My homemade black powder

[Eddie2002]

I just has a small idea, how about zinc as a tumbler medium. Readily available, harder than lead and costs less than brass or copper. Just a thought and another rabbit hole to go down.

[Hotfxr]

For easing the cut edges, depending on what diameter you choose, what I usually do is chuck them in a drill and run them over sandpaper or a file or whatever I have at hand.
Good luck in your BP journey!

[Fly]

Ceramic does not cause sparks. That is why we use ceramic burr coffee grinders. There some bad advice sometimes on the net.

Just JMOHOP ceramic is not heavy enough for grinding in ball mills.

Fly

[Hotfxr]

The ceramic discs in the grinders never touch each other when grinding.

Hmm, Mr. Markham you seem to resist almost every bit of advice you ask for. For myself, I can take it or leave it. However Fly, who has a wealth of knowledge he generously shares, has been a tireless mentor to many here and when you (IMHO) argue with him that bothers me.

Maybe I am reading you wrong, it has happened before. If I am, I apologize. As it is, I am going to wish you luck in your BP endeavors without any more of my input. Stay safe and enjoy making smoke & noise.

[Fly]

Hey don't be thinned skinned with what people say here, this form is for discussion not argument. Discussion, we all learn from, but Augment serves no purpose.
As far as me, I,m not always right, believe that. But I do question ceramics make sparks? I was always told that in my fire works circle & never questioned it.
Maybe the ceramic sparks is caused be static electrics. If so it could never generate enough heat to ignite BP. Thats another subject altogether. I will
say this about static electricity. You can have very high voltage with it like a stun gun, but amperage is low & what causes heat. That's why a stun gun will not
burn you. I took my tig welder high frequency & tried to ignite my powder to no reveal, except moving it a round the steel plate. There is a great video some
were on the net showing this. Ed you are just a guy trying to learn as much as you can I fully understand. But you must be careful of whats said out there. I have
been & still guilty to what I read. All I really know is I have never heard of ceramic media ever causing a explosion. I like the copper or brass lead filled tubes the
best. imohop.
Fly

[Vettepilot]

Say Fly, did you get my PM about needing a pressing die body?

It's great to see you posting here again, and thanks so much for all the input and advice you post!

Vettepilot

[Hotfxr]

I will be waiting for the pics of that stand. I possess the ability to make one but not the ambition. It seems I would just like to complain about it moving around on me. Seeing one that works just might bump me into enough ambition to build one.

[LAGS]

Has anyone tried using " Plated " handgun bullets for Grinding media, or even Full metal Jacket "J" bullets to grind their powder.
I have a bunch out in the shop somewhere for both .45 and 9mm.
I think I will give them a try as soon as I get moved into the new house and get the shop organized.
They should work, and reduce the lead being ground into your powder.

Right now I am using Balls cast out of Mono type to grind my powder.
But even being so hard, there is still a Grey tint to the Potassium Nitrate when I grind it separately

[RoyEllis]

Or you can do what "cheapskate me" does....pick up a bunch of the 9mm & 40 sw cases the mall ninjas leave laying all over, pour lead in them & viola! you have brass jacketed grinding media.

[Hotfxr]

The only other person I know locally that makes his own powder is a fellow IDPA shooter that loads his own 45ACP. He keeps a coffee can on his reloading bench and tosses any flawed bullets into it. So his milling medium is full jacketed 230gn 45 cal bullets. Waiting to see when and if the copper wears off.

[Vettepilot]

I too had been concerned about lead dust from milling with lead balls. However, it seems to me casting lead from wheel weights into 1/2" copper tubing cut into about 1/2" lengths is an ideal solution, and it's been proven to be a great performing media. I am in the process of making mine now....

Besides the somewhat harder wheel weight lead being protected a good bit by the copper, I am sure that all those corners and edges on the media will greatly increase it's milling efficiency.

Vettepilot

[Tracy]

Has anyone tried using " Plated " handgun bullets for Grinding media, or even Full metal Jacket "J" bullets to grind their powder.
I have a bunch out in the shop somewhere for both .45 and 9mm.
I think I will give them a try as soon as I get moved into the new house and get the shop organized.
They should work, and reduce the lead being ground into your powder.

Right now I am using Balls cast out of Mono type to grind my powder.
But even being so hard, there is still a Grey tint to the Potassium Nitrate when I grind it separately

Yes, that's exactly what I use: plated .45 bullets.

[LAGS]

Maybe I will try using Powdercoated .45 slugs and see if the PC holds up to ball milling ,flakes off or wears thru, then try it for grinding powder

[Hotfxr]

Hotfxr, if possible please ask him how long they last. That would be fairly inexpensive and cheap way to minimize the exposure to lead.

He does the same size batches as I do, half pound at a time. So far he has done over 12 with no discernible wear. They are smoother than when they first went in, but don't even look close to going through the jacket. This is according to him, I have not seen them yet.

[Fly]

I agree Joe I have used it for years as many others have. I still think brass or copper lead filled tubes are great but to each there own.

Fly

[Fly]

You are right & I do not follow rules that well. I do know lead comes from the ground & I grew up drinking water from lead water
pipes most of my life. I could go on & on about things like that but so far I,m still with us.

Fly

[Fly]

Joe you are just a kid, I will be 74 in may

Fly

[LAGS]

Now you two make me feel like a Baby in this discussion since I am only 65.
But there is a problem with lead exposure.
But that too depends on the person and length of time they are exposed to lead.
I spent two years as a Painter using lead paint, and two years working in a body shop where we used lead as a body filler.
Then spent 9 years doing Demolition where I was constantly working around buildings Painted with lead paint and asbestos.
The dust was everywhere, and we never used resperators.
Then 35 years in construction.
I never showed any signs of lead contamination that effected my health.
But people I know got Lead Poisoning from working on electronics Soldering, or just casting One Keel Weight for their Sailboat.
My advise, is to take all of the current precautions to prevent contamination from lead.
But do not be so paranoid as to keep you from doing something that you like to do.

[Markopolo]

Soooooo anybody make any BP today?????? Casual re-direct....



Cooking up some willow charcoal.. I get quite a bunch o willow at a single cooking with that Dutch oven.. small 3/8 hole in the lid and away I go. I stack it in the pot vertically out of well dried branches.. these outdoor bbq’s are awesome for making charcoal. I prolly only make couple lbs per year, but I always have next years willow branches drying in a closet corner.. must be nice to have a climate where stuff can dry outside.. our humidity is usually 80-90% year round with some sort of moisture falling, so nothing drys, only rots. We get a nice rare day of sunshine, so I usually do it in the spring for all the BP for the season.

How often do you old 65-75 year olds make powder for the year???

Marko

[Fly]

I use to make much more than I do now. I made it for my fireworks for many years as my guns. But I don't make
the fireworks near as much any more. But I now make my gun powder about two times a year. When I cook charcoal I
make about 25 lb,s at a time.

Fly