Black powder formula

[Jackrabbit1957]

Hi all you fellers that make your own black powder, a couple of questions, where do you get your supplies and what formulas work the best? Thinking about trying fer myself in the not too distant future. Thanks.

 

[arcticap]

Contained in the thread named Black Powder Essentials at the top of the Black Powder Forum home page is a link to a THR black powder thread: --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/making-blackpowder.347898/

I skimmed through 8 pages and this outfit was one of the favored suppliers: --->>> https://www.ihaveadotcom.com

This is another outfit that was listed that I think is popular and well known: --->>> https://www.skylighter.com

This outfit was said to be somewhat more expensive: --->>> http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16_17_69

These were the only chemical supplier links in the thread that I found to still be working and in business.

 

[LNK]

Charcoal you can make, sulphur is obtainable, kno3 is in most stump removers sold in big box stores. Read the labels.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

I get mine from duda diesel. Very inexpensive. Got enough sulphur and pure kno3 to make 80 lbs for about 120 bucks with shipping

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Mr.jackrabbit1957, the best thread on it is on castboolits. Its a sticky, first link in their muzzleloading forum. The best on the net

 

[Dirty Bob]

There’s a long, detailed article on survivalblog.com that included making powder with a ball mill and making caps out of a baking pan, IIRC. Date of the article was 10/8/2019 (https://survivalblog.com/2019/10/08/).

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[MEHavey]

You guys are Nancy Pelosi's biggest nightmare.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I hope so.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

You guys are Nancy Pelosi's biggest nightmare.

Mr.MEhavey, in this forum we refrain from using negative words/names such as the N and P names you mentioned....there are minors and older individuals with heart conditions present...please be careful next time as ita dangerous even typing that name out.

 

[kBob]

Google "Black Powder and alcohol" by Leslie Fish.....

… and remember the SF&F folks are just a bunch of geeks....

Comics Cons got nothing to do with traditional fandom!

-kBob

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Alcohol and gunpowder don't mix, it tastes terrible and it won't shoot.

 

[Tommygunn]

Alcohol and gunpowder don't mix, it tastes terrible and it won't shoot.

Uh, yea. .........

 

[Dirty Bob]

Liked the song! Her suggested measures are almost correct, though she got sulfur and charcoal backwards: it would be two measures of sulfur and three measures of charcoal. Of course, you have to remember to measure by weight, not volume.

The truth is that black powder is easy to make of fairly common materials and doesn't require expensive tools or equipment. Everything is dual purpose: KNO3 is sold as stump remover, garden sulfur is useful for mold and fungus on plants, and charcoal is used in a wide variety of applications. BTW, briquettes aren't charcoal and don't work, but you can make charcoal with a paint can (or other tightly-closed can) and some wood.

Black powder works in a number of cartridges, and in some cases gives better results than smokeless, though this usually in cartridges that were invented during the bp era, like 44-40, 45-70, etc. As a mixture, bp is probably more stable than the much more complex chemical compounds in smokeless. AFAIK, bp has an unlimited shelf life if stored properly.

Everyone should have the formula and the simple process committed to memory and should share it with others. I learned how to make it here: Homemade Gunpowder for Long Term Survival (http://locustsonthehorizon.info/?p=670). It's an interesting book, BTW, with lots of good information. It was worth the price of purchase, for me, for the section on how to make your own .410 reloading tools.

BP, whether in muzzleloaders, cap-n-ball revolvers, or in cartridges, is a good thing to know how to make use of. Gatofeo lube works great for keeping things lubricated and easy to clean up afterwards, and the survivalblog article I linked has a very simple lube recipe that worked for me with my cap-n-ball 1858.

Look up brushhippie for a video. His YouTube how-tos are long gone, but I found part two of his bp instructions elsewhere...I think it was full30 or Vimeo.

Can't stop the signal, Mal!

 

[TheOutlawKid]

It is very true that the ingredients are simple to get and is simple to make. But one just cant put the ingredients together and expect great powder. For instance gardening sulfur is not the best to use...most have 10% clay mixed in them which impedes performance. Also not just any charcoal will do and different trees give different performace. Some are slow, others dirty, some are clean, others fast. You want fast and and clean...and usually some charcoals only have one good quality if that at all. Heavy Hardwoods are out...you want fast growing trees. Pine can work but its soooo dirty. I have found that red alder and paulownia are the best bar none both fot speed and cleanliness. It beats willow which is another great tree for charcoal. So is red cedar. Bottom line...charcoal will make or break your powder. Also the way the ingredients are mixed. You need to get them all into fine particles and mash them into one another. Technically you can mortar and pestle the mix for a while and it will work but you wont get the best end result such as if you had ball milled the ingredients. Ball mill works best. Also once u have ur "green mix" it now has to be made into a granulation of your choosing. You can moisten the mix lightly and then press it through a screen...or you can compress it into a "puck" using a die and press/jack and then crush and screen to the granulation u want. The later being the best option. So all these little things make a difference in the end result of your powder. Are you wanting performance to get the best out of your powder, just want something for plinking, or just something to use in a pinch while in a survival situation with limited options. Its best to learn all methods. I highly suggest going to castboolits and reading their sticky thats over 150 pages long, over years of experimentation and knowledge. THE BEST ON THE NET!! One of the members is "Fly" and is one of the most knowledgeable in the area of making powder. Hes a retired tool and die maker and makes these awesome dies to make black powder "pucks". Makes them from high quality billet aluminum and only charges like 20-25 bucks or something and they are worth so much more due to quality and usage. Its a definate tool you want to have if you are going to make ur own powder. Making powder is an artform in itself and is very fun and/but very very addictive....so dont say i didnt warn you.

 

[kBob]

Actually if you plan to make your own Salt Peter from the compost pile you need alcohol to precipitate the Salt Peter from the slurry.

The song is about teaching your kids to make do with what they have....like Burt.

-kBob

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Kbob makea a great point. But From what ive read alcohol isnt needed...but its one of the methods to get KNO3. Although i love being traditional i have never made my own salt peter. I dont have anywhere to keep a manure pile lol. Learning about bp and how it was traditionally made is a great thing to learn and teach ur kids/loved ones...espcially on how the world is and can possibly head to being. If things get really bad..this knowledge would be priceless and could save you or your loved ones life. I should practice what i preach on learning how to make/extract the raw materials to make powder...but for now i have all the raw materials needed to make atleast 100 pounds. All thats needed is to mix, mill, compress, and corn. I think a 100 pounds will last me quite a while, especially if i use conservatively...both fot hunting and self defense.

 

[Dirty Bob]

@TheOutlawKid: Thanks! You're 100% right about charcoal. I've read in many places that it's the most important component, which makes sense, as it's the "fuel" of the reaction, if I understand things correctly. I purchased "air float charcoal" for my experiment, and it seemed to work very, very well. Time to 'fess up: the photo at https://survivalblog.com/2019/10/08/ is me, firing a Remington New Army, loaded with my homemade powder, using a homemade cap made from a disposable roasting pan I pulled from the trash, and a ball cast by me [though the ball was made from lead that was too hard for best results and couldn't be seated normally: I had to remove the cylinder and seat it with a dowel and mallet :-( ]. I loaded only one chamber, for safety, as the homemade caps don't seat as tightly on the nipples as Remington #10's do.

The photo was taken near dusk, with no illumination: just the muzzle flash...er, fireball. I used an iPad to shoot video and the pic is freeze-frame from the video. By the way, I was shocked at how huge the ball of fire was when I replayed the video and froze it. It's so quick that the human eye can't really see it well.

I wasn't too worried about my sulfur quality, as I'd read that it mainly serves to make the powder easier to ignite and in secondary capacity as additional fuel. I also used an amount equivalent to 10% of baked corn starch, which was added to the mix after 8 hours and tumbled for a little longer. Further experimenting is needed, however. By the way, I used a ball mill with great caution: I tumbled a small amount at a time, with 1 pound of 000 buckshot in a rubber drum of a rock tumbler. It was kept far away from anyone and from any living thing or object of value.

By the way, @TheOutlawKid, I'm going to have to check out that sticky at castboolits. Corning the milled powder is the one part of my process that I thought was less than ideal. A die for making a puck might be just what I need!

Respectfully,
Dirty Bob

 

[Dirty Bob]

I should add that anyone wanting to try any of this stuff needs to check their state and local laws FIRST. I present this primarily for informational purposes. Black powder is great stuff, but it needs to be treated with respect and caution. It ignites much more easily than smokeless and has other properties that are different from smokeless and must be understood before trying it.

Bob