Guide to making percussion caps

[lead chucker]

Ok so today got off early from work and decided to make some caps. Made the H42 with .02 gr aluminum added this is a 100 gr recipe, packed the caps. Used a rod that has a small pistol primer cup soldered to it for a measure. Then i took the same small pistol measure and put 6 cups of bulseye in a shot glass with a table spoon of acetone and let it sit for ten minutes then stirred till dissolved then added a drop to each cup then let it sit for 10 minutes the hit with blow dryer on high heat for a minute or so then into the toaster oven on around 170 F for 15 minutes. Once it was cool i sprayed it with a thin coat of lacquer to hopefully make it more resistant to humidity. Let it dry then tested some of them with a hamer on a steel plate. I think that bullsey deluted in acitone makes a difference, alot louder and hed a pice of cap materiel shoot through my sweat pants and into my leg. Nothing serious but stung a bit. Wasn't expecting that. I think these are going to be a bit hotter than the regular one i have been making. Please let me know if im heading up the wrong path here with this. All i want is good home made caps that are reliable. I will explain that next poast.

[lead chucker]

The normal caps i make with the H42 recipe work great in my TC Hawkins and traditions deerhunter no problem but my 32 crocket not as good. They work but that gun is more problematic. It shoots fine for a few shots then wount fire try another home made cap or two and no glory. I put a Remington number 11 cap on it and bang. Its been a couple times i have been through this with this rifle so im hoping these new caps im making with the bullseye diluted with acetone will be the cure. My other side lock guns dont seem finicky at all. I shoot mostly 3f powder. Not sure what is up with the 32 but a little hotter home made cap might be the ticket. The home made caps fit nice and snug and go off like they should. These new ones im making seem a little Lowder which equals more power in my little brain.

[n.h.schmidt]

I have used aluminum powder in my cap mixture. Very fine powder like you see in firecrackers. They seemed more powerful. Worked badly. The FA- 42 worked wonderfully without the aluminum. I will not use that anymore. I shoot pyrodex and have not had a failure to fire in two years with my caps. I use spitfire nipples and double pop cans to make the cups. My binder is acetone with 700X . A pinch in a tablespoon of acetone. Lately I have used Pb powder. Mixes up just the same. For my revolvers ,I make the cups out of .005 brass. That will not fragment making no cap jams .

[LAGS]

Your Crockett seems like the breech plug is getting fouled up after a couple shots.
I think that the hole down the center of the breech plug seems really long and small.
It too is hard to clean after every shot.
If I ever have the same issues with my wife's Crockett, I will pull the breech plug and maybe do some modifications to it.
But then that will void any warranty from Traditions.

[Sandro_ventania]

Can you buy all the ingredients to make the cap? I have difficulty finding antimony trisulfide. I found a seller at 80$ per 100g. Is that the same value?

[Trapper-Jack]

Can you buy all the ingredients to make the cap? I have difficulty finding antimony trisulfide. I found a seller at 80$ per 100g. Is that the same value?

I bought a pound of antimony trisulfide from Pyro Chemical Source LLC. The price is $30 per pound (453 g.) The shipping last year was $31 within the United States. Their web site. https://www.pyrochemsource.com/

[Nobade]

I bought a pound of it on Amazon a few years ago. Most of the pyro supply places have it. A pound is probably a lifetime supply.

[Sandro_ventania]

I bought a pound of antimony trisulfide from Pyro Chemical Source LLC. The price is $30 per pound (453 g.) The shipping last year was $31 within the United States. Their web site. https://www.pyrochemsource.com/

I visited the website. Unfortunately they don't ship outside the country. I also looked on Amazon and I couldn't find it there. Hard for me!

[MUSTANG]

I bought a pound of antimony trisulfide from Pyro Chemical Source LLC. The price is $30 per pound (453 g.) The shipping last year was $31 within the United States. Their web site. https://www.pyrochemsource.com/

Just looked on Amazon - They have one pound of antimony trisulfide (vendor is Pyro Chemical) for $35 plus $19.50 shipping.

In past I have purchased from other sources such as Sky Lighter. They have two meshes (different price) currently

Antimony Trisulfide, Chinese Needle -200 Mesh; one pound $19.89 (Plus Shipping). https://www.skylighter.com/products/...e81c4f00&_ss=r

Antimony Trisulfide, Dark Pyro -325 Mesh; one pound $42.99 /lb (Plus Shipping). https://www.skylighter.com/products/...e81c4f00&_ss=r

[ofitg]

I visited the website. Unfortunately they don't ship outside the country. I also looked on Amazon and I couldn't find it there. Hard for me!

If you have access to tin, and access to sulfur, you might make Tin Sulfide, which can be substituted for Antimony Sulfide -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n4lg0cAXv0

You would need heat at 900 degrees Celsius to start the reaction.

[MUSTANG]

I visited the website. Unfortunately they don't ship outside the country. I also looked on Amazon and I couldn't find it there. Hard for me!

Look locally for STIBNITE; it is a naturally occurring product dating back in historical use to the Chinese 5000 years ago and for the Egyptians.

Stibnite
Stibnite or antimonite is sulfide metalloid mineral of antimony with chemical formula (Sb2S3).

Stibnite is Antimony trisulfide ( Sb2S3). Try local Pharmacies, chemical houses, or "Rock Collecting Venues".

[HamGunner]

I have bought from this site: https://www.fireworkscookbook.com/
But, not certain that they would ship out of the USA as they do not ship to Alaska or Hawaii

A good bit cheaper usually, but they are out of stock right now on Antimony Trisulfide. I think one pound was only $15 plus shipping. I have an Email notification coming once they get some more product in.

I bought some more Potassium Nitrate and a little more Sulfur from them a while back for as cheap as I have found it anywhere else. Packed in double sealed bags and they had really fast shipping.

[Sandro_ventania]

If you have access to tin, and access to sulfur, you might make Tin Sulfide, which can be substituted for Antimony Sulfide -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n4lg0cAXv0

You would need heat at 900 degrees Celsius to start the reaction.

It seems very easy to make tin sulfide. But does it work as well as antimony?

[Sandro_ventania]

None of the above sites ship outside the US. Amazon sends it, but I search and nothing appears! Whoever found it, post the link here so I can see if it opens. My last resort is for a charitable friend to please send me at least 100g. I pay all expenses.

[ofitg]

It seems very easy to make tin sulfide. But does it work as well as antimony?

Here's a report I posted (post # 129) when I tried it - my apparatus/set-up was a bit different -

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...-primers/page7

I substituted tin sulfide for antimony sulfide on an "equal weight" basis, and I could not tell any difference in performance. I also made pewter (90+ % tin) sulfide and it worked just as well.

[ofitg]

None of the above sites ship outside the US. Amazon sends it, but I search and nothing appears! Whoever found it, post the link here so I can see if it opens. My last resort is for a charitable friend to please send me at least 100g. I pay all expenses.

Following up on Mustang's suggestion, there are numerous sellers on eBay offering Stibnite crystals, and some of them are outside the United States (they ship internationally).

[n.h.schmidt]

I get my antimony sulfide from United Nuclear. You can buy as little as 2 oz. for $8.50 plus normal shipping. It's finely ground and works real well in the primer mixes. I have used it for a couple of years now. The fireworks places only want to sell by the pound and charge too much. I didn't need that much. 4 oz. will last me . It's easy to get stars in your eyes and buy way more than you could ever use. I did that with the other powders.

[Nobade]

Sometimes I can be really dense. I can't believe it took me so long to realize the plastic inserts that CCI small pistol primers come in are a perfect fit for #11 caps. Now loading them is so easy, I put cups in the tray and pour priming mix into them from a little plastic boat I bought. The shishkebob stick tamps down the mixture and lifts the cap out of its pocket. Once they're all done, I dump the remaining mix out, insert more cups, and repeat until all the mix is used up. Tool using human can eventually learn!

[Sandro_ventania]

There are so many formulas... H42, H48, EPH20, EPH25...etc. Have we reached a consensus on which is the easiest and most practical to use in muzzleloaders?

[LAGS]

I am sure others have other opinions.
But I found so far that FH 42 is the easiest and cheapest to use to make dependable primers.
It uses three common chemicals that are easy to buy.
And it just has to be mixed dry as long as all three chemicals are ground up fine already.
I am sure others mixes can work better but may take a little more effort to make them.