Black Powder Thread #1

[evilgecko]

Just made some BP with a coffee grinder, and its not to shabby! My demand for BP has overcome my small 100g ball mill and in the transit time between making a bigger one I'm using a coffee grinder. I mix the charcoal and sulphur together in the ratio 15:10 (standard) or 3:2, 60%/40% whatever makes sence to you. Then I load the coffee grinder with as much of this rough mix as possible. I have found overloading it makes it grind up the particles smaller. This is because when grinding, once the particles reach a certain size they get thrown to the top of the coffee grinder. If the grinder is not adaquetly filled, the extremely fast spinning blade will only skim over the powder as most of it sticks to the top, making grinding inefficient. You can usually here when this happens as the blade starts spinning faster as there is no resistance.

 

However, if you add more powder, there is so much that some has to remain in the blade cutting reach. This gets thrown into the stuff above and knocks some down, repeating the cycle and all the powder gets throughly grinded.

 

I run the grinder for 3 20sec intervals with a 10sec brake to let the brushes cool down. Coffee grinders are built for speed not edurance and will easily burn out. My first one was lost this way. Although knowing better now it would of only taken two knew 5mmx4mm carbon brushes to fix.

 

Once charcoal and sulphur has been grinded, it is weighed again to account for losses when grinding. I started of with 45g and left with 42g. Then the approiate amount of KNO3 to make up a 75:15:10 mixture (or whatever ratio you want) is dissolved in the minimal amount of boiling water. Add the water slowly till nearly all powder dissolves. You will never be able to remove all of it because of impurities. Then slowly sift in the charcoal/sulphur mix. It will take quite alot of stirring because the powder floats on top. If you are adding any dextrin add it now. I do this while the pot is on a camp stove and full blast. This keeps it boiling vigouriosly and the bubbles help mix it all together. You have to watch it doesn't foam over though. It is important to keep all the powder wet. You will find that the powder on the sides of the pot will start drying. This can be flammible and can be lit by the extreme heat.

 

Once the BP has reached a certain consistancy (you will get an eye for this, still wet but quite thick), it is brought of the heat and the pot placed in cold tap water (similar to the CIA method but way easier). The BP should rapidly thicken. I make sure I cook it enough so that it drys beyond the stage which it can be passed through a seive to granulate it.

 

Then you can do what you like with it. Spread it out on newpaper and let it dry for rough powder, puck it, or wet with 50/50 alchy/water mix so it can be garnulated.

 

Although not as good as ball milled BP, I use this from rockets to lift powder to even break charges! And using the grinder you can produce enough powdered charocoal/sulphur to make 100g of BP per batch which take about 2 minutes.

[Givat]

There are some stainless steels that don't spark. I was never able to get a good answer as to which ones these are. Steel media is good for crushing single chemicals and grinding metals, should you deem milling metals safe enough to do in the first place..

from rec.pyrotechnics:

That is not correct.  SOME stainless alloys do spark, some do not.

 

#316 is one of  the preferable alloys for milling; it's considered

"non-sparking" and is highly corrosion-resistant.  #304 is fairly

spark-resistant, also, but corrodes easily in the presence of nitrates.

 

LLoyd

[BigBang]

I'm running my mill and after a few hours, it starts getting louder. I just assume it's grinding better. So after about 5 hours, I open the jar to find this.

 

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/Pan...000002_0002.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/a367/PantFir...000002_0001.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/Pan...000001_0002.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/Pan...000001_0001.jpg

 

That is a ball of BP, about the size ofa tennis ball!. Somehow this was rolled inside my mill. I think it might of been caused because my mill was on a slight slant. Has this ever happened to anyone here?

 

I broke it up and put it back in the mill. I now have some 56 hour BP!

[Frozentech]

That is a ball of BP, about the size ofa tennis ball!. Somehow this was rolled inside my mill. I think it might of been caused because my mill was on a slight slant. Has this ever happened to anyone here?

 

I broke it up and put it back in the mill. I now have some 56 hour BP!

I've heard of it happening. Do you dampen your BP while milling ? There are some contradictory opinions posted about this on various sites and books. I've read that test show that slightly damp BP is even more static sensitive ( and just as flammable ) as bone dry BP dust.

[BigBang]

I don't dampen it usually, but there might have been a bit in there. I thought this might have been a cause. Also, the humidity is a biatch down here (almost always +90%) so this might have given it a little more moisture. It was pretty amusing when I found it.

 

"Time to open 'er up. Hey, wtf is this! Who the hell put a tennis ball in here!"

[Pyrohawk]

That has happened to me a few times Big Bang. Its nothing to worry about and still makes fine BP. My old mill/tumbler used to do that but since I've got a newer one it doesn't...... In my new mill the BP clumps on the walls when its done. I just smack it on the ground and its done, no big!

[BigBang]

Yeah, I knew it wouldn't do much is anything to the product. I let it run for so long, it's starting to act like shitty flash. It has just poofs out of existance every time it's lit.

[Chris]

That happens to me when I mill my BP for very a very long time, say 20 hours. As the particle size decreases to a certain point, the powder starts to clump up and attach to the media. The powder is good though so no worries.

[justanotherpyro]

Yes the same thing happens to me. A remedy that I have found is baking the chems under a heat lamp for a little while to drive as much moisture out as possible. Then straight into the mill.

[Swany]

I never really did the whole ball mill thing. I have a mill, but it holds about 75 gallons. If I can find suffecient media, and an excuse for such a large and obscene amount of chems, I may....

 

For now, the coffee grinder method works well. All ingredients are ground seperately, then ground togeather. I operate the grinder remotely, so it is a chance I am willing to take. No problems, yet... 20 second intervals, for however many minutes I feel like grinding. Then it is wet and turned into pulverone, or corned. Usually, I just go straight to benzolift though.

 

Makes nice meal.

 

I belive I shall make some balsa charcoal, and try this. For curiousity, as it is said to be bloody fast.

[Frozentech]

I belive I shall make some balsa charcoal, and try this. For curiousity, as it is said to be bloody fast.

Making Balsa charcoal BP is on my list of things to do 'soon'. I've got 5 blocks of balsa wood, 3x3x6" sitting here, probably enough to fill my 1 gal paintcan retort twice after I split it up into smaller bits for cooking.

 

I've read the same, and seen some video of tests on Balsa BP, it was scary fast. I think it would make some great break powder.

[evilgecko]

I'm so with you on that Swany! But I don't wanna live my life out with a coffee grinder. I do it a little differently though, I only use the grinder to pulverise the charcoal and sukhur in the right ratio. I dissolve KNO3 in minmum amount of boiling water and then add the grinded mix and stir. Then boil heaps, cool down fast and normally granulate. I can boil so much that it only takes a day to completey dry. It seem sloopy wet at 100C but at 20C you can't notice any water. All thanks to the solubility of KNO3.

 

I'm scared though that it might be flammable with that little water. And since I boil on a gas camp stove it could be dangerous.

[Zeppelin]

Belive it or not, i'm having quite a time finding sulphur. Does anyone know of any alternatives or where I can get it for sure? thanks.

[maximusg]

Where are you located Zeppelin?

[Zeppelin]

Vancouver island, B.C. Canada

[competebeginner]

I live in BC too. Try the local pharmasave thats where I get my kno3 kclo3 and sulfur

[aquaman]

You can buy KClO3 over the counter! That's awesome. If you get it from the pharmasist, I bet it is really expensive though.

[competebeginner]

ya but there aren't any other ways I know of.

[aquaman]

There isn't any chemical supplier that'll ship it to you? If not that sucks.

[Zeppelin]

I dont know of any suppliers that ship to Canada, and wont mind if im 15

I wouldnt be able to get my parents to do it because my dad is convinced that im going to blow the house up, and he wont buy me anything. I've heard of "Gardening Sulphur" for changing the PH of the soil... Anyways next time i can get a ride to Phamasave or a local gardening shop ill take a look.

[FrankRizzo]

Zepplin,

 

Try some of the hydroponics stores around your area. They're usually good for potassium nitrate too.

[Mephistos Minion]

Hydro shops are usually expensive, but the KNO3 is fairly pure. Has anyone found an online source for paulownia charcoal?

[BigBang]

I did find a supplier once who might ship to Tasmania, the problem is I'm not sure who it was. All I can tell you is to look through the past 5 or so random threads at the old forum, a huge list was posted in one of them. The type you are looking for and many others were sold by this guy.

[joe609]

Are there any catlaysts or things you can add to the standard 75:15:10 BP to make it burn faster or stronger?

[aquaman]

Try red iron oxide. It's used as a catalyst in some rocket propellants. It's mainly used in the whistle rocket propellants and some whistle comps.

 

Edit: It's used as a catalyst in whistle compostions for rockets not for BP, got mixed up.