DIY Smokeless Powder - IGP Smokeless Powder Manufacturing

[MUSTANG]

I tried another iteration Golden Powder; using a formula/paper I found for “IGP” (Improved Golden Powder) reputed to provide a higher velocity compared to standard Golden Powder. There is a thread in the Muzzle Loading Section that is exploring the powder for Muzzle Loaders and Cap and Ball handguns. I wanted to focus on potential Centerfire use. Initial experimentation will be in my Remington 700 .308 Winchester with a 24 inch barrel.

Golden Powder and IGP (Improved Golden Powder) are usually cooked; but there are recipes for “Not-Cooking” the IGP; which interests me since cooking chemicals can bring risks such as volatility, breathing hazards, and potential fire hazards. I pulled this paper from a web site; but trying to open it today - it was not working. Here is the URL anyway:

https://pyrodata.com/PyroGuide/index...(Uncooked).htm

The Improved Golden Powder was:

Ammonium Nitrate 30.3% 105.7 gr.
Potassium Nitrate 30.3% 105.7 gr
Ascorbic Acid 37.3% 130.4 gr
Potassium Bi-Carbonate (Baking Soda) 2.1% 7.4 gr.
Water 27.0 gr.


My Improved Golden Powder was mixed with water. Objective was to make a heavy paste or dough out of the chemicals. I actually weighed the water used in grains; so for the total of 349.2 grains of chemicals; I mixed in an additional 27 grains of well water (filtered through house reverse osmosis water filtration). This resulted in a total mixture weight of 376.2 grains. All the chemicals and water were stirred together in a small stainless steel bowl. Then while wearing a nitrile glove; I hand mixed the test batch until it was a heavy dough which was then placed onto a flat glass plate (taken from a broken microwave) and pressed the dough out as if making a small pizza dough. This flattened dough was then placed in an electric dehydrator at a temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit and allowed to dry for 24 hours.

After 24 Hours of dehydration the dough was slightly darker, a light tan color. The dough was scraped from the flat glass plate using a flat razor scraper. Scrapings were very difficult to achieve as the dough was firmly attached to the glass plate. Scraping resulted in thin rolls the width of the razor blade; or razor blade wide small flakes. The texture was like semi-dried out taffy or other type of cookie making operation; still tacky in texture and very slightly sticky. After scraping all of the “dough” from the plate; I put it back in the dehydrator at 125 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours for additional dehydration.

After removing the Mixture; it was ground with a Mortar/Pestel. Sizes of particles were reduced, but not easily. Gumminess of the mixture persisted. Mixture was returned to the Dehydrator for an additional 2 hours. When removed from the Dehydrator, the mixture was ground with a Mortar/Pestel again until all of it would pass through a 40 mesh screen. It still retained a slightly gummy feel, so it was returned once again to the dehydrator for an additional ½ hour. It was then poured into a small pill vial for storage.

[Reg]

Following. Closely!

[MUSTANG]

The IGP was loaded into five .308 Winchester cases (33 Grains); primed with CCI #200 Large Rifle Primers, and topped off with an NOE 311644 boolit (about 206 Grains), that was Powder Coated and had a .014 thick aluminum Gas Check.

I wanted to capture velocities for this test - but that did not pan out. I am using a Lab Radar Chronograph and it has settings for Rifle, Pistol, and Archery. I recently discovered in my testing with what I call No.7 Powder that if velocities drop too low, the Rifle setting will not be triggered (No.7 a DIY Home Made Powder - see other thread on this site). . I reset the unit to "Pistol" to overcome this and was able to capture velocity readings in the 750 fps to 1500 fps from the Rifle using this setting. Unfortunately; the First Testing of the five rounds loaded with IGP captured NO VELOCITIES. This would seem to indicate that the velocity must be below 750 fps; or lower. May have to reset to archery in future tests if velocities can not be improved with this or other IGP formulas.

Results of the First Test were that I was not getting a good burn. Sound report was low; muzzle loader or less reports. After each round; I ran a cleaning rod through the barrel to remove debris. Below is a picture of one of the "Debris Fields" left in the barrel, the background is concrete from the Shooting Bench at the Range:



Boolit impact was "Way Low" indicative of low velocity. In fact; the highest impact was a single boolit impact at about 6 o-clock, just above the bottom of the cardboard, 23 inches Below the 7/8 inch Black Spotter Aiming point.



Over the next few months I will explore this more; but I am seeking higher velocities than this effort produced. I will see if a larger grain structure may help (20 Mesh instead of 40 mesh screening).

[2TM101]

I have cooked a variety of these formulas in the past couple of months. Only question I have here is how you are putting it back in the dehydrator after it is ground up.

[elmacgyver0]

I have cooked a variety of these formulas in the past couple of months. Only question I have here is how you are putting it back in the dehydrator after it is ground up.

I haven't made any powder, but maybe on a piece of paper or a coffee filter would work.

[MUSTANG]

The ground and screened product was placed/spread thinly on bottom of a Glass Pie Pan.

[Sandro_ventania]

I tried another iteration Golden Powder; using a formula/paper I found for “IGP” (Improved Golden Powder) reputed to provide a higher velocity compared to standard Golden Powder. There is a thread in the Muzzle Loading Section that is exploring the powder for Muzzle Loaders and Cap and Ball handguns. I wanted to focus on potential Centerfire use. Initial experimentation will be in my Remington 700 .308 Winchester with a 24 inch barrel.

Golden Powder and IGP (Improved Golden Powder) are usually cooked; but there are recipes for “Not-Cooking” the IGP; which interests me since cooking chemicals can bring risks such as volatility, breathing hazards, and potential fire hazards. I pulled this paper from a web site; but trying to open it today - it was not working. Here is the URL anyway:

https://pyrodata.com/PyroGuide/index...(Uncooked).htm

The Improved Golden Powder was:

Ammonium Nitrate 30.3% 105.7 gr.
Potassium Nitrate 30.3% 105.7 gr
Ascorbic Acid 37.3% 130.4 gr
Potassium Bi-Carbonate (Baking Soda) 2.1% 7.4 gr.
Water 27.0 gr.


My Improved Golden Powder was mixed with water. Objective was to make a heavy paste or dough out of the chemicals. I actually weighed the water used in grains; so for the total of 349.2 grains of chemicals; I mixed in an additional 27 grains of well water (filtered through house reverse osmosis water filtration). This resulted in a total mixture weight of 376.2 grains. All the chemicals and water were stirred together in a small stainless steel bowl. Then while wearing a nitrile glove; I hand mixed the test batch until it was a heavy dough which was then placed onto a flat glass plate (taken from a broken microwave) and pressed the dough out as if making a small pizza dough. This flattened dough was then placed in an electric dehydrator at a temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit and allowed to dry for 24 hours.

After 24 Hours of dehydration the dough was slightly darker, a light tan color. The dough was scraped from the flat glass plate using a flat razor scraper. Scrapings were very difficult to achieve as the dough was firmly attached to the glass plate. Scraping resulted in thin rolls the width of the razor blade; or razor blade wide small flakes. The texture was like semi-dried out taffy or other type of cookie making operation; still tacky in texture and very slightly sticky. After scraping all of the “dough” from the plate; I put it back in the dehydrator at 125 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours for additional dehydration.

After removing the Mixture; it was ground with a Mortar/Pestel. Sizes of particles were reduced, but not easily. Gumminess of the mixture persisted. Mixture was returned to the Dehydrator for an additional 2 hours. When removed from the Dehydrator, the mixture was ground with a Mortar/Pestel again until all of it would pass through a 40 mesh screen. It still retained a slightly gummy feel, so it was returned once again to the dehydrator for an additional ½ hour. It was then poured into a small pill vial for storage.

Your formula didn't give me confidence. Are you really using ammonium nitrate? Do you know that it is very hygroscopic? You would make this powder very good if instead of ammonium nitrate, it was chlorate or perchlorate. I would always maintain the proportion of 60-40% oxidant and ascorbic acid. If you do not use chlorate/perchlorate, it is essential to use iron oxide. If you are afraid to cook these elements, at least heat them with water to dissolve and integrate the components. When it boils and dissolves everything, remove it from the stove when you notice that the water is drying. Spread it in a mold and place it in the sun or dehydrator to finish drying.

[2TM101]

The ground and screened product was placed/spread thinly on bottom of a Glass Pie Pan.

My dehydrator came off Amazon for $26 It has layers of plastic pans with slots in them and the heated air blows up through it all. OK for pucks but no way to put loose powder in it. So I leave the pucks in there until bone dry as after I grind them up they have to sit in an open air cookie pan. Would not work in a humid environment. I have no other way to dehydrate actual powder.

[elmacgyver0]

A Ron Popiel dehydrator without fan is what you need.
It gently moves air by convection.

[Sandro_ventania]

My dehydrator came off Amazon for $26 It has layers of plastic pans with slots in them and the heated air blows up through it all. OK for pucks but no way to put loose powder in it. So I leave the pucks in there until bone dry as after I grind them up they have to sit in an open air cookie pan. Would not work in a humid environment. I have no other way to dehydrate actual powder.

Couldn't you use a sieve to put the powder in?

[2TM101]

Couldn't you use a sieve to put the powder in?

I had a box of Starch with no other use for it, so now I have a couple of pounds of starch powder. I put the "dough" into a cupcake pan, using actual paper cupcake liners (cost 1 cent each). I put my starch cupcakes in the dehydrator for three days at max setting. Of course the paper stuck. Original idea was that the small amount of paper ground up with the powder would not make a big difference. Turns out the paper all stays on top of a 10 mesh screen and it easy to remove.

The design of my particular dehydrator is such that fine particles would fall into the heater element and potentially ignite. I can only dehydrate pucks in it - the cupcake idea was to make the equivalent of pucks when making a "cooked" powder.

[perotter]

Your formula didn't give me confidence. Are you really using ammonium nitrate? Do you know that it is very hygroscopic? You would make this powder very good if instead of ammonium nitrate, it was chlorate or perchlorate. I would always maintain the proportion of 60-40% oxidant and ascorbic acid. If you do not use chlorate/perchlorate, it is essential to use iron oxide. If you are afraid to cook these elements, at least heat them with water to dissolve and integrate the components. When it boils and dissolves everything, remove it from the stove when you notice that the water is drying. Spread it in a mold and place it in the sun or dehydrator to finish drying.

I'd suggest one never uses ammonium chlorate in any powder. In fact I'd rather not have any around nor be any place where there is some. It kabooms just for fun whenever it wants to. Not something I like to have happen.

I think that ammonium perchlorate burns even slower than ammonium nitrate, so adds to one of the problems that has to be overcome with ammonium nitrate.