deadman Posted May 3, 2007 Posted May 3, 2007 I've never heard of an Idaho Laquat though. I do know there are some california fruit laquats. Not sure if they are local to my area though. I wouldn't say problem solved but I did get 3 pretty good sized branches of weeping willow off of a nice sized tree. It wasn't my original tree in mind. It was growing next to a creek. Score!
asilentbob Posted May 3, 2007 Posted May 3, 2007 I break off dead limbs and pack them in a hiking backpack with my mom. I need to get some good huge chunks though with a wood saw. Maybe like 50lbs worth. Mumbles, if you check that book, can you see if anything is mentioned for red cedar (really juniper, Juniperous virginiana)?http://www.stolaf.edu/academics/naturallan...s/redcedar.htmlOr white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) for that matter? The red one is very abundant here and id like to be able to make some charcoal from it for general use, ie priming BP, TT, and chrys. stars mainly. Alot of varieties... so i guess look for anything cedar or juniper Also oak is very common. There is probably 50lbs of dead oak (plateau oak?) out behind our house from when we have cut back our trees. Type is something like Quercus something. There is a ton of variety though. There are also wild grape vines around here (mostly mustang), but id feel bad cutting one down. Might be able to find one that succombed to diesease/rot... But i can get willow already... just need a bit slower good general use charcoal... and/or one that is good for tails on TT and chrys. stars... There are some pine trees a city or two over, but thats a long drive... Also i have been looking for sassafras trees... supposed to grow in eastern texas though... seriously to have as a homegrown spice though for rootbeer... the past batches have been a little weak... nice, but weak... due to the dried root stock at the store being old...
MisterSteve Posted May 15, 2007 Posted May 15, 2007 If anyone still wants some I will sell you some real cheap + shipping. I've used it to make bp before and it works great. Usually I just use basla wood and then ball mill the charcoal so its extra fine. Just email me Mistersteve124@aim.com or aim Mistersteve124
CrazyIsraeli Posted May 29, 2007 Posted May 29, 2007 Is there any diffrence between willow charcoal you buy in BBQ charcoal bags? Or its better be bought from a pyro-dealership?
deadman Posted May 29, 2007 Posted May 29, 2007 When did you find a bag of willow bbq charcoal? Most pyro resellers sell mixed hardwood charcoals. There are a few individuals I know of that sell willow charcoal, but I just don't see the reason for the question as I'm not sure of your sources. Do you have a link? Chances are if they are both advertised as willow, they will perform well. Even if they are different types of willow they will both satisfy.
CrazyIsraeli Posted May 29, 2007 Posted May 29, 2007 Well its actually a shop just near my housethey simply have everything for a good BBQ.im a regular costumer there, and I even used to work there, And I remember clearly, Willow Charcoal.Well in hebrew its "Gehaley Arava" (Arava - the tree which its made of Willow in english)
mormanman Posted May 29, 2007 Posted May 29, 2007 Feel free not to answer but could you use mable or hickory charcole??
Mumbles Posted May 30, 2007 Posted May 30, 2007 Oh yeah, you can use it. It doesn't mean it will be any good though. I assume you mean maple. Maple is said to be used by Goex, or at least a good portion of maple. I think Silver maple is one of the best of the group, but could be wrong. IIRC, hickory in BP sucks, but is good for sparks and such.
jc559 Posted June 5, 2007 Posted June 5, 2007 Anyone tried Ailanthus altissima or Tree of Heaven? Very invasive and pretty common every where. I went to Home Depot last night to get an empty paint can and there was one in the parking lot.
optimus Posted June 5, 2007 Posted June 5, 2007 Check THIS thread. It seems that it makes pretty good BP.
styropyro Posted June 5, 2007 Posted June 5, 2007 Anyone tried Ailanthus altissima or Tree of Heaven? Very invasive and pretty common every where. I went to Home Depot last night to get an empty paint can and there was one in the parking lot. That stuff is just as good as willow to me. It's everywhere around here and it makes great BP.
acoop101 Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 Has anyone tried using Manzanita wood for charcoal? It's a really hard wood that grows in most western states and burns really hot.
TheSidewinder Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 I don't recall anyone ever mentioning Manzanita, or charcoal from it. If you have the means, I'd suggest making a small batch and testing it. Since the structure of the wood determines its characteristics when used in Black Powder, it might make great stars or it might make great lift. And if it's an all-around mediocre charcoal, it might not do either one well. If you do test it make sure to post the results here, preferrably with video. Personally, I had never heard of that wood before today. M
hindsight Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 I know this an old thread, but suppliers come and go. Is there currently a source for paulownia, willow or other good quality airfloat charcoal for making BP? Not interested in making the messy stuff myself. (Hobby Chemical sells some kind of undesignated airfloat charcoal). Googling brings up willow chunk charcoal only.
Bobosan Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Asdercks posted this site for Willow - www.customcharcoal.com Also try Phil's General Store at http://www.ihaveadotcom.com/cart/?main_page=index&cPath=72 for Willow. APC member Algenco may have Paulownia ready to go.
LambentPyro Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) I know this an old thread, but suppliers come and go. Is there currently a source for paulownia, willow or other good quality airfloat charcoal for making BP? Not interested in making the messy stuff myself. (Hobby Chemical sells some kind of undesignated airfloat charcoal). Googling brings up willow chunk charcoal only.Al (Algenco) sells Paulownia, but he hasn't been on in a while, some on Fireworking are a bit concerned. As for Willow, you can get it from customcharcoal.com. Derrick Miller (Mum Pyro) sells Red Stem, but he rips people off (including me and my $100 worth of bucket screens). There are very comparable charcoals to Paulownia and Willow. I purchased Black Willow and found it to be okay, it honestly worked like the commercial airfloat. I bought it from PyroChem. IMO, I honestly don't believe it was Willow, but that's just me. I made Balsa charcoal and Eastern Red Cedar charcoal, both outperforming everything I've bought, and made before. Cooking your own charcoal is the easy, but time consuming part of the hobby. However, as lonesome as it gets sometimes, I find it to be enjoyable to do. Just a tip, when working with charcoal (or any other mixing), this means when screening it or even moving it around, do it outside with a dust mask on. I cannot stand the charcoal dust that gets in my lungs, it's super irritating. Even if you have lump, the moving of the object that is holding it breaks fragments apart that float in the air. Edited February 3, 2014 by LambentPyro
californiapyro Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 i have red alder, $6/LB in 5 LB lots plus shipping. May take me a little while to get it packed and shipped though, with Winterblast coming up. Rough ground product (8 mesh down to Airfloat)
pyroman2498 Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 For me ,Eastern Red ceder works more than well for me (Im surrounded by Ceder , so it dosnt cost me a dime ), to bad i dont sell what i make , but i need to be able to keep my own supply before i even think about selling it And i cant find a way to grind it down fast , i take a 2x4 , hammer and a 5 gallon buck and sit there for hours crushing it then screening it , than i throw it in my mill to get air float, All in all its a pain , but it saves me money
LambentPyro Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 For me ,Eastern Red ceder works more than well for me (Im surrounded by Ceder , so it dosnt cost me a dime ), to bad i dont sell what i make , but i need to be able to keep my own supply before i even think about selling it And i cant find a way to grind it down fast , i take a 2x4 , hammer and a 5 gallon buck and sit there for hours crushing it then screening it , than i throw it in my mill to get air float, All in all its a pain , but it saves me money I just toss the lump charcoal right into the mill with KNO3 and Sulfur. It gets crushed up with the KNO3 and the Sulfur anyway, and since the charcoal is so brittle and light, making it airfloat is pointless as I tend to mill longer than usual anyway. Btw, I am using ERC pet bedding chips from WalMart that Ned recommends and uses for his standard. Cheap as hell and makes a great batch of BP.
nater Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Alder is hot charcoal. I really like it for BP rockets.
LambentPyro Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Alder is hot charcoal. I really like it for BP rockets.Yeah, IIRC, Alder/Red Alder is great for rockets but mediocre for lift/burst?
asdercks Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 For me ,Eastern Red ceder works more than well for me (Im surrounded by Ceder , so it dosnt cost me a dime ), to bad i dont sell what i make , but i need to be able to keep my own supply before i even think about selling it And i cant find a way to grind it down fast , i take a 2x4 , hammer and a 5 gallon buck and sit there for hours crushing it then screening it , than i throw it in my mill to get air float, All in all its a pain , but it saves me money One way to grind charcoal fast is to use a either a meat grinder or a cast iron corn and grain grinder, it'll give you a wide variety of particle sizes
nater Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Yeah, IIRC, Alder/Red Alder is great for rockets but mediocre for lift/burst?It works just great for lift and burst too.
jaysgoh Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Very surprisingly I can get cow boy charcoal here. Is this usable? How is the performance? I remember mumbles said before some can use some can't
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