Making black powder

[abunaitoo]

Has anyone tried it????
I don't even know if it's allowed here.
With not much to do, looking at stuff on utube.
Ran across a few clips.
Seems doable.
It also seems like the type of wood determines the burn rate.
That and how well it is mixed.

[rancher1913]

go to the muzzle loading area, there is a mile long thread on how to make your own, wet or dry, even how to make a ball mill.

[Good Cheer]

Made it in elementary school with information from the school library.
I found out how dangerous it can be, too. And why the buildings at powder manufacturers are sooo far apart.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Ordering stuff now.
CF

[JackQuest]

Don't forget your approved anti-static shoes. That stuff goes -boom- just about any time it likes. You being in Hawaii and the humidity and all probably less of a spark hazard. But it has blown up production lines down thru history.

Put it this way: smokeless powder was developed for a reason (actually a couple of reasons). Ball powder was developed for yet another couple of reasons. In both cases handling without the -boom- was at the top of the list.

[Boaz]

I made black powder before . Used a rock tumbler and lead balls , it's not hard to make . I was just doing it for fun . What I made 'worked' but was sure not a quality powder . But that was my fault ! I didn't pursue improving it . Like I said...just a fun project . It sure did make some interesting 'big ' firecrackers though !

It would be interesting to make some 'good' black powder .

[ofitg]

A fellow called "Brushhippie" has a good video on Gunstreamer -

https://gunstreamer.com/watch/homema...s7R4gTNkL.html

I made a small batch this past February, using Spectracide Stump Remover and "Lilly Miller" Sulfur Dust from Lowes. I made charcoal from Red Cedar wood shavings (pet bedding, purchased at Walmart).
It worked well in a percussion revolver, velocities were comparable to an equal weight of standard GOEX 3Fg.

[dondiego]

Don't forget your approved anti-static shoes. That stuff goes -boom- just about any time it likes. You being in Hawaii and the humidity and all probably less of a spark hazard. But it has blown up production lines down thru history.

Put it this way: smokeless powder was developed for a reason (actually a couple of reasons). Ball powder was developed for yet another couple of reasons. In both cases handling without the -boom- was at the top of the list.

I saw a video where a guy was trying to ignite black powder with static jolt. He couldn't do it! You could see the jolt of electricity hit the powder but it would not light. Can't find that video now. Heat sets it off. It is quite stable actually.

[JackQuest]

dondiego

All good and well, but I don't mess with pyrotechnics. Kid blew his finger off with a "spoke gun" back in high school and seeing it floating in a bottle of alcohol was enough for me.

Totally off track here - you are in "Milan, MI". Do the people in your area pronounce that like Italians "Mee-lawn" or like Illinoisans "My-lan"? Just wondering - been in the "Quad Cities" area over 30 years and still can't really wrap my head around it.

[dondiego]

When I was using spoke guns I used match heads for the charge. We pronounce the town name as MY-lun.

[Whiterabbit]

Has anyone tried it????
I don't even know if it's allowed here.
With not much to do, looking at stuff on utube.
Ran across a few clips.
Seems doable.
It also seems like the type of wood determines the burn rate.
That and how well it is mixed.

noone here has EVER tried it.

[M-Tecs]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...e-black-powder

[John Taylor]

When I was using spoke guns I used match heads for the charge. We pronounce the town name as MY-lun.

That gave me the idea of making one bigger than a spoke. A 50 caliber smooth bore and using the white part of a strike anywhere match for the percussion cap. Very carefully crushed the red part to make the "powder". Had a bit of a hang fire but it did shoot.

[John Taylor]

Making my own powder was a learning experience. Learned too late that charcoal brickets do not work. The powder I made was a bit slow burning and when used in a canon it set the whole hill on fire. We were only shooting 100 yards but try to stamp out a grass fire spread out for that distance on a hot sunny day. Could not see the flames, just the dark patches getting bigger. The last thing the farmer said (after giving us permission to shoot on his farm) as he was leaving " don't burn the place down".

[firefly1957]

I have and some even worked well I like to Char cotton cloth for Charcoal I do not use it in guns but mix it with powdered hot peppers to keep animals from re digging under my garages.

[reivertom]

Some things are best left to professionals. If you must have a skill for SHTF, learn how to make bows and arrows. It's hard to kill yourself with one if things go wrong.

[LynC2]

Some things are best left to professionals. If you must have a skill for SHTF, learn how to make bows and arrows. It's hard to kill yourself with one if things go wrong.

Making gunpowder is hardly "rocket science" and there are a lot more things far more dangerous, like driving in this part of the country when the bars close.

[Don Purcell]

I have an interesting book on the King Powder Company which was in the area of Kings Island Amusement Park. The owners of the company arranged their furniture and bedroom furniture toward the center of the room in case of an explosion from the nearby factory the concussion would not drop wall furnishings on them. Since the buildings were near a river that whenever there was an explosion and someone was killed they were termed as "Going across the river". How quaint.

[TCLouis]

Spokeguns . . .

Boy that is something from FAR DISTANT past.

[MusicMan]

Same as Zip guns?