Making black powder? - Page 3

Centurion · May 10, 2016, 01:44 PM

Why my friend? In my country is not unlegal...

noelf2 · May 10, 2016, 02:17 PM

Super easy to make, and not at all dangerous if you follow the rules. No more dangerous than carrying a can of Goex home from the store. Strange though that we can make our own BP, but can't distill spirits...

**4V50 Gary** · May 10, 2016, 06:46 PM

So I went to the Natural Science Museum in Norman, Oklahoma and displayed there in the Galileo exhibit was a very old book that was highly regarded by the various scientific minds of Europe and the Arab world.

Included were things like how to make a woman beautiful, how to make fake gold, how to disguise yourself such that your friends and even your wife won't recognize you (dye your hair and get stung in the fee by 1,000 bees, wasps or hornets). Yeah, sure.

Quote:

Chapter III

"Of the diverse compositions of Gunpowder."

We should be ill spoken of, if, that treating of fiery compositions, we should not first say something of that wonderful Gunpowder, that is the author of so many wonderful things. For it is an ingredient in all mixtures, and all depends upon it. Not that I have any mind to speak of it, because it is so common, but of such things that have some new or hidden secret in them. It is made of four parts of Saltpeter, Brimstone and Willow coals, each of one part.

The composition is very much like today.

deerslayer303 · May 12, 2016, 09:06 AM

Quote:

i save the other drum for tumbling round balls

And yet, everyone here thought I was wasting my time when I wanted to build a box to put in the trunk of the car to let my home cast round ball roll around in.

**4V50 Gary** · May 13, 2016, 07:56 AM

Too funny deerslayer303.

noelf2 · May 13, 2016, 08:44 AM

Genius Deerslayer! I'll have to try that. I polish my brass cases with corn cob media under my hub caps. Wonder if I can ball mill my BP that way too.

deerslayer303 · May 13, 2016, 09:29 AM

Quote:

I polish my brass cases with corn cob media under my hub caps. Wonder if I can ball mill my BP that way too.
__________________

LOL, hey now there is an idea! I drive an old Dodge Pickup that has dog dish hub caps on it. Just think of the possibilities, 45 Colt casings on the front, black powder a milling on the back, round balls a rollin in the bed.

Gavlan · May 18, 2016, 07:43 PM

Gentlemen & Ladies , I have ben following this thread and decided I need to try making some for myself but I have a question about the KNO3 , I can get it powdered ( 200 mesh ?) for 9 bucks a pound at skylighter but they also have the KNO3 crystals which is 3 bucks a pound cheaper.
Now my question is if I am going to use a ball mill can I just use the crystal type ( less expensive) as it will all be milled to the same consistency in the end.
Thank you and have a great night.

Model12Win · May 18, 2016, 10:43 PM

You might want to check the price on stump remover. Most is pure saltpeter.

maillemaker · May 18, 2016, 10:55 PM

Be careful, last time I looked at the stump remover they had at Home Depot, none of it contained saltpeter.

Quote:

I have ben following this thread and decided I need to try making some for myself but I have a question about the KNO3 , I can get it powdered ( 200 mesh ?) for 9 bucks a pound at skylighter but they also have the KNO3 crystals which is 3 bucks a pound cheaper.

If I remember right from the mega-thread, the powdered stuff works better than the crystal stuff. But if you grind it long enough it may not matter.

Steve

Sure Shot Mc Gee · May 19, 2016, 04:07 AM

I was wondering why this OP feller never commented throughout his entire thread. I than realized its near 2 years old.

Gavlan · May 19, 2016, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Be careful, last time I looked at the stump remover they had at Home Depot, none of it contained saltpeter.

.

That's what I was concerned about , i'ts a decent drive to the nearest " big " store for me and I would be miffed big time if when I got there the stump remover was useless for this app.
Although all may not be lost as there is a small Feed / hardware store just a couple of miles away, might be worth my while to pay a visit there first.
I will be milling it and was curious to know if left tumbling long enough the crystals would powder down.
Thanks fellas ,,
Off to the " mom & pop " feed "N" weed store.....

Mozella · May 19, 2016, 06:08 AM

I'm old enough so that, as a child, I made black powder from components I purchased at the local drug store. My friends and I would stop in for a chocolate malt and a burger, $0.25 each. Then we would buy sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter from the pharmacist, no questions asked 'cause it was not against any law, at least none that we or the pharmacist were aware of.

We simply mixed the components together with no attempt to further process them, so we were unable to make effective bombs. But we sure did burn a lot of it and we did make some rocket powered model cars, limited by our ability to make an effective nozzle.

Then a friend came into possession of a 25 pound tin of zinc dust and we forgot about black powder. We immediately and went whole hog in the direction of making bombs and cannons, with good success. The spice of danger was intoxicating, but we were smart enough not to do something really stupid, at least as far as safety was concerned.

Our legal precautions were not so well thought-out and after little incident involving a mail box and a run-in with the FBI, we cooled our interest in bomb making and concentrated on under age drinking and chasing girls.

Don't believe anyone who says the "good old days" weren't all that good. They were fantastic..................... for those who survived.

brotherg · May 19, 2016, 07:44 AM

I start mine in a coffee grinder. Necessary warning, one component at a time and start with a pristine clean grinder, NO3 makes most things burn. Before I got started I read trough some of the accident threads. You can google that. Wanted to make sure I properly respected the fuel for the dragon's breath.

noelf2 · May 19, 2016, 08:33 AM

Spectracide stump remover is still 99.?? % KNO3. Others may not be. Anyway, you can get KNO3 cheaper through amazon.

Gavlan · May 19, 2016, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Spectracide stump remover is still 99.?? % KNO3. Others may not be. Anyway, you can get KNO3 cheaper through amazon

.

Man what am I thinking ?,
I have an account with Amazon and didn't even cross my mind to look there, heck I might even get free ship with prime.
Gonna go look now.

Gavlan · May 19, 2016, 04:47 PM

Nother question,,,, I can get " prilled" ( beads?) cheap - (ish) and it's supposed to be 99.8 % ,
Would I have to smash this stuff with a hammer afore it goes into the mill or will the lead balls take care of it without the extra step ?.
Just throwing stuff out there cos I ain't done this afore.

noelf2 · May 20, 2016, 10:57 AM

Smaller the better. I haven't used prills, but I imagine you can run them through a coffee grinder first. I use a hand operated coffee grinder to granulate compressed (corned) black powder. Imagine it would work for the prills just the same. The rest can be worked out in the ball mill. You may also try to weigh and ball mill the prills first, then add the charcoal powder and sulfur once the prills are pulverized. Let us know how it works out.

krimmie · May 20, 2016, 04:06 PM

Prilled works just fine once milled. Make sure you get the proper willow charcoal, oak charcoal from the fireplace won't work well.

Gavlan · May 20, 2016, 05:59 PM

I've charred up some cedar, just cos it's what is handy on my piece of heaven.
Probably need to get a hold of some willow , but for practice and convenience Cedar will have to do for now .
I really don't expect the outcome to be earth shattering but it's a start,,,

noelf2 · May 21, 2016, 06:20 AM

Cedar was used during the colonial war. Should make good powder. I heard a suggestion recently to use bags of cedar mulch from garden centers. Cheap and would make a lot of charcoal.

BlackPowderBen · May 21, 2016, 02:42 PM

If you're just starting out I would recommend getting components that are already ground and ready to be mixed in the ball mill. hobby chemical supply has good prices and a black powder kit.

Gavlan · May 21, 2016, 08:13 PM

BPB , I already have my sulfur and decided against buying the prilled kno3 .
Someone here recommended buying from a fella called Phil on the interweb ( sorry can't think of his website right now) and ordered tech grade kno3.
I have an older Sears brand rock tumbler to use for a ball mill..
As the saying goes " it'll all come out in the wash " , I'm totally set up for a failure....

May 10, 2016, 02:17 PM	#52
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	Super easy to make, and not at all dangerous if you follow the rules. No more dangerous than carrying a can of Goex home from the store. Strange though that we can make our own BP, but can't distill spirits... __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

May 13, 2016, 07:56 AM	#55
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,840	Too funny deerslayer303. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

May 13, 2016, 08:44 AM	#56
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	Genius Deerslayer! I'll have to try that. I polish my brass cases with corn cob media under my hub caps. Wonder if I can ball mill my BP that way too. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

May 19, 2016, 08:33 AM	#65
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	Spectracide stump remover is still 99.?? % KNO3. Others may not be. Anyway, you can get KNO3 cheaper through amazon. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

May 20, 2016, 10:57 AM	#68
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	Smaller the better. I haven't used prills, but I imagine you can run them through a coffee grinder first. I use a hand operated coffee grinder to granulate compressed (corned) black powder. Imagine it would work for the prills just the same. The rest can be worked out in the ball mill. You may also try to weigh and ball mill the prills first, then add the charcoal powder and sulfur once the prills are pulverized. Let us know how it works out. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

May 10, 2016, 01:44 PM	#51
Centurion Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 2016 Posts: 270	Why my friend? In my country is not unlegal...

May 18, 2016, 07:43 PM	#58
Gavlan Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2015 Posts: 108	Gentlemen & Ladies , I have ben following this thread and decided I need to try making some for myself but I have a question about the KNO3 , I can get it powdered ( 200 mesh ?) for 9 bucks a pound at skylighter but they also have the KNO3 crystals which is 3 bucks a pound cheaper. Now my question is if I am going to use a ball mill can I just use the crystal type ( less expensive) as it will all be milled to the same consistency in the end. Thank you and have a great night.

May 18, 2016, 10:43 PM	#59
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	You might want to check the price on stump remover. Most is pure saltpeter.

May 19, 2016, 04:07 AM	#61
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	I was wondering why this OP feller never commented throughout his entire thread. I than realized its near 2 years old.

May 19, 2016, 06:08 AM	#63
Mozella Member Join Date: April 17, 2015 Posts: 83	I'm old enough so that, as a child, I made black powder from components I purchased at the local drug store. My friends and I would stop in for a chocolate malt and a burger, $0.25 each. Then we would buy sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter from the pharmacist, no questions asked 'cause it was not against any law, at least none that we or the pharmacist were aware of. We simply mixed the components together with no attempt to further process them, so we were unable to make effective bombs. But we sure did burn a lot of it and we did make some rocket powered model cars, limited by our ability to make an effective nozzle. Then a friend came into possession of a 25 pound tin of zinc dust and we forgot about black powder. We immediately and went whole hog in the direction of making bombs and cannons, with good success. The spice of danger was intoxicating, but we were smart enough not to do something really stupid, at least as far as safety was concerned. Our legal precautions were not so well thought-out and after little incident involving a mail box and a run-in with the FBI, we cooled our interest in bomb making and concentrated on under age drinking and chasing girls. Don't believe anyone who says the "good old days" weren't all that good. They were fantastic..................... for those who survived.

May 19, 2016, 07:44 AM	#64
brotherg Member Join Date: February 6, 2016 Location: Payne Springs, Texas Posts: 56	I start mine in a coffee grinder. Necessary warning, one component at a time and start with a pristine clean grinder, NO3 makes most things burn. Before I got started I read trough some of the accident threads. You can google that. Wanted to make sure I properly respected the fuel for the dragon's breath.

May 19, 2016, 04:47 PM	#67
Gavlan Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2015 Posts: 108	Nother question,,,, I can get " prilled" ( beads?) cheap - (ish) and it's supposed to be 99.8 % , Would I have to smash this stuff with a hammer afore it goes into the mill or will the lead balls take care of it without the extra step ?. Just throwing stuff out there cos I ain't done this afore.

May 20, 2016, 04:06 PM	#69
krimmie Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2007 Location: S. Florida Posts: 280	Prilled works just fine once milled. Make sure you get the proper willow charcoal, oak charcoal from the fireplace won't work well.

May 20, 2016, 05:59 PM	#70
Gavlan Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2015 Posts: 108	I've charred up some cedar, just cos it's what is handy on my piece of heaven. Probably need to get a hold of some willow , but for practice and convenience Cedar will have to do for now . I really don't expect the outcome to be earth shattering but it's a start,,,

May 21, 2016, 06:20 AM	#71
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	Cedar was used during the colonial war. Should make good powder. I heard a suggestion recently to use bags of cedar mulch from garden centers. Cheap and would make a lot of charcoal. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

May 21, 2016, 02:42 PM	#72
BlackPowderBen Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2015 Posts: 380	If you're just starting out I would recommend getting components that are already ground and ready to be mixed in the ball mill. hobby chemical supply has good prices and a black powder kit. __________________ "If you have to shoot, shoot! Dont talk"

May 21, 2016, 08:13 PM	#73
Gavlan Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2015 Posts: 108	BPB , I already have my sulfur and decided against buying the prilled kno3 . Someone here recommended buying from a fella called Phil on the interweb ( sorry can't think of his website right now) and ordered tech grade kno3. I have an older Sears brand rock tumbler to use for a ball mill.. As the saying goes " it'll all come out in the wash " , I'm totally set up for a failure....