My homemade black powder

[fishingsetx]

Both of mine work great. Took about 30 mins, a crecent wrench and a pair of pliers to put the press together.

Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians!

[Whiterabbit]

Can't help with the A-frame, but didn't you move the plastic bumpers on the rotary tumbler out so the knob doesn't reach the frame?

Flat packing, by the way (aka some-assembly required) is the reason we have stuff priced competitively these days. Toolboxes and furniture are so expensive because they can't be flatpacked unless ikea junk.

[luvtn]

Can't help with the A-frame, but didn't you move the plastic bumpers on the rotary tumbler out so the knob doesn't reach the frame?

Flat packing, by the way (aka some-assembly required) is the reason we have stuff priced competitively these days. Toolboxes and furniture are so expensive because they can't be flatpacked unless ikea junk.

I understand why flat packing. I don't understand, not having a provision to get it assembled for those of us without space/tools/knowledge.
I will see if I can play with the tumbler, and get it working. Thanks for the idea.
luvtn

[maillemaker]

luvtn, you don't have to be mechanically inclined to put these things together. It's only a few parts, they provide directions with pictures, and nowadays you can almost always find a YouTube video showing you what you need to see.

Just did a quick search, and sure enough, here is a video someone made on how to assemble the Harbor Freight 6-Ton Press:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulreLHsspEk

You can almost certainly do this.

However, if I may say kindly, if assembling a Harbor Freight press is beyond you, I think you should probably re-consider trying to make black powder as it is much more complicated and requires much more thought to safety than assembling the press.

Steve

[Whiterabbit]

As for the tumbler, check out this pic:



That white plastic part (mine is black) cna swivel out, and will "ride" on the metal barrel top. That will keep it from grinding against the frame. It works well enough.

[Fly]

Mailemaker, luvtn will be find. He has many friends that are more than happy to help him out. luvtn just ask if you have any question &
remember there is NEVER a dumb question. It's dumb to not ask & remember that. You will be up & running before you know it & helping
others in the near future, my friend.

Fly

[Fly]

I watched the video & the guy did a pretty good job explaining assemble but the lighting is poor. I made my dies to fit under
the ram of that press so don't worry about that. The nice thing about those presses is they do not need to be bolted down. Also
so when your finished just store in under your work bench. Also the 6 ton is plenty of power to make your pucks.

Fly

[Whiterabbit]

as to power to make pucks. Maybe it is an ingredient issue, but I needed about 30-40% more powder to get the same POI compared to goex. And it can get DIRTY with that much powder!

More important, is the accuracy was identical, even across a day of shooting. And with the 6 ton press, my kernels did not self-destruct into dust when crushed between fingers or when seating a ball. Unlike using dextrin which did not work (and shot even dirtier and needed even more powder per volume to match goex!)

So you can use the 6 ton with confidence, but my suggestion is when you get up and running to make sure you run the ram as hard as you can for every puck you make. Get the most out of that investment.

[swamp]

I got the 6 ton press and have no complaints. Got a chance to try my powder in a new to me Renegade and am happy with both.

Thanks to all who have made this thread possible.
swamp

[Fly]

Whiterabbit I believe the newer ones now are 8 ton? That's what they now advertise. Don't know for sure though.
Well I just checked there ad & it said 6 ton. I was sure I saw them advertised 8 Ton last I looked but maybe brain fade.
Fly

[luvtn]

Thanks guys. Steve, there are close to one hundred parts. I do not have enough SPACE in my trailer to lay it out etc as instructed by Harbor Freight. I took it back! I give mg/kg/minute of substances Intravenously, that I have mixed up. I made black powder as a twelve year old. So yes, I bet I can make black powder again. I did change out a transmission once on a 1968 Dodge Dart. It took me two weeks! I am wired different. My brother was a mechanic, you wouldn't have wanted him anywhere near your healthcare! I will find a press somewhere already together. Thanks for the encouragement Fly.
luvtn

[luvtn]

Whiterabbit, the knurled knob on the end is what is rubbing on the frame.
luvtn

[indian joe]

.....

[Fly]

Willow is hard to beat. Bob Loves Tree of heaven. Charcoal plays such a important part in good powder as everyone knows.
Problem is Willow does no grow evert where nor does tree of heaven. The people in the far west are the ones that suffer most.

Fly

[pwc]

Out west...Just by virtue of it's name I'm sure the cresote bush wouldn't work, but has anyone used the Salt Bush Trees and the mesquite wild desert plants?

[Hotfxr]

Willow is hard to beat. Bob Loves Tree of heaven. Charcoal plays such a important part in good powder as everyone knows.
Problem is Willow does no grow evert where nor does tree of heaven. The people in the far west are the ones that suffer most.

Fly

WE don't suffer, we just get Fly to send us some and problem solved!

[Boz330]

[QUOTE=indian joe;4259578]

as to power to make pucks. Maybe it is an ingredient issue, but I needed about 30-40% more powder to get the same POI compared to goex. And it can get DIRTY with that much powder!
What kinda charcoal are ya using Whiterabbit? the major thing that kept me on this roll yer own powder was right from the start my stuff shot clean - really clean! I started with screened powder in muzzleloaders - needs about 25% more by bulk to get the same velocity but weight for weight my screened powder was as good as goex and plenty better than Wano - I use hybrid willow - got heaps of it - I dont burn it right up when I cook it - some sticks are still a little brown - grind it up in an old meat mincer then ball mill it for about an hour - then I pack it away in sealed (proper airtight seal) containers - I am using 75 /15/10 mix but my powder is noticeably less smokey on the range and its got a brownish tinge to it - also puts a brownish smudge on my flinter around the pan. Have made some puck powder for cartridge guns and chrono shows good velocity and consistency - more testing to do before I am confident using it in a long range match - but I just disposed of over 30 pounds of lower grade commercial powder because I dont need that stuff anymore and wont in the future.

Early on I did a comparison of several different powders and the velocity was surprisingly equivalent when the powder was weighed and loaded. Of course the volume was significantly different from commercial to corned and then screened. IIRC it took about a 140gr by volume of screened powder to equal 85 or 90 of the commercial. That comparison is somewhere in this thread but I would sure hate to go looking for it.

Bob

[Hotfxr]

[QUOTE=Boz330;4261613]

Early on I did a comparison of several different powders and the velocity was surprisingly equivalent when the powder was weighed and loaded. Of course the volume was significantly different from commercial to corned and then screened. IIRC it took about a 140gr by volume of screened powder to equal 85 or 90 of the commercial. That comparison is somewhere in this thread but I would sure hate to go looking for it.

Bob

As I posted, who knows how many pages back, corning pucks using Fly's die, my finished powder is within 1/2% of Goex in weight per volume and is almost 5% faster than said Goex. It is also a bit dirtier than Goex, but you can't have everything. I did this last year with my chrono using two rifles of different calibers and pre-measured loads of both powders. A few months later in a more informal test, I took some of my powder in 3fff and 2ff to a monthly shoot and let 10 or so shooters use my powder and everyone agreed that mine was more accurate than Goex. That opinion probably had a lot to do with the fact that mine was free and we went through a couple pounds that day, but I am sticking with the given results. They also agreed that mine was definitely dirtier, but that's just how the powder burns I guess.

[Fly]

Harbor Freight has a sale on a 12 ton stand up press for $100 with coupon if anyone is looking for one. https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton...c1In0%3D%0D%0A

Fly

[Whiterabbit]

hey guys,

I want to verify my batch to batch uniformity without having to drive 30 minutes to the range to see my ball elevation over 5 shots.

dixie sells a tester for $185 but I'm wondering if there is a cheaper mousetrap out there. Any good way to test powder strength in my garage for less than $185 for Dixie's powder tester? anyone else sell a powder tester?