charcoal source for making blk powder

[True.grit]

Howdy y'all,
Just wondering if anyone has tried using charcoal briketts like Kingsford brand as a source for making blk powder. Thanks in advance for your guys thoughts.

[Harter66]

It doesn't work well .

As a rule ,which are full of exceptions, fast growing soft woods make the best powder .

Psst , shhh, Walmart carries black willow charcoal sticks in the art supplies. This is rumored to be the fastest cleanest charcoal for ownself powder.

If you pm Fly he can set you with black willow charcoal ground to air float for a very reasonable rate .

You can make your own also ,some go to extremes , with tools as simple as a steel 5 gallon bucket and lid . Sweetgum ,cottonwood, and grape wood have worked well for me .

[Fly]

If you want to make your own & do not have a source try going to Home depot & get a bag of cedar mulch,
it is not bad. Little dirty but is pretty fast. But bag charcoal is terrible.

Fly

[True.grit]

Thanks guys for the info. I'm about to dive in to this. Lots of great info from you guys.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Go here, they sell all kinds of chemicals. Even black power making kits.
http://hobbychemicalsupply.com

[DerekP Houston]

Erm, brickettes aren't real charcoal IMHO! Mostly waste and fly ash created when i try to bbq. I use b&b lump charcoal. Looks like everyone else has you covered on the BP front.

[Fly]

Derek if you are using lump charcoal, you are not getting the most from your BP.
Most lump charcoal is made from hardwood as oak & hickory. Great for firework
displays because of the sparks. But slow in terms of fast gun powder.

As for Hobby Chemicals they are great people to deal with. But there black powder kit
is geared toward fire works & not guns. Again it's all about the charcoal. The airfloat
charcoal in that kit I think is made from hardwood.

Fly

[DerekP Houston]

Understand the difference but thanks for posting. My father has 2 muzzle loaders and a pistol of some kind I may liberate shortly. Just 2 70s kits him and his brother built back in the day, would be fun to get the shoot able and take him out. Yall are braver than I am for making powder, I'll just buy some!

[OverMax]

Just wondering if anyone has tried using charcoal briketts like Kingsford brand as a source for making blk powder.For gun powder. Kingsford is a poor candidate for the purpose.__Of the three components used in the making of B/P. Charcoal choice/used.> Is the most troubling.

[Boz330]

Understand the difference but thanks for posting. My father has 2 muzzle loaders and a pistol of some kind I may liberate shortly. Just 2 70s kits him and his brother built back in the day, would be fun to get the shoot able and take him out. Yall are braver than I am for making powder, I'll just buy some!

It's not for everyone, but not any more dangerous than casting or reloading your own ammo. You just need the DIY gene and common sense.

Bob

[w5pv]

When a kid I used the 1/3,1/3,1/3 and it gave me about 1000 fps.Just stupid things kids do.

[Fly]

Bob right on. Guys there is no more danger in making it than handling it. It is all about keeping it away
from sparks or open flame. Same thing with shooting it. You do not smoke around it or load your gun around a
camp fire. It's called common sense.
Fly

[True.grit]

I live in the desert southwest and I have not seen any black willow trees. I understand about soft woods. Remove the bark then processes into charcoal. Has any one tried aspen? I go to northern Az and there is a lot of young saplings since the big fire. Fairly easy to get.

[daleraby]

Briquettes contain binders to hold it together. I use natural lump charcoal in my forge, and yes, it is made from oak, maple and birch in general. You can make your own charcoal in an old Weber grill, but its kind of a pain. Probably the best way is to do it in large lots by doing it traditionally, i.e.: burying the fire in the ground, but its more art than science and can take days to get a batch made. Had a neighbor once who made it with his father up in the mountains in Mexico as a child. He said it was an awful lot of work for the little bit of money they got marketing the final product.

[Texantothecore]

Aspen makes excellent charcoal.

[Tatume]

Charcoal briquettes are ground charcoal mixed with clay.

[Fly]

Well I bought a big bag of Aspen wood chips to try. I still have them if anyone wants a deal. I made
charcoal & tested it. I was not impressed at all. I burns pretty clean, but mine was not real fast. The cedar
is much better in my opinion.

JMOHOP Fly