My homemade black powder

[Fly]

I question red gum and alcohol is more powerful? I have tested it many times & never found that the case. I never under stood why people
think alcohol adds any benefit? Some one please explain the reason, if there is one. Of coarse Redgum is the binder for alcohol but adds nothing
for making faster. Guys the charcoal is the single additive in making a KNO3 x Charcoal x Sulfur mix faster. (Just the facts).

Fly

[Vettepilot]

Yeah, that "CIA" method is something I dismissed early on. Cooking BP like that just seems like an invitation for disaster. Maybe not, but it just doesn't "feel right", ya know? Besides, by my way of thinking, anything that drenches the powder is likely to leech out potassium nitrate; not a good thing.

I will try to find that site where the guy tested the red gum powder and post it for you all. Just more interesting info... I agree that the alcohol probably wouldn't add a thing to the powder, just that it would be needed as a solvent for a binder such as red gum. The only other benefit I can imagine is faster drying time.

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Here's that link. Pretty interesting actually. (Please don't "hammer me"; yes it is for pyro....)

https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/how...d-black-powder

Vettepilot

[Fly]

Vettepilot I,m no way hammering you my friend. Ya that video has been around for years. If I remember right it was what made me try
that. I love screened powder in my muzzle loaders, I guess cause I,m lazy (wink). But I love shooting my cap & ball revolvers & that calls
for corned (pressed powder). So when I make mine I make big batches. But alky evaporates so fast & I really dought it leaves any thing when
it is gone to speed up BP. Pore some on a board & let it dry. Then try & light it with a match? It did nothing to speed my powder up. But like
you I tried it.
Fly

[Markopolo]

I am a cia method guy.. works for me.. make lbs of the stuff every year in my kitchen... many different paths to the same end result... I do ball mill all of my ingredients separately before the cia Method.. works great for me...

[indian joe]

I am a cia method guy.. works for me.. make lbs of the stuff every year in my kitchen... many different paths to the same end result... I do ball mill all of my ingredients separately before the cia Method.. works great for me...

well yeah workin in the kitchen ---what I do would not work at all .......

[Markopolo]

Lol.. must be a woman in your house. Cleanup can be an issue.... I guess my point is, there are many successful ways to get there... and as we practice, we work out the learning curves to perfect our individual methods...

Marko

[indian joe]

Lol.. must be a woman in your house. Cleanup can be an issue.... I guess my point is, there are many successful ways to get there... and as we practice, we work out the learning curves to perfect our individual methods...

Marko

even without the woman - the mess I would make in the kitchen processing dry meal would be a huge cleanup deal - not to mention the mob of potential ignition sources in there -- I clean my workshop up - make the powder - blow the place out with a leaf blower when its done - easy !!

[Eddie2002]

Cleanup is paramount after making BP, while making my first batch I was a little sloppy and spilled just a little during screening. Didn't think much of it till latter on when I was using a propane torch and noticed a bunch of grains going off all over the work bench. Now I use a full size aluminum cake pan lined with newspaper to work over and am a lot more careful while screening.

[Markopolo]

That is why the wet method works so good in he kitchen.. and easy cleanup also.. you ain’t gunna ignite wet BP...

[indian joe]

That is why the wet method works so good in he kitchen.. and easy cleanup also.. you ain’t gunna ignite wet BP...

yeah I get it ------ya just cant clean the kitchen out with the leaf blower on full blast .............that would play havoc with the decor

[Markopolo]

[Fly]

I have never done it that way, so I can,t comment. But like what was said above I would think it would leach a lot of KNO-3 out. Also if
there was any advantage I would think some of the BP manufactures would have adopted it over all these years? Just saying???????

Fly

[Markopolo]

Well, I started doing it when I was trying to make fast BP for rocket engines... and went from there... it started as a High School project for a chemistry extra credit class... and took on a life of its own... been doing it this way ever sense.. not that it’s better or worse.. just works for me.

[Fly]

Hey if it an,t broke don't fix it. I thought about trying that way back but never did. That's why we do what we do.

Fly

[Hotfxr]

Hey if it an,t broke don't fix it. I thought about trying that way back but never did. That's why we do what we do. Fly

I have now been following this thread for over 6 years and find it interesting that so many new posters question and want to improve the tried and true recipe that's over 1,000 years old. I confess that I was one of the doubters for quite sometime, looking up everything I could find on BP and of course being me, just had to try out each and every one of them. Thankfully there has been one constant voice of reason here, and Fly I have to thank you once again for your patience, wisdom, and advice. (There are several others who also were and are voices of reason, but this one is for Fly) Also for putting up with my constant questioning of, well, everything. I now have a constant (and consistent) supply of black powder that exceeds Goex and costs me a little over $2 a pound.

[indian joe]

I have now been following this thread for over 6 years and find it interesting that so many new posters question and want to improve the tried and true recipe that's over 1,000 years old. I confess that I was one of the doubters for quite sometime, looking up everything I could find on BP and of course being me, just had to try out each and every one of them. Thankfully there has been one constant voice of reason here, and Fly I have to thank you once again for your patience, wisdom, and advice. (There are several others who also were and are voices of reason, but this one is for Fly) Also for putting up with my constant questioning of, well, everything. I now have a constant (and consistent) supply of black powder that exceeds Goex and costs me a little over $2 a pound.

I would like to second that ! When I started here I think we were at about page 53 - I read it all, then decided to just follow Fly through the maze - there was too much information from too many directions - I got lucky and made decent enough powder first up.

[Vettepilot]

Yes, I agree as well. Fly is a definite asset to this forum and thread, and I am thankful for his help and advice. Indian Joe is a kind and helpful member as well!

What a great thread!

I knew what my method would be after reading through the thread, but I do love to experiment. My only real experimentation in this however, will be in which binder I settle on when doing screened powder. Most of my powder will likely be pressed.

Vettepilot

[Fly]

Geezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz you guys quit that! (wink)

Fly

[Dirty Kurty]

I would like to post pictures and videos. I just pressed 200 grams of 75-15-10 . Catalpa charcoal...so far the mill dust is bright yellow flash and very little fouling residue.