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Thread: ***** willow for BP

  1. #1
    Boolit Master lead chucker's Avatar
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    ***** willow for BP

    Where I live there are no willow trees. We have ***** willow I believe its called. Its a bush but some of the branches are an inch or better in diameter. Ive been using pine and it seems to work pretty good. I have read that willow is the best. I would think you would have to peel all the bark off and let it dry before making charcoal.
    Dont pee down my back and tell me its raining.

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

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    You have Diamond Willow there.
    Aim small, miss small!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master lead chucker's Avatar
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    Not where i live. We have the willow with the little fuzzy buds on them
    Dont pee down my back and tell me its raining.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    Many woods will made acceptable charcoal. In South America they use palm trees, which technically aren't even wood.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Peel the bark & try it. If you have any big leaf maple as they do in the great north west that
    would be your best choice.

    Fly

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    We have weeping willows here.
    Stop being blinded by your own ignorance.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    I have Pu$$y Willow on my property too....but haven't tried it yet. I have access to Tree of Heaven and Black Willow so I've only been using those. I would think the heavy woody part of the Pu$$y Willow tree (bush) would work just fine.

    redhawk

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  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Looks like I have Carolina Willow growing around here. They are invasive and pretty much a weed tree or bush. Also have a stand of bamboo on the southern end of the property that needs to be cut back. Just one stalk of bamboo is over twenty feet long and as thick as my thumb, that's going to make a lot of charcoal. Going to give both the willow and bamboo a try if I ever get around to it.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by lead chucker View Post
    Where I live there are no willow trees. We have ***** willow I believe its called. Its a bush but some of the branches are an inch or better in diameter. Ive been using pine and it seems to work pretty good. I have read that willow is the best. I would think you would have to peel all the bark off and let it dry before making charcoal.
    Ah, the feline kind of willow. I think it is probably about as good as any other kind of willow, which used to be one of the main woods for the purpose. Pine is just so easy and so plentiful that there has to be a snag somewhere, and I think it is probably its resinous nature. With any kind of wood it is important to get rid of the bark which is liable to cause flying sparks. That could be very important on a range where powder will be exposed, but in metallic cartridges it would just dilute the productive part of the charcoal.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Black willow has always been the stable of willows. But I think most will work. The post about Tree of Heaven is spot on. Many are very high on it too.
    Don't just use any wood for you will waste a lot of chemicals & time. Believe me I know as many others, BP has been made since the 1400,s & you
    & I or not going to reinvent the wheel. Use what is proven. Problem with pine is it burns nasty dirty. I used it in my fireworks
    but not in my fire arms.

    Fly

  11. #11
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Ballistics in Scotland....I believe you're correct. I think part of the problem with using pine is the pitch resin as you mentioned. Those resins produce a heavier greasy soot left behind so a lot more contamination needs to be cleaned up. Pine makes for good BP don't get me wrong...but it will require more cleanup, more often if used as you're carbon base. I just know I want to stay away from it.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    Grape wood and sweet gum are good too.
    In the time of darkest defeat,our victory may be nearest. Wm. McKinley.

    I was young and stupid then I'm older now. Me 1992 .

    Richard Lee Hart 6/29/39-7/25/18


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  13. #13
    In Remembrance
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    I think nearly any clean burning soft wood would work. I have heard that Bass Wood is good too. Hard woods make good charcoal for grilling, but not so much for black powder. IMHO!
    NRA Life
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  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    Here we go again & again & again. Sorry but this always happens, when this thread is over you will be more confused then when it started.
    (WINK) Fly

  15. #15
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fly View Post
    Here we go again & again & again. Sorry but this always happens, when this thread is over you will be more confused then when it started.
    (WINK) Fly
    It could be worse...it could be 53 pages of thread to weed through like I did when I was getting started. I was so confused...but Fly...I still bow to you, the master of making BP. Your posts have always provided spot on recommendations and better results than most other contributors. There were a few others that provided good insight as well...but you stood out to me.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    Hurcules , in Hurcules Ca , used many , many acres of alder and the Confederacy even more cottonwood .
    Did a little research myself .
    In the time of darkest defeat,our victory may be nearest. Wm. McKinley.

    I was young and stupid then I'm older now. Me 1992 .

    Richard Lee Hart 6/29/39-7/25/18


    Without trial we cannot learn and grow . It is through our stuggles that we become stronger .
    Brother I'm going to be Pythagerus , DiVinci , and Atlas all rolled into one soon .

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by mazo kid View Post
    I think nearly any clean burning soft wood would work. I have heard that Bass Wood is good too. Hard woods make good charcoal for grilling, but not so much for black powder. IMHO!
    Certainly the woods recommended for the purpose are generally soft and light, while hardwoods aren't. I think the reason for the contrast between gunpowder and grilling is that the charcoals of hard and heavy woods are also hard and heavy, and while they contain plenty of energy, don't so easily break up fine enough to be in the most intimate contact with the other ingredients.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Harter66 Alder is great wood. But yes cottonwood? I have the great book never want for powder. It is about the South during the Civil War &
    the plant they built in Ga. Your spot on, they did use cotton wood. The north Black Willow & thats how they won? Just kidding. But that inspired me.
    So I got some cotton wood & made some BP with it. After I took it from my ball mill I made a string of it on a ole board & lit it. POOF man that's
    very fast.

    So I corned it & made some 3fffggg powder. Took it to my range. First shot BOOM great I put more powder in then my patch & then started the
    ball down. Dam I could hardly get the ball to start, but did. I had to clean it every shot. I took that batch of powder & used it for lift powder in
    my fireworks. No kidding it was as dirty burning white pine. But it is fast. As I said maybe that is why the north won. (WINK).

    Fly

  19. #19
    Boolit Master lead chucker's Avatar
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    I will try pu$$y willow. Does it Have to be dry and aged before charing it? We have more alder around here than you can shake a stick at. Ha Ha get it. If alder is better than pine i could try it. The pine works good but it is dirty. If any one has tried alder i would like to hear how it works. I live in a remote part of Alaska so it can be hard to get what you need some times. Thanks for all the info guys.
    Dont pee down my back and tell me its raining.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by lead chucker View Post
    I will try pu$$y willow. Does it Have to be dry and aged before charing it? We have more alder around here than you can shake a stick at. Ha Ha get it. If alder is better than pine i could try it. The pine works good but it is dirty. If any one has tried alder i would like to hear how it works. I live in a remote part of Alaska so it can be hard to get what you need some times. Thanks for all the info guys.
    I made powder with CC made from willow that wasn't dried and it worked fine. If you have the time to dry it, good, but go ahead and make some just to get started and see what happens. None of the CC that I have made has been dried before processing. Of course ignorance might be bliss in this case.

    Bob
    GUNFIRE! The sound of Freedom!

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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
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GC Gas Check