I applaud everyone who is working on a GP recipe but at this point, it appears the consistency from batch to batch and shot to shot is widely variable, with a formula based on appearance and no obvious tolerance range for cooking temperature or time; it seems to require an "artistic" approach. Commercial powder is built to a specific process recipe, which can be measured and recorded for repeatability. Would be nice to see results made from 5 or more separate batches which were repeatable with low SD numbers.
That would be something to test. The fouling is extremely aggressive on brass but I don't know if the unburnt powder reacts with it at all.
LAGS, Your comment about Thermite got me looking deeper into it. Adding aluminum to Crimson Powder (with Iron Oxide) will not make it into thermite but I will definitely up the energy to a dangerous level (just KNO3 and AL is an explosive mixture). I made some crude Thermite today to test. Just Iron Oxide and Aluminum. It definitely makes some serious heat but I would take a lot of what I tested to burn through steel. I filled a 45 acp case with my Thermite and lit it with a match for a starter. A few sparks like a sparkler and the brass case turned incandescent orange like if you heated it with a torch only much faster the whole case was glowing. I might do it again an make a video it was pretty cool. The reaction was like expected the aluminum oxidized and the iron reduced. The residue had metal pieces that were attracted to a magnet. The only the mouth of the case melted. I think it would take a bigger charge to melt the brass or a different mixture ratio. I did not do the chemistry to find the optimum ratio.
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
We found a Thermite Grenade on a military base where we were doing demolition on some old buildings from back in the '40s.
We went out with a Gunny to the range.
He pulled the pin and threw it on an old half track.
It burnt a hole about 2' wide and melted the metal really good.
Plus they couldn't extinguish it with water.
Thermite didn't seem explosive , just super flammable.
Exactly right. It does not make much gas, just a lot of heat. Putting water on it can minimize the destruction as it cools things off but it will not stop the reaction since it does not need external oxygen, you can't smother it. Pretty much unstoppable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
Did the one you found look like this?
https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/land/m14-th3.htm
I wish I have read this before I made the thermite the warning about not looking at the fire. I had a little blurred vision for a few minutes. Same deal with flash powder, the aluminum flash seems to be dangerous to your vision. Heed the warning.
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
Yep.
The Thermite one looked like that.
Plus there were two anti personnel grenades and a unopened carton of cigarettes from back in the '40s.
The two other grenades would not go off when the Gunny tried them.
My boss sold the cigarettes to a collector.
All that stuff was found in the floor of one of the barracks.
The gunny said that we were lucky we didn't run over that thermite one with the loader.
It could have burned the bucket off.
Last edited by Sandro_ventania; 01-29-2024 at 10:52 PM.
From my limited experience with fireworks.
Adding a little aluminium powder mostly just made the flame or sparks brighter.
It didn't seem to increase the burn rate on the powder.
Like if you added it to rocket fuel powder.
It didn't make the rocket go faster or explode more.
It just made it leave a bright trail from the flame.
Nice job looking forward to rest of the story.
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Looking for a Hensly &Gibbs #258 any thing from a two cavity to a 10cavityI found a new one from a member here
I am a rocket scientist and have tested advanced solid rocket motors, and the added aluminum does them go faster so does adding a little nitrocellulose. The motors I have tested used ammonium perchlorate and HTPB (a kind of synthetic rubber) or PBAN (a kind of plastic), that is your cheap garden variety solid rocket motor (if you don't count the black powder ones). You want to juice that you add the aluminum and or Nitro. The juiced motors cost more and will erode the nozzle faster because of the higher temperatures.
As far as can adding aluminum to a hobby/fireworks rocket motor. It would be about getting the proportions right. The aluminum needs a lot of oxidizers just like charcoal so if you add aluminum you need to reduce the charcoal, you can't just add aluminum to improve the performance. If you reduce the charcoal to zero and replace it all with aluminum the motor will probably explode, Flash powder is much faster than black powder. Sure one could play around with ratios and probably get better velocities. I wonder about the fowling. Might not be too bad if the aluminum all burns to oxide but aluminum oxide is something that is made into sandpaper.
Something to think about. Same with adding nitro-cellulose and I don't mean duplex. Nitro-cellulose is a plastic, it might help make the GP flow better thru an extruder to make real grains like cordite.
There is not shortage of interesting paths to make gun powders.
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
This is an interesting thread and I am following. I read an article years ago explaining all the compounds that could be used for gunpowder. Some were much better than BP. The problem was expense and availability at the time. The black powder that we use was picked because it could be produced with more common materials at a price that people could afford. Things don't change much, it was business.
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 |