My homemade black powder

[Whiterabbit]

Thanks Boz. I let them sit overnight in a garage, though it has been humid here lately. Some seemed a little softer than others, but most if not all crunched like the moisture content was nil. I think 2 overnights in the garage should be comparable to one day in the sun. You sure are right about the pucks coming out DRY after the 6 ton press. If I use much more than 1.25 tsp of water per 1/4 pound of air float ball mill powder, it becomes a gooey mess when pressed.

It hurt to spend $50 on a coffee grinder with a nicer burr than my electric coffee grinder at home, but I tell you what that was a good purchase. it works.

For me, I got results that were too good out of the cap lock. The mess is minimal, patches come out almost clean wiping between every shot, and off the bench it's easy to stay in the 10 ring at 50 yards. This powder WILL be the only powder used in my caplock. Plink, target, and hunting (If I can get a load that shoots at 100 yards, and shoots that ITX ball. So far elusive, even with goex, but 50 yard lead is fully qualified.) It's only an utter mess in the flintlock, which needs to stay goex anyways for target due to the absurd (absurd) accuracy.

Bottom line, way, way cool that it works like a champ in the caplock. It'll turn heads at the rifle shoots

Anyway, works well enough that I just HAVE to try it in 20 ga magtech brass shells with a suitable slug if I can find one. Like a poor man's no-recoil 600NE. If I can hit a 12" steel at 100 yards with a 4x scoped USH with my own black powder under a full bore slug loaded in a brass shell, I will be on cloud 9 here.

Nobody (Nobade) is that way. He is also a very bad influence! He keeps me trying out all sorts of different things that are both costly and time consuming. Be aware of this before starting up any conversations with him.

It's supposed to be pronounced Nobody? I never knew....... Japanese? (no-bah-day)

[Whiterabbit]

Another question guys. I'm sitting on about 1 lb of "proof of concept" powder. This stuff was made before I had a puck presser and thus contains 2% dextrin ball milled in. I think I used flowers of sulfur or 10% clay sulfur too, rather than lab grade. it was VERY VERY messy when shooting, and pretty weak compared to puck pressed. It is fully graded from cannon to 4F. It's NOT qualified. And I don't know what to do with it.

1. press into pucks and shoot it.
2. compost.

#1 has risk cause it's got dextrin and bad sulfur in it. could be messier, unlikely to shoot the same as the stuff I have. It will take time to press into pucks. Time to grind and grade. but already ball milled.

#2 "wastes" about a pound of KNO3.

I guess there is #3. mix all grades back together and store somewhere forever till I get that golfball cannon I always wanted.

What do you guys think? keep it or chuck it and move on?

[LIMPINGJ]

For making pucks what are you using for your die and piston? Something common that would fit without machine work would be nice.

[Whiterabbit]

a member here made me one from aluminum. Dunno if he is still "in business" so to speak.

[Nobade]

Another question guys. I'm sitting on about 1 lb of "proof of concept" powder. This stuff was made before I had a puck presser and thus contains 2% dextrin ball milled in. I think I used flowers of sulfur or 10% clay sulfur too, rather than lab grade. it was VERY VERY messy when shooting, and pretty weak compared to puck pressed. It is fully graded from cannon to 4F. It's NOT qualified. And I don't know what to do with it.

1. press into pucks and shoot it.
2. compost.

#1 has risk cause it's got dextrin and bad sulfur in it. could be messier, unlikely to shoot the same as the stuff I have. It will take time to press into pucks. Time to grind and grade. but already ball milled.

#2 "wastes" about a pound of KNO3.

I guess there is #3. mix all grades back together and store somewhere forever till I get that golfball cannon I always wanted.

What do you guys think? keep it or chuck it and move on?

You forgot the most fun thing. Put a pound of it in the bottom of a plastic 5 gallon bucket, with visco fuse inserted from the side. Paper towel over the powder, and about 5 lbs of Cremora coffee creamer on top. Put it far away from buildings, wait until dark and light it off. You'll get a fireball like you wouldn't believe. Great entertainment!

And yes, it's no-ba-de. Nobody. Keeps everybody guessing.

-Nobade

[Texantothecore]

You forgot the most fun thing. Put a pound of it in the bottom of a plastic 5 gallon bucket, with visco fuse inserted from the side. Paper towel over the powder, and about 5 lbs of Cremora coffee creamer on top. Put it far away from buildings, wait until dark and light it off. You'll get a fireball like you wouldn't believe. Great entertainment!

And yes, it's no-ba-de. Nobody. Keeps everybody guessing.

-Nobade

You should be fine. Most of the people making bp are using the garden sulfur with 10% clay and it doesn't seem to have any effect on the powder.

When you do press your powder keep it under pressure for 1/2 hour and keep the pressure up with periodic adjustments and it should be very consistent powder.

[Boz330]

Thanks Boz. I let them sit overnight in a garage, though it has been humid here lately. Some seemed a little softer than others, but most if not all crunched like the moisture content was nil. I think 2 overnights in the garage should be comparable to one day in the sun. You sure are right about the pucks coming out DRY after the 6 ton press. If I use much more than 1.25 tsp of water per 1/4 pound of air float ball mill powder, it becomes a gooey mess when pressed.

It hurt to spend $50 on a coffee grinder with a nicer burr than my electric coffee grinder at home, but I tell you what that was a good purchase. it works.

For me, I got results that were too good out of the cap lock. The mess is minimal, patches come out almost clean wiping between every shot, and off the bench it's easy to stay in the 10 ring at 50 yards. This powder WILL be the only powder used in my caplock. Plink, target, and hunting (If I can get a load that shoots at 100 yards, and shoots that ITX ball. So far elusive, even with goex, but 50 yard lead is fully qualified.) It's only an utter mess in the flintlock, which needs to stay goex anyways for target due to the absurd (absurd) accuracy.

Bottom line, way, way cool that it works like a champ in the caplock. It'll turn heads at the rifle shoots

Anyway, works well enough that I just HAVE to try it in 20 ga magtech brass shells with a suitable slug if I can find one. Like a poor man's no-recoil 600NE. If I can hit a 12" steel at 100 yards with a 4x scoped USH with my own black powder under a full bore slug loaded in a brass shell, I will be on cloud 9 here.



It's supposed to be pronounced Nobody? I never knew....... Japanese? (no-bah-day)

I've shot mine out to 300 & 500yd matches for grins and giggles and got more than 50% hits but it's not good enough for serious competition. It is plenty good for hunting and I've taken squirrels and 3 deer with it.

Bob

[Whiterabbit]

ah, BP cartridge. I just shoot NMLRA regular stuff, PRB at 25 and 50 yards. And dink around from the bench at 100.

my BP shot GREAT out to 50 yards, which is enough to turn heads at the shoots.

my 45 cal isn't qualified yet at 100 yards. 300-500 for me is hard with modern rifles, much less muzzleloaders.

[Boz330]

ah, BP cartridge. I just shoot NMLRA regular stuff, PRB at 25 and 50 yards. And dink around from the bench at 100.

my BP shot GREAT out to 50 yards, which is enough to turn heads at the shoots.

my 45 cal isn't qualified yet at 100 yards. 300-500 for me is hard with modern rifles, much less muzzleloaders.

I hear you, I was the same way. All that it takes is a good friend harassing you to try it. Next thing you know the hook is set and you have another hobby you can't afford. I thought that 300yd plus was a long shot for a high power rifle but now I think of that as cheating. When I took my first deer with homemade I thought this is the ultimate survivalist solution. I built the gun, cast the bullets and made the powder. Now I have a trade gun that I don't even need primers for, just pick up a rock and I'm good to go.

To qualify that the farm I hunt on is littered with flint chips from the prehistoric Indians. Check this stuff out all found on the farm. The throw aways are everywhere.

Bob

[Hotfxr]

Gentlemen, a quick question if you will. I am just finishing up my latest muzzleloading project. I made (from scratch using almost all scrounged up materials, total material cost so far, about $75.) a fairly accurate half scale 1841 six pounder cannon. I am just finishing up the scale field artillery carriage. with it's 1 3/4" bore I will be shooting some lead balls, but mostly patched golf balls. and that takes 2 ounces of 1F powder per shot so I will be going through much, much more powder than usual. I figure at least a pound just to get it close to sighted in. Here is the cannon as of last night.



Well a few of nights ago. The wheels are all black now and most of the iron is mounted. I just haven't uploaded any new pictures for the last couple of days. The barrel is 40" long overall with a 34" deep bore and weighs in at a petite 210 pounds. And that barrel is all welded steel pipe with lead filling any airgaps and we figure it is at least 10 times stronger than the original cast cannons.

My question for the esteemed users of this rather lengthy thread is this; what size screen should I use for 1F sized powder? I have the screen boxes for 2FF, 3FFF, and 4FFFF, but am at a loss for the size of screen for 1F.

[Whiterabbit]

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)

mesh size, then percentage. What percentage passs the large screen, and is held back by the small screen.

[Fly]

Guys I,m still making Pressing dies for corned powder. If anyone need one pm me.



Thanks fly

[Idz]

I've been reading a book "Never for the want of Powder" about George Rains and the Confederate powder works in Augusta, Georgia during the civil war. The book describes refining saltpetre to high purity, processing sulfur to get rid of the acid, and making charcoal out of cottonwood trees. It refers to a work written by Baddeley "Pamphlet on the Manufacture of Gunpowder" about the Waltham Abbey mills. Has anybody read these and produced powder using the techniques described? Also interesting are references to extracting saltpetre from composted plant matter.

[Fly]

I have that same book & it is a great read. But whats funny I made some BP from cotton wood a few
years back. It was about as fast as black willow, but maybe the dirtiest powder I have ever made.

I mean I had to clean the barrel every shot or I could not get another prb down the barrel. Go figure?

Fly

[bkbville]

I'm confused about charcoal - using willow or some other kind - isn't charcoal essentially just carbon?

why can't I use carbon from, say, a water filter?

[Fly]

Well I,m no chemist for sure, but charcoal can make or brake good powder. Hard woods such as oak, hickory or so on
do not make very good gun powder. I use them in my fireworks for the sparks the omit. the faster woods are mostly
fast growing soft woods.

But not all of them are good. You want a very low ash in the burn.It more than just how fast it burns.My two favorites
are black willow & silver maple. Another guy on the form likes tree of heaven. There is a lot of discussion on woods
in the thread above. Do a little digging for there is a ton of info right here in this thread.

Fly

[blueeyephil]

Do you need to debark black willow before you make charcoal? Also, does it need to be dried for several months? I have lots of it along the creek.

[Fly]

You do need to debark any wood you use. It,s better to use dried wood. If you have lots growing
then look for dead ones. There are always dead ones around.

Fly

[Texantothecore]

I'm confused about charcoal - using willow or some other kind - isn't charcoal essentially just carbon?

why can't I use carbon from, say, a water filter?

My very rudimentary knowledge of charcoal is that it is a fairly complex substance. The lighter woods, except yellow pine, work well.

The western cedar in fences works quite well. It weighs only 22 lbs per cubic foot. Willow weighs 28 lbs per cubic foot.

[Fly]

I used both eastern & western cedars & they are good. I can't say there faster but they have more fouling in the barrel
them black willow. But if I did not have black willow around I would most likely use them.

Fly