insutama Posted January 26, 2015 Author Posted January 26, 2015 And I am definatly doing research before i attempt to make bp that's why I'm here on the forum asking questions trust me im in no rush I want to be as safe as possible
insutama Posted January 26, 2015 Author Posted January 26, 2015 is there anything I could use as lead media that I could buy around town or is this somthing else I need to order online
rogeryermaw Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 NO GLASS. certainly it can be used but the risk has been established. there is MUCH data on the subject here but it concludes with glass being a poor choice for efficiency and completely unacceptable regarding risk. 1
insutama Posted January 26, 2015 Author Posted January 26, 2015 I'll be using lead now just gotta find a source
Floridapyro Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) I use these. Maybe not the most cost effective but they are safe and harder than pure lead. You need to buy two for your mill and you get a free one. So if you want to use both drums you need to buy three+ the free one and put two in each drum. Obviously you can only use one drum at a time though. The mod to get that running at the correct RPM is very simple. Edit: Forgot link. http://www.ebay.com/itm/281503652256?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Edited January 26, 2015 by Floridapyro 1
Bobosan Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 If you have a sporting goods store nearby, try looking for .50cal lead round balls for black powder firearms. If you do find any, they will be softer than the ones shown on the Ebay link Floridapyro listed. They will wear faster but are much, much safer than using marbles. Caleb Kessinger here on this forum also sells super hard lead media. 1
FlaMtnBkr Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 You can order the media from Caleb here on the site or buy 50 caliber lead ball BP rifle bullets. You can probably find some local but they will probably be more expensive and are softer so they wear quicker. 1
rogeryermaw Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 caleb's lead media works quite well. i have some in my mill.
insutama Posted January 26, 2015 Author Posted January 26, 2015 Awsome I just messaged Caleb hopefully he will ship to canada how many do I need for the mill I bought the one posted in previous post double container 6lbs rock tumbleralso could someone link me to the mod for this tumbler thanks again
Floridapyro Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Awsome I just messaged Caleb hopefully he will ship to canada how many do I need for the mill I bought the one posted in previous post double container 6lbs rock tumbleralso could someone link me to the mod for this tumbler thanks againhttp://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/how-to/ball-mill.asp
insutama Posted January 26, 2015 Author Posted January 26, 2015 Great thanks I found 100 lead balls 50 caliber for 18$ would that be enough for my tumbler
Bobosan Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 If your tumbler has same size jars like the Harbor Freight, it will take 250 balls I believe, or 5 lbs worth of lead media.
nater Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 I run my mill from Harbor Freight with 5 lbs of .45 lead balls and it works well for small batches. I have never bothered to count how many balls I have in the jar.
FlaMtnBkr Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Caleb's lead is probably cheaper and is a better product than BP rifle ammo since it will be a lot harder. The shipping to Canada will be the only question.
wildcherryxoxo Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Please heed the warning of the members here, and DO NOT use anything but lead media for your ball mill. Not only is it cheap, its effective, and readily available to you (thanks Caleb). I add my experience to the list here with the Harbor Freight mill, I built my drive shaft up with electrical tape to get an optimal RPM. Let us know and for the love of all that is holy PLEASE ASK if you have any safety concerns. We dont want any accidents here. 1
BurritoBandito Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Please heed the warning of the members here, and DO NOT use anything but lead media for your ball mill. Not only is it cheap, its effective, and readily available to you (thanks Caleb). I add my experience to the list here with the Harbor Freight mill, I built my drive shaft up with electrical tape to get an optimal RPM. Let us know and for the love of all that is holy PLEASE ASK if you have any safety concerns. We dont want any accidents here.Nice post WildCherry... I knew ya had it in ya! 1
insutama Posted January 28, 2015 Author Posted January 28, 2015 its gonna cost me 64$ for 5 pounds of media from caleb with shipping vs 30$ for 200 50 cal lead balls what do you guys think ?
calebkessinger Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 stupid shipping!!!! That's what i think!!!! Go buy 30 bucks in cheap lead and when you are pyro crazy and have funds for a larger ball mill, then spend the money...I got by without the best stuff for a long time, and still do most of the time.
Livingston Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 Yea I used to use a small harbor freight 6lb ball mill with Hornady lead balls for black powder guns. $20 from bass pro shop. You don't need 200 balls or 5lbs. At most I just used 100 balks or 2lbs and mill up to 300g of fast BP in 2-4 hours using east or west red cedar as my charcoal. Go to your local gun stores and ask about there .54 cal lead shot. Better yet here YA go http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165132904/hornady-muzzleloading-bullets-round-ball?cm_vc=ProductFinding This is what I've used for 4 months before I upgraded. And here's proof that what I'm trying to explain. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oGtruXwYClk These were my first ball and canister shells. Listen to the lift on the canister. When I heard it. I nearly creamed myself. LolAnyways good luck. There's my 2 senses. P.S I did lots of reading for many moons BEFORE my first purchase of pyro tools/supplies and I still read!!! Thanks APC and MDWilbur
Bobosan Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Just be aware that any pure lead ball media is going to wear down extremely fast. There is a reason it's cheaper......it doesn't contain any antimony to increase hardness not to mention labor involved with proper alloying and casting. If you don't plan on doing much milling or just want to try out, then go for the cheap stuff. If you want the media to last out your pyro lifetime, go with better stuff. Edited January 28, 2015 by Bobosan
insutama Posted January 28, 2015 Author Posted January 28, 2015 okay thanks guys i think for now ill try the lead shots and see how my powder turns out if it works good and i wanna start making bp regularly ill switch to harder ones 1
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