My ballmilled Black Powder .. any suggestion?

[MinamotoKobayashi]

As suggested by a kindly user in APC forum, I created BP with my good ballmill in this way:

 

Mix 1:

75 parts potassium nitrate

5 parts charcoal

Mix 2:

10 parts charcoal

10 parts sulphur

I used airfloat pine charcoal, potassium nitrate without anticaking and sulphur.

Potassium nitrate and charcoal was dried under the sunlight for half day.

I mixed twice the two compounds thru a 20 mesh screen.

In the video in attachment You can see how burn 1/3 of a tea spoon of this BP into my kitchen sink

Can anyone tell me if my BP is fast enough to be considered good?

For the momment I will use BP only to coating rice hulls.

P.S: the residual was a very small amount of potassium nitrate, but it looks like fine granulated, not pulverized.

Edited August 12, 2017 by MinamotoKobayashi

[XMax]

I would say it's fast enough to lift shells but if you want to make a really hard break you might have to tune it some!

[DavidF]

Testing any pyrotechnics in a home is not a good idea. If you are willing to test them in your home, you are willing to make them there too, IMHO. That has caused a lot of problems for others already. Please don't do it.

 

I would grind the #2 Mix longer, and use a 40 mesh sieve.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Thanks.

David, I live alone in an apartment. I have no open spaces, working at home is my only chance.

Don't worry, I'm not a newbye, I work with sugar rockets indoor from many years.

The key is to work with small batches and keep the other powders far away, well sealed and placed in other rooms.

I'm always protected with goggles, mask, gloves and appropriate cloths.

I have a fire estinguisher and wet rags always ready near me.

No one except me myself can be injuried in case of bad luck, so don't worry

 

Ok, I will grind the mix2 longer and I will use 40 mesh sieve.

The mix 1 after 1 hours tends to create a big lump against the end of the ballmill barrell, also if the compound is well dried.

Unluckly the potassium nitrate without anticaking tends always to create big lumps ....

Edited August 12, 2017 by MinamotoKobayashi

[Mumbles]

If you don't have anywhere to work safely (and it sounds like you don't), then you shouldn't be doing this at all.

 

Also, something is not well dried if it's clumping after an hour. Charcoal can hold onto water too.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Hi Mumbles.

I have well dried both potassium nitrate and carchoal under the sun and inside my ventilated oven at 100 °C.

This issue happens only when I'm using potassium nitrate without anticaking.

If I use potassium nitrate with anticaking everything goes fine.

 

I have an important question for You: the potassium nitrate with anticaking can cause issues in some uses?

Can I replace always the potassium without anticaking with the anticaking version without having troubles? (for example, I heard

that the anticaking version it is not suitable to make coated rice hulls ...)

Edited August 12, 2017 by MinamotoKobayashi

[starxplor]

 

Please do not put anyone else who lives in your apartment building/complex at such risk!

 

Imagine how upset you would be if a family member of yours was in an apartment complex where someone else caught them on fire.

[Oinikis]

While I am also concerned about the safety, may I ask, why do you mill in two seperate mixes? I always mixed it all up and milled.

[MrB]

While I am also concerned about the safety, may I ask, why do you mill in two seperate mixes? I always mixed it all up and milled.

 

It's quite common to run two "batches" of charcoal, and screen them together, as a mean to minimize the risk of the mill, or any handling in relation to the milling procedure, causing unexpected rapid combustion with undesirable results.

Sulfur / charcoal, or KNO3 / charcoal, burns poorly.

Combining, and milling, rather then milling the two different compositions, and screening them together, makes a better BP, but has some downsides in the safety department. Most of us decide to deal with those issues when we get a ball mill, some don't.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Yes MrB You're right. I alive alone in an apartment and I cannot risk to mill BP indoor. Also If I use brass media balls, gum barrell and screened airfloat charcoal (to elimite also the risk of unwanted small metal pieces), I want to be safe.

 

For eveyone that fear what I have done: it was a 1/2 tea spoon of BP inside a metal kitchen sink. The fuse was locked with a strong tape on the floor. On the left and on the right I have much water, and on the back a fire estinguisher.

I was almost naked, and also my hamster was far away from the place.

Now anyone explain me how can be dangerous to ignite about 5 grams of BP in such environment !!!

[Mumbles]

Yes MrB You're right. I alive alone in an apartment and I cannot risk to mill BP indoor. Also If I use brass media balls, gum barrell and screened airfloat charcoal (to elimite also the risk of unwanted small metal pieces), I want to be safe.

 

For eveyone that fear what I have done: it was a 1/2 tea spoon of BP inside a metal kitchen sink. The fuse was locked with a strong tape on the floor. On the left and on the right I have much water, and on the back a fire estinguisher.

I was almost naked, and also my hamster was far away from the place.

Now anyone explain me how can be dangerous to ignite about 5 grams of BP in such environment !!!

 

You were indoors. That is how it is dangerous.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Mumbles, I know guys that were outdoors and had severe injuries simply shaking the ball mill barrell with BP inside, while I know people who combine every imprudence possible and imaginable inside the home and never do anything serious. I prepare 1/2 kg sugar rockets and 3" shells in my kitchen every day from 1 year and never had any kind of issues. Doing a firework is a risk, either inside or outside, with or without caution. If the fate want that You must blow up, You cannot do anything. Except to stop making fireworks, of course.

Edited August 19, 2017 by MinamotoKobayashi

[OldMarine]

I build shells and headers using completed stars and powder in my shed but I'd never mill BP, mix comps or God forbid, light any of them in here. I had a neighbor start a grease fire in her kitchen back when I lived in an apartment and if not for my renter's insurance I'd have been homeless and destitute. She would have been my total list of people to kill if I hadn't thought to get insurance.

[rogeryermaw]

And when you do have that one incident and hurt not you but the neighbor's kids, you'll drive one more nail into the coffin of amateur pyrotechnics. And then well.....use your imagination.

[OldMarine]

I'm tired of hauling my gear including generator to my brother's spread to mill powder, so rather than take a chance on blowing a hole in the neighbor's house, I'm going to try DaveF's method of separate milling of the ingredients at home. Like marriage pyro is a hobby designed to ruin stupid people.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

LOL Oldmarine. In fact I do not have wife nor kids. This is a palace of not-married evergreen singles. And there aren't kids. Instead marriage, I prefer to ruin my life in other ways such as pyros.

For the other users: please stop to flame this thread, we are plently OT now ...

[MrB]

Well, most of us don't condone "unsafe" practices. Fiddling with pyro in a rental flat pretty much counts here.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Well, what is the punishment inflicted in this forum to a single man who does the pyro in his apartment?

[starxplor]

Well, what is the punishment inflicted in this forum to a single man who does the pyro in his apartment?

 

Shunning mostly... alternatively, nagging to get such a person to change their ways, heh.

 

To most in this hobby, a person's risk to themselves is theirs to evaluate. The problem comes in with apartments in that a person is risking someone else's life and property, without their consent to the risk.

 

I have even heard of apartments(in addition to all university owned student housing I have looked at) with rules against any open flames for this reason.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

I understand the matter.

I live in this apartment from about 50 years. Regrettable to say, but I'm surrounded of assholes, dickheads and ugly people. The only good soul in this condominium is a lovely cocker dog called "Trudy"

Ok, for the love of this dog I will search a cottage in open countryside outside the city as soon as possible.

[starxplor]

I, many here, and most importantly the awesome dog thank you!