My homemade Golden powder!

[2TM101]

I checked on the Golden, Crimson, and the Gray w/Magnesium and all are still plenty loose & dry. They are stored in my basement reloading/hobby room where it is climate controlled, but there are plenty of days where the humidity has exceeded 60% or more. Sealed containers seem to be plenty good enough for me.

Its possible in my case it was not dry enough to begin with. Sealed containers keep the moisture IN as well....

I left the most recent batch of starch powder in the dehydrator a whole extra day and it made nice hard granules that still pour like sand. I don't know how I messed up the manganese powder but it at least does still pour correctly. I do have silica gel packs inbound, I'll see what I can do with those.

[Sandro_ventania]

As soon as I do a test, I leave some of the powder on a plate on the table and observe. So I can observe the hygroscopic potential of each one and I discard the worst ones.

[dtknowles]

I found a place that makes re-usable silica gel packs. News to me that this even existed, apparently you pop them in a microwave on defrost for about 10 minutes and it steams all the collected moisture out of them.

Almost all silica gel pack descants can be rejuvenated in a dehydrator, or oven. I did not know about using a microwave. We used to used them at work and we had a dehydrator that used heat lamps to rejuvenate them.

Tim

[barrabruce]

Can I use golden powder as a combustible filler?
I tried some duplexing of 310 brass with 3.2 gn shotgun powder and 1cc golden powder to the case mouth then finder seated a pp’ed bullet.
This is for fireforming as well as effect I hope.

Mine is hydroscopic.
Last month I added some bits of another batch to my glass jam jar and it was sticking to the sides to day.
A whack on the heal of my hand and it fell off the side of the jar and a big ball was left loose.
A bit of a shake and it all fluffed up again.
I sparked off 1cc and it went woof so I loaded some cases up with it.
Next month I may get to test them.

[Nobade]

I don't see why you couldn't use it for combustible filler. Of course it will add some energy to the shot but not a tremendous amount and it will certainly take up space. Just remember to clean your brass cases really well afterward since the fouling will attack brass.

[Sandro_ventania]

Can I use golden powder as a combustible filler?
I tried some duplexing of 310 brass with 3.2 gn shotgun powder and 1cc golden powder to the case mouth then finder seated a pp’ed bullet.
This is for fireforming as well as effect I hope.

Mine is hydroscopic.
Last month I added some bits of another batch to my glass jam jar and it was sticking to the sides to day.
A whack on the heal of my hand and it fell off the side of the jar and a big ball was left loose.
A bit of a shake and it all fluffed up again.
I sparked off 1cc and it went woof so I loaded some cases up with it.
Next month I may get to test them.

use golden powder on the bottom and smokeless on top. It is the duplex load that works best... including for shooting with rifles, like .308, 30-06, etc. These duplex loads burn very clean...you'll barely see any dirt. But still throw it in water with detergent when you get home.

[barrabruce]

O.k. Will do.
I put the powders 20 each way so one of them has to be a winner!

I will give the new to me gun a good scrubbing out afterwards or when things go south.

Hopefully it will blast out some of the cobwebs and shoot reasonable afterwards.

[twinscrewcanoe]

Questions on adding dextrin. How is it made? How is it mixed into the ingredients? How much do you use...some kind of ratio?

[Sandro_ventania]

It is not necessary to use dextrin, not even in Golden powder, Crimson powder and any other that uses potassium nitrate and ascorbic acid as main ingredients, because after cooking, when it cools the powder becomes hard as a stone.

[2TM101]

I don't see why you couldn't use it for combustible filler. Of course it will add some energy to the shot but not a tremendous amount and it will certainly take up space. Just remember to clean your brass cases really well afterward since the fouling will attack brass.

I now have a formula that appears to be the functional equivalent of Unique smokeless. Also one that appears to be the equivalent of Pyrodex. When I run out of all the other components I got to do testing with those are the only two I will make. I also made A lot of "failed" powders that produce a lot less energy, but I will still use. I also have a large pile of components I had to buy to test all that stuff, so I will still make the weaker formulas until that runs out and I will not waste.

And that stuff fits in the category of Combustible Filler. I have determined that with a smokeless charge behind it, my weak powders actually work. I take the starting load, reduce it by 1 grain and add 1cc of my garbage powder. Lots of smoke and it sounds & feels like the full power load.

Side note - I put my old coffee ground in as filler a few times. Seemed to have no effect whatsoever, not even burnt coffee smell.

[2TM101]

Questions on adding dextrin. How is it made? How is it mixed into the ingredients? How much do you use...some kind of ratio?

Put Corn Starch in the oven for awhile and it makes Destrin. Detailed instructions are elsewhere here and also on youtube. But you only need Dextrin or SGRS with Screened black powder. None of these alternate formulas need it.

[a.squibload]

Progress report:

My frustration ( / confusion? ) with these alternate powders probably stems from procedure, not ingredients.
However, it led to making my first Holy Black. Didn't realize it was that easy. First batch seems really fast.
Ball milled 12 hours, wetted with alcohol, squeezed in gloved hand and pushed through window screen with
a credit card (I made a wood frame for the screen). Looks about like 3f size. A one-inch trail lit at one end went "poof!"
We'll see how fast it throws a lead ball.

I will still experiment with GP, etc., but the addition of charcoal is where it went wrong. Not sure of nomenclature
but tried the KNo3 + vitamin C + iron oxide + charcoal. Probably made it too wet. Finally dried ( I thought),
ball milling made big hard lumps like rocks. Busted them up, dried again, crushed with a stick. The resulting "powder"
was like gravel, mill meant nothing to it. Soaked it in alcohol to soften it up for another try. Three days, it's still wet,
but in sheet form and crumbly. Soon I will mill it again and give it a try.

My aversion to making real BP was the milling, pucking, & grinding (I don't want to spend hundreds of $ for equipment
to make a few pounds of powder). Glad I read this thread, gave me the push to JUST DO IT!
Also an alternative which still has promise.

PS: Real BP seems so easy. The sulphur I bought was a fine powder, the KNo3 is easy to mill, the toilet paper charcoal
is so fragile it's easy to mill as well. Next batch I'll just throw it all in the mill, see no need to pre-mill each component.