My homemade black powder

[Boz330]

Many of us have tried different methods that fly in the face of what has been repeated in this thread many, many times with the expected underwhelming results. Isn't the definition of insanity trying something over and over and expecting different results? I myself fought and railed against the wisdom of those that have gone before me until I got over my stubbornness and got on the traditional method train. And I haven't looked back since. I mill the ingredients for anywhere from 8 to 24 hours depending on how much attention I am paying at the time. Then just a light mist of water (or if the humidity is high enough, no water) over the meal powder then into a puck die with a 20 ton press. leave it under pressure for 10 minutes to an hour depending on what I am doing, then wrapped in butcher paper and thrown into a wooden box for a month or so. Never had a problem with any type of spontaneous combustion and my finished powder weighs virtually the same as Goes and has been proven by chronograph to be faster than Goex. Fly, Nobade, and others have had patience with my ramblings and the fact that I am so easily distracted and as a result of no longer trying to invent the wheel again, I am producing great black powder. Listen to the ones giving advice here and you will not go wrong.

I mill my meal all together press it in a bench vice for 10 minutes. Dry the pucks in the sun for no more than 2 days, grind it and grade it. While the density isn't the same as Swiss it produces more velocity per grain than Swiss. I use my powder for hunting not competition shooting so works for me. Not saying my way is the only just that it isn't rocket science.

Bob

[FLASHMAN]

Sounds a lot easier your method ----thanks Bob
hit my DIY press with a 14 lb hammer --( the 10 ton hydraulic press is leaking ---old seals )oil everywhere spraying on to GP )
SO the hammer method --has finally yielded neat firm reasonably dense pucks--

and I am delighted ----to learn one can dry them in the sun--
additionally ----thanks to Nobade and Fly ---
I worked out how to add a miniscule amount of moisture ---till I had a crumbling ,almost friable mass
which amazingly --proved to bond nicely under pressure
no discernable oozing black liquid ----no more seizing ---or wasted BP
its drying in the sun --
hopefully this will screen /grate into nice vicious demonic BP
( I FORGOT how I made the first super batch of dynamic millisecond flash off BP)
subsequent failures -----made me pay more attention to low moisture content
but -----its all coming together
will test the pucks when bone hard dry --in a few days --
appreciate all the great advice --never would have got here --esp that softwood charcoal
works so well --!!
( MY electronic scale however --seems not to register the mass of very light wood charcoal !!
a huge pile ----instead of the smaller hardwood charcoal heap --proves its far less dense !
ok ---- many thanks --Flash

[FLASHMAN]

Thanks Hotfixer --
will adhere to your very enlightening lesson ---
(the press I use is leaking ----so I slammed a14 pound sledgehammer --onto the piston head
couple of times )
(used very little h2o this time )
SUCCESS!! --- NICE hard dense pucks --sans evil black liquid ---

will have to see how long it takes in this hot African sun to dry --low humidity -windy drought here
excellent for GP ---
not so for elephants next door --poor sods are struggling with worst drought ever!!

[mold maker]

When pressing pucks, place discs cut from plastic (like milk jugs) between thinner layers of very slightly dampened powder. The result is easier to shatter (thinner) pucks, that dry faster.

[FLASHMAN]

OK = the fine powder sieved from crushed dried pucks ---
fires ok ( 40 grains in a pistol breech )--good result

However --that same fine powder ---does not ignite ( 90 grains ) in a 50 cal cap lock rifle
( fizzles) ominously
so ---its maybe TOO fine ? ( 3 or 4 F)?
so may have to remill /make more pucks etc
and granulate into 2 F Particles--or roughly 2 mm?
cannot get a UNIFORM size particle---just a grated pile of irregular sizes when "corning "
maybe several size sieves will do the job -this BP eats holes in the sieve mesh !
( must be cheapo Chinese nickel plated mild steel rubbish )
ok --back to granulating correct size

[Whiterabbit]

too fine is no good. Consider that rocket engines are a form of BP compacted into a cylinder. Way too slow of a consumption rate.

Best performance is from getting as much compaction into the puck, then getting the right granule size. Try for a 2f size and see where that gets you.

To screen it, go to the grainger website. They have stainless steel mesh available in 12"x12" sizes cheaply. Look online for what sizes correspond to 3f and 2f. get the desired filters.

[Fly]

Are you ball milling your powder?

Fly

[FLASHMAN]

Thankyou --Fly--& Whiterabbit

yes --lead ball milling --8 -14 hours --dry --
then squeezing slightly damp dough --press puck ok now --make em thin -dry easily

but maybe NOT dry enuf ---
very slow in pistol delayed ignition ---must be Far too fine

ok --will start again --granulate more pucks to a larger 2f particle --even if I am guessing
what 2 F really looks like --never see any black powder ---ever !
only smokeless I used in reloading modern magnum 375 cartridges

but my first batch --using that soft wood white cedar charcoal ---was devastating
in large sugar grain size ---incredible speed /heat ---maybe just freak /lucky?

ok --back to try getting granules --with stainless mesh
thanks again --appreciate--- F

[Whiterabbit]

should be much larger than sugar granules. Even large sugar granules

[FLASHMAN]

ok ----larger than sugar grains?

wow ---I Have been using fine powder--

but how to measure each granule ---? in MM ? 2-3 MM ? roughly ?
I cannot see how consistent size particles oF GP --can be shaved /screened or corned

I still get a pile of flour & rocks of all sizes ---
sieve out the large chunks ----separate the flour like powder --ok

but what remains --is like a quarry ---all sizes --
HOWEVER ---bake in a low oven --for an hour --and WOOSH!!
super flash --although balls of unburnt BP or yellow globules like melted plastic
remain ----weird --
Not like the first batch ----too much water ---simply sun dried without puck press
--pestle & mortar -----sieve ------HUGE FLASH ! --- that was weeks ago

since I made pucks under 5 tons Pressure-----recently---rather dull results ---I think they are NOT DRY---inside ?
rock hard on outside -- More patience required --maybe a month in the sun ?
--will keep experimenting --many thanks ----F

[Whiterabbit]

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gunpowder

[Boz330]

should be much larger than sugar granules. Even large sugar granules

Sugar in South Africa is like rock salt here.

20 mesh (20 openings to 25MM) retained should be close to 2F. 30 mesh retained is 3F. Anything passing 30 mesh is redone. I use a 16 mesh for initial sieve. That all goes back into the coffee grinder. The picture is 3F which is what I found works the best for me.

Bob

[FLASHMAN]

Love that neat sieve ! ---thanks Bob

now I have a clearer picture ---the rock salt analogy --never thought of it
( I use rock salt for all the taxidermy trophy hides /capes)
that rock salt granule size makes more sense --

Have scrapped that batch ---must have milled incorrect proportions ---very poor ignition from any size granule

milling a new charge --200 grams saltpetre--white ash charcoal =40 grams
&sulphur=26.6 grams
lead ball mill --tomorrow will make thin pucks --hopefully will be a big improvement

many thanks -for correct size 3F--Flash

[Whizzer]

Hey Flashman,

I've watched some of your trials and tribulations and I'll be honest...I've scratched my head a little.

Do you think its possible you might be damaging your charcoal by "overcooking" it with a little oxygen present? I always try NOT to err on the side of TOO MUCH where charcoal is concerned. And let me say this, I'm no trained chemist.

When its done, its done....but I've always wondered if it might be possible to overdo it.

I've set a fire to the venting gasses and gotten a plume of flames spouting from my retort cannister. When the flames go out, I try to re-light it with a propane torch once or twice. If it won't stay lit, I quit. Then cover the vent so oxygen can't get inside until it's cool.

Something else to consider.

Stan

[FLASHMAN]

SUCCESS ! ---FINALLY !-must be the happiest fella around ---
think I found the problem

1 --milled the GP ingredients dry --4 hrs
2 took a teaspoonful of DRY GP --flour like consistency ---
3 ---flashed a flint shower --WOOSH !tremendous -fast burn --4inches gone in a second
4 ----this was without water --no compression into pucks
5 I only can guess --the water /chlorine or other chemicals ---affected the previous pucks
6---tried the fine powder ---ONE GRAM --- Equals 15 .4 grains --in 8mm pistol --
BANG !! Instant blast --zero delay --nice recoil --loud smoky report

Heaven --
later --will try rain water -or distilled water --to make pucks for "corning" into coarse granules
--
but its the softwood charcoal "cotton wool " that clinches it !!

many thanks -----
will keep in touch --Flash

[FLASHMAN]

Thanks to whizzer / Texan / Nobade / fly/ Bob / whiterabbit ---& many others
for all the superb help /ideas /techniques ----etc

Nobody can be more pleased /elated --than this old bushman

finally followed your advice to the letter --
amazing results ----
( just bad water here-maybe too much chlorine ) --( drought borehole water contains many
funky salts --)
but dry/Powdered fine
GP --STRAIGHT from the ball mill ------WOW !
what a blast ----
very grateful !!!!!!
FLASHER

[Nobade]

If you think the green meal out of the ball mill is good, wait until you see what happens when you corn it with some good water. It disappears instantly when you light it. My test is to flash some on a sheet of white paper. If it doesn't burn the paper it's fast and clean. If it burns holes in it, something is not working quite as it should.

-Nobade

[FLASHMAN]

Sounds like a superb idea /challenge----distilled water ---will make pucks ---
corning ---using--1/2 of this super dry batch of fine milled dry BP

( Busy building a distillation /copper coil condenser ---to get decent pure water---)
this will prove once & for ever ----calcium /magnesium /& other salts in ground water--- can kill GP --

I am curious to see the granulated dry puck particles perform ----
this step is essential for larger calibre cap locks ----

great idea --thanks Nobade --

[Fly]

I don't think its your water, but if you have distilled use it. Sounds like your there.

Fly

[FLASHMAN]

Wow ! ---
those pucks made from distilled water ---amazing !
took a chip ------crumbled it into rough particles ( no idea how to achieve consistent same size rice
granules)

but ----tiny flint spark ------WOOSH ---Split second- like a 1920,s reporters camera flash!

A PHd chemical guru --advised me --quote" as KNO3 is slightly acid ( PH 6.3 )
THE calcium carbonate in your borehole water ----may "neutralise " it
to some extent ----thus the GP mix overall may be affected ----dull performance --

so I use distilled water now ---
Super results ---apologies my own stupidity ----should have researched this alkaline salty water
more thoroughly ---
painful --but learning by mistakes --only makes u wiser

many many thanks to all masters of Gunpowder ---on this forum ---best forum ever for learning !!

Will keep you informed of my next attempt at smokeless /(gun cotton /nitric acid ) --powder project-

( just curious --obviously its dangerous --but I have plenty nitric acid & cellulose --even mercury ,for
making my own fulminate -caps --here in the backwoods----) but will seek expert advice b4 big bang !
just not too clear how it all mixes ----pretty dangerous stuff if careless !
regards ---- Flash