Willow charcoal? Is there a difference?
- Thread starter CANNONMAN
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Rojelio
Member
I never tried weeping willow although it will probably work just fine. There's lots of different varieties of willow. Black willow is what we have around here growing wild.
brushhippie
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I think if it came right down to it...life and death situation....a feller could find something just about anywhere that would suit his needs....with the exception of the desert...prolly be kinda hard ta make charcoal outta sand..lol
25cschaefer
Member
You could probably use dried cactus, lots of dried cactus.
Rojelio
Member
LOL, I don't know about cactus but we do have plenty of it around here.
Been thinking about making a small batch of china berry charcoal. Birds plant that stuff all along the fencelines. Hackberry is supposed to work good, too. Coons and birds plant that everywhere.
brushhippie
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- Jun 22, 2011
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I expect you are probly right never thought about that!
Officers'Wife
Member
Most scrap yards have them and Ag fuel centers as well as truck stops usually have oil barrels in bulk. You have to cut the tops off for burn barrels that can get a bit unnerving but relatively safe.
mold maker
Member
I've read this entire discussion and a great many others.
This begs the question of, who/how many, have actually made BP that is equally useable.
What I made is scary fast. Now I'm afraid to shoot it.
This begs the question of, who/how many, have actually made BP that is equally useable.
What I made is scary fast. Now I'm afraid to shoot it.
Rojelio
Member
How do you determine how fast it is?
mold maker
Member
Comparative burning of measured amounts in equal width lines of several brands and my home made. Most took 1/4 t0 1/2 sec to burn end to end. Mine was like 1/10 second.
It was milled dry with dextrin and damp compressed, with a 20 ton press to a puck, then crush to 2-4F size screened granules.
I've made commercially comparable powder also by pressing the dampened powder through a potato ricer, which yields a canon grade.
It was milled dry with dextrin and damp compressed, with a 20 ton press to a puck, then crush to 2-4F size screened granules.
I've made commercially comparable powder also by pressing the dampened powder through a potato ricer, which yields a canon grade.
Rojelio
Member
What powders did you compare it to?
Steel Horse Rider
Member
How do you measure that short of time increments? I don't think my thumb works that fast.
Rojelio
Member
Without special equipment, I think the best way to test it would be to shoot some over a chronograph and compare it to commercial powder.
We went out to make a batch of charcoal. Soon things got carried away when a semi heated discussion on why and how things burn ensued. My point was that a sold must transform into a liquid then into a gas and then may ignite. I furthered that the gas could be trapped and used. Upon disagreement to my theory I illustrated my point by stopping the burn of the charcoal prematurely and sealing the container. We left the area by some 700 yards. The estimate is that the 55gl. steel drum made it about thirty feet from the compression of the gas being generated. Not much charcoal left.
Rojelio
Member
Huh?
Officers'Wife
Member
With all due respect sir, carbon turns to gas at something like 5000+ degrees F yet the autoignition temp is something like 1200 degrees(F). If carbon must turn to gas to combust you couldn't produce a temp high enough to get it to burn with ordinary measures.
You are correct. However, it was not the carbon that formed the gas noted above. Sap, cellulose and such that are burned off in the process were the gasses formed, trapped and pressurized. These gasses form under 400F. Not dissimilar to pine trees exploding in a forest fire.
Rojelio
Member
Steel Horse Rider
Member
You are correct cannonman, charcoal (or close to pure carbon) is left after burning off the impurities from the wood in a sealed oxygen starved environment.
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