Ball Milling FAQ

[oldguy]

Thanks, I love my mill.

 

 

 

 

If you water quench the 50/50 mg/al you smelt yourself.

 

 

 

 

There is enough aluminum in the alloy that it forms (IMHO) a very effective protective Al oxide layer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which stores well long term.

 

 

[vassallo]

Hi, this is my first post here

 

Take a look to my ball mill:

 

Here the pulverone milled for 5 hour:

 

The pulverone seems to be powerful, but when i make granulated meal powder it loose a lot of power

[pyrogeorge]

Hi,

Your jar is from metal?

[vassallo]

Yes, it's ab old paint jar I watched TO other mill and i noticed that i need more media!

[pyrogeorge]

It isn't good idea to mill your bp in metal jar.

[vassallo]

can it generate sparks even with glass media?

 

The speed and the load is ok?

[ivars21]

I think glass is not the best media to use.

[pyrogeorge]

if i were you i wouldn't use any metal for ball milling..

[oldguy]

can it generate sparks even with glass media?

 

The speed and the load is ok?

 

 

Your speed appears WAY TO FAST. Should be 60 to 75RPM

Load also appears VERY light.

Load should be fill jar 50% with media, then add comp & shake it into the gaps in the media. Total load should be a 1/2 full jar.

 

IMHO, your metal can, light load, high rpm is a bomb waiting to happen.

[NonNewtonic]

Any site to be recommended to get diff types of charcoal eg. willow, airfloat , pine etc.

[DanielC]

You can always make your own. Its not difficult at all and kind of fun. If you have any cabinet shops in your area go hit them up for some scrap. You may have to snatch what you need from the waste bin, but oh well it's free.

Obviously, you want certain species, but IMO anything works better than commercial charcoal. I like alder, white ash, western red cedar, but I've made some maple coal that was pretty fast.

I even tried some 50/50 white pine/balsa and it is fast and really produces gas and sparks.

Edited February 8, 2012 by DanielC

[ZippoFire]

Hello first post.

I don't have much experience. but i have read alot on different forums and the books "Best of AFN"

I want to start slow and begin with Blackpowder and some blackpowder based stars like TigerTails and such.

So a ball mill is a must.

 

The ball mill i think I want to buy is the lortone 3A ( single 3lb jar) or the lortone 33a ( double 3lb jar)

 

They are sold as rocktumbler, Can i use them as a ballmill.

I dont know the rpm so my biggest concern is that it's too slow.

Does anyone have any experience of these "ball mill"?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mumbles]

If you're looking to try a rock tumbler, you may want to go with a less expensive model. Don't get me wrong, a Lortone will last forever, and if you have one that will be great. If I was going to purchase one, I'd go with Chicago Electric. (http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=rock+tumbler) They're on sale at the moment it seems even. The fact of the matter is that as you get more into this hobby, you will probably out grow the smaller rock tumbler and be looking to get something larger. The belts tend to break fairly easily, but an upgrade to a stronger o-ring or better belt will fix that.

 

They will most certainly work as a ball mill. Each jar will take around 200 .50 cal lead balls to properly charge. In my experience they take about 8hr to properly mill a load. Each will have their own opinions on that though. The RPM is a little lower than ideal, thus the longer milling times. You can increase the RPM by making the powered roller larger. This can be done with tape if you want a quick fix, or rubber tubing or fully replacing the roller if you want something more permanent and have the capabilities.

[Potassiumchlorate]

A friend has a Lortone 3A. It takes longer time to mill with it than with a ballmill specifically built as one, but it is a perfectly OK substitute.

[oldguy]

I agree with Mumbles.

 

It seems about everyone started with a harbor freight single or duel tumbler.

 

For the money they are a decent rig.

 

Belts don’t last forever, but any vacuum cleaner repair place has better quality ones.

 

Once you get the hang of making BP & star comps with a HF tumbler.

 

You can build a far bigger one, with a TEFC motor to suit your needs.

 

 

[ZippoFire]

Thanks.

There is only one problem, I live in sweden and we use 220v

And the only mill/tumbler i can find here is the lortones.

I could import one but i'll have to buy something to fix the voltage problem.

And that will make it more expensive than a loretone.

 

The Rpm can be turned up. thats good.

And I was prepared to have to do some mods on rpm.

So it sounds like it's a deacent mill with some smal adjustments.

 

Thanks guys!!

[oldguy]

Thanks.

There is only one problem, I live in sweden and we use 220v

And the only mill/tumbler i can find here is the lortones.

Thanks guys!!

 

 

Then it looks like a Lortane 3A or 33A 220-V 50Hz is your best bet.

Good luck starting out.

It'a a great hobby.

[pyro92]

I finally ordered a 6lb Harbor Freight tumbler. I'm planning on using one jar for fuels and one jar for oxidizers. I also ordered some ceramic media from pyrocreations. Can't wait to try it out on some chems!

[dagabu]

We are in the middle of a heated discussion about the rubber jars elsewhere and though there is some distention, they seems to work fine as long as you seal the jars correctly and use the proper loading of them with media and chems.

 

Lets get you started:

 

You need grinding media. I will get some flack here but I don't suggest lead for the rubber jars, it wears the belts and overloads the motors. Look for Zirc-M media on eBay for the tumbler, it is heavy and produces great BP fast! Yes, it is pricey but it will not turn your comps grey or wear down like lead will.

 

Rubber jars are said to resist getting built up come in the ends but that has not been my direct experience.

 

-dag

[pyro92]

We are in the middle of a heated discussion about the rubber jars elsewhere and though there is some distention, they seems to work fine as long as you seal the jars correctly and use the proper loading of them with media and chems.

 

Lets get you started:

 

You need grinding media. I will get some flack here but I don't suggest lead for the rubber jars, it wears the belts and overloads the motors. Look for Zirc-M media on eBay for the tumbler, it is heavy and produces great BP fast! Yes, it is pricey but it will not turn your comps grey or wear down like lead will.

 

Rubber jars are said to resist getting built up come in the ends but that has not been my direct experience.

 

-dag

 

What's your opinion on using ceramic media in the rubber jars? I ordered some from pyrocreations for starters. So far I'm going to only be milling individual chemicals.

[dagabu]

Depends on the type of ceramic. Alumina seems to have a bad rap but Zirc-M is spark proof so it is good for all grinding. It is also very heavy.

 

I think you will be fine after all, the grinding takes place between the media, not against the walls of the jar.

 

-dag

[nater]

 

Rubber jars are said to resist getting built up come in the ends but that has not been my direct experience.

 

-dag

 

I've been using the 3lb harbor freight jars, and I always get a little comp built up in the ends. It is hardly a big deal and the little tumbler works great for the batch sizes I am working with now.

 

I think I will order some of that cubic zirconia media. I don't know if it affects performance, but I don't like my single chems turning grey from the lead.

 

 

 

[bob]

I'm making a ball grinder and I'm using a steel rod for the shafts

and I'm trying to get a rubber hose to stick to the steel so fare I've tried hot glue and poxy glue neither of them did ANYTHING

thanks

bob

[oldguy]

I'm making a ball grinder and I'm using a steel rod for the shafts

and I'm trying to get a rubber hose to stick to the steel so fare I've tried hot glue and poxy glue neither of them did ANYTHING

thanks

bob

 

Go to an auto parts store & buy some radiator or vaccum type hose that has an ID the size of the rods OD.

Should be a tight fit, that will not slip.

[Mumbles]

You want to find something that is a relatively tight fit. One trick if it's overly tight is to coat the interior with soapy water. As it dried, it will adhere very well to the rod. Automotive hose tends to be pretty good.