Header ideas

[SharkWhisperer]

all my Rockets have been sugar Rockets thus far. But I did get some tooling for black powder. I guess I'm going to have to get over my fear of pounding on black powder. I always have the horror story in my mind of a friend who was loading his Flintlock and he rammed the powder too hard and shot the ramrod ball and patch straight through the middle of his hand. I like to tell myself it had something to do with there being an ember from the previous shot still in the barrel. I still think about that every time I load my muzzle loader for deer season.

Well, you're dealing with energetic (and fun!) comps. And don't forget about the "flint" in "flintlock". Coulda been a spark...

 

As always, better safe than sorry. You just gotta think ahead a little, and pay close attention. The art is not itself scary. It's when you get too casual or impatient. Then you can injure people.

[SharkWhisperer]

sadly I chinced out and purchased a cheap Chinese knockoff of the Harbor Freight mill on eBay. Everything looks identical to Harbor Freight except for a few details. The whole bottom didn't come off there was just like a 1-inch section that wasn't vulcanized. I ordered a new set of jars that are Harbor Freight already for now that should hold me over until I make the kind of Mill I'm going to end up needing once I start making the black powder Rockets.

HF is as Chicom as they come. Probably came out of the same factory. Too bad you didn't buy it from HF though, because they have a great return policy. Oh well. Another life learning lesson.

 

That said, probably 75% of fireworkers on this site that mill BP started with an HF mill. I did, and still use it. Mine is 4 years old. Never burned up a belt yet (came with several extras...) and won't handle both jars filled with lead media and comp, but spins one no problem. I use glass (transparent--no color swirls that might be sparky metallic pigments) marbles from the dollar store to mill individual ingredients in both jars, no problem.

 

You can easily buy new jars for that mill on Amazon (last I checked around $10).

 

Upgrading will depend upon your forecast needs. If you dabble in the hobby, you might get away with a cheapo mill. If you want to whip up 10 lbs of BP/comps at one time, then you'll probably want to upgrade. Bigger mills are expensive.

[FrankRizzo]

A fairly simply salute heading can be made by pressing or ramming a few increments of black powder above the delay, but using lower consolidation force (e.g. using the mallet 1 hit instead of 3). Use a glued-in paper plug or an increment of clay on top to confine it.

[ronmoper76]

Dude, take a video please of 5-10 g of your nasty old granny BP and of your "seen the light" new hot BP burning in a pile. Just for amusement! As you know, once you get good BP dialed in, it is a life-changer for any pyro!!

 

It's tough to get a decent salute from BP alone...even hot BP.

i will do that actually,

[ronmoper76]

i will do that actually,

[SharkWhisperer]

 

i will do that actually,

 

Oh, yeah, there's a little difference there, for sure! The old stuff is still ok for fountains and blackmatch, and you could probably tweak it pretty easily into charcoal/Chrysanthemum stars. How long are you milling? Guessing a little while longer and those few lingering orange streaky sparks on the new stuff will disappear. But that looks pretty functional for anything pyro. You tried using it for lift yet? I'm sure it'll work just fine without the Benzo supplement.

[Arthur]

Every beginning pyro thinks that their favoured mix makes good BP, the first and hardest part of pyro is finding that the ingredients, formula and the method must be right before you get full power from powder.

[Uarbor]

Oh, yeah, there's a little difference there, for sure! The old stuff is still ok for fountains and blackmatch, and you could probably tweak it pretty easily into charcoal/Chrysanthemum stars. How long are you milling? Guessing a little while longer and those few lingering orange streaky sparks on the new stuff will disappear. But that looks pretty functional for anything pyro. You tried using it for lift yet? I'm sure it'll work just fine without the Benzo supplement.

wow that first one it's like fuse composition, my batch is at least as fast as that second one. I milled it for 3 hours and I used lump charcoal from the grocery store. Cowboy charcoal it was called. I have a lot of soft maple on my land I'm going to try making my own for the next batch. I wish I knew how to post a video.

[ronmoper76]

Oh, yeah, there's a little difference there, for sure! The old stuff is still ok for fountains and blackmatch, and you could probably tweak it pretty easily into charcoal/Chrysanthemum stars. How long are you milling? Guessing a little while longer and those few lingering orange streaky sparks on the new stuff will disappear. But that looks pretty functional for anything pyro. You tried using it for lift yet? I'm sure it'll work just fine without the Benzo supplement.

12-15 grams taped underneath a 325 gram shell gives me 2 more seconds airtime versus 25 grams strongly confined and plugged with a chipboard disk. It's no comparison. I was putting a half teaspoon in a pipe,a tiny ball of toilet paper to build pressure and a weighted quarter stick casing on top the other night. A quick pffff and they are so high you lose sight of them for a second. Im sure its not the best out there but compared to what i had..... night and day. That first stuff would do NOTHING unless confined like a salute under the shell,the second requires almost no confinement at all,a wad of tissue paper is more than enough.

Edited May 25, 2021 by ronmoper76

[ronmoper76]

I think my second batch was slightly not as good as first for some reason but still more than useable. I have 2 batches mixed together now so i can't really tell anymore

 

wow that first one it's like fuse composition, my batch is at least as fast as that second one. I milled it for 3 hours and I used lump charcoal from the grocery store. Cowboy charcoal it was called. I have a lot of soft maple on my land I'm going to try making my own for the next batch. I wish I knew how to post a video.

if you can make that from crappy store charcoal,i need to work on my process,lol I will say this one of these guys mentioned having a minimum amount of milling media in your drum,i believe 36 lbs he recommended to me?

Well i doubled what i was using today and it seems to massively speed up the process. Can't believe i never thought of that till now,I notice a handful of differences immediately,its literally pounding it together and making the jar edges look flaky,where before i was actually having my BP double in size and get super fluffy. I'm excited to see how this one comes out. I have a feeling another BP revelation is on the way,lol

Edited May 25, 2021 by ronmoper76

[Uarbor]

I think my second batch was slightly not as good as first for some reason but still more than useable. I have 2 batches mixed together now so i can't really tell anymore

 

if you can make that from crappy store charcoal,i need to work on my process,lol

my ball mill is the Harbor Freight style rock tumbler with the mods to speed it up to Optimal speed. Exactly 5 lb of 50 caliber lead antimony balls and I charge it with exactly 120 grams of composition so that absolutely everything is optimal or at least as optimal as it can be with that equipment. And luckily all my chemicals happened to be dry the charcoal was the Hickory and Oak version of cowboy lump charcoal. Less-than-ideal from what I understand. I break down the charcoal in the leg of an old pair of jeans with a zip tie on one end then I just put it in an old 1970s blender. Screen out the chunks and Mill it like that. I did not pre Mill any of the ingredients separately. I probably just got lucky I guess we will find out when I make another batch Edited May 25, 2021 by Uarbor

[SharkWhisperer]

wow that first one it's like fuse composition, my batch is at least as fast as that second one. I milled it for 3 hours and I used lump charcoal from the grocery store. Cowboy charcoal it was called. I have a lot of soft maple on my land I'm going to try making my own for the next batch. I wish I knew how to post a video.

If you're using Cowboy brand (or any) the country of origin (often Mexico or Brazil, not always USA) is written on the bottom. Fish around for the lightest/least dense chunks to use. Still, I only use this for charcoal stars, blackmatch, and ground works. It's long-burning hardwood. And "soft" maple may or may not work so well if you're after speed/power. Free, sure. But if you locate yourself some willow, cedar (ERC pet bedding chips from walmart--be sure it's not pine that they also sell), or alder (shingles from HD), your speed should go up. There's also several vendors now selling premade Paulownia (reportedly among the fastest), ERC, and pine (sparky for rocket tails, but you can make this with pine shavings or an untreated 2x4" scrap) charcoal here (check Agora) or at some commercial sites (FWC for one), but it's costly compared to commercial hardwood airfloat, lump charcoal, or anything homemade. I happen to like willow, and picked up a large quantity a few years ago that's still in use. That stuff makes ripping fast BP. ERC works pretty good, too, from pet bedding, and the bonus is the chips are almost dust when they come out of the charcoal retort, and require minimal processing besides milling with nitrate and sulfur. I've also paid for some Paulownia, but haven't gotten around to testing it yet. Suggest you store your freshly-ground charcoal in an airtight container with desiccant--I use color-changing silica, because that stuff loves to suck up atmospheric water. A lot of water. My silica packets are inside teabag-like material, so they get dirty if they actually touch the charcoal--I protect them with a thin wrap of paper toweling for charcoal. Keeps them clean so you can see the beads. When beads change from green to orange, they're saturated and replaced. The old ones can be recycled forever just by baking in a dry oven for 30 min at 200-300F (same temp I use to dry out my charcoal if I'm not 100% it is water-free.

[Uarbor]

If you're using Cowboy brand (or any) the country of origin (often Mexico or Brazil, not always USA) is written on the bottom. Fish around for the lightest/least dense chunks to use. Still, I only use this for charcoal stars, blackmatch, and ground works. It's long-burning hardwood. And "soft" maple may or may not work so well if you're after speed/power. Free, sure. But if you locate yourself some willow, cedar (ERC pet bedding chips from walmart--be sure it's not pine that they also sell), or alder (shingles from HD), your speed should go up. There's also several vendors now selling premade Paulownia (reportedly among the fastest), ERC, and pine (sparky for rocket tails, but you can make this with pine shavings or an untreated 2x4" scrap) charcoal here (check Agora) or at some commercial sites (FWC for one), but it's costly compared to commercial hardwood airfloat, lump charcoal, or anything homemade. I happen to like willow, and picked up a large quantity a few years ago that's still in use. That stuff makes ripping fast BP. ERC works pretty good, too, from pet bedding, and the bonus is the chips are almost dust when they come out of the charcoal retort, and require minimal processing besides milling with nitrate and sulfur. I've also paid for some Paulownia, but haven't gotten around to testing it yet. Suggest you store your freshly-ground charcoal in an airtight container with desiccant--I use color-changing silica, because that stuff loves to suck up atmospheric water. A lot of water. My silica packets are inside teabag-like material, so they get dirty if they actually touch the charcoal--I protect them with a thin wrap of paper toweling for charcoal. Keeps them clean so you can see the beads. When beads change from green to orange, they're saturated and replaced. The old ones can be recycled forever just by baking in a dry oven for 30 min at 200-300F (same temp I use to dry out my charcoal if I'm not 100% it is water-free.

thanks. I am working on getting some Willow there is a weeping willow at my mother's house. I don't really have any specific need for Superfast black powder I just wanted to see if I can make it as a point of pride. Just about anything will do in my thunder mug for the 4th of July. And I have enough of that. Edited May 25, 2021 by Uarbor

[Uarbor]

I guess my next question would be how fast of a black powder do you want to break a shell or a rocket header?

[SharkWhisperer]

thanks. I am working on getting some Willow there is a weeping willow at my mother's house. I don't really have any specific need for Superfast black powder I just wanted to see if I can make it as a point of pride. Just about anything will do in my thunder mug for the 4th of July. And I have enough of that.

The BP burn rate in Ron's second video is sufficient BP speed to do pretty much anything in fireworking. You can always slow it down, but fast BP is indeed a point of pride. And it's pretty simple to beat Goex burn rates with their nasty hardwood charcoal. But then again, they are not going for max speed, they are going for reproducible speed that is fast enough to get the job done. And it's rather apples to oranges comparing corned/opacified (graphite coating evens out granule burn rate but slows it a little) Goex versus homemade wet-granulated.

 

For both lift/burst, the stronger the BP, the less you need to use. So...stronger is better. For a rocket header? Dunno? I would never consider wasting a good rocket to shoot a heavy BP salute. Most aerial booms, including the commercial 1.4G stuff for sale are flash or flash-enhanced. Even the burst in smaller shells is sometimes enhanced by adding a dollup of FP to the BP-based burst. Straight salutes in headers/inserts? The Chicoms will use whatever's cheapest, and flash gives both flash and boom without needing heavy (thickness and weightwise) containment like BP does. I don't think I'm alone when I suggest that most folks on this site (and elsewhere) don't really use BP-based aerial salutes when binary flash is simple and reasonably cheap (zero labor hours) and much better suited for the purpose than BP. Light up a half gram of 70:30 (safely, with a non-spitting fuse and decent eye/hand protection, and stand back) and you'll immediately understand why, in salutes, even hot BP is FP's little wimpy brother who's fat, slow, and bumbling.

[Uarbor]

The BP burn rate in Ron's second video is sufficient BP speed to do pretty much anything in fireworking. You can always slow it down, but fast BP is indeed a point of pride. And it's pretty simple to beat Goex burn rates with their nasty hardwood charcoal. But then again, they are not going for max speed, they are going for reproducible speed that is fast enough to get the job done. And it's rather apples to oranges comparing corned/opacified (graphite coating evens out granule burn rate but slows it a little) Goex versus homemade wet-granulated.

 

For both lift/burst, the stronger the BP, the less you need to use. So...stronger is better. For a rocket header? Dunno? I would never consider wasting a good rocket to shoot a heavy BP salute. Most aerial booms, including the commercial 1.4G stuff for sale are flash or flash-enhanced. Even the burst in smaller shells is sometimes enhanced by adding a dollup of FP to the BP-based burst. Straight salutes in headers/inserts? The Chicoms will use whatever's cheapest, and flash gives both flash and boom without needing heavy (thickness and weightwise) containment like BP does. I don't think I'm alone when I suggest that most folks on this site (and elsewhere) don't really use BP-based aerial salutes when binary flash is simple and reasonably cheap (zero labor hours) and much better suited for the purpose than BP. Light up a half gram of 70:30 (safely, with a non-spitting fuse and decent eye/hand protection, and stand back) and you'll immediately understand why, in salutes, even hot BP is FP's little wimpy brother who's fat, slow, and bumbling.

yes I remember what good am 80s were like back in the day. I wasn't talking about a report header for a rocket. More to the point I was talking about bursting in my new Tiger Tail Stars and some kind of bag header on the top of a three-quarter inch ID sugar rocket. I don't want to disintegrate my stars. I got my mill cleaned up and am Milling the Tiger Tail star composition as we speak. I need to test it and have it ready for the 4th of July if that's even possible. Edited May 25, 2021 by Uarbor

[Uarbor]

The BP burn rate in Ron's second video is sufficient BP speed to do pretty much anything in fireworking. You can always slow it down, but fast BP is indeed a point of pride. And it's pretty simple to beat Goex burn rates with their nasty hardwood charcoal. But then again, they are not going for max speed, they are going for reproducible speed that is fast enough to get the job done. And it's rather apples to oranges comparing corned/opacified (graphite coating evens out granule burn rate but slows it a little) Goex versus homemade wet-granulated.

 

For both lift/burst, the stronger the BP, the less you need to use. So...stronger is better. For a rocket header? Dunno? I would never consider wasting a good rocket to shoot a heavy BP salute. Most aerial booms, including the commercial 1.4G stuff for sale are flash or flash-enhanced. Even the burst in smaller shells is sometimes enhanced by adding a dollup of FP to the BP-based burst. Straight salutes in headers/inserts? The Chicoms will use whatever's cheapest, and flash gives both flash and boom without needing heavy (thickness and weightwise) containment like BP does. I don't think I'm alone when I suggest that most folks on this site (and elsewhere) don't really use BP-based aerial salutes when binary flash is simple and reasonably cheap (zero labor hours) and much better suited for the purpose than BP. Light up a half gram of 70:30 (safely, with a non-spitting fuse and decent eye/hand protection, and stand back) and you'll immediately understand why, in salutes, even hot BP is FP's little wimpy brother who's fat, slow, and bumbling.

I made a new batch that was milled longer with the same cowboy charcoal. Details are in the description of the YouTube video https://youtube.com/shorts/u38cMNv1rpo?feature=share