MUSTANG
08-26-2023, 02:06 PM
Last week I remanufactured 10 each primers using two different mixtures of Red Phosphorus Primer Mixture/s. The weather was high humidity with intermittent rain when I placed mixtures into the 2 groups of 10 primers each. I used a drop of 20:1 ratio of Alcohol and Varnish on each primer as a binder. At the range; I had a 30% and 50% failure to fire. I am suspecting that despite letting stand for 48 hours; the primer did not fully dry out.
A variety of sources have stated the use of Nitro Cellulose derived from Smokeless Powders as a binder for some Primer Mixtures. (This is not ground NC for primer mixture - rather a liquid carried binder for the primer mixture after compressing the mixture in the cup).
One "Recipe" I made up after I found it going through many links, references, etc.. on Aardvark and MeWe cited as I recall (have not been able to locate it again). :
40 MiliLiters of 50% Acetone and 50% alcohol (40ML = 2.7 Tablespoons)
30 Grains Smokeless Powder
I initially used 60 grains of WC872 powder, 3 Table spoons of Acetone and 3 Table spoons of 91% Alcohol. All I got was almost clear liquid on top; and the Smokeless Powder was converted to a single mass of Tar like composition. It would adhere to a dental pick when stirred - with a blob separating off the main bulk. Tried stirring it and eventually got a slight gray color to the liquid - still a big blob of Tar like substance on the bottom.
I added an additional 2 Table Spoons acetone and 2 Table Spoons of Alcohol and stirred a while. The entire black tar blob broke up after a while - but the mixture had the consistency of a weak oatmeal. The color turned to a greenish black weak oatmeal. When stirring the mixture with a dental pick; it had the slight appearance of "Cotton Ball" submerged in the mixture (Cellulose dispersed across the mix?).
I took a small sample and put into another glass container and added another 2 Table Spoons each of Acetone and 91% alcohol; and stirred for a few minutes and let sit overnight. The Mixture is much clearer (But a light green color) with a sediment layer at the bottom 1/5th of the mixture that is a grayish/off white color.; I am able to extract into a plastic pipet/eye dropper for dispensing into primer cups. I remanufactured 10 primers with a Red Phosphorus mixture compressed, a drop of the liquid on top, dried for 5 or so minutes, and then a paper foil disk on top, followed by seating the anvils. Will give those a test next week.
Questions for those who have "Distilled" Nitro Cellulose from Smokeless Powder previously for use as a liquid binder:
1. From my description; is there a place I went wrong in the process?
2. Will the extracted liquid contain a suspended Nitro Cellulose that will dry as a binder with the mixture/s; or am I simply getting an Acetone/Alchol wetting action?
3. The 20:1 Alcohol to Varnish I used in the past - supposedly acted as a wetting agent, and a binder forming a PILL of the priming mixture on the cup when dried. This worked well with a 100% success rate for several hundred primers perviously when the humidity was low; will the NC solution work the same for higher humidity ? - or am I barking up the wrong tree? I had considered staying with the 20:1 Varnish solution; just getting a desk lamp with traditional bulb as a "Dryer" for the remanufactured primers.
Goal is obviously to get back to that 100% success rate with the Remanufactured Primers. Thoughts:
A variety of sources have stated the use of Nitro Cellulose derived from Smokeless Powders as a binder for some Primer Mixtures. (This is not ground NC for primer mixture - rather a liquid carried binder for the primer mixture after compressing the mixture in the cup).
One "Recipe" I made up after I found it going through many links, references, etc.. on Aardvark and MeWe cited as I recall (have not been able to locate it again). :
40 MiliLiters of 50% Acetone and 50% alcohol (40ML = 2.7 Tablespoons)
30 Grains Smokeless Powder
I initially used 60 grains of WC872 powder, 3 Table spoons of Acetone and 3 Table spoons of 91% Alcohol. All I got was almost clear liquid on top; and the Smokeless Powder was converted to a single mass of Tar like composition. It would adhere to a dental pick when stirred - with a blob separating off the main bulk. Tried stirring it and eventually got a slight gray color to the liquid - still a big blob of Tar like substance on the bottom.
I added an additional 2 Table Spoons acetone and 2 Table Spoons of Alcohol and stirred a while. The entire black tar blob broke up after a while - but the mixture had the consistency of a weak oatmeal. The color turned to a greenish black weak oatmeal. When stirring the mixture with a dental pick; it had the slight appearance of "Cotton Ball" submerged in the mixture (Cellulose dispersed across the mix?).
I took a small sample and put into another glass container and added another 2 Table Spoons each of Acetone and 91% alcohol; and stirred for a few minutes and let sit overnight. The Mixture is much clearer (But a light green color) with a sediment layer at the bottom 1/5th of the mixture that is a grayish/off white color.; I am able to extract into a plastic pipet/eye dropper for dispensing into primer cups. I remanufactured 10 primers with a Red Phosphorus mixture compressed, a drop of the liquid on top, dried for 5 or so minutes, and then a paper foil disk on top, followed by seating the anvils. Will give those a test next week.
Questions for those who have "Distilled" Nitro Cellulose from Smokeless Powder previously for use as a liquid binder:
1. From my description; is there a place I went wrong in the process?
2. Will the extracted liquid contain a suspended Nitro Cellulose that will dry as a binder with the mixture/s; or am I simply getting an Acetone/Alchol wetting action?
3. The 20:1 Alcohol to Varnish I used in the past - supposedly acted as a wetting agent, and a binder forming a PILL of the priming mixture on the cup when dried. This worked well with a 100% success rate for several hundred primers perviously when the humidity was low; will the NC solution work the same for higher humidity ? - or am I barking up the wrong tree? I had considered staying with the 20:1 Varnish solution; just getting a desk lamp with traditional bulb as a "Dryer" for the remanufactured primers.
Goal is obviously to get back to that 100% success rate with the Remanufactured Primers. Thoughts: