matlock123 Posted September 16, 2014 Posted September 16, 2014 Hello.... I have made a batch of home made powder. My ingredient quality is high. The only unkown is the charcoal, I made it myself, possibly slightly undercooked, with a wood type that is unknown. The powder burns very slowly. I am wondering if corning it will improve burn speed or is the fine powder the fastest burning state. I am just making a small pile and burning a few grams. I am wondering if this test is the best test. Should I corn it into small grains to see if it will improve burn time? Thanks for any help I may receive!
MWJ Posted September 17, 2014 Posted September 17, 2014 Granulating helps a lot. If you want the fastest BP then granulate with Denatured Al. The type of charcoal make a big difference too. Mike
LambentPyro Posted September 18, 2014 Posted September 18, 2014 How are you processing your powder? A ball mill is best. Corning does not increase powder speed, granulating as Mike said is best for speed. Corned BP is best for breaking cylinder shells IMO. It does not compress any further if pressed correctly.
dagabu Posted September 19, 2014 Posted September 19, 2014 According to Mike Swisher, corning actually slows the powder down but makes it much more consistent when graded according to mesh size.
enanthate Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 If I were to guess, I would guess that your "slightly undercooked" charcoal is the biggest issue (assuming you milled your BP right).Get a hold of some commercial charcoal and see if the problem persists.
dagabu Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 If I were to guess, I would guess that your "slightly undercooked" charcoal is the biggest issue (assuming you milled your BP right).Get a hold of some commercial charcoal and see if the problem persists. Anecdotally, I have had some of the fastest BP I ever made using some undercooked pine (white). I am not sure why this was though.
enanthate Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 Anecdotally, I have had some of the fastest BP I ever made using some undercooked pine (white). I am not sure why this was though. Well, that might be worth investigating Will give it a shot, planning to cook some white pine myself.
Milyan720 Posted September 26, 2014 Posted September 26, 2014 My freind got me some charcoal from a tree that he cut down,the wood itself is lighter than pineWhen I burnt the meal powder it was really slow,but after granulation its was as fast as sulfurless balsa bpDont know why it was faster but Im planning to make more
braddsn Posted September 28, 2014 Posted September 28, 2014 I test every batch of bp that I make, before and after granulating. It is always the fastest straight out of the mill (meal). It is like lightning, or flash powder. When I granulate, it is still super fast, but just a little slower. I am no expert yet, because I have only made maybe 15 lbs of powder, but I do believe that the quality of your charcoal has a lot to do with it, along with the type of ball mill you are using. I am using Eastern Red Cedar, and I am very careful that there is nothing in my crucible except the clean cedar. No bark, no dirt, no rust, no other contaminates. I make 100% sure that it is fully cooked too. I keep the charcoal in a sealed, clean container until I am ready to use it. Those are little things I know, but I believe they all matter. Best of luck!
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