My homemade black powder

[Trapper-Jack]

Thanks for the insight guys! I've got a mix of cases I don't use that now will have a purpose.

[KenH]

Thanks for all the comments on tumbling media. Some good ideas, but I suspect a rimmed cartridge wouldn't be good. Since it's the action of rolling the powder between the ball mill, a lead fill cartridge brass would provide more "crushing" area than a round ball would. I'll bet a 300BO brass filled with lead would be good since it's a bottleneck that would hold the lead inside without worrying about a crimp.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Hello all - I've been following 'n reading this thread for a good while and have read all 175 pages. LOTS of good info there. Today I made my first small batch - it's drying now. I took 75 grams of KNO3 pellets and ground in mortar 'n pestle to a decent fine powder. Then 15 grams of Oak charcoal (the stuff used in Green Egg grill, NOT briquets) and ground into a decent powder. Added 10 grams of sulfur powder. Put all this into a harbor freight rock tumbler. The tumbling media was around 100 .457" diameter lead balls, and tossed in another 15 of 500 grain 50 caliber cast bullets. I know everyone days use round balls, but some have used rectangular shaped copper tube filled with lead. Should a 50 cal 500 grain bullet not be about the same and work as the tumbling media rather than round balls? Comments on that please.

After 3 hrs of tumbling I just had to test - flashes nicely. Poof and a small teaspoon size is gone. Closed tumbler back up and tumbled another 2 hrs for a total of 5 hours. Removed from tumbler, sifted to get powder, dampened with water and made 3 small balls that held together nicely. Grated that thru a slicer type grater and now it's drying.

Next batch I'll have some dextrin to use as a binder. Mostly all I wanted from this was to see it go "poof". I'd like to make some red cedar charcoal - got plenty of red cedar laying around.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread - it's been entertaining AND educational.

Ken H>

I'm happy to hear the Cowboy Charcoal works well. I was meaning to test it out. It's available everywhere.

[LAGS]

I am sure the Cowboy Charcoal will work.
But the stuff I have seen was made with Mesquite Wood.
That is a harder wood and does not burn in powder as well as Cedar , Willow or some other woods.
I make my own Charcoal for my Barbeque out of branches off my Two Mesquite trees.
I did try some in a couple batches of powder.
It flashes good , but seemed to leave a lot of residue.
But if Cowboy Charcoal is the only charcoal you have access to , then go ahead and use it.
You might just have to swab your barrel after a couple of shots.

[KenH]

Not sure what Cowboy Charcoal is - is that a brand name? The brand name I used is "Best of the West" and claims to be 100% Oak charcoal. It seems to work. I just tested two rounds in a 45-70 Rolling Block with 26" barrel. Both shots had about 50 grains (weighed) and compressed to bullet seating depth. I wasn't really expecting it work work all that good, so shot first round - wow - sounded pretty good. So, for 2nd round I got the chrono out and tested at 1040 fps with a 340 grain cast bullet. I'm impressed- I do think GOEX FFg would have more power. For the first attempt and testing with Oak charcoal - I'm a happy camper.

Now I'd LOVE to get some of that magical Willow charcoal. Any suggestions for a source to order a lb or so on-line? I do plan to try this again, and add some dextrin this time for better grain size control.

Kenn H>

[Eddie2002]

KenH, look around for swamp willow or coastal plains willow and also goes by the name Carolina willow or it's scientific name Salix Caroliniana. It should be in your area and is what I use for charcoal. It's a weed type tree that grows along roads in wet areas.

[KenH]

Thanks Eddie - Weeping willow is the only willow that I readily recognize, but I do understand the common red cedar is very close to as good as willow. I've got PLENTY of red cedar, both growing in yard and cut up into planks. I was hoping to find a small amount of good charcoal for a couple of test runs before I got real involved in making charcoal.

Ken h>

[maillemaker]

The KNO3 and Sulfur are pretty much lab grade stuff for all of us. That is not an issue, I feel certain.

Likewise pulverization of the ingredients and ball milling is going to be pretty much the same. So is pressing.

I think the primary variable is the charcoal. The wood matters, but probably most important is the process of making the charcoal. I suspect the big companies have process-controlled retorts with thermocouples that ensure a consistent bake time/temperature for every batch of charcoal.

Steve

[KenH]

I think you are correct that the charcoal is the main thing to worry about getting "just right".

I was surprised when I tested my homemade powder in a flintlock, just in the flash pan and darn the flint ignited the powder just fine. I really didn't expect that. I just short "threw" this first batch together not really expecting much success. I do need to go back thru and see when to add the destrin to the mix for grain control. I was thinking I could add all 4 ingredients at start of ball mill 75/15/10/ (1 gram dextrin?) and run for a few hours.

Thanks again to all the folks in the group for such an interesting project.

Ken H>

[Eddie2002]

KenH, I just toss the dextrin in with everything else at the beginning of the milling. The first few batches I made I added it at the end and had a little problem getting it mixed properly. Adding it at the beginning really mixes the dextrin into the green powder which gives a consistent result. I use 2% dextrin for my screened powder and tumble for at least 8 hours or more depending if I'm using course ground ingredients or finely ground stuff. After burning out my blender I just crush everything up and mill it together letting the tumbler do the work reducing everything to air float. Any small chunks of charcoal get sifted out when I screen out the tumbling medium at the end.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

So I had an interesting result today.

I started by screening some powder with dextrin. The leftover fines I ball milled and turned into pucks. Corned that and had some fines left over. I ball milled that and turned it back into screened powder. It smelled bad when I wet it. I figure it's the dextrin. I tested some shortly after screening. Still wet and it's FAST! Faster than my original screened powder, even though it's the same batch just been through a few more cycles. Weird hu?

[zack]

Well I did it. I just finished reading all 176 pages of this thread. I feel like I should win a prize or something. Think I'll reward myself by drinking a couple Michelob Ultra Lights and go to bed.

[damoc]

Making some black powder from dirt. I did several things wrong yet it still made a usable powder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oklkvra3G4

[damoc]

Extracting the nitrate from dirt and some purification.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxRzMI4Dvw

[Eddie2002]

Sneak Pete, I have had the same results by milling, screening and then remilling the powder. For some reason it ends up faster than just a single pass through the tumbler. The only thing I can think of is that the potassium nitrate gets incorporated into the charcoal when wetted the first time through which improves the burn rate. Somewhere at the beginning of this epic thread there was some talk about using alcohol to help incorporate the potassium nitrate into the structure of the charcoal, could be remilling the powder does the same. Not sure, just giving it a guess about what happens.
Just finishing up milling a pound of Brazilian Pepper powder in 1/2 pound batches and so far the green powder appears to be really fast. Will be setting up my drying pan out in the sun later today and giving it a "Poof" test sometime this week.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Sneak Pete, I have had the same results by milling, screening and then remilling the powder. For some reason it ends up faster than just a single pass through the tumbler. The only thing I can think of is that the potassium nitrate gets incorporated into the charcoal when wetted the first time through which improves the burn rate. Somewhere at the beginning of this epic thread there was some talk about using alcohol to help incorporate the potassium nitrate into the structure of the charcoal, could be remilling the powder does the same. Not sure, just giving it a guess about what happens.
Just finishing up milling a pound of Brazilian Pepper powder in 1/2 pound batches and so far the green powder appears to be really fast. Will be setting up my drying pan out in the sun later today and giving it a "Poof" test sometime this week.

Maybe the 50/50 alcohol to water blend is the right way to go afterall.

[Eddie2002]

I'm in the "KIS" camp when it comes to making my own bp and the results of everyone on this thread points to not needing the addition of alcohol. No need to reinvent the wheel.

[KenH]

Well I did it. I just finished reading all 176 pages of this thread. I feel like I should win a prize or something. Think I'll reward myself by drinking a couple Michelob Ultra Lights and go to bed.

Congrats - it does make interesting reading.

[DoubleBuck]

I'm in the "KIS" camp when it comes to making my own bp and the results of everyone on this thread points to not needing the addition of alcohol. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Needed or not, I've used 50/50 distilled water/96% Isopropyl for years. Some say no. I've tried both ways, several times, and that is my preference. I'm not telling anyone to do anything, just sayin.

[maillemaker]

Well I did it. I just finished reading all 176 pages of this thread. I feel like I should win a prize or something. Think I'll reward myself by drinking a couple Michelob Ultra Lights and go to bed.

Great job! When I direct people to this thread I recommend they read the whole thing. First of all the evolution of the thread is interesting in itself but this thread winds through various ways of making powder, and the corning solution that ultimately settles out is great if you are trying to replicate commercial powder.