Lags you don't want the amount of rain we got. I feel sorry for our farmers here in the Midwest. Our wheat is done, along with everything
else. I heard on the news the US received more rain then ever been recorded by this time of year. But records will always be broken.
Fly
I DID IT!!!!! 7 SHOT COMBINED AVERAGE ...SWISS 2Fg. 2031 fps. MY BLACK WILLOW 2Fg. 2034 fps.. 100 grains 50 Cal round ball and patch. nothing left of the patches. Ill show them next. WOOOHOOOO! no difference in fouling worth noting. First shots in clean cold barrel Swiss 1672. mine 1648. my fastest 2187 Swiss 2158. Grains by actual weight.
Thats great dirtykurty! Keep it up! Curious to see how your buckthorn alder will do.
Also is your black powder matching the volume of commercial powder? You said you went by weight but did the weight match closely volume wise compared to the swiss?
SPOT ON for volume...I drove to my local McMaster Carr yesterday and purchased 20mesh and 30mesh stainless steel. The Swiss falls thru the 20 and lays on the 30..So I refined mine to the same size.. I will not use the graphite to coat it..Originally Posted by TheOutlawKid
I'm making progress... read all 2725 posts on this thread and took notes listing page # and post# of what I thought would be good reference date for me... been making charcoal out of red cedar pet bedding... finished grinding my hand and have most of a 2 gal tupperware container of sifted charcoal... now running it thru the ball mill... next step will be to mill the potassium nitrate... who knows I may be able to make powder in a week or two... not hurrying... working on it after work each night... the charcoal making was easy... sit by the fire and smoke a good cigar... thanks to all that posted on this thread.. I have learned a lot and am getting anxious to jump in..
Perhaps my learning skills have diminished in my senior years.. 50 years ago I could read something once and then "have it"... Now I read it about three times, do it a couple of times and then... "have it" only about half the time.
The last pot nitrate I got was prilled. Didn't want to break down in the ball mill. I ran it thru the coffee grinder to break it up and that did the trick.
swamp
There is no problem so great, that it cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives.
Swamp...thats exactly what i do. I got my KNO3 from duda diesel and it comes prilled as well. I never tried ball milling as is tho so i never knew ball milling wouldnt break it up...i just figured id give the ball mill a heaf start and broke up the prilled kno3 in a coffee grinder vefore chucking into the ball mill
Yeah, I learned the hard way. Milled for about 3 hours and decided to see how it was doing. It wasn't. Almost used my electric pepper grinder. Decided I didn't want to clean it.
swamp
There is no problem so great, that it cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives.
One of those electric spice grinders work great for breaking up that prilled kno-3. There cheap at wally world about $15.
Fly
2fg. = 1.19mm-.59mm. or .047in.-.023in. Swiss falls thru my 20 mesh with .032in. holes and lands on my 30 mesh with .020in. holes. Screens make a difference too. McMaster Carr has different size wires for same mesh sizes. I just wanted to Beat Swiss.....16 mesh will make 2ffg.Boz I use a SS strainer from Wal-Mart.It's just like the
one Atom has pictured early in this thread.
Fly
Not saying everyone should put their screens under a microscope..
Entirely too much water vapor in the air today for testing Buckthorn Alder. Rain doesn't stay gone long then sun pops out and spikes the R.H. IS my grinder finished yet? NOPE!
Last edited by Dirty Kurty; 06-16-2019 at 04:47 PM.
OK guys so you want to make charcoal. This guy does it a little differant than I have over the years. But his way maybe better, but I need
to try it before I comment. You can do this on a much small scale with a lid paint can for your coal if you like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS5QSUSW_1c
Fly
What type of screen do you use? Mcmaster has many different types and I have had the feeling at times that I was using a type that wasn't optimum for black powder.
They are called Stainless steel wire cloth. You can choose your hole size or wire diameter you have many options
I used the packaging that came with them to make shaker pans. 20 mesh on left 30 mesh on right. 1foot by 1foot pieces
Last edited by Dirty Kurty; 06-18-2019 at 06:01 PM.
What passes through the 30 mesh is mostly mealpowder again
That is what I use. Clever use of packaging material for a tool.
Perhaps the soil for which every different tree is grown is the key to black powders strength. Alder Buckthorn was no more powerful than The Catalpa Bean Tree. Black Willow is my choice. With or without a binder. I will gladly send anyone willing to try some Alder Buckthorn. You will have to make your own charcoal with it.
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