My homemade black powder

[maillemaker]

Found an interesting link on the production of charcoal. Talks about the chemical processes. They are making it for fuel though, not gunpowder:

https://www.blukarb.com/english/process/

I'm thinking of getting one of the fifteen dollar BBQ thermometers that reads up to 800 - 1000 and mounting it in a paint can lid. Then cook the charcoal on a propane turkey fryer and regulate it as needed to maintain the 600 degree or less temperature.

I'm thinking along the same lines. I am trying to research the chemistry of black powder charcoal to see if we can nail down a specific recipe.

Steve

[SeaMonkey]

Ulrich Bretscher in Switzerland did a comprehensive study of Charcoal and Black Powder.

Ulrich's web page about Charcoal

Ulrich's Main Menu Page

How Ulrich made his Charcoal and Powder for testing.

[Eddie2002]

Great links, thanks. I noticed that his article on charcoal has the testing done using a different recipe than the standard 75,15,10. Instead he uses a 75% saltpeter, 13% for sulfur and only 12% for charcoal and it shows comparable or better performance compared to commercial brands.I read somewhere that increasing the sulfur by one or two percent decreases the ignition temperature which would be useful for rock locks, I would think it gives a faster burn also.

[maillemaker]

Thanks for the links seamonkey!

Steve

[Vettepilot]

I think this will work well. Now to find the time to try it out!!

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Managed to get time to go fill a propane bottle last week. Waited in line 30 minutes, only to find my bottle was expired and they wouldn't fill it.

Went again a couple of days later with another tank. Turns out that one leaks.

Dammit!!

Got the book "Never for want of powder" from Abe books. Arrived yesterday, looks like it's going to be a fun read. It's about the Confederate powder works during the civil war.

Vettepilot

[ButchC]

I read through the files here and started taking a few notes, a lot of fascinating material. You want to read parts 1-9 first and while the graphs and analysis can bog you down, it's worth reading twice to digest the info.

https://1858remington.com/index.php?topic=12299.0

Ian von Maltitz - Black Powder Manufacturing, Testing & Optimizing is available online as a PDF, skimmed it and found some good points but nothing as earth shattering as Knight's work since he's gearing towards the shooter more than the pyrotechnic tech.

[maillemaker]

I think this will work well. Now to find the time to try it out!!

Vettepilot

Wow that looks top shelf! What parts did you use?

[maillemaker]

My main takeaway was cooler/less complete burn charcoal is better than hotter/more complete burn

I think you are right, IndianJoe. Also, good shooting!

Steve

[maillemaker]

I read through the files here and started taking a few notes, a lot of fascinating material. You want to read parts 1-9 first and while the graphs and analysis can bog you down, it's worth reading twice to digest the info.

https://1858remington.com/index.php?topic=12299.0

Ian von Maltitz - Black Powder Manufacturing, Testing & Optimizing is available online as a PDF, skimmed it and found some good points but nothing as earth shattering as Knight's work since he's gearing towards the shooter more than the pyrotechnic tech.

Fascinating stuff. I'm reading the PDF on the Swiss company right now. While not completely revealing, there are a lot of details about how they cook their charcoal. For example, they cook 320-380C for 8 hours for 65% carbon.

Steve

[maillemaker]

The gunpowder produced in the Swiss powder plant is the only presently
produced black powder that is truly "moist-burning". This is the direct result of the
creosote content of their in-house produced charcoal. When you bum pure carbon you get
no water as a product of combustion. Bum a liquid hydrocarbon and some water will be
produced during powder combustion.

During the charring of the wood, lignin in the wood is converted to various
phenolic-structured hydrocarbons. One of these being creosote. The creosote produced
during the destructive distillation of wood is different from that produced by the
destructive distillation of coal or by the "cracking' of petroleum crude oils.
When the Swiss limit there wood charring temperature to 300 to 320 degrees
Centigrade they insure that the creosote produced during the destructive distillation
process is retained within the charcoal. Allowing the charring temperature to rise above
320 degrees Centigrade will cause the creosote to flash off and leave the cylinder in the
cylinder exhaust gases. By 350 degrees Centigrade, all of the creosote will have been
flashed off and lost through the cylinder stack vent.

The Swiss charcoal will show about 8% by weight of creosote while other brands
will show none to only a slight trace.

Interesting.

[trjones]

Doesn't look like fly comes here anymore?

[SeaMonkey]

ButchC,

Many thanks for your link to the History of Black Powder which in turn led to: The Open Range: The complete Mad Monk Files by bill knight

Link to the Archive Zip File which contains all 23 files in one large .zip

It is truly a treasure trove!

[Vettepilot]

Wow that looks top shelf! What parts did you use?

Nah. Nothing "Top Shelf" for this poor old boy. I can't remember if I got the cast iron Dutch Oven from Walmart on sale, or Harbor Freight. Then just drilled holes and tapped them 1/4" pipe thread for vents, and a hole for a 10 dollar barbeque thermometer. I drilled holes in the pipe plugs and brazed nails into them for hand-screwing handles. Then heated them and bent the curly-ques in just to be cute and kinda Steampunk/old fashioned looking.

Yeah, we haven't heard from Fly in a long time. I miss his posts.

Indian Joe sells himself short though. He's well accomplished as you can see, and ya can't go wrong following his advice either!

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Well, thanks to you guys my research library that got lost due to a micro SD card malfunction is getting rebuilt. Thanks!!

As has been pointed out, all the info we really need is right here in this thread, but I still enjoy reading and studying about black powder. I'm that way about anything and everything that interests me!

Vettepilot

[maillemaker]

Powder that has not been polished, or glazed, is generally considered to be
unsuited for use as a propellant powder in a firearms. That is not to say that it cannot be
used, it simply does not work as well as a polished powder when it comes to accuracy
with the gun.

Another interesting quote from the Swiss PDF.

Steve

[Vettepilot]

It wouldn't take much for you to run a test with your powder. Just take a select batch, and throw it in your tumbler with some scraps of denim (Levi) material.

Just as a guess, for your tumbler, I would try some 1.5" square scraps of Levi, about half full in your jar...

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Certainly not necessary, as your excellent results show, and history proves as well.

I'm just curious is all...

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

I was just going back through the last 10 pages or so, looking for a post where Mailemaker had mentioned having a "kaboom". Can't find it... did I dream that? Sux getting old.

Anyway, Indian Joe, again, results to be VERY proud of sir! I hadn't noticed 'till the re-read that those you posted were at 100 yards with IRON SIGHTS! Very nice!!

Vettepilot

[maillemaker]

No booms here!

Steve