Question-Important..

[makos_goods]

The article also recommends precisely measuring the ingredients by weight.

Articap,
Now read the rest of the information on their site including their relative comparisons of charcoal's effect on the energy:

http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/charcoal_tests.html

Secondly,
They are producing their own Willow charcoal (not just buying whatever you can buy at Walmart) for an important reason. You can mix by weight with Willow and Alder and get pretty good home made powder. If you confer with the charts I posted you will see why the density of Willow makes it one of the better charcoals. If you refer to their additional tests you will note willow is neither the longest burning, the fastest burn rate or having the highest brisance. It takes a balance of the right properties to give a suitable BP for firearms. In the case of the guys you gave us the link to they are looking for lifting charges for fireworks, which are very similar.

You can adjust for the properties by changing the ratios of the three components. If you run the numbers yourself you will find there is a direct relationship between the volumetric ratios and the baseline willow powder. These correlations will keep you in the "sweet spot" for the three properties that give you a suitable or even a superior BP. This is what commercial mills do as well, once they find the ratio that gives the right energy and gas rate they determine the volume and set all of the hoppers accordingly.

Then as new carloads of charcoal come in they rarely if ever have to adjust the ratios because even as the density varies within the material of choice (and it does based upon region harvested, time of year and especially water content and cell size). The volume is always driven by the density and not weight. It's almost self correcting.

So, you have helped make the point, thank you.

Regards,
Mako

 

[Jaymo]

Mako, I have a question.
Is charcoal made from tulip poplar good for making BP? I ask, because it's not a dense wood. It's easy to cut and split and char. I've used it for light blacksmithing. It burns really hot, but fast.
I have access to a lot more tulip poplar than I do to willow or alder, living in the SE USA.
Thanks in advance.
Oak seems to make just too much ash.
I've also considered clean, knot free white pine. Any thoughts on that, or on yellow pine or other conifers?

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Mako..Now, I shoot Triple Seven 3fffg plus I'vd got a few containers of BlackMag3 left over and I'vd got 5 maybe 6 pounds of American Pioneer my sister gave me although I'vd never shot any of it. I'vd got a good supply of P. Nitrate, F. Sulfur and C. Airfloat. A damn good supply. I keep it for a reserve and perhaps some emergency. I called some people today and they assured me once again that the hardwood charcoal I picked up would work just fine. Powder some of it up, throw in the nitrate and sulfur and let it tumble for a few hours and then just follow my normal steps and that the powder would be far superior to most commercial grades. I told them that the few ounces I had made here and there using airfloat was for damned sure superior to Goex. They replied: "Exactly. I know you have at least one damn good set of scales because you bought them from us years ago. You can weigh or you can measure. You're still going to have an excellent grade of black powder. Those hardwoods will serve you just fine. You have certainly purchased a lot of supplies from us and I have often wondered why you purchased the airfloat. Don't get me wrong. Happy to sell you all you want but the hardwoods will do you just fine."....Anyway, that was the gist of the conversation. I'm pretty sure the store bought airfloat will be more consistant and 'level' from container to container but I truly don't believe the difference in the 'store boughten airfloat' and the 'home ground airfloat' will be enough of a difference to really make any difference. Not to those Indians anyway. They are good shots. I know because they are my friends and I have hunted with different members of the families more than once. Besides, you ever see a damn Crow that couldn't shoot your eyeballs out at 100 paces from a full gallop?....