My homemade black powder

[Vettepilot]

Sulfur, aluminum powder, and an oxidizer make flash powder, an explosive. Please don't try adding Al to black powder. You may be very unhappy with the results.

^^^^THIS---^

!!!

Vettepilot

[Vettepilot]

Ironically, I ran across something about aluminum in black powder as used by the pyro crowd in their burst charges. It surprises me, as those are indeed also the ingredients for flash powder, which can be very touchy. Mix it by the diaper method and hold your breath type of touchy from demos I have seen. Of course there are various recipes for flash powder...

I am actually at the hospital for tests--> I'll post more later. Anyway, be careful guys. One good accident could shut us all down in today's world, besides someone getting hurt or worse. Aluminum powder is spooky!

VP

[almar]

Yeah the more i read about it the worse it gets...forget it. Mainly the unpredictable pressure curve from adding even traces of aluminum in the mix.

[Vettepilot]

I don't know... I am rather of the opinion that if a fellow refines things till you're getting performance of Goex to Swiss spectrum, life is good, be happy. If you really have to have more, switch to smokeless operations. It really worries me when guys get to experimenting with exotic black powder. If there was a magic improvement that was viable and SAFE to use, I really feel like the intense time, money, and energy applied to that very thing by governments, armies, and huge corprations with unlimited resources----> would have found it!!

Effin Google admonished me when I tried to research flash powder. I guess it should not surprise me, but I HATE this new world we live in!!!

Grrrr...

Vettepilot

[ofitg]

Effin Google admonished me when I tried to research flash powder. I guess it should not surprise me, but I HATE this new world we live in!!!

Grrrr...

Vettepilot

Good source of info on various pyrotechnics, gunpowder developments, etc -

http://www.gunshoplosangeles.com/Pyr...osives_Ocr.pdf

[Vettepilot]

Good source of info on various pyrotechnics, gunpowder developments, etc -

http://www.gunshoplosangeles.com/Pyr...osives_Ocr.pdf

Ah yes, that's a quite good one. I read it once some time ago. Good to have it on file again. Thanks!

Vettepilot

[DoubleBuck]

Somewhere in the last few discussions, BPJake was about to glaze and then polish with Graphite.
I just thought of something I don't think was mentioned when using Graphite.
Some of us have had better luck polishing powder damp, to get that sheen quickly and efficiently. However, the information I have sourced says the Graphite is tumbled with the powder AFTER drying completely. If it is done before, it will seal the moisture in the grains and cause a breakdown of the grains in short order. And, it makes the powder very hard to dry.
While I touted polishing damp, I never thought to scream don't do graphite damp. So, I'm screaming it now, after the fact. Sorry about that. When I tried the graphite, I did dry the powder first. Never thought to remind anyone about it.

[Vettepilot]

Good catch Buck. Yes, the powder must be completely dry before using graphite. Then the graphite will help against moisture.

I don't use graphite, but I am fanatical about keeping my containers tightly closed with a dessicant pack inside. I also use smaller containers of powder so that my large container won't be opened so frequently. That is arguably safer too.

I sometimes make my own dessicant packs with rice and unscented kitty litter in little pouches made from coffee filter paper. I have heard drywall makes a good dessicant too. From my drywall work in the past, I know that when fresh it contains some moisture and is softer/easier to use. Once dried out, it becomes harder to cut. So if using as a dessicant, dry it first.

Of course, one could always just get silica gel from Amazon...

Vettepilot

[DoubleBuck]

I did a partial repeat test and a comparison of grain sizes, this afternoon.
This was brown, pure White Oak Pellet powder, 78-12-10 3F( <20 >50 mesh) of 1.728 density. This was the same powder as my last test, which was combined remnants of 3, 4 and 5 hour mill time polished and non graphited.
Using the CVA Penn. .50, I started with 5 shots of the very well mixed and screened powder 80 grains. They averaged 1667 MV with a spread of 30. I was surprised at the lower velocity. My last best mill time test was knocking hell out of 1700 fps.
So, I tested the first of two grain sizes. I took the same can of powder and screened it <20 >30 mesh.
Five 75 grain shots of it averaged 1594 fps with a spread of 18.
The final test was the same powder screened <30 >50 mesh.
Five 75 grain shots of it averaged 1743 fps, with a spread of 51. Compared to the warm up 80 grain string, it out performed it by 76 fps. I was impressed with the jump of 149 fps over the larger mesh grains. I never thought it would be that much.
This is the 80 grain warm up at 100 yards. That is a 2" bull, which I can barely see at 100 yards.
IMG_20250906_164948066~2.jpg
This is the <20 >30 Both of the out of pocket shots were near hang fires. The time delay was too much for me. haha
IMG_20250906_174329794~2.jpg
This is the <30 >50 It only took me 12 shots to get a bull but I got one out of 15! I was trying to hurry, while staying focused and it was getting the best of me.
IMG_20250906_184325980~2.jpg
I was using CCI #11 caps and since I started using them, I've been having plugged nipple problems, after a few shots. Since it is a new (to me) rifle, I don't know if it is the nipple or the caps. I hate it when you hear the cap snap and then the rifle goes bang. Gets me every time.
Whether it's the powder or the recipe, this powder is not really clean enough to warrant me continuing to test with it. It is passably clean, but the fouling is pretty hard. I don't think changing to the 76-12-12 recipe would be that much different, but I also know it could and if I don't try it, I'll never know. It would need to boost my velocity near 100 fps, while maintaining accuracy and showing a cleaner burn, to compete well with Toilet Paper, which will do all three.
So, while far from a failure, I'm thinking I'm going to quit with the pellet powder. It is nearly as easy to make as TP, and it is pretty good on accuracy and consistency, just a pretty hard fouling. The smoke of it is light and not strong smelling. Of course I'm biased because I love the smell, anyway.
It may be that pure softwood pellets could make the difference. They are supposed to be higher BTU, but faster burning. Fast could be good....
Carry on!!!

[HamGunner]

Reading reports always makes me think about making powder and since the weather has gotten decent (48 degrees at daylight this morning), I think I will go see if I have enough charcoal made up to make another 3 Lb batch. If not, would be a good afternoon to cook up a couple of cookers full.

I normally keep about a dozen old Goex cans filled to the brim with home made on hand and I just recently finished shooting two cans of my home made and then I poured three more cans of home made into some old smokeless powder cans, re-labeled them for Black, and gave them to a friend of mine. So now I have five empty Goex cans to refill. I might have to make up two batches to get caught back up.

I guess TP is what I will do as I do not have any seasoned wood on hand anymore. Still planning on trying some Osage Orange when I come across some to cut up. Will maybe do some of that next time I guess.

For all my shooting from .32 cal. up to .50 cal., I have settled upon <20 & >40 for all but my flash pan powder. If I had a 30 and a 50 screen then I might separate it out for a more refined use with some finer for the .32 cal. and perhaps for the .36 cal. C & B revolvers, but it works decent enough as it is.

[BPJake]

Somewhere in the last few discussions, BPJake was about to glaze and then polish with Graphite.
I just thought of something I don't think was mentioned when using Graphite.
Some of us have had better luck polishing powder damp, to get that sheen quickly and efficiently. However, the information I have sourced says the Graphite is tumbled with the powder AFTER drying completely. If it is done before, it will seal the moisture in the grains and cause a breakdown of the grains in short order. And, it makes the powder very hard to dry.
While I touted polishing damp, I never thought to scream don't do graphite damp. So, I'm screaming it now, after the fact. Sorry about that. When I tried the graphite, I did dry the powder first. Never thought to remind anyone about it.

Thanks DB. The first batch I graphited was dry, the second I did the whole thing wet. It seems no worse for a week, but I'll keep that in mind. I'm not sure I will graphite as a rule, needs testing. I have my can ready to try that charcoal on the turkey fryer but so far the weather and wind haven't cooperated. Today I have two mill runs with my latest batch of buckthorn charcoal to puck, I'll let these dry before graphite.
pumpkin powder (Large).jpg

[DoubleBuck]

Pumpkin Spice, huh? LOL
Ham, I'll send you a box of Hedge if you'll test it.

[BPJake]

Pumpkin Spice, huh? LOL
Ham, I'll send you a box of Hedge if you'll test it.

It was kind of a joke lol. On X people either love or hate the arrival of pumpkin spice season, I'm in the loathe camp. This pic was a reply to someone who posted pumpkin spice motor oil.
GzpipyaWMAE7MJD.jpg

[DoubleBuck]

Ham;
I'll send you a box of Punkin' Spice Hedge if you'll test it!
This was pretty interesting to me. But then, I'm pretty easily entertained.
I picked up five or six of these patches. They were shot with 75 and 80 grains, soaked with 50/50 Dawn Dish Soap and Distilled Water. I placed a card on top of the powder, as a moisture barrier, more or less. When I found them, they were perfectly folded in half, with the card barely touched. And, they were flash dried with barely a tinge. Even the frays were not scorched. Also, according to them, the Pellet powder is actually burning pretty rang dang good.
IMG_20250907_155451331~2.jpg IMG_20250907_155741462~2.jpg

[BPJake]

Ham;
I'll send you a box of Punkin' Spice Hedge if you'll test it!
This was pretty interesting to me. But then, I'm pretty easily entertained.
I picked up five or six of these patches. They were shot with 75 and 80 grains, soaked with 50/50 Dawn Dish Soap and Distilled Water. I placed a card on top of the powder, as a moisture barrier, more or less. When I found them, they were perfectly folded in half, with the card barely touched. And, they were flash dried with barely a tinge. Even the frays were not scorched.IMG_20250907_155451331~2.jpg IMG_20250907_155741462~2.jpg
Also, according to them, the Pellet powder is actually burning pretty rang dang good.

Now you're catching on, pumpkin spice hemorrhoid cream.

Those patches are purdy. Is that what you usually use? I use spit generally but I mixed up a batch of DIY Ballistol and use moose milk sometimes.
ballistol (Large).jpg