My homemade black powder

[Nobade]

You can make a superb "black powder" with sugar/KNO3. It forms into pellets of uniform shape and mass very easily. IMR makes them for use in BP rifles as a substitute similar to Pyrodex, and calls them "White Hots". Supposedly they produce greater velocities than are possible with regular BP. I think I have seen them at Cabelas. They have a very different smell after firing as I think there is no sulfur in the formulation.

I'm pretty sure that is what Shockeys Gold is. Lousy rifle propellant but great rocket fuel.

[Boz330]

You can make a superb "black powder" with sugar/KNO3. It forms into pellets of uniform shape and mass very easily. IMR makes them for use in BP rifles as a substitute similar to Pyrodex, and calls them "White Hots". Supposedly they produce greater velocities than are possible with regular BP. I think I have seen them at Cabelas. They have a very different smell after firing as I think there is no sulfur in the formulation.

That is the formula for replacement powder in the Army field expediency and explosives manual. In the Philippines during WWII they used that or cut up Movie film along with match heads as primers to propel cut up brass rod bullets to resist the Japanese occupation.

Bob

[KenH]

Wow that's a new one for me. What are they used for. I can see they work great & would also be good for flaring tube. Is that there main use? Fly

jewelry work is the prime use - rings, etc

[brian1]

I really like the way you rolled the ends of the copper tube. Did you just beat them over with a hammer?

Fly

I made some like that. In my case, I used a pipe tubing cutter, which leaves a bit of a lip inside each cut. I used the cutter aggressively to increase that effect. In the end, I didn't use them, though; I made up .50 cal balls cast from extra hard linotype.

[brian1]

This is the way to do it. I started using the same type of grinding media last year and it grinds quickly and much finer than balls. Produces exceptional green meal.

I made some of those and decided to switch to balls, thinking the result might be better. Based on your experience, I'll have to try the copper cylinders instead.

[brian1]

You need enough to fill your tumbler canister half full - easy enough to figure that out - its human nature to want to start with not enough - tip em in the can and see .!

My Thumlers Tumbler has a 15 pound limit, so I made up 14 pounds of balls and went with that, with a pound of powder, for my first attempt. I only about 1/4-1/3 filled it, but that was all the weight the tumbler could handle. In fact, I had to modify the tumbler motor mount a bit so I could get the belt a bit tighter, so it wouldn't slip. How do you deal with the weight of a tumbler half full of lead?

What is the recommended ball milling time for a one-pound batch in a Thumlers Tumbler? I did mine for 6.5 hours. It came out quite cakey - in fact, the hole in the top was nearly completely caked over when I removed the cover after 6.5 hours. Probably from not full enough, but I can't fill this tumbler any more. So should I just bust up the cakes and press it, or press as-is, or tumble more? It's quite cold here - I don't know if that has anything to do with it caking up.

Here's a picture of it after I busted up the caked layer covering the top:

[Fly]

Time in the tumbler is hard to say from one tumber to the next, I like most
started with a HF. With that one about 6 & 1/2 HOURS. I then made a larger
one that only take 2 & 1/2 hours.

Fly

[Texantothecore]

Much superior to ball grinding media. I use 2 lbs of dry mix and 14 lbs of grinders. Works fine. I generally grind for 24 hours and the meal sort of looks like a liquid when I open up the barrel. Hard to explain but it is very fine.

[fishingsetx]

I use the HF dual drum tumbler and the copper tubing filled with lead. No rhyme or reason to loading. I pregrind each component and put about 1/2 lb of mix in each drum. Then I toss in a handfull or two of tubing. Fils the drums about 2/3 full. I have to give it a push to get the motor going. I usually put it in late evening/night and let it run till the next evening/night (about 24 hrs). With 2 small kids, i dont get to do much till they are in bed anyway. Comes out like talcum powder. I replaced the belt with a clear O-ring I got at a local place they ordered for another customer for the same reason. They ordered extras and it had been sitting on the shelf for 2-3 years. I use the heck out if that tumbler and its still going strong over a year later! I have to help it get started, even when polishing brass with stainless pins.

Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

[Whiterabbit]

If you put a rubber band around the can, you don't have to worry about slipping.

But the band will break after 1-2 uses. Still, it works.

[brian1]

I got my tumbling done, and sifted out the balls from the powder. I took a pinch of it, set it on the floor, and put a lighter to it. Big WHOOSH! I know I'm supposed to press it next, but I'm curious why we do that. Is it because it's too fine now?

I mixed up a pound. So now to do the pressing part, it looks like it's going to take quite a long time to do that; one little puck maker at a time. I probably have 10 puck cylinders' worth of powder to do.

Now I mist the powder and mix it up by hand, using as little water as possible, to get it into a paste or dough consistency?

Then I press it - how long do I leave each puck in the press before taking it out to dry and make another puck?

[swamp]

When I press my powder I use as little moisture as possible. I have used 90+% alcohol. I spritz it, mix and push some against the side to see if it will cake. Continue till it just starts to cake. Then press. I fill the puck die 1/2 -2/3 full and press. I am using the HF 6 ton press. I am leaving it in for 20 minutes or so. I have made 3 batches so far and it works for me. Took some willow based out and tried in a new to me 54 Renegade to try out both. Was quite happy with both. Powder burned pretty clean.

I am just a beginner but this has worked for me. Now I am working on some Tree of Heaven charcoal. Will try that next for powder.

swamp

[Tracy]

I'm using .45 FMJ bullets as grinding media.

[Whiterabbit]

Press for density. If you wet it and granulate it now it’s undense, leading to poor velocity and huge mess. Even if you compensate for it by loading by weight you blow the powder out the muzzle for a waste. Corning it gets the air out for dense kernels. That lets you get more in a smaller volume, burns cleaner, better velocity, and when you pack it it crunches like it should, not turn back to dust and burn poorly as a result. I press for a minute or two at 12 tons, then eject and wipe the moisture off the die then reset. My pucks like a long dry time done this way, but the batch process time is quick.

Water will come out of the die if you use too much and make a mess. But when the water stops seeping, you are done with that puck. Takes a few minutes. Give one extra minute adter seepage stops. Wipe up with a paper towel. When finished, let the towel dry and crumple to flake off the BP. You can re-corn most of it. The little left on the paper towel, burn.

You don’t have to mist. 1 tbsp water into your pound of meal, maybe 2. Replace lid and shake. It’ll look like butter cut into flour for pastrymaking. If you use 3tbsp of water you will seep out of the press die for sure.

[Fly]

I mist mine with water only. You do not need much water. Just enough to
if you squeeze the meal powder in your fist it just starts to cling together.

If water squeezes out during pressing back off the amount of wetting.

Fly

[brian1]

Thanks for the tips! I'm nearly ready to make the pucks. A couple questions first:

!. What am I looking for - about 1/4" thick finished pucks? I believe I read that too-thick pucks are hard to break up.

2. What is the approximate compression ratio - IOW, if I want a 1/4" puck, how tall should the loose column be before pressing?

[Whiterabbit]

If you don’t get those measurements right, then your BP is all gonna fall apart.

Just kidding. I just spoon in and go. These days for repeatability, I measure the same amount of material, but it’s really not relevant. Compression is compression. If your first pucks are 0.250” and your next pucks are 0.263”, it’s still gonna go bang well.

In short, of all the processes I select as important, puck thickness uniformity has not yet been one of them. And I don’t see a need to control this.

[swamp]

Once you do a few pucks, you will get a feel for how much meal to use to get the thickness you want. I try to get about 3/8 thick. Mostly so they dry at the same rate and that is what my nibbler maxs out at.

swamp

[LAGS]

I am thinking about making my own Black powder.
I have a question about the charcoal.
Has anyone ever tried " Char Cotton "
I use to carry a tin of it when I was Back Packing or Hunting , for a fire starter.
It would take a a spark way better than any Charcoal I have ever seen, and can be turned into a powder really easily.
Just a thought
I am not trying like many others to find a Cheap way out.
It in the long run may not be cost effective, but if it gives good results, it is another option.

[Fly]

Lags, charcoal is the holy grail of good powder. We could write a thick book on this subject. I have tested so many types
I can't remember them all. Char Cotton is a new one on me. That does not mean it will not work, but my advice is keep it simple.
Your problem is living in Az. My son lives in Tucson & I just got back from there. There is just not many trees I,m a where of that
are you have growing there that are good candidates. What many do in areas like yours is buy cedar wood mulch from Lowes or Home Depot
lawn dept. It makes a very good coal for BP. It burns a little dirty but not bad.

Hope I helped Fly