My homemade black powder

[Sandro_ventania]

What do you think about opening a new topic, just for golden powder and crimson powder? Sister topic to this one.

[Trapper-Jack]

a I don't even know how much I can make myself understood... I don't think even half of what I say...��

Your translation is coming through quite well! I appreciate what you have to contribute. It all expands our knowledge.

[DoubleBuck]

Sandro;
If you're using a translator, it must be a good one! I have understood basically everything you have said. You're doing excellent!
I'm not sure how to start a new thread, but I'm sure it's easy. Make one, and see if it blows up. This one did, 11 years or more, ago.

[HamGunner]

What do you think about opening a new topic, just for golden powder and crimson powder? Sister topic to this one.

I would think, yes. Many others would surely wish to try out this type of powder and they would be more likely to see the topic if it was opened on another thread. I for one, would like to give it a try myself, once this winter weather gets on back North where it belongs. But first, I will finish testing out my TP Black.

And yes, Sandro, thanks for your effort.

[Nobade]

Nobade;
What did you conclude about the new treadmill tumbler? Is it a keeper?

I think so. It is a lot faster than my old one, and really seems to do a good job. I want to make some different drums for it to see if I can improve on the design but otherwise the tumbler itself is great. Treadmills are a really good source to build ball mills since they have pretty much everything you need already and you can find them for cheap at yard sales and thrift stores.

[Nobade]

What do you think about opening a new topic, just for golden powder and crimson powder? Sister topic to this one.

Yes, start one and I'll go there too. And I agree with the others, your translations are just fine.
I did discover how to get the YouTube translator to work, and I can get more out of the videos from the guy you shared the link to. That is super helpful as well.

[Sandro_ventania]

Yes, start one and I'll go there too. And I agree with the others, your translations are just fine.
I did discover how to get the YouTube translator to work, and I can get more out of the videos from the guy you shared the link to. That is super helpful as well.

Nobade, foi aberto o tópico da pólvora dourada. Por favor, usando o seu bom inglês, diga lá como você fez. Tenho medo do tradutor dar alguma orientação errada.

[Nobade]

Sandro, achei o novo tópico e já comecei a postar por lá. Obrigado pela educação, vou ser interessante para ver onde vai.

[Nobade]

Now, back to black powder over here. I'm hoping to get some pucks pressed if the temperature goes above 12 deg F today. It's too cold for my press to work!

[Sandro_ventania]

Now, back to black powder over here. I'm hoping to get some pucks pressed if the temperature goes above 12 deg F today. It's too cold for my press to work!

try pressing a small amount, making thin discs one at a time. Let's see if you can also achieve high density like me.

[Nobade]

I actually go in the other direction as far as density. I am following Brett Gibbons' lead and trying to reproduce RFG. (Rifle Fine Grain) that the English used in their ammo. I have found that a density of around 6 gm/cc actually gives higher velocity and cleaner burning than the really heavy powder. The drawback, of course, is that it is not possible to get as much into cartridges.

[2TM101]

What do you think about opening a new topic, just for golden powder and crimson powder? Sister topic to this one.

I would say yes. I just got back from the range where I fired 100 rounds of Golden Powder 9mm. I just get astonished looks when I tell people what the powder is. Smoke is not too different, maybe a lighter color, though just as much. The smell is fairly distinctive. Not unpleasant, just different.

Now be aware this was not in a semiauto, just like BP it does not have the power to cycle the action. It was in a S&W 986. The claims of 10% more power may or may not be true as I have not done any chrono testing as of yet. The 50% less residue may be optimistic, but is indeed noticeably less and cleans off quickly.

Lots more I can say but I'll wait for it to be its own topic.

[2TM101]

Now, back to black powder over here. I'm hoping to get some pucks pressed if the temperature goes above 12 deg F today. It's too cold for my press to work!

Here in Los Angeles the temperature isn't the problem but I won't go into that....

My press works fine - I think. 6 ton press and 40mm die (1.98 square inches) which means I'm getting just over 6000 Psi. Which is far more than what is needed for the Sulfur to be the binder. But I may be doing something else not wrong, but inefficiently.

When I grind my pucks Only about half of it comes out in the 1f to 3f range. I get equal amounts of 2FA (Canon Powder) and 4f-5f-dust. I repuck the dust and get the same results. So my grinding process must be flawed somehow.

If you are curious, I use the canon powder in 45-70 loads and the 4f / 5f in 38 special fired in a 357

[Sandro_ventania]

I would say yes. I just got back from the range where I fired 100 rounds of Golden Powder 9mm. I just get astonished looks when I tell people what the powder is. Smoke is not too different, maybe a lighter color, though just as much. The smell is fairly distinctive. Not unpleasant, just different.

Now be aware this was not in a semiauto, just like BP it does not have the power to cycle the action. It was in a S&W 986. The claims of 10% more power may or may not be true as I have not done any chrono testing as of yet. The 50% less residue may be optimistic, but is indeed noticeably less and cleans off quickly.

Lots more I can say but I'll wait for it to be its own topic.

The topic has already been opened. Please go there and leave your testimonial...it will be greatly appreciated! I'm sure many are unaware of this gunpowder!

[HWooldridge]

Nobade;
What did you conclude about the new treadmill tumbler? Is it a keeper?

HW;
Did you ever have a chance to try out the TP powder in your 44-40? You may be in this deep freeze someone opened up. I have put near everything but gathering the next batch of wood for the heater, on hold. It has been brutally cold here. As the guy when I was young said, "Everthin's all frez up."

No, DB - haven’t had an opportunity to load or go shooting, weather has been bad and the forecast is about the same for at least 10 days.

[2TM101]

As a snotty nosed pre-teen kid I not only made my own BP, but managed to ignite some sewer gas with a home made bomb. It caused some aggravation for my neighborhood

The most damage I ever did had nothing to do with powder or firearms. It was when I was modifying old crank phones to talk on modern phone lines. It is actually fairly simple to do (add one capacitor to the ringing circuit). However you need to disconnect the magneto. If you just hook up an old wooden wall phone and crank it, you can actually knock out the entire local telephone exchange. It now been two decades since I did that so I guess I can talk about it now, but my net worth is less than the damage I apparently did.

Maybe I'm the reason nobody here uses landlines here any more. Good thing I only make explosives now.

[Nobade]

Some of us have a lot in common around here...

[Swineherd]

Here in Los Angeles the temperature isn't the problem but I won't go into that....

My press works fine - I think. 6 ton press and 40mm die (1.98 square inches) which means I'm getting just over 6000 Psi. Which is far more than what is needed for the Sulfur to be the binder. But I may be doing something else not wrong, but inefficiently.

When I grind my pucks Only about half of it comes out in the 1f to 3f range. I get equal amounts of 2FA (Canon Powder) and 4f-5f-dust. I repuck the dust and get the same results. So my grinding process must be flawed somehow.

If you are curious, I use the canon powder in 45-70 loads and the 4f / 5f in 38 special fired in a 357

What kind of grinder are you using? I use a galvanized cast iron grain grinder, I believe many others here do as well. I get about 35 to 40% each of 2f and 3f by running the mill pretty coarse, sifting each grind and regrinding the big stuff. The remaining 20 to 30% of fines are tossed in with the meal to be pucked again, of course. I'm sure my process can be improved for efficiency in both time and effort. But, I really like the grain grinder! Beats the snot out of the tiny ceramic burr coffee grinder I started with and broke within about 30 min of use.

Oh and BTW, I think it's awesome you're loading more modern cartridges with black and golden powders. Very cool.

[HamGunner]

When I grind my pucks Only about half of it comes out in the 1f to 3f range. I get equal amounts of 2FA (Canon Powder) and 4f-5f-dust. I repuck the dust and get the same results. So my grinding process must be flawed somehow.

I think it was Lags in posts far back that suggested that one could coarse grind and screen and then coarse grind again and screen the granules that are oversized, and then actually course grind again and screen before tightening up the grinder for a finer grind in order to reduce the fines. That is the method that I have been using and I have reduced my fines a good bit from what I was getting when just tightening up the grinder after every grind.

When I started out making Black, I first used a small ceramic coffee grinder and it worked okay, but was very tedious and I certainly ended up with far too many fines. I spent far too much time repairing the little grinder as it just was not tough enough for what I was dishing out for it to do.

In an Antique store, I found an old cast iron grain grinder like that described by Swineherd and it has made the grinding chore so much less tedious and labor intensive. I only grind one puck at a time and I turn the crank handle slowly keeping my face away from the hopper so there is very little danger of a spark or damage if it should actually ignite one puck's worth of powder.

My normal size batch of Black is 2 1/2 lbs. and I end up with just under 3/4 lb. of fines and the rest being 3F. I occasionally will keep some 2F for a buddy of mine to use in his .50 cal. when he shoots with me, but I only shoot revolvers and a .32 Cal. Squirrel rifle.

[Sandro_ventania]

What kind of grinder are you using? I use a galvanized cast iron grain grinder, I believe many others here do as well. I get about 35 to 40% each of 2f and 3f by running the mill pretty coarse, sifting each grind and regrinding the big stuff. The remaining 20 to 30% of fines are tossed in with the meal to be pucked again, of course. I'm sure my process can be improved for efficiency in both time and effort. But, I really like the grain grinder! Beats the snot out of the tiny ceramic burr coffee grinder I started with and broke within about 30 min of use.

Oh and BTW, I think it's awesome you're loading more modern cartridges with black and golden powders. Very cool.

I have preferred to grind the disc wet, the way it comes out of the press. I have less fines, so it puts a little less pressure on the small coffee grinder. Already ground BP dries much faster. After the ball mill, I can get the batch ready in just one step.