Mario1 Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) Ok so I was board waiting for my sulfur to arrive so I wanted to try and test some sulfurless BP. I used KNO3 pine charcoal and sugar. I did- Potassium Nitrate 50% - 12.5gCharcoal 25% - 6.25gSugar 25% - 6.25g I made about a 25 gram batch. I did not reallt mix it well as I do not have a ball mill. I just put it into a cup with some quarters and nickels and shuck it up for like 5 mins. Anyway the BP wasnt very good but it did entertain my brothers. It flamed and sparked and there was alot of smoke. Not very fast but good for fountains which Is what i am trying to make. Now my question - If I did everything the same except I used Kno3 75 charcoal 15 sulfur 10, what would be different than what I produced? Thanks. BTW Im not trying to make blackpowder for lifting shells. But for making fountains. Thanks Also should I granulate my BP? What does it do and is it nessisary for fountains or salutes? Thanks again. Edited August 20, 2009 by Mario1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtreme Pyro Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) Ok so I was board waiting for my sulfur to arrive so I wanted to try and test some sulfurless BP. I used KNO3 pine charcoal and sugar. I did- Potassium Nitrate 50% - 12.5gCharcoal 25% - 6.25gSugar 25% - 6.25g I made about a 25 gram batch. I did not reallt mix it well as I do not have a ball mill. I just put it into a cup with some quarters and nickels and shuck it up for like 5 mins. Anyway the BP wasnt very good but it did entertain my brothers. It flamed and sparked and there was alot of smoke. Not very fast but good for fountains which Is what i am trying to make. Now my question - If I did everything the same except I used Kno3 75 charcoal 15 sulfur 10, what would be different than what I produced? Thanks. BTW Im not trying to make blackpowder for lifting shells. But for making fountains. Thanks Also should I granulate my BP? What does it do and is it nessisary for fountains or salutes? Thanks again. The whole idea of putting the chems in the cup with quarters and shaking it up by hand does not sound very safe to me what if it accidently ignited? Although the chances are slim it is best not to take any chances. The bp with sulphur in it will definatly be faster then without, and it sounds like you are planning on making salutes, which again is not a very good idea. But besides that, congratulations on your first successful blackpowder . Edited August 20, 2009 by Xtreme Pyro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBluePyro Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 You dont need to granulate it for fountains. Try and buy a motar & pestle or if you can biuld or buy a ball mill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario1 Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) How should I grind it up saftly? Using a mortar and pestle? Whats the best kind of mortar and pestle to buy. Im looking on ebay... Edited August 20, 2009 by Mario1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lodcomm Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 How should I grind it up saftly? Using a mortar and pestle? Your safest route, especially while first learning to work with the chemicals and Black powders would be to grind just the charcoal and sulfur together in the mortar and pestle. Grind it as fine and you can stand it (until your hand starts to cramp).. take a break and grind it some more. Once you are satisfied that you have it as fine as you can get it, dump it into a container. Next, wash out your mortar and wash off your pestle with warm water and dry them out. Next repeat the exact same process on your potassium nitrate, get it as fine as you can. When you are satisfied with the "fineness" you can now dump this into the container containing the ground charcoal and sulfur. It is best to mix all the components by passing or "sifting" them through a fine mesh screen, but you should obtain satisfactory results by tumbling the mixture together in a lidded container. This procedure will make you a decent black powder and for fountains will work as is. have fun, and be safe.. -t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 It's pretty low-rent, but the precipitation method ("CIA" method) makes functional BP without a mill. In terms of speed, it's between green mix / mortar n pestle and milled BP. Definitely 4th cousin to milled, but in a pinch, while you're waiting, it's worth a shot. I still have about 300 grams of my CIA BP, and it functions fine in star guns and small FF mines. I wouldn't use it for lift, definitely not burst, but it's yet another way to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario1 Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Are there any guides for the CIA method? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Let Me Google That For You. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TYRONEEZEKIEL Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Sidewinder.. haha.. HA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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