My homemade black powder

[nanuk]

I'll remember your offer. Thanks.

I'm curious, what else is such a press used for? I'd have a hard time selling the idea to my wife just to make my own BP.

use it to replace the U-joints on a drive shaft. the m!oney you save will pay for itself.
And you don't even need to have bad U-joints.... they aren't that expensive, just a real good excuse to buy a press
done!

[Boz330]

You don't have to go out and spend money on a hydraulic press if you don't want to. Here is my set up that I've been using for 4 years now. Bench vice, PVC, and aluminum press pieces, but you could use hardwood if you wanted.

Bob

[waksupi]

You don't have to go out and spend money on a hydraulic press if you don't want to. Here is my set up that I've been using for 4 years now. Bench vice, PVC, and aluminum press pieces, but you could use hardwood if you wanted.

Bob

I've tried that set up, it doesn't seem like I'm getting enough compression. Maybe I need to leave it clamped longer?

[Whiterabbit]

I've ONLY tried that setup to date (plus dextrin and no compression) and I can say that the granularity using that method is FAR superior to dextrin and no compression. The dextrin method allows grains to compress into dust with very little handling. The vise-pressed pucks (and I pressed them for moments to minutes, not very long) are much, much more robust.

Though, and this is a big but, I have not been able to get out to shoot any of my press made powder yet! A major faux pas on my part to report results otherwise. However, I will not go back to dextrin.

AND, if I cannot match the velocity of GOEX with my vise pucks (my standard by the way will be 120 grians of homemade to 80 grains of Goex for equivalent velocity or better), then I have another knob to go after: more compresion via jack press.

Win Win.

[OverMax]

Curious. How does a powder factory go about compressing its B/P? and at what psi?
Is it true. When increasing psi beyond need.> It slows a b/powders burn?

[Nobade]

They use a wheel mill. Great big heavy granite or other material wheel running around in a track with plows to push the powder back on the track. Kind of expensive for homeowner use, but you can mash a lot of powder with one at a time! Also the reason they blow up sometimes. If there are any rocks or other things to strike a spark on the track the whole thing goes up really fast.

Here's a picture of one, and a good book to have as well.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Q9UELA/...I2ZK6Y9JDSVRZH


-Nobade

[Fly]

Nobade that's what they use to grind the powder, they use a press for the pucks & use 30000 tons.

Fly

[Fly]

I've tried that set up, it doesn't seem like I'm getting enough compression. Maybe I need to leave it clamped longer?

I have a bud that has one of my dies, & uses this one.It small but it puts out 6 tons & he does well with it.http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a...ress-1666.html

Fly

[Nobade]

Nobade that's what they use to grind the powder, they use a press for the pucks & use 30000 tons.

Fly

Really? I had heard (thought I read it in the book) they were using those to press. Come to think of it, that doesn't make sense. Shows how lousy my memory has gotten! Well, folks please excuse me and my misdirection - listen to Fly and back to our original scheduled program! Maybe we're not as far off with our home made setups as the real guys. I think I'll go have more coffee and head to the range to burn some of this homemade black powder in my 45-70.

-Nobade

[Boz330]

I've tried that set up, it doesn't seem like I'm getting enough compression. Maybe I need to leave it clamped longer?

Ric, I got much denser powder when I left it compressed for 10 minutes and I kept tightening the vice for more pressure. The velocity also went up in a BPCR. I was loading 40-65 cases and my old routine was to tighten the vice as far as I could at one time then eject the puck. A case full would weigh 50 to 52gr. After leaving it for 10 minutes the same case full weighed 60gr. Which probably also accounted for the velocity increase. It does slow down production though, but then I am usually doing other things at the same time though.
BTW that powder out of the gun you finished for me put a big doe in the freezer.

Bob

[waksupi]

Ric, I got much denser powder when I left it compressed for 10 minutes and I kept tightening the vice for more pressure. The velocity also went up in a BPCR. I was loading 40-65 cases and my old routine was to tighten the vice as far as I could at one time then eject the puck. A case full would weigh 50 to 52gr. After leaving it for 10 minutes the same case full weighed 60gr. Which probably also accounted for the velocity increase. It does slow down production though, but then I am usually doing other things at the same time though.
BTW that powder out of the gun you finished for me put a big doe in the freezer.

Bob

I'll give that a try. Glad you were successful with that rifle!

[Jr.]

Okay so this is extremely interesting. I have spent the last 4 days going through this thread and have learned a lot.
I will be trying this very soon. As I am not in anyway set up to mill powder or corn it I will start with Atom's method and then press the powder into pellets.
Before I begin I have a question, I don't have the woods mentioned available readily to me (or I am just unfamiliar with the names). However I do have ball or umbrella willow and weeping willow trees available on my or my families property.
Would this type of willow yield similar results as black willow or has it been tried.

Thanks to Atom for starting this thread and to fly, Boz, and Nobade for all the added information this was a fun thread to comb through.

Aaron

[Boz330]

Any Willow should work. My first powder was made with Sandbar Willow and was more than acceptable. I even shot it at a 300yd match and while not as good as store bought I was very pleased with the results.

Bob

[Nobade]

Desert Willow is very popular around here for landscaping. I have been meaning to get my hands on some and see how it works. Probably pretty good, just don't want to get caught cutting up somebody's lawn decorations!

-Nobade

[Jr.]

I'll try some weeping willow and report back on how it performs.

[Faret]

I'll try some weeping willow and report back on how it performs.

I have had no problems using weeping willow. I even use it in my cannon grade for the golf ball mortar.

[Whiterabbit]

Update from me. Shot my corned powder with no dextrin, lab grade sulphur, and home depot stump remover KNO3. (for the record, the charcoal was willow from one of our own, each ingredient was ground to airfloat BEFORE mixing in the ball mill for 4 hours or so, and the pucks were made by using fly's excellent pressing die in a cheap harbor freight bench vise).

I was even lazy with the screens. Unlike folks here, I have calibrated screens. They cost $6 each from Grainger, so I bought a 4-mesh screen for major work, as well as the proper sizes to filter 2F, 3F, and 4F. I am fully set up here to create proper grades. Well, for this batch I mixed the 2F and 3F, and even some of what I would call 1.5F (no more than 15% or so of the total by volume, but still bigger than 2F).

So, not the most controlled, but miles ahead of my first experiment with dextrin and no compression.

Anyways!

90 grains 3F goex does 1500fps or so in my 58 cal with a roundball. This is my load for the matches.
90 grains of 2F goex does maybe 1700+ ish kind of velocity.

120 grains of homemade was doing 1700+, 1750-ish range. That well satisfys my needs. Best of all, the ball shot a good 6 inches high at 50 yards. So all ihave to do is bring the charge down to 1500 fps (maybe 100 grains) and hope POI drops to point of aim at 50 yards and I have a calibrated load that will equal goex.

And if it shoots as consistently as goex, then I'll never buy another can of Holy Black again. Internet lab grade KNO3 for $3.50 a lb and the good people of cast boolits to sell me good willow charcoal and I will never have to stop shooting.

----------

I have to say, Saturday was a good day.

[Whiterabbit]

Anyone that wants to follow my lead with the screens, rather than use kitchen equipment:

http://www.grainger.com/product/Wire...KC4?s_pp=false
http://www.grainger.com/product/Wire...KK3?s_pp=false
http://www.grainger.com/product/3AKK...cm_vc=IDPBVZ12
http://www.grainger.com/product/Wire...AS01?$smthumb$

http://www.grainger.com/product/Wire...S?opr=APPD&pbi=

Whaling 32/64" mesh 3% 4 mesh 12%
Lifesaving 6 mesh 3% 12 mesh 12%
Cannon 6 mesh 3% 12 mesh 12%
Saluting 10 mesh 3% 20 mesh 12%
Fg 12 mesh 3% 16 mesh 12%
FFg 16 mesh 3% 30 mesh 12%
FFFg 20 mesh 3% 50 mesh 12%
FFFFg 40 mesh 3% 100 mesh 12%
FFFFFg (no longer manufactured by Goex)

[Freightman]

Thanks and I don't even have to drive but 2 miles to get mine.

[Fly]

Ya as I aways say it's not rocket science.I remember years back, almost being run off this sight
by some members, for even a mention of making your own BP, (wink).How times change.

Fly