My homemade black powder

[maillemaker]

I took a spoonful of my 5-hour-mill green powder and touched it off. It burned surprisingly vigorously for green meal! I mean POOF and it was gone! I think this stuff is going to work!

Steve

[Vettepilot]

Hey! Thanks for running that test batch for us! I'm betting when you finish and test, there will be no performance difference.

It's been reported that the lead filled copper media is more effective than ball media, and I believe that to be true. That's why I made mine.

Up until recently I was caring for my terminally ill sister full time, and was totally worn out during any free time I had. That was for almost two years, and so I'm going to be playing "catch up" on my chores and projects for a good while. But we'll get there!! ;~)

Vettepilot

[ButchC]

MAILLEMAKER:

Nice work and very nice photo documentation. Congrats!! Your pucks look great! I bet you're dying in anticipation of them drying out for the next step.

Edit: Just so you know, you can cut plastic separators and press more than one puck at a time. Milk jug plastic would probably work fine. I have some flexible cutting board plastic that I'm going to use. My sister was a gourmet cook and we have a bunch of those here. Very durable but flexible plastic about .025" or so thick.

Also, I just read recently on a pyro site that sells puck dies that highly polishing the dies aids in puck release. They also mention oiling the dies, but I don't think that's a good idea at all myself...

Vettepilot

We might have been around the same site. As far as I can tell, the oiling is mentioned due to the outer casing being steel on mine and the inner surface is raw metal and isn't exactly acting stainless though i'm sure it's some kind of lesser reactive carbon steel if anything (press plug is aluminum).

[maillemaker]

Sorry to hear about your sister. I read early in this thread that cylindrical media worked well because the edges of the cylinders is able to dig into the corners of the canister. Round media can't scrape out those corners so some people have complained of caking around the bottom of the canister. I have had zero issues with caking so far. Of course, I have only rolled 4 canisters of media so far.

Tonight's pressing is going MUCH better. I spread out my 200 grams of green meal until it was about 1/4" thick, and then did ONE pass of misting with the spray bottle using distilled water. Once mixed with a plastic spreader, the meal JUST starts to hold its shape. If you can push it into a pile and it stacks like a sand castle, you've got it!

I am now pressing beautiful pucks with zero water seepage. I hold each puck under pressure for 5 minutes. Pictures later.

[maillemaker]

Well, here is the result of two nights of "pucking around". This is 400 grams of green meal pressed into pucks using the Fly Puck and a Harbor Freight 12 ton press:



I have to say I am nervous every time I press a puck. What would happen if the powder ignited under pressure trapped inside an aluminum housing? Definitely want damp powder.

Steve

[Vettepilot]

Sorry if you mentioned earlier and I missed it... what will you be using your powder for/in when these dry and you get them busted up and graded?

Congrats again!

Vettepilot

[maillemaker]

I've been shooting competitively in the North-South Skirmish Association for 9 years now. I go through about 10 pounds or more of powder a year, so that's about $300 or so in powder.

Ideally, I'd like to make powder that is at least as good as Goex, which is what I use now in competition. My first goal will be to check the density of what I'm making against Goex. Then I'll check velocity with a chronograph.

It all depends on 1) is it as good as Goex, and 2) can I make it consistently from batch to batch.

I suspect I am going to need to install a pressure gauge on my hydraulic jack, so that I can apply consistent pressure to each puck. In addition I will need to make a scoop so that I can consistently put the same amount of powder in the puck mold each time.

Steve

[maillemaker]

Does green meal "keep"? I know that in the middle ages "serpentine" powder (green meal) would separate during transport and so they had to re-mix it before using it. But I would be putting it in a plastic container and keeping it on a shelf in a cool, dry location.

I ask because I could easily produce 200 grams of green meal a day in my back yard while I sit here in the house working. Pressing pucks, however, is the bottleneck. 200 grams makes about 7-8 pucks in the Fly Puck Mold, so that's about an hour of work. I might not be able to keep up with the production rate of the green meal.

Steve

[LynC2]

MAILLEMAKER:

Nice work and very nice photo documentation. Congrats!! Your pucks look great! I bet you're dying in anticipation of them drying out for the next step.

Edit: Just so you know, you can cut plastic separators and press more than one puck at a time. Milk jug plastic would probably work fine. I have some flexible cutting board plastic that I'm going to use. My sister was a gourmet cook and we have a bunch of those here. Very durable but flexible plastic about .025" or so thick.

Vettepilot

The milk jug plastic works well, I've been using it as a separator for a couple of years.

[Vettepilot]

Well, I've heard several times about powder kept cool and dry lasting for many years. My understanding is the problem was the wood kegs/barrels. The barrel staves would be dried out by the powder, and then shrink, causing gaps. Moisture could then get into the powder, and ruin it. No plastic containers in those days....

To increase your puck production, remember, you can use plastic separators and make more than one puck at a time. The psi for pressing is dependent upon the piston diameter and the force applied; not the vertical stack size or volume.

Lastly, remember that black powder IS an explosive, so be very careful about storage, in both security, safety, and amount. The fact that it is actually an explosive, and the concomitant fire department and insurance rules regarding it, is why we can buy it now from only a very few outlets.

Vettepilot

[maillemaker]

I know that black powder can be stored pretty much indefinitely. I'm wondering about storing green meal.

I'll try the separator but I'm already filling the puck half full. Can't fill it all the way as you have to get the piston started - I don't want it to be cock-eyed when I start ramming it. But I can probably fill it 3/4 full and have a divider in the middle.

I have another 100 grams milling now.

Steve

[henryinpanama]

It seems no matter what I use to make charcoal, my BP is too weak. My last test consisted of filling a 45 Colt case to the brim with powder and seating a 230gr bullet to proper depth. While it fired, there was zero recoil, lots of smoke and very low velocity. My brother, standing behind me, said he could see the bullet. I'm betting the problem is the KNO3 I bought from Amazon. So, I just got back from Lowes and will make the next batch using Spectracide Stump Remover. I'll post the results in a few days.

[Thundermaker]

Are you compressing it before breaking it up? If not, you'll likely find that yours is much lighter peer volume than commercial.

[brewer12345]

OK, when my order gets here I will have everything I need to make green meal. I can go to a nearby harbor freight for a press. The only other thing I will need to figure out is a die for pressing powder. I PMd fly to see if he is still selling dies, but if he is not I will need to figure out an alternative. What are you all using?

[maillemaker]

It seems no matter what I use to make charcoal, my BP is too weak. My last test consisted of filling a 45 Colt case to the brim with powder and seating a 230gr bullet to proper depth. While it fired, there was zero recoil, lots of smoke and very low velocity. My brother, standing behind me, said he could see the bullet. I'm betting the problem is the KNO3 I bought from Amazon. So, I just got back from Lowes and will make the next batch using Spectracide Stump Remover. I'll post the results in a few days.

Are you making screened powder or corned powder? Screened powder is much less dense than corned powder. You may not have enough volume in your case to get enough powder in there to do the job.

I have not actually finished making powder yet, only pressing pucks, but I bought my supposedly 99.98% pure potassium nitrate from Duda Energy:

https://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=10pn

10 pound sack for $22, plus shipping. They also sell 50 pound sacks.

Steve

[maillemaker]

OK, when my order gets here I will have everything I need to make green meal. I can go to a nearby harbor freight for a press. The only other thing I will need to figure out is a die for pressing powder. I PMd fly to see if he is still selling dies, but if he is not I will need to figure out an alternative. What are you all using?

They Fly puck is very nicely made with a knurled outer cylinder. But any machine shop could make you a 2" thick chunk of aluminum with a 2" bore in it and a matching 2" piston. Obviously it needs to be made of non-sparking material. I would go through Fly first to support him and reward his efforts here first if possible.

Steve

[ButchC]

I would second going through fly if possible. He's contributed a lot to this thread and I feel like we should be supporting other members where possible, especially when they're giving a killer deal on quality machine work like the fly dies are. That said, I messaged him a while back in January or possibly even late December and haven't heard anything and according to another thread he is due for an appearance on the forum as is his pattern in the past. Hopefully all is well with him.

[maillemaker]

It's funny I ordered my sulfur and kno3 from Duda via mail order only to discover they are like 30 minutes away from me.

Steve

[Vettepilot]

Well, that's a GOOD thing, as shipping prices can be a killer these days!! I shopped all over to get my supplies, and when considering shipping cost, got my best deal from Duda.

A short while back USPS charged me 85 bucks!! to mail three boxes 250 miles to my daughter. All three boxes fit on the counter at the post office, and weighed less than 15 lbs. each. I could have driven them there myself cheaper!!

Vettepilot

[trjones]

I would like to get one of fly's dies, do you have a way to contact him? I sent him a message on here but got no reply.