My homemade black powder

[Fly]

I would go for the one ton arbor if that's all I had. But use a longer handle.

Fly

[Avenger442]

Thanks Fly
Hold pressure for how long?
I know some of these questions have been covered just too lazy to hunt answer.

[Boz330]

Thanks Fly
Hold pressure for how long?
I know some of these questions have been covered just too lazy to hunt answer.

I use 10min with a bench vice and re-tighten the handle every couple min. I'm sure you could make that longer but production would suffer and my powder works to my expectations.

Bob

[Fly]

Well with the arbor press about a minute.

Fly

[Whizzer]

Boz330, it was nice to talk to you today!

Like I told you on the phone, I need more density than I get from screening moistenend green meal, even though I've been quite happy with it on my muzzle loaders. But I now have a cap and ball Ruger Old Army and my powder is fast, but just too loose. Not dense enough for Cap & Ball shooting, or Black Powder Cartridge loading. I found a Stainless Taurus Gaucho a while back and that is my intent for most of my shooting with it, although up to now, I've been shooting smokeless 45 Colt through it.

I'm ordering a die set for pucks from Fly later today and I'll start there, with my bench vice. I think I'll just see how it goes. I've been putting it off for a LoooOOoong time.

I post over at the gulch too, and even though they are a rowdy bunch, there is a SIGNIFICANT knowledge base there for Cap & Ball. That was their stated goal, to provide a BP knowledge base and they have done that, for sure. (I could do without the language, but they seem to tolerate me.)

If Fly's die set works out I might go for a press, but for now I already have a bench vice. I'm tripping over myself for space around here. Another large tool I DON'T need....

[Avenger442]

Whizzer
Space has become one of my biggest problems, too. We have a full basement under our house but with all the different hobbies, especially the car, I can hardly walk through it.

So about a minute or two on the arbor press. Dry the pucks about a week or two. Break them up. Grind and screen them for grade. Load and shoot. I've always enjoyed learning how to do new things well. It always helps to have someone that has done it before to talk with. Thanks.

[Whiterabbit]

Whiterabbit
Looks like good enough for deer hunting to me. Good grouping.

I have a question about pressing the pucks. Right now I have two options for pressing a 4" vice and a 1 ton arbor press. Will eith one of these do to make the pucks?

Very good, considering the group sizes of the commercial pellets! Not just deer accurate, a 29 of 30 means it's good to go for the muzzleloading shoots too. That's plenty of target accuracy to be competitive for paper punching standing offhand.

I never really tested the 4" vice powder versus pressed in the 6 ton A-frame press, so I'm no help to your question. BUT, I would use the 1 ton arbor press.

The reason is actually straightforward. No matter what you do, sooner or later pressing the pucks is going to get very, very messy. The arbor press keeps everything vertical and puts drips below moving parts or hard to clean areas.

And that's the only reason I'd be using the arbor press.

[Avenger442]

Know you guys are dying to see these so

Ta-Da!!!
My first pucks. Actually made eight of them with Fly's press.

Please excuse the newbie enthusiasm.

[Whiterabbit]

they look just like mine.

[18Z4X]

It's the same stuff that comes in beef jerky, shoes, aspirin, those little envelopes that say "do not eat". We used it to keep tents, boats, and RV's from molding. The stuff works great.

I'm sorry to be late with this reply, but those "stay-dry" canisters are NOT the same as the packets that come with food or medicine.

The packets with food contain silica gel. You will also find them with electronic equipment. We had silica gel packets with our mortar rounds in the military. They were about the size of a hamburger.

Silica gel is pretty-much harmless and non-corrosive (unless you keep your material in direct contact with it - then the moisture in the silica gel may react with the thing that you are storing).

The "stay-dry" canisters contain Calcium Chloride. This stuff is toxic and is very corrosive. If you want to put it in your gun safe, OK. But don't let it come into direct contact with anything metal. If you are curious as to what it will do to metal, look at the inside of a fertilizer spreader that hasn't been properly cleaned out, or the underside of a car that's been in Wisconsin for a few years.

After a period of time, there will be liquid in the bottom of the "stay-dry" canister. Again, you want to be careful that it will not get knocked over.

I am not a chemist, but I do not know of any reasons that the Calcium Chloride should adversely affect Black Powder, if it is in near proximity, like a storage container.

It is sold in the winter as "snow melt" in the northern states. It will burn through ice faster than regular NaCl. If you want to save money over purchasing those "store-bought" canisters, you can buy about a 20 pound bag of the stuff and make your own. Just use due caution.

[Whiterabbit]

you know something....

I had a few cans of APP black, uh, propellant. one can came with a silica gel packet. The others did not. Within a few months, the powder clumped like CRAZY. what it did in the bore of a gun during a humid winter was even crazier.

My homemade stuff gets no such treatment. It goes in a vintage metal goex can, and there it is. Months and months. No clumps. No silica gel. Just the old cap on there.

Seems to be OK.....

[Whizzer]

VERY interesting posts about the "stay-dry" chems...

I did Landman work for an Petro Mineral leasing company for a while. My pickup didn't have a topper, and there were file boxes in the back to and from the Hotel or Motel in the area we were assigned to. Those plastic filing boxes were full of papers and documenets that needed to stay dry, and there wasn't room for everything in the cab.

I bought some RECHARGABLE Silica Gel packets from Grainger. On the weekends, I'd put them in the oven for a while (I can't remember the time/temp details) and they were good to go. It could be pretty wet outside but the papers were never limp or damp.

I remember them being a bit spendy, but the re-usable feature didn't seem to have a limit to the number of cycles. I bought a Snorkle Style Vacuum Sealer (Sinbo??) and some bags from this outfit. Preservation is their main gig. https://www.sorbentsystems.com/desiccants_types.html I must have purchased Grainger's equivalent of Sorbentsystems "Indicating" Silica Gel you see on that page.

[Avenger442]

How many of you use silica gel or other means to keep your powder dry?

[Whiterabbit]

I do not.

[Avenger442]

Couldn't wait for pucks to dry so broke off a sliver to burn. Had to light the thin edge to get ignition. It flew off the metal can top I had it on and produced enough smoke to make my neighbor ask "what was that?" Looks like it's going to be quick burning. I have always loved doing this kind of stuff.

[Fly]

Guys here is a small 6ton press that many of my customers use. Hunt up some HF couponds & you can get it
cheaper. It will store under a bench or on a shelf. It works very well. http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a...ress-1666.html

Fly

[WallyinIN]

Fly,
WHAT IS THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF YOUR DIES? If you have a 2" did then that press will get to the 3500 psi to ensure good plaasticity of the kno3 and sulfur if 2&1/4 then it can only get to 3000 which is still good however any over 2.5 and you can't get to the min 2600-2700 min psi needed.
By the way have you tried weeping willow? I have a retort cooking this afternoon, hopefully powder by next weekend.

Wally

[Fly]

Wally I makem 2" for most the guys don't have the large presses. My own is 2.5 but I have a big press.
Never tried the Weeping willow, but some of my firework buddys have. It not bad. But up there in IN you guy,s have
a lot of Silver Maple. It is very good, & after a wind storm look around. Those trees split in high wind very offen & I bet you
can find a lot after a storm, people would be glad to give you.



Fly

[WallyinIN]

Thanks for the info on the dies. I have some silver maple on deck. I am going to make a batch with normal torte firing and then a second batch keeping the torte temp under 620 to keep about 7% creosote in the charcoal similar to the swiss process.

Wally

[maillemaker]

He tells me with the high humidity he has there, he does not even mist his. Just thought I would share this
bit of info with you guys. Have a GREAT THANKSGIVING! Fly

Is anyone concerned about pressing dry powder inside a fully-enclosed metal canister constrained in a press? I would think of nothing else the misting reduces the chance of an explosion during pressing.

Steve