My homemade black powder

[Froogal]

How about AKIN Building Center in Clarinda? They have this: https://www.doitbest.com/products/700683

A better price than Menards too.

Thank you. I do shop at that store occasionally. I will check it out.

[Froogal]

What about an ag supply place? If you gonna drive 80 miles ....you should get a 50lb bag of KNO3 for less than 50 bucks (Greenhouse grade 99.9%pure)
Sulphur you need a big garden supply place or horse supplies - or maybe do better on the net for that. ? (most of the ag supply sulphur has got clay in it as a sticker/spreader for fungicide use)

Orscheln's Farm and Home is one of the places that does not have it. I looked.

[LAGS]

@ Froogal.
Be careful when you are looking for Stump remover to use.
They are Not ALL 100% Potassium Nitrate, like the Spectricide.

Do a little checking, and read the label.

[Froogal]

I am also learning that even though it may be listed on a website does not necessarily mean it is in stock at the brick and mortar stores. "Akin's" for example.

[LAGS]

The reason people use Less than Technical Grade material, is, This is a Hobby Forum.
If you want to do this Professionally, then I would recommend going to the Technical or Scientific sites, and buying in BULK , and paying Less per pound, but your total cash output would be MORE.
But for the Hobbyist, the Less than Technical stuff works just fine.
Many of us have started that way with Less then Ideal Material.
And some stayed right there.
Others have taken it to the next step.
But if it works for you, then why mess with it.
We need to encourage New persons to this Hobby to learning to Walk, before we ask them to start running.

[Eddie2002]

I was looking at DudaDiesel for supplies, mainly potassium nitrate and sulfur but wanted to try sourcing locally for just a few pounds as a beginning. Even with a 90% pure sulfur dusting powder you are only adding 1% of impurities to the final mix which to me as a hobbyist is insignificant and so far I'm happy with the results. If I need to make a larger quantity them Dudadiesel would be my first choice, with shipping it would be possible to make 12 pounds for around $36.00 and larger amounts ordered will increase the savings.
Starting small with 1/4 pound and then 1/2 pound batches of screened powder allowed me to develop a safe and inexpensive way to make my own. I have the capability to mill one or two pounds, or even more, at at a time but don't see the need to. Not having a press, puck maker or grinder limits me to screened powder but everything I've learned about making screened powder can be transferred over to corned powder if I decide to go that route. Small steps first, nothing is worth getting blown up over, just be careful.

[Markham]

@LAGS

Indian Joe is right.

It has nothing to do with going "professional", it's just cheaper and better. For the guy who just wants to try it out buying one pound of Spectracide stump remover might be an easy way to get started. But after you've invested in the basic equipment, and decided you want to make your own black powder, there are much cheaper, and better sources then stump remover.

If you can buy it by the 50 lb bag locally you'll obviously get the best price. But even if that's not what you want to do, or it's not possible for you, you can buy it from a number of different suppliers online, in quantities as low as 5 or 10 pounds, and you'll still come out cheaper then the stump remover. ....with a higher purity too.

DudaDiesel mentioned above by @Eddie2002 ships. Phil's General Store mentioned earlier in this thread ships. You won't get as great a price as Indian Joe is getting, but you'll get a good price.

PS: @ Indian Joe if you're having a hard time finding good sulfur Phil's General Store sells a very high grade, rubber making sulfur by the pound. And Dudadiesel sells a 99.9% pure sulfur as well. Just a friendly FYI.

[LAGS]

@ indian Joe.
That shows the difference between City Folks, and people that live in the heartland of the country.
I hate to say, I would classify myself as a City Folk because of my upbringing.
But the Hobby is Universal, we have to help each others where we can, and promote the back to Basics mentality that seems to work for the majority.
But we have to respect the others that have limited experience, Limited funds, of Limited equipment.
Hay, we all started at the bottom.
So I like promoting things to others, that will let them learn and make the progressive journey on their own, with Assistance.

[Markham]

I've read a few books on the manufacture and testing of black powder. I thought it might be useful to post a few resources for those interested in gaining a more in depth knowledge on the subject. This is a great book that you can download for free. I'll start with this one, and if you guys want more I'll provide more. Just let me know.

This one is by Ian von Maltitz, it's titled the "The Manufacture Testing and Optimizing Black Powder".

http://pyrotechnic.narod.ru/Black_Powder.pdf

Just download it at the link provided.

In return, I ask that anyone that has a good link, or perhaps a title or author worth reading, that they post that information here as well. I'm always interested in learning more.

[Markham]

@ indian Joe.
That shows the difference between City Folks, and people that live in the heartland of the country.
I hate to say, I would classify myself as a City Folk because of my upbringing.
But the Hobby is Universal, we have to help each others where we can, and promote the back to Basics mentality that seems to work for the majority.
But we have to respect the others that have limited experience, Limited funds, of Limited equipment.
Hay, we all started at the bottom.
So I like promoting things to others, that will let them learn and make the progressive journey on their own, with Assistance.

@Lags

I think it's very cool that you can go to a hardware store, or garden supply department, and get the chemicals needed to make a shootable black powder. But the simple truth is, it's a more expensive way to do it. It's also sketchy on quality and purity.

I think it's perfectly fine, to try it out. But in my honest opinion, if you're going to buy a rock tumbler and produce more than a pound or two of black powder, go with the cheaper stuff, that's a better quality, and really easy to get. The chemicals don't go bad if stored correctly. So you don't have to make a lot at once.

Again, that's just my opinion.

[LAGS]

@ Markham.
The Honest truth is, I order stuff on line in 10 pounds at a time.
But when I get the chance, I still pick up Stump remover on sale or at close outs, and Sulphur from the landscaper on my jobs and make powder with that too.
And to tell you the truth, there isn't much difference in the powder I end up with.
I do that so I have options if I loose the on line suppliers, or I end up having no other choice in what I have available.
The Knowledge is what you Bank, Not the product you produce.
Even though I do Corned Powder, I still make Screened powder.
Screened takes less time, and if compensated for the weight per volume , still works for most of my needs.

[Markham]

@ Markham.
The Honest truth is, I order stuff on line in 10 pounds at a time.
But when I get the chance, I still pick up Stump remover on sale or at close outs, and Sulphur from the landscaper on my jobs and make powder with that too.
And to tell you the truth, there isn't much difference in the powder I end up with.
I do that so I have options if I loose the on line suppliers, or I end up having no other choice in what I have available.
The Knowledge is what you Bank, Not the product you produce.
Even though I do Corned Powder, I still make Screened powder.
Screened takes less time, and if compensated for the weight per volume , still works for most of my needs.

I suspected you did. It only makes sense.

I just felt for the poor guy, who posted earlier in this thread, that he was going to drive 160 miles round trip to buy Spectracide Stump Remover. I'd never do that. I'd just order the chemicals that I needed online. Of course you can produce perfectly shootable black powder from chemicals you can buy at hardware stores and garden centers. And it's great to know what to buy in a pinch. But why do it if you have options? Why spend the extra money?

That's all I'm saying.

(I"m not being argumentative, I'm just trying to make a point)

[LAGS]

@ Markham.
I can spend the money as I will, because as Forest Gump Said.
"I got more money than Betty Crocker"
But even that being the case, I want to stay in the Basics.
That is where the knowledge comes from.
Knowledge and being able to do things with your own hands is far more important than Money or how you waste it.

[Markham]

@ Markham.
I can spend the money as I will, because as Forest Gump Said.
"I got more money than Betty Crocker"
But even that being the case, I want to stay in the Basics.
That is where the knowledge comes from.
Knowledge and being able to do things with your own hands is far more important than Money or how you waste it.

I sent you a couple of PM's, that for some reason aren't showing up in my sent box. Please, let me know if you recieved them.

[LAGS]

Thank you.
I have been having problems with my PM's today also

[Vettepilot]

I've read a few books on the manufacture and testing of black powder. I thought it might be useful to post a few resources for those interested in gaining a more in depth knowledge on the subject. This is a great book that you can download for free. I'll start with this one, and if you guys want more I'll provide more. Just let me know.

This one is by Ian von Maltitz, it's titled the "The Manufacture Testing and Optimizing Black Powder".

http://pyrotechnic.narod.ru/Black_Powder.pdf

Just download it at the link provided.

In return, I ask that anyone that has a good link, or perhaps a title or author worth reading, that they post that information here as well. I'm always interested in learning more.

Hey, that's a cool resource and I will enjoy reading it. Thank you! I'm one of those that loves to read, study, and learn all I can about my interests and hobbies. I'll take any good resources you have.

Thanks,
Vettepilot

[Markham]

Hey, that's a cool resource and I will enjoy reading it. Thank you! I'm one of those that loves to read, study, and learn all I can about my interests and hobbies. I'll take any good resources you have.

Thanks,
Vettepilot

You're welcome. There is another book by that author, that is pretty good, you might google it to find a copy. But the one I posted is very good.

[Froogal]

@Lags

I think it's very cool that you can go to a hardware store, or garden supply department, and get the chemicals needed to make a shootable black powder. But the simple truth is, it's a more expensive way to do it. It's also sketchy on quality and purity.

I think it's perfectly fine, to try it out. But in my honest opinion, if you're going to buy a rock tumbler and produce more than a pound or two of black powder, go with the cheaper stuff, that's a better quality, and really easy to get. The chemicals don't go bad if stored correctly. So you don't have to make a lot at once.

Again, that's just my opinion.

Actually, the components are NOT available at just any garden center. I have totally struck out at 4 different stores. All of which have a very good garden center.

[LAGS]

@ Froogal
That is why I shop around and keep aware of who has what.
The supplies are not always found locally like they were just a few years ago.
And places on the Net, don't always have them either.

[Vettepilot]

Well, I don't know that there is a whole lot of published info out there that specifically relates to making powder for actual gun use. I looked (casually) for a year for that distinct material, and it wasn't until I discovered this thread that I really found specific and informative info about BP for shooting.

Still, I'll read any, even somewhat related content, just for fun and to continue learning and picking up interesting trivia and tips.

There is an absolute wealth of info right here in this thread, but sometimes it takes a bit of concerted searching back through the multitude of posts to refer back to something. (Yes, I have read the entire thread.)

My life is crazy busy right now. I am disabled myself, yet have a 13 year old daughter and a 75 year old sister with terminal cancer to care for. However, I nearly have all my equipment finally rounded up to actually start making some powder! Yaay! ;~)

Thanks,
Vettepilot