My homemade black powder

[HWooldridge]

Good. There may still be hope. I know there is production in areas such as the automobile industry. Not saying that is your area, just adding this because I tend to omit that sector by choice, focusing mainly on smaller industry, such as the many household names we all grew up with. A lot of the little guys have caved in. The older generation dies and the young ones immediately sell it to offshore for a quick dollar, since it's not impacting themselves in any way, only the consumers like us. I'm reminded of Mrs. Baird's bread....they had the best cinnamon rolls. Now it has been sold to a company in Mexico, and they refuse to make the cinnamon rolls, and on top of that, their bread is now terrible. For me, that is the straw that broke the camel's back.

We primarily make parts for the firearms industry, medical applications, electronics, aerospace, consumer and heavy trucking. Not much directly for the automotive industry - either the Big Three or Tier One suppliers. Probably 25% of our parts go into tire inflation systems for big rigs.

[ConstructionK88]

Indeed. I only use sparing amounts of water to help it melt evenly. Dampening the charcoal and sulfur helps it incorporate much more easily than if its dry...tends to float.

[ConstructionK88]

Not to be "that guy" but why are you using sodium nitrate? That stuff sucks up water faster than the Arizona sun in August. PN is wayyy less hydroscopic and has less fouling byproducts. Let alone the cost difference is hardly noticeable

[indian joe]

Not to be "that guy" but why are you using sodium nitrate? That stuff sucks up water faster than the Arizona sun in August. PN is wayyy less hydroscopic and has less fouling byproducts. Let alone the cost difference is hardly noticeable

I missed that!!! Sodium nitrate works - they make cheap blasting powder with it (or used to) - but if there is a problem with deterioration over time that is IT! look no further!
hoping this is due to a misprint somewhere and not really what is being used ??

[ConstructionK88]

Indeed it does "work" but not what I'd say is good enough to use it. I had years ago bought 40lbs of the crap for said reason. I used maybe 100 grams. Gave my dad the rest to toss in his garden. That stuff is as bad as ammonium nitrate.

[DoubleBuck]

Bit of an off topic comment.
I've been saving flints and springs and a few valves from Bic cigarette lighters, for quite some time. I guess it's the mizer in me.
I turned off the pilot lights (3) on my gas stove, probably 30 years ago, to save propane. We use a Bic, to light the burners. In fact, we use only the spark, from used up lighters. Flints last over a year, using them several times per day, to light the burners.
My question is, anyone using a flint rifle ever tried to adapt lighter flints to one? I don't use a flint rifle, but have thought of the lighter flints many times; which are normally just thrown away. I probably have 25 of them, or more ratted back.
Over the years, I have found a couple of uses, for the springs.

[dondiego]

I save the flints from discarded lighters for my Zippo lighter. My good friend and huntin' buddy gave me a 3/8 inch diameter by 6 inch long "flint" for fire starting. This piece of material would adapt well to a flintlock.

[LAGS]

I have considered making a Wheel Lock rifle using a lock made out of the cigarette lighter wheel and flint.
I always come up with funky projects just to have fun

[dondiego]

The "flints" in BIC lighters are not made of flint at all. They are a type of metal that sparks really well.

[LAGS]

The flints in Bic's are not actually Flint.
That is why it is best to use them with the wheel to make a spark.
I don't think they would hold up to the force of a hammer swinging them into the frizen.
I like making things out of old or extra parts left over from other things.
In fact.
Right now I am building a percussion pistol out of misc.
Parts that I have just sitting around that don't match up as far as models like locks, barrels and triggers.
I will probably do a thread on the build.
I have been taking pictures of the build so I have a record of what I am making.
Some will say it is a Bubba'ed build.
But I just can't see waiting find all the parts to build a perfectly matching gun out of parts.
@ DoubleBuck.
You have 50 sets of guitar strings ?
Why don't you build a Harp out of them ?

[dondiego]

Lighter flints are made of: Ferocerium, which is an alloy composed of 19% Iron, 38% Cerium, 22% Lanthanum, 4% Neodymium, 4% Praseodymium and 4% Magnesium

[Nobade]

Something like this?
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/4471550.pdf

I bought one of those from Mr Kyper years ago to play with. It does indeed work quite well. It uses much larger ferro rods than a normal cigarette lighter, I was never able to find the correct ones though ones to fit a torch lighter were close. You glue a piece of suede to the frizzen to give the wheel some traction. I don't see any evidence that he is still alive or anybody is still selling them.

[LAGS]

This is the wrong thread to discuss the types of ignition for our guns or testing our powder.
But I just thought about trying the ignition for my barbeque to test the powder I make, or maybe try making an igniter for one of my flinters out of one.
That would be interesting.
A push button trigger to fire your rifle.

[DoubleBuck]

Nobade;
That is very cool and I bet it does work!

[Vettepilot]

You might find that it is very difficult to set off powder with an electrical spark if that's what you're thinking with the barbeque lighter LAGS. Many people have, including Remington.

Vettepilot

[Capn Jack]

Has anyone tried using sugar in place of charcoal to make their powder?

[dondiego]

You might find that it is very difficult to set off powder with an electrical spark if that's what you're thinking with the barbeque lighter LAGS. Many people have, including Remington.

Vettepilot

These are sparks that are similar to a flint and steel spark, not electrical.

[dtknowles]

These are sparks that are similar to a flint and steel spark, not electrical.

I think the problem with the electrical sparks is they do not hit the powder they go from the electrode to ground passing around the powder.
Tim

[LAGS]

@ Capn Jack
I use to make powder using sugar and Kno3.
It was for Rockets or making fuses.
I am sure there are people who have tried it in BP guns.
But from what I remember.
As rocket fuel , it burned slower

[dtknowles]

@ Capn Jack
I use to make powder using sugar and Kno3.
It was for Rockets or making fuses.
I am sure there are people who have tried it in BP guns.
But from what I remember.
As rocket fuel , it burned slower

I think some of the BP subs are made using a kind of sugar.

Tim