BPinthemorning Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 It's not about whether it makes good BP or not. Its just to say I made gunpowder out of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwezxc12 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 It's not about whether it makes good BP or not. Its just to say I made gunpowder out of money.Maybe I'll use old credit cards instead of Parlon for my next batch of go-getters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskarchem Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Wow, just read the whole thread, and it was pretty long, anyway; I was thinking what would be better: Grapevine charcoal or Oak charcoal? for the use in BP, so the grapevine I can have for free and as much as I want, and the oak Charcoal, I can buy in the supermarket... BTW: I can't find any Willow or Balsa in my area so well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 Grapevine would likely be much better than oak. I've heard good BP can be made from oak, but it takes significantly longer milling time than normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moof Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Do most of you guys get your wood that you make charcoal with from trees and then dry them or you buy it from hardware and hobby shops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormanman Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Do most of you guys get your wood that you make charcoal with from trees and then dry them or you buy it from hardware and hobby shops? I get mine from woodshop and trees. Hardware stores and stuff have chemicals in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwezxc12 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Do most of you guys get your wood that you make charcoal with from trees and then dry them or you buy it from hardware and hobby shops?I get mine from woodshop and trees. Hardware stores and stuff have chemicals in them.mormanman,moof was asking where we get our wood that we make charcoal from...he wasn't asking about briquettes. You should actually read what people are asking before you fire off an answer. Wood from hardware stores and hobby shops does not have "chemicals" in it. For that matter, lump charcoal doesn't either. moof,Personally, I don't harvest trees for wood...too much hassle. For me, it's far easier to either buy wood or just use wood scraps left over from various projects. I have made mucho pine charcoal for stars from plain old 2x4 studs (get the ugly ones for around a $1.40 ea - no need for the clear grade). And if you don't have access to Willow, don't worry...I have also made excellent charcoal for very fast BP from Poplar lumber from Home Depot. I know people love Balsa charcoal for BP, but I'm not striving for the fastest BP on the planet; I make 1200g of BP at a whack, and what I want is consistency and economical materials. Unfortunately, Balsa takes too much volume to make what I consider a reasonable amount (500g+) of charcoal at a time. I know you asked specifically about sources for wood, but if you just want charcoal, Cowboy or similar "lump" charcoal brands are pretty good for generic charcoal uses; I use it for everything other than charcoal fire dust stars (C6, C8, TT, etc) and lift. Pine charcoal you'll either have to make it yourself, or order it from Artisan Charcoals. For BP, a 20lb. box of Alder from Custom Charcoal cost me less than $1.85/lb delivered and it makes such good BP, I'm actually using closer to the 1/16th weight of the shell ratio used for commercial BP, instead of 1/10th that I used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormanman Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Do most of you guys get your wood that you make charcoal with from trees and then dry them or you buy it from hardware and hobby shops?I get mine from woodshop and trees. Hardware stores and stuff have chemicals in them.mormanman,moof was asking where we get our wood that we make charcoal from...he wasn't asking about briquettes. You should actually read what people are asking before you fire off an answer. Wood from hardware stores and hobby shops does not have "chemicals" in it. For that matter, lump charcoal doesn't either. WTF, I'm not talking about briquettes. Do you think I'm stupid? YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO USE PLYWOOD (AKA HARDWARE STORE WOOD) FOR FIREWOOD OR CHARCOAL b/c the chemicals in it to keep it from molding and rotting are toxic. And where do you see me talking about briquettes. I don't understand why everyone is on my case about what I say anyone w/ half a brian would know that the plywood has chemicals in it. Why else would they use it in fences and rail roads that are weathered all the time. BTW, I'm sorry if it looks like I'm being an ass just to you its just some people on this forum are pissing me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 The main problem is that you never are clear enough is what you are saying, and are wrong on many occasions. You never specified plywood. Plywood is a specific product. I would hope you realise that is does not sprout from the ground that way. Not every wood sold at the hardware store is plywood. Nor is plywood even used in fences or railroad ties. This does not mean they are chemical free, but still. I do agree with you that plywood is generally a poor choice to burn or make charcoal from, as would most treated/processed lumbers. However, this latest post is the first mention you make of it. Since you never specified what you were talking about, qwezxc had to make an informed guess. Based on the total lack of information you supplied, his was one of several logical responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwezxc12 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Where to begin? mormanman, The mention of briquettes was an incorrect assumption on my part. My post was intended to try to get you to think about your answer this way: Here we have moof. Brand new to the forum with a total of two posts. We don't know his background or experience, but based on the two posts so far, I think he's just starting out and, more importantly, appears interested in the how and why of pyro, not just making bangs. Unfortunately, your statement, "Hardware stores and stuff have chemicals in them" is an absolute, and reads as if ALL wood from hardware store has chemicals in it....and that is simply not true. Yes, pressure treated lumber, OSB, MDF, and plywood are not suitable charcoal making wood, but if moof was asking about getting wood from trees vs. hardware stores / hobby shops, why would he be comparing trees and branches to plywood? He's not. He's asking about natural wood or lumber. My local Home Depot alone, has:Red OakWhite OakMapleBeechCherryPoplarYellow pinePine/Spruce/Fir framing cutsBasswood All of those could be used to make charcoal for pyrotechnics, some of it quite reactive. I don't want moof to discount all of that potential charcoal raw material as unusable because he was told it has "chemicals" in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskarchem Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Yeah, I agree. I am pretty happy, as I saw some willow on the way home from school... but I wonder if somone would notice if it just ehm...dissapeared... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormanman Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 The main problem is that you never are clear enough is what you are saying, and are wrong on many occasions. You never specified plywood. Plywood is a specific product. I would hope you realise that is does not sprout from the ground that way. Not every wood sold at the hardware store is plywood. Nor is plywood even used in fences or railroad ties. This does not mean they are chemical free, but still. I do agree with you that plywood is generally a poor choice to burn or make charcoal from, as would most treated/processed lumbers. However, this latest post is the first mention you make of it. Since you never specified what you were talking about, qwezxc had to make an informed guess. Based on the total lack of information you supplied, his was one of several logical responses. I'm sorry about not being specific in the least but all the plywood and hardware store wood is all treated including 4 by 4's 2 by 4's and so on. Thats why I said fences and rail roads. The mention of briquettes was an incorrect assumption on my part. My post was intended to try to get you to think about your answer this way: Here we have moof. Brand new to the forum with a total of two posts. We don't know his background or experience, but based on the two posts so far, I think he's just starting out and, more importantly, appears interested in the how and why of pyro, not just making bangs. Unfortunately, your statement, "Hardware stores and stuff have chemicals in them" is an absolute, and reads as if ALL wood from hardware store has chemicals in it....and that is simply not true. Yes, pressure treated lumber, OSB, MDF, and plywood are not suitable charcoal making wood, but if moof was asking about getting wood from trees vs. hardware stores / hobby shops, why would he be comparing trees and branches to plywood? He's not. He's asking about natural wood or lumber. My local Home Depot alone, has:Red OakWhite OakMapleBeechCherryPoplarYellow pinePine/Spruce/Fir framing cutsBasswood All of those could be used to make charcoal for pyrotechnics, some of it quite reactive. I don't want moof to discount all of that potential charcoal raw material as unusable because he was told it has "chemicals" in it. Opps, sorry I have bad spelling, I spelled briquettes wrong; I'll fix that. And I understood where moof was coming from, I mean why else would he ask about charcoal first and not "The easiest way to make flash." And BTW, what kind of Home Depot is that, I've never been to a single hardware store with any kind of Oak, Maple, Poplar, or Cherry. My goodness I would love that place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 You must have never been to a good hardware store then. At least try to find a lumberyard for those. Those woods are incredibly common. By the way, most wood is not treated. If you go to the store and ask for a 2x4 it will not be treated. Generally you have to specifically request it, as most people don't want treated wood for most applications. Certain applications require treated wood, such as railroad ties, and structural load bearing beams in house. Outdoor decks, swing sets, etc are also ideal to be treated for their continual exposure to the elements. However, for anything decorative, or most wood going into building projects, is not treated. Treatment processes are more costly, and give adverse properties to the wood such as foul odor, and reaction with stains/paints. This is starting to get incredibly off topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyco_1322 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 A guy I know is going to get me some Alder to make charcoal out of. Its from trim for houses but its clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormanman Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I searched and I couldn't find anything. Does anyone know anything about apple charcoal?I'm making some right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 Instead of searching, perhaps you should think about buying "Blackpowder Manufacturing, Testing, and Optimization" by von Malitz, and a copy of Pyrotechnica XVII which are the two best resources on charcoal relating to blackpowder around. Neither will run you more than about $30, and are EXCELLENT resources. You can't get by by internet alone when trying to really advance in pyrotechnics. Anyway, apple is variable. The tests varied from very good to total garbage. Sounds like it's a crap shoot based on species. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormanman Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Thanks, and could I find those books at barnes and noble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 I don't know, can you? www.bn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asilentbob Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 If you searched... you should have found:http://www.creagan.net/fireworks/charcoal_tests.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormanman Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 If you searched... you should have found:http://www.creagan.net/fireworks/charcoal_tests.htmlI didn't search. Thanks bob. BTW, mumbles, they don't sell that book. Skylighter, sells them and it $80 plus for both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco_Americanus Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 http://www.skylighter.com/mall/books.aspI belive that would be a good stating point for bookshttp://www.firefox-fx.com/literature.htm has a diffrent selection as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Well, believe it or not, there are more pyro literature suppliers than just skylighter. Google is a nice source. Just look at this. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=of...ing&btnG=Searchhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=of...ics&btnG=Search Guaranteed the two best sources are within the first 11 hits of those two searches. (I think this kind of gives away the second link ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozentech Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 If you searched... you should have found:http://www.creagan.net/fireworks/charcoal_tests.htmlI didn't search. Thanks bob. BTW, mumbles, they don't sell that book. Skylighter, sells them and it $80 plus for both. If you are in this for the long haul, plan for books to be one of your largest expenditures. Sadly, good pyro books are expensive, due to limited audience and small print runs. They are about equal to high-end college text books in that regard. I bet that you can special order any book that is in print from Barnes and Nobel, I bought Lancaster and Shimizu by special order at Borders Books, personally. The Pyrotechnica issues, I think the best price is from Prometheus Publications. No web site, they will sell via email though. The Jan 08 catalog lists the entire set of Pyrotechnica Vols I-XVII for $269 (compare that to Skylighter!) Email prometheus.publications@cox.net for current catalog / price list. P.S. if you *really* get into pyro, and want to start collecting antique / classic books, they have a 1st edition Ruggieri from 1802 for $950, and my dream collectors book, John Bate's "Second Booke" 1634 edition for $1395. And that's *missing* the title page with the Greenman woodcut. OK, far enough off topic, but charcoal gets beat to death every 6 months LOL... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco_Americanus Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 what is the name of Lancaster's book that people speak so highly of? I had to buy Shimizu's book twice as my first copy along with some of Ofca's where badly damaged from th house fire last year. (the fire gutted my home, was started by my damn careless nieghbor, it totaly distroyed his home) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Yes, I heard about the fire on UKR, quite a shame. Anyway, it's called "Fireworks Principles and Practice"the ISBN is 0-8206-0354-6 at least for the 3rd edition, which is currently replaced by the 4th ed. I personally picked up my copy off ebay for around $50. I believe amazon sells it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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