White powder recipe?

[waksupi]

a separate white powder recipe in a book called "Homemade guns and homemade ammo" written by a Ronald Brown (pdf easily found on a google search) suggests using potassium chlorate and sugar, equal measures mixed together dry for a blackpowder substitute which he rates on a scale of 1-5 as a 5 versus the 5 other whitepowder recipes he had in the book.
Attachment 264931
I haven't tested the formula or process yet but just saw it in his book this evening. The original author recommended a half teaspoon of this powder for an ounce of #6 shot in a 12 gauge shell. He also warned that all of the whitepowder recipes in his book were hygroscopic (corrosive) and would lose potency if exposed to high humidity or open air.

Have fun folks! and make sure you keep all 10 fingers!

Be VERY careful with potassium chlorate. VERY volatile. A match head size pile placed on an anvil and struck with a hammer can launch the hammer fast and far.

[Good Cheer]

Made black in the late sixties, learned why powder mills have their buildings widely separated and decided to not be doing that noooo more.

[biffj]

What is the silverish powder used in firecrackers? Its not black powder as far as I can tell but it sure seems energy dense and fast burning. Can it be made diy style? Any use for us?

The firecracker powder is a black powder with the addition of powdered aluminum. The aluminum makes the report much sharper so you get a louder crack and it gives a bright white flash to the explosion. The aluminum is what makes is shiny silver. Its definitely not something you want to use for propellent.

Powdered aluminum is added to some explosives like TNT and ammonium nitrate based explosives to increase brisance which makes the material shatter the casing or whatever is intended to be broken up more readily than without the aluminum.

You can find all this info with more detail on the net if you look.

Frank

[ofitg]

Bruce Drake -

Using a percussion revolver, it appeared to me that the 50/50 blend of KClO3/Sugar was significantly more powerful than black powder.

I would suggest starting with KClO3/Sugar weighing HALF (or less) of your normal black powder load, and do not attempt to exceed normal black powder velocities.... proceed at your own risk.

[dondiego]

Be VERY careful with potassium chlorate. VERY volatile. A match head size pile placed on an anvil and struck with a hammer can launch the hammer fast and far.

Very true and especially when in the presence of sulfur or phosphorous!

[KCSO]

If you want to rust up a gun in a hurry shoot that stuff, worse than pyrodex!

[dondiego]

If you want to rust up a gun in a hurry shoot that stuff, worse than pyrodex!

I believe that Pyrodex has potassium chlorate in it.

[arcticap]

I believe that Pyrodex has potassium chlorate in it.

Pryodex contains potassium perchlorate.
Potassium chlorate is not listed as an ingredient.

[Mr_Sheesh]

KClO3 + phosphorous + a little sulphur was used in some toy caps and what was in the old railroad "torpedos" they used to communicate with the locomotive, they'd bend a couple lead straps attached to the casing of the stuff onto the track. Stuff is indeed sensitive (you don't want to even TRY to spoon mix it, that'd get you a KABOOM; if I had to make some I'd wet each component separately and then mix those solutions, THAT is safer, though I wouldn't stay near the stuff frankly.) I sure wouldn't use that anywhere near a BP gun, you'd set it off earlier than you wanted, probably. Nasty stuff.

[ofitg]

Here's an old thread which touched on the "KClO3 and Sugar" idea - I included range reports in posts #86 and #88 of that thread -

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nd-ideas/page5

[justashooter]

potassium chlorate is an aggressive oxidizer. mixed 40/60 with powdered aluminum it is lit with cannon fuse and an explosive.

[toot]

I can't Imogene that putting SUGAR in / down your barrel would do it any good?!!