My homemade black powder

[HighUintas]

Could be a good deal though if I recall correctly, ice cream machines have a slower rpm but a bit more torque in the drive. It's probably close enough though and $7 makes it worth experimenting I'd say.

Yes that was my thought. I figured the motor should be plenty strong for tumbling the lead. I wonder if installing the tumbling strips like what is in the PVC ones would help the slow rpm issue.

Even if I didn't work, I'd have a strong motor for $7 I could Hook to pulleys to turn a different drum faster

[HighUintas]

Poured some lead into my copper pieces tonight! I don't have a casting ladle, so i used a regular old spoon. It wasn't pretty, but I got some of them poured. I'll probably have to do more. The tubing cutting is slow.

Also got my sulfur in today.

I just need to make charcoal.

I found an old pressure cooker at the thrift store I may use. The pressure relief valve is gone, so I can put my thermo there. I just need to make a hole or two and figure out something for the gasket. The gasket was missing. Woodstove gasket material is probably too thick to go in the sealing area between the lid and pot.... Hmmmm

[DoubleBuck]

Your pressure cooker may work without a gasket, but a long strip of aluminum foil, rolled into a 'rope' will seal it, for sure. I've sealed several exhaust manifold and header leaks with it. It may not last forever, but the price is right. And, it MAY last forever, depending how gentle you can be with it.

[indian joe]

Your pressure cooker may work without a gasket, but a long strip of aluminum foil, rolled into a 'rope' will seal it, for sure. I've sealed several exhaust manifold and header leaks with it. It may not last forever, but the price is right. And, it MAY last forever, depending how gentle you can be with it.

yeah I reckon he might not need the gasket........

[HighUintas]

Thanks DB! That's a genius suggestion. I'll test it out with some scrap wood this weekend

[OldBearHair]

HighUintas "The tubing cutting is slow." Tip for the day from an old Hydraulic worker.... He says to turn the tubing cutter counter clockwise with slight pressure on the handle without stopping. This will tighten the cutter smoothly.
It is easier and faster. Most everyone turns clockwise and stops to tighten the cutter making it more difficult.

[Vettepilot]

You can buy sheets of gasket material at auto parts stores. AutoZone might not carry it, but a Napa will. As long as your cooking flame doesn't literally envelope the cooker, it should hold up fine.

This would be an ideal application for a good ole sheet of asbestos, but that ain't gonna happen!

The young'uns are going "what's that??" ;~)

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Another gasket idea might be cork contact paper... (maybe with a very thin coat of silicone grease on it so it doesn't stick on one side.)

Edit to add: you can find silicone grease on Amazon or at swimming pool supply shops.

I'm thinking you might need a gasket, if for no other reason than the lid might not cinch on tight without one. The locking part of the lid allows for a gasket thickness.

If you don't want to try drilling and tapping the lid for vents, with screw in plugs to keep air out after cooking, you could just drill holes, then slap HVAC aluminum tape over them when you want to close them off.

Vettepilot

[Eddie2002]

It would be easy to make a seal using a tube of Ultra red high temperature silicon RV sealer. Back during my hot rod days I used it on the headers to seal the exhaust and it never leaked. I would grease one surface to prevent the silicon from sticking and lay a bead on the other surface. Press together and let sit for a good 48 hours or more. Just be careful when pulling the top and bottom apart so it doesn't rip. The stuff worked great for a gasket on the lid of a pot still I made using a stainless steel bucket but that's another thread the ATF might get interested in. LOL

[HighUintas]

Another gasket idea might be cork contact paper... (maybe with a very thin coat of silicone grease on it so it doesn't stick on one side.)

Edit to add: you can find silicone grease on Amazon or at swimming pool supply shops.

I'm thinking you might need a gasket, if for no other reason than the lid might not cinch on tight without one. The locking part of the lid allows for a gasket thickness.

If you don't want to try drilling and tapping the lid for vents, with screw in plugs to keep air out after cooking, you could just drill holes, then slap HVAC aluminum tape over them when you want to close them off.

Vettepilot

That aluminum tape is my plan all along! I'm a little bit lazy, so I figured as often as I'll be making charcoal a couple of pennies in aluminum tape would benefit me quite a lot. I also considered using aluminum tape to seal the lid to the pot when I thought I was going to go the cast iron route, but I was thinking the heat might prevent the tape from sticking very well. It might still be worth a shot! That wouldn't work very well with this pressure cooker, since the lid has the locking tabs preventing a very even surface on the side. Then there's also putty! Plumbers putty and Play-Doh or modeling clay! I have no idea if those are flammable, but they might hold up and I have all of those things.

[HighUintas]

It would be easy to make a seal using a tube of Ultra red high temperature silicon RV sealer. Back during my hot rod days I used it on the headers to seal the exhaust and it never leaked. I would grease one surface to prevent the silicon from sticking and lay a bead on the other surface. Press together and let sit for a good 48 hours or more. Just be careful when pulling the top and bottom apart so it doesn't rip. The stuff worked great for a gasket on the lid of a pot still I made using a stainless steel bucket but that's another thread the ATF might get interested in. LOL

That's a great idea as well! I did look that stuff up yesterday, but I couldn't find any with the temperature rating higher than 650. Maybe it would still hold up and work just fine if it's inside the pot, I just figured that the pot itself would be getting quite a bit hotter than six hundred. But maybe not if I have my thermometer in there and I'm keeping the inside air temperature to 600.

I'm going to do a test run using some modeling clay and silicone grease that I have on hand. The silicone grease will just be to slick up the modeling clay so that I don't smash and tear it when I slide the lid into locked position. If that doesn't work, I'll have to get some of that RTV sealer.

Boy I'd love to see pictures of everybody's stills that are out there. I'm sure there's got to be some pretty interesting ingenuity and making ones own liquor!

[indian joe]

That aluminum tape is my plan all along! I'm a little bit lazy, so I figured as often as I'll be making charcoal a couple of pennies in aluminum tape would benefit me quite a lot. I also considered using aluminum tape to seal the lid to the pot when I thought I was going to go the cast iron route, but I was thinking the heat might prevent the tape from sticking very well. It might still be worth a shot! That wouldn't work very well with this pressure cooker, since the lid has the locking tabs preventing a very even surface on the side. Then there's also putty! Plumbers putty and Play-Doh or modeling clay! I have no idea if those are flammable, but they might hold up and I have all of those things.

Grinning here
I dont want any play dough or modelling clay or silicone grease contaminating the brew
My setup not impressive
got an old 44gal drum made into an incinerator - door hole in one side at the bottom - mesh shelf at the first rung 1/3 way up - starts fire in bottom - assorted collection of paint can containers 2 litre, 5 litre 10litre - make sure they got wire handles on em - lids secured with two or three little wallboard screws - hole drilled in lid for smoke/steam - cuts willow wood into lengths so they stand full height in each container - split wood into pieces no bigger than 3/4 to 1" square - put cans in fire - manage fire and position of cans so they give off good stream of smoke but not too wild that the whole show catches alight - when the smoke stream starts to lose strength pull can out - drop flathead nail in airhole cool it down as quick as possible = woo hoo charcoal ----or part cooked bits of wood that need another go - if the sticks crack easy they done - pale brown inside ? not enough fire - looks and sounds as rough as bags - and proly is - seems to work . If you want some drawing sticks for the arty folk take the most black burnt-est stuff.

[HighUintas]

Yes maybe it's silly going through all the effort to make charcoal when a simple paint can retort would work well. But futzing around with the process is half the fun for me!

I'll try out that seal with some scrap pine so I can find out of it will work prior to putting my good wood in

[LAGS]

I too like experimenting with other Retorts.
But I have found that a Paint Can Retort will produce all the charcoal that I need to make the amount of charcoal needed to make all the powder I need.and working in smaller batches is more consistent.
Now if I had access to Good Wood all the time , and intended to sell the charcoal to others , a giant retort might be in order.
But I do use a 5 gallon metal paint can to make the charcoal for my Barbeque.
But that does not need to be as consistent as the charcoal needed for making powder.

[ChrisPer]

Well I shot my first match yesterday with powder I made myself.
Flintlock Rifle, 3 cards of 13 shots each. 50m offhand, 50m kneeling, 100m benchrest. I use a .54 Pedersoli Mortimer. Charges were 55gn of 20# t 40# which I label as 3F (charges weighed to adjustment then thrown with a Lee powder measure).

The fouling was minimal from start to finish. The 39th ball went down to the powder in one stroke of the rammer. Good scores, for me.

Had some ignition probs; all flash in the pan, not spark problems. I think I need to find out a better way to clean the patent breech.
I used some of it as priming as well, but I think the Swiss 3F I use normally was a little better. I will try my 4F next time.

[Vettepilot]

Hey! Congrats!!

It must have been a great feeling of accomplishment. Heh?

Vettepilot

[HighUintas]

That's great! What kind of charcoal did you use?

[HighUintas]

I picked up a paint can over the weekend and did a test run with some cedar shavings.

Put a dial thermometer in the lid and poked a 1/4" hole for the vent. Stuffed it full of shavings and put it on it's side on my propane burner. It took quite awhile for my thermo to hit 600... It actually didn't get there until the offgassing/flame just about died out and I pulled it off the burner. I have the can a quarter turn every 5 minutes or so to heat it evenly as possible. I also wanted to get the liner burnt off so it doesn't have any effect on my BP charcoal.

It seemed to work pretty well. I'm sure the thermometer will read more quickly when I have solid wood in there rather than shavings acting as an insulator.

I need to figure out how to put a cover over the top of the can on my burrner, like an inverted stock pot with holes in the top for correct drafting so that it is more like an oven and heats it more evenly. But then I wouldn't be able to see the flame or thermometer reading.

I think the cast iron Dutch oven on a hot plate is the way to go for even heating and temperature control.

[Vettepilot]

I don't think an electric hot plate will work. I have one that I had to modify to get it to go hot enough to heat a standard cast iron sauce/frying pan hot enough to melt wheel weights down. So I really don't think one would heat a large Dutch Oven evenly to 600 very well.

A turkey fryer is just the ticket. I bought mine used off Craigslist for 15 bucks.

If you can find an old water heater, you could steal the burner out of it and make a turkey fryer in less than an hour in the workshop...

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Another "why didn't I think of that?" tip.

I recently watched a video whereby a guy had made charcoal, and to get rid of the little bit of ash that had formed, he just hit it with a blast of compressed air. Well duh!!....

;~)

Vettepilot