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Thread: My homemade black powder

  1. #81
    Boolit Buddy
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    Atom 73,
    Great show & tell.

    I'm not gonna do it but I'm glad you did!

    It was better than when Captain Kirk shot the Gorn with diamonds.

    CoopieClan

  2. #82
    Boolit Master wills's Avatar
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    http://www.skylighter.com/mall/chemicals.asp?Sort=P

    Potassium Nitrate, and other chemicals.
    Have mercy.
    A haw, haw, haw, haw, a haw.
    A haw, haw, haw

  3. #83
    Boolit Grand Master

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    As far as doubting that BP was home made, Not everybody had a Dicks Sporting Goods , or even a drygoods nearby, when the nearest town might be over a hundred miles away.
    Like everything else on the fronteer, you either produced it or did without. Many went for years depending solely on what they either made or grew.
    If they grew cotton, spun yarn, made cloth, died it with natural colors, and sowed their clothes, why not make BP????

  4. #84
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by atom73 View Post
    I have considered adding a dextrose binder but haven't tried it yet. Yes tumbling with graphite inhibits burn and protects the grains. It just worked so darn well when I shot it in my gun I really hate go screwing with it. I'm sure I will tho. I will post chrono info when I get it, might be a while.
    You might want to try using gum. Red, arabic, etc. Unless I find a good reason not to do so, I won't make white powder, primer compounds & some ammid/ammon powders, etc without it.

  5. #85
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by wills View Post
    http://www.skylighter.com/mall/chemicals.asp?Sort=P

    Potassium Nitrate, and other chemicals.
    They had an article in their newsletter on making your own BP a while back. IMO, worth reading.

  6. #86
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    What does the gum do for the BP? Does it act like a binder? Water proofer?

    Matt

  7. #87
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    well do have a question WHY water just asking . using denature and small amount of sugar will work. also have used what we call coal bloom in WV . Never tried in a gun but does go bang or boom depends on amount

  8. #88
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    Now, I have never heard of "coal bloom"- please elaborate. Where do you find it- in the mine?
    If that is where it comes from, and were very common, I'd think the mine owners would blame explosions on it rather than half-ass employees, improper procedure, or total disregard for safety, etc.

    KNO3 is water soluble- that means it's possible to disolve the entire amount of it into a solution and distribute it fairly evenly in it's finest, most pure form to the rest of the components.

    Supersaturation comes from heating the water so that it can absorb more of the KNO3- water expands and leave more room for the KNO3 molecules between the H2O molecules, basically. Nearly, the same principle as heat treating boolits- same idea anyway, but here you are adding material, and there you are rearranging material/strucutre.

    I don't think KNO3 is soluble in alcohol at all. The water is absorbed/displaced by the alcohol and speeds up the process of drying- if I understand everything correctly. Correct me if I am wrong.
    USMC 1980-1985

  9. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt3357 View Post
    What does the gum do for the BP? Does it act like a binder? Water proofer?

    Matt
    A binder. Denser without having to use some sort of press to make it into a cake before grain.

    http://www.skylighter.com/skylighter...sp?Item=115#BP

    My experience with various types of sugars haven't proven to be worth the time. But I don't claim to that there in no benefit to there use, just better things.

  10. #90
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    My reason for wanting to make BP is to be able to have a source, if for some reason I could not get commerical anymore (which is happening).
    I would also like to get by with needing as few components as possible to make a useful and effective product.

    How hard could gum be (or become) to locate over sugar, or can it be easily made locally?
    Now in the same sense, sugar could soon become cost prohibitive, if not just plain hard to find, but can be rendered from various trees as well.
    USMC 1980-1985

  11. #91
    Boolit Master

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    BP isn't sold here & the city is 100,000 people in it. Sugar is easier to get than gum. I think the only place in the US where natural gum can be gotten in the SW dessert. The sugars that you can make from a tree don't work as a binder. White powder is only KNO3 & sugar. And, IMO, is greatly benefited with a binder.

    I think that those interested in DIY powders should try various ones & methods. Cover all the bases. Sulfur may not be available ready to go & takes time to make. No one thing is the best for every moment in time.

    One thing that I've never tried is the brown powders. Something to be said about a powder made from grass clippings & KNO3.

    FWIW, I make my own powders because it's interesting & cheaper.

  12. #92
    Boolit Master EOD3's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by coopieclan View Post
    Atom 73,
    Great show & tell.

    I'm not gonna do it but I'm glad you did!

    It was better than when Captain Kirk shot the Gorn with diamonds.

    CoopieClan
    OMG, a "trekker" has invaded the site, run for it...

  13. #93
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    Made another batch today with my little girls. Pressed some of it into pellets that I will wrap in tissue paper 3 at a time so I can just dump the whole mess in the muzzle when loading. I used a 45acp with the web cut off (just a brass tube) and pressed it in. Then, pushed out the moist pellet with a pencil (eraser end) and let them dry. Burn test tomorrow.

    I think next year, three of these behind a saboted 45 cast with straight lead should kill me a deer.
    Mike

  14. #94
    Boolit Master EOD3's Avatar
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    Are you planning to mill them or just burn them as chunks?

  15. #95
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    Burn them as pellets just like pyrodex pellets. They take a little more work to make but will be more convenient than loose powder. Just trying stuff out.

  16. #96
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    IF they don't work well, set a few aside in a warm dry place for a month and try them again. It made all the difference in the world with my powder. Your process may normally dry faster than mine, but those pellets don't have the surface area of loose powder.

    Did you use any kind of binder? (I think about 1% shellac would be interesting to try. It would be soluble in the alcohol)

  17. #97
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    Haven't used a binder yet. Need to order some dextrose, gum arabic, or shell and try it out. It works for the pyrodex pellets, I just wanted to see if it would work with my recipe.

  18. #98
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    I am guessing the pellets will burn like the cannon grade powder, and be pretty slow. Never can tell,though.
    A simple cheap binder is egg whites.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
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  19. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by waksupi View Post
    I am guessing the pellets will burn like the cannon grade powder, and be pretty slow. Never can tell,though.
    A simple cheap binder is egg whites.
    lol it work good ive seen them made and shot in a cap lock i'll see if i can find the vid

  20. #100
    Boolit Master

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    hey charlie wonder if nitro gylcerine mixed in the black powder would make a bigger bang. nitro is easy and fun to make BIG exploding targets. . a 12ga shotgun shell full will make a BIG bang and a 12in X 6indeep hole in the ground

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check