My homemade black powder

[LAGS]

On my Main Load.
If the primer powder flashes at all , it does light off the main charge

[Brimstone]

My modified grain mill corning machine. I added the gears and modified the adjustment system to allow a wider range. The new shafts on the formerly free spinning roller are 3/8" and the adjustment knobs are turned from 1" round stock all from the hardware store. Let me warn you, that crap steel from the hardware store has nasty bits of recycled stuff in it that no amount of annealing will soften and it'll eat drill bits and carbide inserts like nothing you've ever seen.

The gears are from China, ebay. They were $10 each and available (pre-covid). I had no other source that wasn't either a long wait or beyond my price range. They're 45mm and annealed to allow boring and drilling of the mounting screws. The screws are hex head machine screws countersunk into the gear wall and screwed to the formerly free spinning roller.

The drive roller was easier, I bored the gear to press fit on the drive or crank shaft..whatever you want to call it. I have the rollers set 1/8" apart to churn out 1F,2F and 3F primarily and get 4F too. About 25% each. The 4F either goes to priming or re-press and corned again.

The rollers are stainless, the gears as you can see are not. I don't care.

I'm not worried about the thing being metal. It is an open design. There is no confinement anywhere. And quantity is a critical matter, this isn't churning out stupid quantity, just eating the chunks of a 1/4" thick x3" diameter puck at a time. Enough that ignition will remove arm hair and brown my pants but not enough to be a health hazard.

I geared it because the free spinning roller as it formerly was would stall and the moving roller would produce dust.
I would have preferred the gears outside the assembly but without much more extensive modification it wouldn't have worked. When the gap is adjusted the gears do as well so there is a limited range of adjustment with the modification to 1/16" - 1/4" gap between the rollers and I wanted to keep it both cheap and something I could get done on a Saturday.

It's just a simple functional tool to make corning of ceramic hard pucks just a little bit easier and quicker.

[DoubleBuck]

Brimstone;
As Fly told me, "You Science majors make my head hurt". hahaha
"You Machinists, get your ***** busy. If you don't have a job, find one.
You Fitters, figure it out, or get out.
And you damn Welders.... Well I guess you've proved rules don't apply to you, so just do what ever it is you do."
Looks like you found a job, Machinist!

[HamGunner]

A first for me. Was chronographing a few shots today at 25 yards using my Pietta 1851 Colt Navy. After firing six shots I wrote down the Chrono data and when I looked back at my target, it was smoldering and had burned a large hole in the target and the greasy Pizza box cardboard that I was using for a target backing. Hot wad torched it off I guess. I had to go put the fire out.

I was getting about 4 out of six in the black. About average for me these days and I certainly am not bragging about the accuracy as I suspect the revolver is capable of better if by someone with younger eyes, but had to show off my Black Powder ignited target.

On note of the burning wad igniting the paper target, I remember watching one of the Wyatt Earp movies where someone had gotten shot point blank right outside of the saloon. The guy's vest caught on fire and I certainly do now believe that such could very likely have happened from a close up shot of flaming BP.

Was getting about 650 fps average with my 76.5 gr. round ball using a 24 gr. load of my home made Black Willow FFFG. That is about the same velocity as I got with the same weight charge of FFFG Goex. Goex needed less volume for the same weight of course. I think I remember that my Black Willow only weighed about 22 grains for that same volume.

I also ran tests to determine if there were any velocity or accuracy differences between Factory CCI #10 percussion caps and my own caps that I made up using .008 diameter flashing in my Tap a Cap and using the old H 48 formula that I slightly modified by adding 1% air float aluminum powder and 1% BP fines. I found very little difference In velocity nor accuracy and could not determine enough difference to chart.

[DoubleBuck]

HamGunner;
"Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just set your vest on fire." ha
Great update and it looks like you've got it going on!

[ChrisPer]

Great work Brimstone! I want to do that too.
And Hamgunner, no setting fire to my vest please.

[Hossfly]

HamGunner, are you using your own homemade wads, and if you are would you share what is is that your using?
I’ve been making my own, out of old felt mtrl. And soaking in beeswax and crisco, never seen any smoldering tho.
Have found some on ground about 1/2 way to target @ about 10-15 yards.

[Nobade]

Some years ago I was shooting a '51 Navy using wads lubed with Dick Dastardly's Pearl lube. Same thing except got done shooting, packed up to go, and looked back to see the target frame and backing burn to the ground. 2x4s and celotex go up pretty well. Certainly a lesson to remember if shooting in the woods.

[HWooldridge]

I saw a cotton patch from a .45 ML caplock catch some grass on fire on one occasion. Fortunately, I saw it so simply walked up and stamped it out - but would certainly have spread had I not seen the smoke and left the area. That patch was pillow ticking with Crisco/Beeswax lube.

[Vettepilot]

Speaking of fires...

Many years ago, when we were kids actually, a friend of mine was helping with some general cleanup around his family's ranchette/orchard. In order to set clearing fires and light off brush/tree cutting piles, he started making what he called "fire-loads" for his old 12 gauge shotgun. It was a load of powder with no projectile, intended to belch fire. I don't know the details, but think he was probably using smokeless powder.

Well, kids are especially prone to the "If some is good, more is better, and too much is just right" syndrome. He eventually loaded one up hot enough to blow up the gun. It blew into many pieces, and ripped his arm wide open from his elbow to his wrist. Luckily, he had been pointing it at the ground to start a fire; not holding it up by his face as in normal shooting. Ugly deal...

Vettepilot

[HamGunner]

HamGunner, are you using your own homemade wads, and if you are would you share what is is that your using?
I’ve been making my own, out of old felt mtrl. And soaking in beeswax and crisco, never seen any smoldering tho.
Have found some on ground about 1/2 way to target @ about 10-15 yards.

I am using thick wool felt that I saturated with melted Beeswax, Bore Butter, and Junior Lube. I also added a small amount of fragrant Essential oil just so they would smell good while I was loading them. When the lube has cooled it makes the wool felt fairly hard and I use a home made rotary cutter in my drill press to cut them out to .37-.38 Cal. size for a snug fit in the .36 cal. cylinder throats. I place the wad on top of the powder and use nothing on top of the ball.

I get very little build up in the bore and can shoot it for at least 60 shots before I even think about swabbing the bore. I have tried swabbing the bore between reloads to see if it makes a difference, but can see no difference in accuracy or fouling build up. My lube combination seems to do quite well, except for being flammable of course.

Actually, I do not have much trouble with the flaming wads using ball, but certainly do when using a conical bullet as it seems to stay on the base of the bullet almost all the way to the target and gives it more time to smolder I suppose. Recovered wads in front of the target all have burnt edges and backside, but the wads behind the conical bullets hang on longer than they do with ball obviously, because the conical has a flat base.

[DoubleBuck]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
About 10 or 12 hours of hand and shoulder falling off and she's back!
A couple of days ago, I told my friend (the owner) I was thinking about how I could NOT give him his rifle back.
So, I sent this picture of it to him this afternoon, and said, "MY new rifle is finished!!!
I was laughing, because two minutes later my phone rang, and he said, "I think we may need to discuss ownership of the gun." haha
His wife bought him the kit thirty years ago and after it got the jag and swab stuck and the ramrod separated, it's been put up dirty, on the wall. I'm glad I was able to bring it back, and he's grinning, so all is well. Somebody told me possession was 90% of the law, anyway.
Thanks to everybody that gave advice and support! Carry on!

[LAGS]

Question.
Did you pin both tips back on the ramrod ?

[DoubleBuck]

LAGS:
No, I haven't and the only reason is I have to find my brazing rod and find out what size it is, so I can drill the proper hole, but it will be done before it goes back in the barrel. Actually if it were mine, I would set that rod back, or just use it to load with, and have a good setup, to do anything else. That's what I do with my .58. But, it definitely will be pinned on both ends, and glued too, at least on one.

[Vettepilot]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
About 10 or 12 hours of hand and shoulder falling off and she's back!
A couple of days ago, I told my friend (the owner) I was thinking about how I could NOT give him his rifle back.
So, I sent this picture of it to him this afternoon, and said, "MY new rifle is finished!!!
I was laughing, because two minutes later my phone rang, and he said, "I think we may need to discuss ownership of the gun." haha
His wife bought him the kit thirty years ago and after it got the jag and swab stuck and the ramrod separated, it's been put up dirty, on the wall. I'm glad I was able to bring it back, and he's grinning, so all is well. Somebody told me possession was 90% of the law, anyway.
Thanks to everybody that gave advice and support! Carry on!

Well it's a beauty.

I don't know... "joint custody" maybe??

Naw, I wouldn't be happy with that either. I'd be ordering a new kit myself!

;~)

Vettepilot

[LAGS]

Today ,
When making my powder with the Balsa Charcoal.
I weighed up the air float balsa Charcoal compared to the Willow charcoal that I have.
The willow charcoal weighs 4 grains per CC
The Balsa weighs 2 grains per CC.
So in a batch of powder , there is twice the Volume of charcoal for the same weight.
The pucks are drying right now , and I will grind them up tomorrow.
But testing the milled powder , the balsa Charcoal made powder seems very fast and clean.
Let's see how it does once ground to proper grain size.

[indian joe]

Today ,
When making my powder with the Balsa Charcoal.
I weighed up the air float balsa Charcoal compared to the Willow charcoal that I have.
The willow charcoal weighs 4 grains per CC
The Balsa weighs 2 grains per CC.
So in a batch of powder , there is twice the Volume of charcoal for the same weight.
The pucks are drying right now , and I will grind them up tomorrow.
But testing the milled powder , the balsa Charcoal made powder seems very fast and clean.
Let's see how it does once ground to proper grain size.

somewhere I read Balsa is sposed to be the best - cost is the problem - if you can source it rea$onable you proly on a winner - pawlonia sposed to be about second best - willow is working for me and I can see em out the loungeroom window (this is hybrid willow salix matsudana x alba grown at the waters edge)

[Vettepilot]

Yeah, I too have heard Balsa is very good. But I have no idea where you'd source it for anything like a reasonable price. I'm an old R/C airplane nut, so I know about Balsa prices!

Vettepilot

[LAGS]

Well I did my first flash test on the Balsa Charcoal powder mix today.
It was so good , it singed the hair off my right arm.
I was doing a test compared to ones with Willow and TOH.
The Balsa is much faster , but not that much cleaner than Willow.

[HamGunner]

" Well I did my first flash test on the Balsa Charcoal powder mix today.
It was so good , it singed the hair off my right arm." Quote from LAGS post above.

I bet the Balsa BP would really ignite a bullet wad (or a vest).

Going back to the subject of flaming Black Powder and smoldering targets and such, I remembered a short story written by my friend JIM TAYLOR and published in (LEVERGUNS) about a gun fight at point blank range.

"The Rest of the Story: It Pays to be Lucky!"

Every one in Fort Worth knew that Jim Courtwright and Luke Short were going to fight. It was only a matter of time. And the money in town was bet on Jim. Able to draw and shoot at lightning speed with either hand he was known in those days as a "ring-tail whizzer with red-striped wheels". Neither of the two men were the kind to back up at all. On the evening of Feb.8, 1887 they came together on the street and began to argue. In the course of events both men pulled their guns. Luke Short fired first and missed Jim Courtwright by a foot (even though standing arms-length apart) except for the thumb on Courtwright's gun hand. Luke Short's "miss" took Courtwright's thumb off. As Courtwright went to shift the gun to his other hand Short stepped in and shot him 3 times, killing him.

That he was not a good shot Luke Short acknowledged. He once said the reason he used the .45 Colt was that if he "...missed the first shot the blast would set his opponents clothes on fire and distract them long enough for him to shoot again..."!! Get this... he is talking about missing at arm's length!!

But, he was a gunman. It takes something to stand toe to toe with a man, look him in the eye and be prepared to take as good as is given. Sometimes you would rather be lucky than good.

By JIM TAYLOR