.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

I am going to try and compress some tonight and try it out.

[AlaskanGuy]

Let us know what happens...

[Fly]

Bob right on in using a hydraulic press.It's not hard to make one up using a bottle jack.
Here is a small press that is fairly cheap & works very well for corning powder.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a-frame-bench-shop-press-1666.html
Fly

[Nobade]

Harbor Freight often has sales on presses. I waited 'till the sale and got a 20 ton one for $159. Works great for making powder pucks and pressing bearings and steering stems on motorcycles. When I get started changing bushings on my Civic I think it will be pretty useful there too. They are well worth having!

-Nobade

[Whiterabbit]

I have a feeling im personally gonna end up using a combo of dexrin and vise compression.

started milling my kno3. wow, what a difference compared to sulfur! way easier to work with. Amazing. so I was transferring it to a tub, and spilled a bunch of it on the dirt. I thought "why not, I have the 'good stuff' coming, and this stuff is in the dirt anyways." So I scooped it up, dirt and all, mixed with my garden 'high acid' sulphur, and picked out some charcoal random bits from the hearth. No measuring, no fancy anything, this is just bogus materials not good for making BP. So I ballparked the amounts and mortar and pestle them together hal-fass. For just a couple minutes.

wet it with mineral spirits rather than water, and squeezed it by hand. Let dry, crunched up. It burns! slow, but it's looking good! Can't wait to do it for real, with measured ingredients, incorporated via mill, wetted with water, mixed with a smidge of dextrin, maybe pressed a little bit, and graded in real screens. Gonna be awesome!

[psychicrhino]

Wow, really interesting guys. I always wanted to tryrolling my own.

[Whiterabbit]

While I have no doubt it is one of those "lifetime to master" things, if you just want to see a flare on your bench, it really is as easy as a mortar and pestle with stump remover, soil acidifier, and remains from your hearth.

Just checked mine again. squeeze a grain, turns to dust. Check. Just like what everyone else here said would happen. definitely need some dextrin and a pipe for a press.

[Boz330]

Harbor Freight often has sales on presses. I waited 'till the sale and got a 20 ton one for $159. Works great for making powder pucks and pressing bearings and steering stems on motorcycles. When I get started changing bushings on my Civic I think it will be pretty useful there too. They are well worth having!

-Nobade

I know, it is on my roundtoit list. I even have one of those 20% off coupons in my wallet. And we have a retail store here locally. I have to be careful when I go there though. Like a kid in a candy store with a pocket full of money.

Bob

[Nobade]

I know, it is on my roundtoit list. I even have one of those 20% off coupons in my wallet. And we have a retail store here locally. I have to be careful when I go there though. Like a kid in a candy store with a pocket full of money.

Bob

Ya, I know what you mean. I just think about the smell of all that cheap Chinese stuff and it sort of turns me off and I don't get too carried away though.

One funny thing - they have ultrasonic cleaners identical to the ones Hornady sells without the red label on the front for about half of what the Hornady ones sell for. Hmmmm....

-Nobade

[Texantothecore]

I don't mind the Chinese stuff for machinery which is not under continuous stress and is used below its maximum stress limits.

The ball mill I use is much higher quality than most of the chinese stuff as it is going to be run for longer periods of time at its maximum load.

Mike

[Whiterabbit]

I do. That's like you saying you don't mind the crappy drill press just because you will take their 2hp drill press and use it as if it were a .25 HP drill press on occasion and call it good. But nevermind that the spindle wobbles out of the box, the chuck is barely 3/8" on a floor standing model, and the belt breaks after 3 months of occasional use that makes your shop smell like burning laquer every time you turn it on.

I digress, this is the making BP thread. I have my first dextrin sweetened puck drying on the workbench now, just under a quarter pound of material. Sadly my screens are on route but will not arrive till late Wednesday. Methinks a range trip on Thursday is in order.

FYI for those looking for a reasonable price on screen material, you can get stainless steel screen from grainger for $5 a sheet. Much better than skylighter for $30 a sheet.

[ofitg]

The charcoal was milled for two hours before mixing and the incorporation milling has run for 8.5 hours both at 20 rpm.




TTTC, a couple of suggestions - might be worth trying -

1) I run my tumbler/ball mill at 60 rpm - I've read other experienced BP makers recommend the same speed.

2) I also installed a pair of plastic riffles inside the rotating drum, at opposite sides of the drum - the lead balls and BP ingredients have to jump over these riffles twice per second. Increases the agitation/incorporation.


Thanks for the info. I am indeed testing meal and it is burning at the rate of 4 inches in one second or so.



Does this mean that the "flame front" takes one second to traverse a 4-inch length of loose powder?

[Fly]

TTTC, a couple of suggestions - might be worth trying -

1) I run my tumbler/ball mill at 60 rpm - I've read other experienced BP makers recommend the same speed.

2) I also installed a pair of plastic riffles inside the rotating drum, at opposite sides of the drum - the lead balls and BP ingredients have to jump over these riffles twice per second. Increases the agitation/incorporation.



Does this mean that the "flame front" takes one second to traverse a 4-inch length of loose powder?

Ya as I was reading this thread again I caught that too.20 RPM is way to slow.60 to 65 rpm is the ideal RPM
for most small mills.Another thing I made two lift sticks in my drum.
Fly

[Texantothecore]

TTTC, a couple of suggestions - might be worth trying -

1) I run my tumbler/ball mill at 60 rpm - I've read other experienced BP makers recommend the same speed.

2) I also installed a pair of plastic riffles inside the rotating drum, at opposite sides of the drum - the lead balls and BP ingredients have to jump over these riffles twice per second. Increases the agitation/incorporation.



Does this mean that the "flame front" takes one second to traverse a 4-inch length of loose powder?

Ofitg,

Yes about one second to burn 4" of loose fluffy green meal.

[Texantothecore]

I will be going to a model b high speed mill at the earliest opportunity but I am stuck with 20 rpm for a while. We are going to be changing domiciles in late June and I will be able to run the ball 24 hours without any problems as the the new place has a garage. Currently I can get in only about 2 hours at a time if I'm lucky, mostly one hour runs as I have to stay with mill the entire time outside.

The thought has also occurred to me cut a slot in the base of my current mill and install a larger drive wheel to triple the speed of the barrel.

I am really looking forward to having a garage again.

[ofitg]

Ofitg,

Yes about one second to burn 4" of loose fluffy green meal.

A couple of years ago I tried to capture a video of an open-air burn test - my photography skills are limited, but here it is -

http://s949.photobucket.com/user/crawdads/media/bptest002_Trimmed_zps802e7e32.mp4.html

The line on the left (labeled "G") is Goex 3Fg. The line on the right (labeled "H") was homemade, using dusting sulfur (Do-It-Best Hardware stock # 722367). The lines were about 5 inches long.

When I actually tried shooting/chronographing with the "dusting sulfur" BP, its velocity was within 3% of the Goex 3Fg velocity (equal weights of each powder).

[AlaskanGuy]

Holy crapola oftig... You really need to get yourself one of them cheap long handled lighters.... I bet that scared the crapola outta ya when it poofed like that, lol..... You prolly jumped back so fast the speed test was over before you recovered...lol...

Might I also suggest a long THIN line of powder... About as thick a line as that match you were holding.. It should give you a better idea on speed that you can actually see...

Blessings, and protect them hands sir...

AG

[ofitg]

Thanks for your concern, but this wasn't my first burn test, so I was not surprised....

My main disappointment was with the camera - the auto-iris didn't react quickly enough to prevent being blinded by the flash, and then the auto-iris recovered too slowly after the flash had ended.

[AlaskanGuy]

If you use a longer thinner line, the camera will adjust easier as the flash will not be as bright, and will burn longer, allowing the camera to adjust... Also, pull the camera back a bit farther and use the zoom to bring it in close.. That will help the glare... Just my 2 cents....

Good luck..

[ofitg]

That sounds like it might work. I haven't even tried to photograph a burn test for the past couple of years.... the only reason I tried to photograph that one, was to illustrate using dusting sulfur in BP. In spite of the photography/over-exposure problem, it can still be seen that the "dusting sulfur" BP continued burning for a brief moment after the Goex had been consumed.