My homemade black powder

[ChrisPer]

"Long shot" here:

@ChrisPer: are you the author of "Like Fire and Powder"??

Thanks,
Vettepilot

No, it's not me.

[ChrisPer]

I am excited by others' experimentation, but actually I just want a recipe that lets me do what I want. Handing money to a local store and taking out a kilo of top powder strikes me as the recipe I really want. Missing one ingredient though; a state that allows a supply chain to flourish.

[indian joe]

The jar has an inner diameter of 4 inches the balls are .57 and there are small steps or baffles. Now according to ball mill theory you should run the milll at about 65% of the critical rpm. For my configuration, thats about 90 rpm. Before I changed it, it was running around 50 rpm, I'm closer now at 86. There seems to be a sweet spot where if you run it too much under or over you get inefficient milling. Of course you need to also use the right filling ratios 50%-25%-25%.

Ok thanks for the reply, 4 inch drum vs 6 inch drum = higher peripheral speed, we wouldnt be far apart. I have not timed mine accurately, if I got it wrong would be more likely I underestimated rather than over. No baffles here - PVC pipe drum - thought it would be wore out by now but no sign of that. Grinding media is getting lumpy (soft lead balls - bout time for an upgrade - that means a BIG casting session)

[Vettepilot]

Ok thanks for the reply, 4 inch drum vs 6 inch drum = higher peripheral speed, we wouldnt be far apart. I have not timed mine accurately, if I got it wrong would be more likely I underestimated rather than over. No baffles here - PVC pipe drum - thought it would be wore out by now but no sign of that. Grinding media is getting lumpy (soft lead balls - bout time for an upgrade - that means a BIG casting session)

Ha!! Yes, big casting session... You should try doing enough for a 6"x9" jar, into half inch copper tubes! No mold! That's a bigger/longer session yet.

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

I am excited by others' experimentation, but actually I just want a recipe that lets me do what I want. Handing money to a local store and taking out a kilo of top powder strikes me as the recipe I really want. Missing one ingredient though; a state that allows a supply chain to flourish.

It actually would be nice to walk into a store and buy it!! Nowhere any where near here to do that. It's pay the big bucks to order it online, if/when it's even available there.

Vettepilot

[indian joe]

Ha!! Yes, big casting session... You should try doing enough for a 6"x9" jar, into half inch copper tubes! No mold! That's a bigger/longer session yet.

Vettepilot

yeah 6"x 9" - you stole my mill jar!!!! -- but does a kilo of meal at the time tho ............................

[Dieselhorses]

Ok been a while since I been in here. Looks like things are "advancing" quite a bit since last visit! First question, does "Fly" still sell "puck dies"? Is "Fly" still on here? Got some catching up to do.

[HamGunner]

I am not sure that Fly is still making dies. I know at one time that he got frustrated with several that he was dealing with and threatened to quit making them.
You can get them here.
https://www.woodysrocks.com/store/p2...k_Press.html#/

[ChrisPer]

yeah 6"x 9" - you stole my mill jar!!!! -- but does a kilo of meal at the time tho ............................

Huh. Is that 9" axial length or diameter? I use 150mm poly sewer pipe, and would have liked to go larger diameter but the plumbing houses didn't stock it. As it is, the 6" does very well and my rate limiting steps are not the mill capacity.

[LAGS]

If you want some 8" dia.
PVC pipe to build a mill out of.
Just look around your area for a Underground Contractor.
They throw out a lot of Off Cut prices.
Also contact your city and see if they are doing any sewer or Fire line contracts in your area.
Then just stop by the site and talk to their foreman.
I worked in construction for 33 years and people were always looking for scrap like the PVC to make things out of.
Looking and asking is well worth it.

[DoubleBuck]

Ok been a while since I been in here. Looks like things are "advancing" quite a bit since last visit! First question, does "Fly" still sell "puck dies"? Is "Fly" still on here? Got some catching up to do.

Fly's last post was #3151, in response to a question I asked. As far as I know, that was his last post on this thread.

[indian joe]

Huh. Is that 9" axial length or diameter? I use 150mm poly sewer pipe, and would have liked to go larger diameter but the plumbing houses didn't stock it. As it is, the 6" does very well and my rate limiting steps are not the mill capacity.

9" long x 6"diameter
working on a bigger setup and was gonna use the canister from a cheap 10 litre pump sprayer (cheap - easy to replace) ----but other one is doing ok so far.

[Dieselhorses]

Fly's last post was #3151, in response to a question I asked. As far as I know, that was his last post on this thread.

Thanks for the heads up. Hope he’s ok!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ChrisPer]

If you want some 8" dia.
PVC pipe to build a mill out of.
Just look around your area for a Underground Contractor.
They throw out a lot of Off Cut prices.
Also contact your city and see if they are doing any sewer or Fire line contracts in your area.
Then just stop by the site and talk to their foreman.
I worked in construction for 33 years and people were always looking for scrap like the PVC to make things out of.
Looking and asking is well worth it.

Thanks LAGS! I guess the plumbers supply shops operate up to a certain scale then stop. Its a pity - we had an area around us sewered a few years ago, and I finally coughed up big bucks to have our house connected; what wasted opportunity! I paid full price both ways.

[LAGS]

@ChrisPer.
The local plumbing suppliers or hardware stores don't carry anything bigger that thinner wall 6" PVC pipe.
Not to many people dig and install their own Sewer Main lines or fire lines.
I don't know if you have any large construction projects like housing tracks like here in Phoenix.
But larger PVC pipe can be found from time to time in their dumpsters .
But again Ask if you can dumpster dive.
If you can't find the End Caps for the 8" pipe.
You can make something out of plywood.
That thick scrap stuff can also be found in construction dumpsters , along with threaded rod and all kinds of other stuff you can use for your projects.
Boy I miss running construction sites now that I retired.
I use to get hundreds of pounds of lead a year when they did roofing on my projects.

[DoubleBuck]

Thanks for the heads up. Hope he’s ok!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I live close to him and was looking forward to possibly meeting him. He was instrumental in getting this thread where it is. I read the thread for three years before I joined the site and he was one of the main reasons. Two weeks or so later, he drug up. I'm hoping he is well, too.

[Vettepilot]

Yeah. If I recall, he kind of came and went a few times, and threatened leaving. Then he did leave. Too bad. Don't have any idea what the problem was...

Vettepilot

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Just got a 4570 single shot Henry and scored a couple pounds of 4198. But I would like to try some home brewed holy black sooner or later. Will have to pick up a book on using it in cartridges.

[DoubleBuck]

Vettepilot;
I just sent you a message about your wood.

[DoubleBuck]

Just got a 4570 single shot Henry and scored a couple pounds of 4198. But I would like to try some home brewed holy black sooner or later. Will have to pick up a book on using it in cartridges.

The rifle sounds sweet and if you choose to go black, you'll never go back. haha. Welcome to your new addiction, and chemically induced hobby!