My homemade black powder

[maillemaker]

OK, I have just read the entirety of 18 U.S. Code Chapter 40.

I think we are OK.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/t...t-I/chapter-40

According to the law as linked,

You can store up to 50 pounds of commercial black powder for personal use.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/845

"(5) commercially manufactured black powder in quantities not to exceed fifty pounds, percussion caps, safety and pyrotechnic fuses, quills, quick and slow matches, and friction primers, intended to be used solely for sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes in antique firearms as defined in section 921(a)(16) of title 18 of the United States Code, or in antique devices as exempted from the term “destructive device” in section 921(a)(4) of title 18 of the United States Code;"

A manufacturer includes someone who makes it for his own use.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/841

"(h) “Manufacturer” means any person engaged in the business of manufacturing explosive materials for purposes of sale or distribution or for his own use."

But small arms ammunition and components thereof are excluded:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/845

"(4) small arms ammunition and components thereof;"

The passage I quoted earlier about black powder being excluded from the definition of ammunition applies to commerce of explosives Title 27 Part 555.11

This is important!

The Federal Explosives Law and Regulations book, (The "Orange Book"), covers Title 18, Chapter 40 and Title 27, Part 555!

https://www.atf.gov/explosives/docs/...54007/download

Title 40 is about the Importation, Manufacture, Distribution and Storage of Explosive Materials.

Title 72 is about Commerce in Explosives!

I had been searching the document for the term "Black Powder" and erroneously quoted the passage on ammunition and black powder from Title 72!

"Ammunition. Small arms ammunition or cartridge cases, primers, bullets, or smokeless propellants designed for use in small arms, including percussion caps, and 3/32 inch and other external burning pyrotechnic hobby fuses. The term does not include black powder."

This is about Commerce in Explosives!

Since we are not selling, I don't think Commerce in Explosives applies to us.

I think we are subject to Title 18, Chapter 40, and it excludes "small arms ammunition and components thereof".

So I think we are OK.

[HighUintas]

I debarked some of my Paulownia branches and dried them. After drying, it has this brown thin layer. Do you all think it's part of the bark and has high lignin content and should be removed, or do you think it's just a layer of sapwood?

The look of the edge of the brown layer makes me think it's not a wood layer and should be removed.

[Vettepilot]

Regarding the recent discussion here...

Right now, we are a quirky little, (thankfully ignored), tiny subculture. But just wait 'till somebody gets hurt trying to make primers because of this dam shortage, and watch how fast they take yet MORE of our rights and freedom away. (For our own "safety" of course....)

Makes my "blood boil"!

Vettepilot

[indian joe]

Regarding the recent discussion here...

Right now, we are a quirky little, (thankfully ignored), tiny subculture. But just wait 'till somebody gets hurt trying to make primers because of this dam shortage, and watch how fast they take yet MORE of our rights and freedom away. (For our own "safety" of course....)

Makes my "blood boil"!

Vettepilot

I said dumb move - that wasnt appreciated - bothers me none - anybody pursues the legality (or not) of this game with shiny bum officials, badge toters, or lawyers, is gonna end up with the bureaucratic equivalent of shootin themselves in the foot - have we not got enough problems without inviting more in the door???? .........................

[ChrisPer]

Thats a great platform. My tumble dryer is a PITA! Still working out a mill barrel that doesn't leak.

[henryinpanama]

If we could just confine our government to the powers delegated, and more importantly, prohibited, to it, the whole discussion about the legality of making BP would be moot.

[Vettepilot]

I said dumb move - that wasnt appreciated - bothers me none - anybody pursues the legality (or not) of this game with shiny bum officials, badge toters, or lawyers, is gonna end up with the bureaucratic equivalent of shootin themselves in the foot - have we not got enough problems without inviting more in the door???? .........................

Yeah. I can just visualize some effing politician going "What??!! They can make gun powder at home??!!?? Oh NO, NO, NO, we're not going to allow THAT. And what do you MEAN there's a type of gun that's not regulated????????!!?" "Well, we'll just see about THAT!!"

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

AH, computer glitches. It took me forever to get these pics uploaded darnit. Anyway, here is my treadmill, converted to a ball mill. It can be converted back to use as a treadmill in about a minute. Seemed like a cool way to go...

5/8" solid steel shaft, going through a 1-1/2" PVC roller, with sealed ball bearings. I cut down some PVC adapters to use as flanges to keep the jar in place centered.

Also shown are my 3 PVC ball mill jars. I use the smallest one for cleaning brass mostly. They each have "trippers" glued in place, 120 degrees apart. They work great!

Vettepilot

[HighUintas]

I just picked up a bucket of wheel weights for 20 bucks for pouring into my scrap copper tubing, so let's hope it's not 95% steel and zinc weights

[LAGS]

The Zinc WW will work to cast into you copper tubing for tumbling media.
That will save you using up all your WW lead.

[Vettepilot]

Yeah. That thing turned out rather well and I'm kinda proud of it. Yes, the roller is PVC. I had a set of ball bearings lying around, with a 5/8" i.d. So I bought a length of 5/8" steel rod, and used that for the axle of the roller. The o.d. of the bearings were a bit smaller than the i.d. of the roller, so I made adapter bushings out of cuts of PVC to bush the bearings and make them fit the PVC roller pipe. I machined up some set screw shaft collars to stop the roller from sliding sideways on the steel bar.

You should be able to source proper size bearings and set screw shaft collars on the web for very reasonable prices, and not have to do the adapting and machining I did. You can likely source everything from Amazon, but if you strike out on anything there or on E-bay, then use McMaster Carr. They have shipping that is better than Amazon speed wise!

A couple of angle brackets, a couple of conduit clamps to fasten the axle to the angle brackets, a couple of flanges glued onto the roller to keep the jar centered, and you have it. A good bit easier than building a tumbler from scratch.

Yes, the Oatey plug works quite well. I put a thin film of silicone grease on the rubber of it to allow the rubber to slide on it's bevel easier, and to assure it being leak proof. I too was going to use a brass bolt and use it to make small batches of BP, but I got to worrying not about sparking from metal to metal impact, but about a possible static spark. PVC is a WONDERFUL generator of static electricity, and I decided against using that setup for BP. It sure works bitchin' for brass cleaning though...

Someone is likely to jump in here and say "A static spark won't set off black powder." To that I say; the tests done on that I'm aware of were on commercial powder, NOT super fine, air float mill dust. Furthermore, the theory is that the sparks did not light off the powder due to it being graphite coated.

That largest of ball mill jars is made of 6" PVC. That takes a bunch of media to get the recommended 1/2 full amount, and then it's heavy!!

Good luck with your "Treadmill Ball mill"
Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Another way to do the same thing:

Using a hole saw, saw out two circles of 3/4" plywood with the same outside diameter as the inside diameter of your PVC roller. Then enlarge the center holes in the circles to 5/8" for the steel axle. Glue this all together as one solid unit. I recommend pure silicone glue, or better yet, Shoe Goo from Walmart. (Truly great glue if you have very clean surfaces and let it dry overnight.)

Then, use Pillow Block bearings for a 5/8" shaft on the outer ends. This way might be easier/less fussy about bearing fits, and also eliminates the angle brackets I had to use.

https://www.amazon.com/PGN-UCP202-10...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Send pics when ur done!!

Vettepilot

[maillemaker]

Someone is likely to jump in here and say "A static spark won't set off black powder." To that I say; the tests done on that I'm aware of were on commercial powder, NOT super fine, air float mill dust. Furthermore, the theory is that the sparks did not light off the powder due to it being graphite coated.

I was worried about static discharge and the effect on non-graphite-coated, homemade black powder, so I did a test with a taser:



I will do a test with green meal also. I don't think it will ignite.

Steve

[maillemaker]

I tried to set off a bit of green meal with the taser - no luck.

Black powder simply does not offer enough resistance to electrical current like this to appreciably heat up. There was an electrically-fired muzzle loader, and a fellow has an article on the web on how he made his own. It was quite a challenge to get enough current spread over a long-enough period of time to work.



Steve

[Vettepilot]

That's amazing Steve, and again, I really like how you think, and your drive!! You just never stop, do you?

Do you happen to have a link to the guy with the electrically fired muzzle loader?? That would make for some interesting reading...

Thanks,
Vettepilot

[maillemaker]

https://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml...lectricml.html

The web site has links embedded in it, so it can be a little hard to follow.

Here is one of the links showing experiments:
http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...ks/sparks.html

An update on his experiments that shows when he finally got it to work:
http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...eignition.html

[Vettepilot]

Thanks Steve.

Vettepilot

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I was worried about static discharge and the effect on non-graphite-coated, homemade black powder, so I did a test with a taser:

I will do a test with green meal also. I don't think it will ignite.

Steve

That's great information to know! Thanks for doing that.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I don't know about you guys, but I don't make black powder. I make black fertilizer for my garden. If anyone from the government should ask.

[LynC2]

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't make black powder. I make black fertilizer for my garden. If anyone from the government should ask."