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Thread: My homemade black powder

  1. #7101
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vettepilot View Post
    Yeah, I tried Mesquite out too as I've got a ton of it. No good. It went off just fine, but as you say; slow and dirty.

    I imagined Wiley Coyote using my "Acme" instructions and making BP in his never ending quest to nail that pesky Roadrunner. It's ok, I didn't get any "laughs" the last time I posted it either...

    Unless Youtube took them down, there were some good instructions there sometimes.

    :~)

    Vettepilot
    We did appreciate it !!!
    Watching roadrunner cartoons saturday mornings with my small son was some of the best times ever
    We have em all on tape and on an occasional rainy day will waste an hour or two doing re runs (44 yrs and 74 yrs now)

  2. #7102
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trapper-Jack View Post
    As to my own personal experience, I have used a variety of percentages between the potassium nitrate and charcoal but I've always kept the sulfur at 10%. I've pretty much settled on the 75/15/10 ratios.

    My puck density has been running in the 1.65 to 1.8 range. I don't have a gauge to determine how much pressure I'm using to press my pucks.

    I usually break up the pucks after they are dried to where they will go through my grain grinder with a wooden hammer handle inside a 3 inch steel cup. It contains the powder without chance of a spark.

    I usually shoot a 2F-ish size powder. The screens I use most are passing a #16 and retained on a #30. I've lately been getting about 50 to 60% useable powder per grind. The fines have been going back into the next batch.

    Most of the powder I've been shooting has come from a hybrid willow used for wind break on my property. I have access to other willows but haven't tried them yet. This has been performing well for myself and my wife in our flintlocks. I've made some samples made of juniper, spruce quaking aspen and cedar charcoal but the jury is out on them until I get a chronograph.
    That hybrid willow is what I use - its been good.

    For muzzleloaders I make screened powder - I am lazy - its quicker and easier but mostly the yield % is way better - proly 80%

    I make pucks only for cartridge loading - hydraulic jack press - my density of measured grains in the measure is running around 92% compared to a vintage Goex sample I have

    For me there is no point in measuring puck density in the press process - I press 400 to 500 grams at the time in thin pucks with a mob of spacers in - I dont believe my measurements at that point would be meaningful -

  3. #7103
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    @ MAKE MINE A 10mm:

    Do try the "Tree of Paradise". I've always heard of it making very good powder. Yes, it is disliked because it is considered an invasive species and is often subject to eradication efforts. That does not change the fact that from everything I've seen/heard/read, it makes very good powder. Give it a try.

    EDIT TO ADD:
    Also, since you're just starting out, I'll mention that unless you're going to make powder for loading into cartridges, the pressing process is not necessary. It does nothing to increase power, it just makes it more dense so that more/enough fits into the brass cartridges for that type of shooting. It will take more volume of screened powder to achieve the same power as pressed powder, but so what? Muzzle loaders and cap and ball pistols have room for more powder.

    Lastly, we've mostly here come to the conclusion to not use graphite for various reasons. Polishing is optional, but probably not worthwhile either. About all it does is aid in pouring the powder...

    Vettepilot
    Last edited by Vettepilot; 05-03-2023 at 10:00 PM.
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  4. #7104
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    @IndianJoe:

    Thanks! I thought it was somewhat funny, while basically being accurate too.

    My daughter has always liked the older cartoons too. (Thank god!) The new ones are dreadful. Sponge Bob? How ridiculous!!

    ;~)

    Vettepilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  5. #7105
    Boolit Man mmb617's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vettepilot View Post
    @ MAKE MINE A 10mm:

    Lastly, we've mostly here come to the conclusion to not use graphite for various reasons. Polishing is optional, but probably not worthwhile either. About all it does is aid in pouring the powder...

    Vettepilot
    When I first started making my own corned powder I was having problems pouring it, so I tried adding a little graphite. It certainly didn't help and I thought it made the powder a little slower to ignite but that may have just been my preconceived notion that it would do that. But I know for sure it didn't pour better.

    What solved the pouring issue for me was better screening. Shaking the screens by hand was leaving too many fines mixed into my 3f which is pretty much all I shoot. That apparently was causing the pouring problem.

    I priced shaker tables and about had a heart attack, so I built my own using a Lyman vibratory tumbler designed to clean brass for reloading. It really shakes the screens well and I don't see any fines in my 3f anymore. It now pours every bit as good as Goex. I also spent too much on a good set of screens but I figure they will last a lifetime.




    I think I posted this picture before in this thread but this thread is so massive it's hard to go back and find things sometimes, so here it is again.

    Wile e coyote was my favorite cartoon character. His ideas may not have worked out, but he was always thinking and he never gave up. He obviously had a creative mind.

  6. #7106
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    I like your screening setup, and will likely do something like it.

    My vibratory tumbler broke the center out. I repaired it, but now I'm leary of using it like your setup. However, I just scored a very heavy duty vibrator from a special bed. That will likely be the heart of my shaker when I get around to it...

    Vettepilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  7. #7107
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    The trick with screens (FWIW) is to keep only a small amount of material on them while you shake - most people pour on too much stuff thinking that is quicker - no - just overloads the system and you dont get all the fines out - quarter inch depth over about half the screen surface is way plenty.

  8. #7108
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    I stack my screens one on top of the other and pour in about a 1/4 cup then perform an initial shake, which is more of a roll from side to side. The dust goes straight through and lands on a big cookie sheet for reprocessing. I then break the screens apart and continue to shake each over the next smaller one, then the next, etc. I can clear most of the dust in 2-3 minutes of work then I pour each screen's catch into a plastic container. The fines get repucked at a later date.

    I puck every batch so my powder tends to stop shedding dust at some point; I have tumbled the powder to knock off the sharp corners then rescreened it afterwards and the dust concentrations are much reduced; a little bit will land on the cookie sheet but not much.

  9. #7109
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    Quote Originally Posted by indian joe View Post
    The trick with screens (FWIW) is to keep only a small amount of material on them while you shake - most people pour on too much stuff thinking that is quicker - no - just overloads the system and you dont get all the fines out - quarter inch depth over about half the screen surface is way plenty.
    Definitely.

    I also find that gently running your fingers back and forth moving/spreading the powder repeatedly over the screen to be a big help instead of just shaking only.

    Sometimes this causes a few granules to get stuck in the screen(s). A quick tap on the reverse side pops them right out.

    Vettepilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  10. #7110
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vettepilot View Post
    Definitely.

    I also find that gently running your fingers back and forth moving/spreading the powder repeatedly over the screen to be a big help instead of just shaking only.

    Sometimes this causes a few granules to get stuck in the screen(s). A quick tap on the reverse side pops them right out.

    Vettepilot
    I have a couple of biggish screens too which helps - my 16 mesh is 14inch x 10 inch --40 mesh is same size - the intermediate screen is a 22mesh splatter screen - still not a bad size. I screen separately and catch onto clean sheets of A3 printer paper ---my entire setup looks like junk but it all works quite well.

  11. #7111
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    Hey, whatever works! As long as you get good powder in the end, which you obviously do. I have made so many of my own tools in my life, and saved a fortune.

    Vettepilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  12. #7112
    Boolit Master Linstrum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vettepilot View Post
    I have made so many of my own tools in my life, and saved a fortune.

    Vettepilot
    Good point! Besides saving a fortune, making your own tools is often the only way to get something done simply because the tool you need does not exist.

    That is why I have the following as part of what is at the bottom of my posts:

    There is no such thing as too many tools, especially when it comes to casting and reloading.
    Howard Hughes said: "He who has the tools rules".
    ~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+~+:/&\:+
    There is no such thing as too many tools, especially when it comes to casting and reloading.
    Howard Hughes said: "He who has the tools rules".

    Safe casting and shooting!

    Linstrum, member F.O.B.C. (Fraternal Order of Boolit Casters), Shooters.com alumnus, and original alloutdoors.com survivor.

  13. #7113
    Boolit Buddy Brimstone's Avatar
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    Knowledge, tools and practice of their use differentiate us from everyone else.
    Hence why I don't subscribe to "putting it away for a rainy day".

  14. #7114
    Boolit Buddy shaman's Avatar
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    I'm about ready to cut my first harvest of Tree of Heaven. I know I need to let the stalks dry a couple of months, but do I skin the stalks now or after drying?

    How does one skin Ailanthus? Is it pealed like a carrot or a banana or what?

  15. #7115
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    HamGunner's Avatar
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    I have not used any Tree of Heaven, but any wood that I have used for charcoal was certainly a whole lot easier to debark when first cut, while the bark is still green.
    73 de n0ubx, Rick
    NRA Benefactor Life Member/VFW Life Member

  16. #7116
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    I'm with Ham. Some wood is nearly impossible to debark when dry. Any I have used will nearly strip by hand, when fresh. You might want to cut any bark seams (dirty wood around branch sprouts) out, and any hard knots.
    The reason commercial powder makers and charcoal makers dry the wood, is because it takes more energy to drive off the moisture. In my experience, it just steams until it starts to cook. The moisture isn't detrimental to the charcoal process. It you are trying to slow cook it, at low temperature; it actually helps regulate the cooking.

  17. #7117
    Boolit Buddy shaman's Avatar
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    The deed is done. I cut the thing this AM. It provided over 8 feet of material, about 1 1/4" at the base. I used my Ka-Bar knife on it and peeled it like a carrot, taking 1/2" strips up to 2 feet in length. All told, it took less than 15 minutes. Now I'm going to dry it for couple of months before cutting and splitting to fit in the paint can.

    Thanks all for the help.

  18. #7118
    Boolit Buddy
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    Any of you guys try aspen wood for your black powder?

  19. #7119
    Boolit Master
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    I tried Aspen once.
    It worked really good.
    It wasn't too dirty but burned a little slower than Willow.
    But I would use some Aspen again since You don't find too much willow here in Arizona.
    But the Aspen wood is all north of where I live.
    But is available if I need it.

  20. #7120
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    I went down South a few miles from the farm where I grew up and done a bit of Black Powder shooting with an old friend. We had a great time. He had killed a turkey this spring with a flintlock shotgun and so he tried some of my homemade powder in that shotgun for comparison. He declared it just as good or better than store bought Black.

    I left a few pounds of powder for him and in exchange, he gave me a 2"x6"x36" well seasoned out Sassafras plank. It was all straight grained with no heartwood, cut from a very large Sassafras tree that had been growing along his creek. He also gave me a couple of turkey calls that he made as well as an arrow head that he chinked out while we visited in the shade. He also makes bows from Osage Orange (hedge). Quite a character. He lives deep down in the sticks of Southern Douglas County, Missouri.

    Well, I sawed up and charred all that Sassafras plank and then ground and screened it until it was air float. I ground up and then cooked all the moisture out of enough Potassium Nitrate to make up 5 lbs. of Black and enough sulfur as well. I then weighed out enough of the dried ingredients to make up two 2 1/2 lb. batches of green meal. Both batches milled up great with very little caking at all.

    Preliminary burn testing of the freshly milled meal showed me that it was the most aggressive burning milled meal that I have made so far. When I get the time, I will compress it and then grind and screen it to size and report back how it comes out as finished powder. I think it will be fantastic.
    73 de n0ubx, Rick
    NRA Benefactor Life Member/VFW Life Member

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check