Originally Posted by
DoubleBuck
I think we're all pretty much saying the same thing and the confusion is coming from the way we're saying it.
We all agree that dry PUCK density needs to be around 1.7 grams per CC. That seems to be the Commercial target and ours, as well.
The powder once broken up has grain density the same as it was in the puck. The size and shape of those grains is what determines the volume/weight density in a measure.
If Swiss 2FF gives a weight of about 100 grains, in a 100 grain volume measure, and our H.M. is less, but our pucks DRY both had the 1.7 g/cc density, then the only difference should be the size and shape of the grains, in the measure. Same with our powder. If those grains of powder are different in size and shape, but equal density, the larger grain sizes with smooth edges will weigh more in a volume measure, than smaller grains with rough edges. You can simply get more weight in the same space.
If we can get the 1.7 density goal and not the 100 grain weight in a 100 grain volume measure, I would submit that our grain sizes and/or shape are not equal, to a powder that will.
My personal powder has always weighed light, in a volume measure, to Swiss, until about a year ago, when someone came up with the cycling the press and longer wait times, on compression. From that time, my powder became nearly equal to Swiss, in Volume, for a given weight. I haven't changed screens, or other processes. My last measured dry puck had a density of 1.722 g/cc. But using a 20 ton press, and letting it set an hour, I'm now wondering if I have had pucks much greater in density and didn't know it. Or why that puck set six hours in the press when I went to bed and forgot it, and yet it only had a density of 1.7. Nonetheless, I'm happy it did. BUT, I don't know if I wasn't getting the same density the old way of pressing (hit it with 20 tons for a minute and call it good), or not. SOMETHING changed when I started waiting longer on the press, and cycling it. I have checked densities before and got that same 1.7, but only when I started pressing longer and cycling, did it hit the volume mark in the measure.