My homemade black powder

[Eddie2002]

Fly, I have an old 5 ton press which has seen better days and probably is the main problem with my setup. I need to set up a real press instead of the jury rig I'm using right now. For this batch I'm planning on remilling with dextrin then pressing it using my puck maker in a vice. After that I'll corn it while still damp. Not the best but it will be denser than just corning it after milling.

[Eddie2002]

I know I'm heading down a different road with this, the materials are inexpensive and my time is free so it won't any big loss if it doesn't work. I'm planning to use a over the counter (Wal-Mart) laxative which is 100% dextrin instead of trying to cook my own from corn starch. Don't know if this has been tried before but having a reliable source of dextrin has to help with the final results. Thanks for the tip Indian Joe about using less dextrin, I was thinking about 2% by weight would be a good starting point.
Going to give it a try by this weekend, need to remill my last batch anyways. I overloaded my tumbler and didn't get a good mix so need to redo it.

[maillemaker]

I'm going to make my first batch of green powder this weekend, and assemble my 12 ton HF press, and press a puck or two!

Steve

[Eddie2002]

Indian J, I ran a 100 gram batch with 1.5% dextrin that was a little stick together damp and gave it a medium pressing in a vice. After corning and drying there was a difference in grain hardness when compared to a batch I pressed without dextrin and corned when damp. The grains were harder with the dextrin and the powder tried to cake up some while drying. Lighting a spoonful off had the same results as my previous mix without dextrin. I'm not sure if the dextrin helped or not but it seemed to produce harder grains, I changed a few procedures making the powder which could of affected the final product. I really need to go to the range instead of lighting off spoonfuls of powder in the backyard. Getting ready for a trip so won't be able to test anything till I get back in a few weeks.
Don't worry about encouragin me, I'm crazy enough already.

[eastwoodshooter]

Hello, I am having problems getting the weight right on my homemade black powder.
I made one batch using 5% dextrin as a binder and just compressing it by hand and then passing it through a screen while the powder was still wet and then allowing it to dry. The wight of this powder for 1/4 tsp was 17 grains.
I recently started trying to compress my powder to get a density closer to professional powder. I use a 20 ton press and a homemade powder die. I have pressed a puck putting as much pressure as I could on the press and then letting the puck dry for 24hours before granulating it. Once the puck is dry I use a mortar and pestle to break the puck into a 3fffg. I then weighed a 1/4 tsp of the compressed powder and am only getting 15 grains!! The compressed grains feel harder than the screened ones but it weighs less. So my question is, am I doing something wrong? Could the dextrin be messing up the weight? I weighed 1/4 tsp of professional powder and it weighed about 23 grains, Screened weighed 17 grains and Corned weighed 15 grains. The puck is rock hard before I try to granulate it so I'm having a hard time understanding why the weight isn't increasing.

Chris

[Fly]

Let me address the Dextrin first. Assuming you made your own dextrin & it was done right, most screened powder should have
5% dextrin. Corned powder does not need a binder as dextrin. A 20 ton press is more than enough, I started with a 4 ton & since
up graded to a 12ton. Many use a 6 ton very successfully. It hard for me to comment on your corning. With out knowing the dia &
thickness.

Fly

[eastwoodshooter]

The diameter of my puck is 3" and it is 1" thick. I'm thinking making it thinner might help?

[eastwoodshooter]

Just wondering, what velocities are you getting with your powder? The most I have gotten with my screened powder was 750fps. I did some more tests last night and found that the outside crust of my puck is pretty close to the right weight as commercial powder. For some reason the center of the puck is not as dense... Any thoughts as to what might cause that?

[Fly]

I have gotten 1400 fps from my LGPR with screened. Now under stand that is 75 grains by weight not volume. If I,m just
guessing it could be the type of charcoal or you are not ball milling fine enough.

Fly

[eastwoodshooter]

I Thought I would include how I have been making my powder so that someone can tell me if i might be doing something wrong. I have been making my own charcoal out of Alder and using a coffee grinder to grind that down. I then combine the charcoal and the Potassium nitrate in a ball mill and let it run until everything is crushed to a very fine powder. Then I add the sulfer to the mix and let it mill for another 8 hours. Everything seems to be ground to a very fine dust and I have had good success with the screened powder. I have decided to try to corn my powder now though because I want a harder grain that wont break down as easily and I am not able to load my 1860 Colt Army with the correct amount of grains due to the Weight/Volume difference between my powder and professional powder. I have been using a homemade powder die (like the picture below) and a 20ton press but haven't had any success in getting anywhere close to better densities than my screened powder. The only thing I can think of, is that somehow my pucks are too thick or the PVC powder die isn't allowing me to get the proper compression or that my way of breaking it into the proper grain is somehow messing with the density.

[fishingsetx]

2 things I can think of and you mentioned both. Too thick a puck and the pvc isnt rigid enough to compress the powder to the proper condistancy. Pick up one of fly's dies and put less powder in it! I like mine to come out of the die about 1/4" thick.

Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

[LAGS]

"Another one rides the Bus"
This thread has inspired me to once again make my own Black powder.
I did it as a kid many years ago, when I was dabbling with rockets and fireworks.
But that was many years before the Personal computer was even invented. ( Yes, I am older than Dirt )
I made two batches of Screened powder in the past couple of days.
I haven't got to try it in my front suffers yet, but the outcome of the tests looks promising.
My mix is the standard 75/ 15/10 plus 2% acacia powder ( gum of Arabic ) that I had from loading my own 22 LR's for the primer compound.
The Charcoal wood was Soft Maple from cabinets on my construction jobs.
But next time I will try some made from Alder Scraps from the cabinet frames and see if it works better.
I havent found any Willow yet in this state.
It seems like those trees require too much water to grow around here.
But there are cottonwood trees, but I just have to find the time to go out to the creek beds, ( if you can find one in this state ) and harvest some for charcoal.
The powder weighs 46 gr in a Full 500 S & W case compared to 70 gr of 3F commercial.
Next project, is testing this powder, then making a Puck Tool to make Corned powder.

[Boz330]

This is what I've been using for almost 7 years now. That is PVC. I do have to tap the puck out but it isn't that hard to get to release, but it is only 1/4" to 3/8" thick. It isn't as dense as Swiss but more than Goex. It gives me everything I need velocity wise.
Make some powder and play with it and you will figure it out. You really don't need to over think the process. Start simple and work your way up to the heavy duty stuff. For a front stuffer it really doesn't make a lot of difference, load by weight not volume.

Bob

[eastwoodshooter]

This is what I've been using for almost 7 years now. That is PVC. I do have to tap the puck out but it isn't that hard to get to release, but it is only 1/4" to 3/8" thick. It isn't as dense as Swiss but more than Goex. It gives me everything I need velocity wise.
Make some powder and play with it and you will figure it out. You really don't need to over think the process. Start simple and work your way up to the heavy duty stuff. For a front stuffer it really doesn't make a lot of difference, load by weight not volume.

Bob

Thanks Bob,
How long are you letting the powder "dwell" in the press before taking it out to dry? And how are you comparing your densities to the Goax?

[Fly]

Ok if I may jump in & maybe shed some light or maybe not. Bob summed it up. ( You really don't need to over think the process). I do not under
stand why you add your sulfur last Every ball mill may be different. My ball mill is home made & I can mill 600 grams of meal in two hours. But
then again it is bigger than most. A small HF ball mill should be able to mill your powder in 6 hours, start to finish. The key to any ball mill is the
type of media & how much media your using too, mill the meal.

(1) use heavy media such as lead or short Copper lead filled tubing. there is a post on making that in this tread. Someone will come & tell you where.
(2) VERY IMPORTANT! Fill your drum almost 1/2 full of the lead media. Then 1/4 of meal powder & leave the last 1/4 for air space.
(3) only press your pucks 1/4 to 3/8 thick as Bob said.
(4) Lightly mist the meal with water before pressing till it just starts to stick together in a tight fist.

I only whole pressure on mine about a minute. Some guys much longer but I,m lazy & it,s your choice.
Let dry in the sun most of the day in summer or over night inside in your house. A cheap plastic dehydrator works
as does a ole crock pot with the lid off.

One other thing the Alder & Maple works also as the post above said. I would leave the cotton wood alone. I tried
it once & it was very fast yes. Works great in fireworks be as dirty as any coal I have ever used in a fire arm. They said
the South used it in there powder during the Civil war. Maybe why they lost. (Wink)

Fly

[LAGS]

Thanks Fly.
I only wanted to use the cottonwood since there are not many other options in this dry state.
But tomorrow, I am headed to California for a week to see my family.
There are willow trees there, and I might be able to snag a truckload of them.
Better hide them when crossing the border, they will not have the required California sticker that says that , "Products used in growing these trees, is known to the state of California to cause Cancer". LOL
I would rather be using Green Wood to make my Charcoal.
But the Kiln dried stuff I pick up off the construction sites , is Free, and Coals up fine.
Same as the Lead Roof flashing I pick up from time to time. Free, and it makes almost pure lead balls.
I am not Cheap by any means.
But my Hobby seems to be able to pay for itself, if I recycle things that others throw out.
And keeps my job site cleaner.

[Fly]

Well another option would be cedar garden mulch from Home Depot. It cheap & cedar charcoal is not bad. I recommend that to
guys out west that don't have many options. I shot it a lot & is not bad.

Fly

[swamp]

Lags,
I have quite a bit of Tree of Heaven float if you would like to try some.
swamp

[LAGS]

Thanks Swamp.
I may PM you once I get back from California.
I was hoping to find a local supply of wood that I can use, but that doesn't seem possible out here in the desert ,without spending way too much time experimenting with local woods, or should I say Bushes.
We have plenty of Creasote bushes here, and Cotton fields just south of me.
But till I retire, time is the biggest factor in playing with all my other projects.
There are Apple wood chips available at Home depot also for smokers.
But for now, the maple and Alder is cheap, and will be my base comparison for my testing .
I have two Mesquite trees in my yard, and that goes in my smoker.
And I have a dying Jacaranda in my front yard that will soon be cut down.
For Giggles, I will give that wood a try.
It is kind of pulpy like soft maple.

[Fly]

Lags that's funny you say that concerning wood in AZ. I spend a good amount of time in Tucson, for my son lives there.
I walk around in that desert looking at the different plants & trees. That is a cool desert but I don,t see much there that
would work. Theres a guy that lives out there in Tucson that bought one of my pressing dies years back. He & I have talked
about this many times. He tried many different woods, & always goes back to the cedar chips. That Tree of Heaven those guys
say is great, but I,m like you I can,t seem to find it by me. But I have black willow so that what I use.

Fly