oskarchem Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Geez, my biology teacher is never there when I need her... But look at the leaf in the backround of Frozentechs pic...It looks very much like it...
Pretty green flame Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 I knew I saw that shape before in my life Crataegus monogyna or Hawthornhttp://www.novareinna.com/constellation/hawthornleaf1.gifPretty close eh bmarley, please give us more information on the tree/bush as this is really starting to annoy me as I don't know the name
bmarley5780 Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 I'm sorry but I dont not have any image sizing software on my home computer. Also, for some reason I can't get onto image shack to host...sorry guys.
they call me 9 fingers Posted January 31, 2008 Posted January 31, 2008 Hey I know this is a little off topic but if anyone lives in the Kansas city MO area I found a huge source of FREE willow PM for details
TheSidewinder Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 No, no!! This is one time we WANT big pics. And After looking at them, I'm not convinced that's actually a "tree". It looks more like some sort of brush or bush. And those leaves look to be very young. I suspect their shape will change. Can you take another pic or two of an ADULT leaf? Assuming you can find one on that thing. Might be some relative to buckthorn or sumac maybe. LOL.... this has proven fun. Hopefully, someone will recongnize it from your snapshots.
mormanman Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 I'm going to report some of the charcoal I tested. Its just the green mix thought b/c my ball mill is broken and after its fixed and then I'll report on the mill powder and the granulated powder.Apple, wasn't to bad but wasn't that fast as green mix.Spanish Cedar, was super slow as green mix.
Pretty green flame Posted February 1, 2008 Posted February 1, 2008 I'm sorry but I dont not have any image sizing software on my home computer. Also, for some reason I can't get onto image shack to host...sorry guys. Get yourself a photobucket account and stop postin thumbnails as they drive me crazy because I can't open them.
Mumbles Posted February 1, 2008 Author Posted February 1, 2008 If you use firefox or Opera, that problem is covered in the FAQ thread.
KinneticEnergy Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 Can anyone identify this tree for me? http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p88/Bigelbach/IMG_2335.jpg http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p88/Bigelbach/IMG_2341.jpg The branches are really brittle and lightweight, haven't tried making any bp with em yet. I'll get around to it soon, & post the results. One other thing about the trees, I don't know if it matters at all but they spread like weeds! I mean, I've seen some fast growin' shrubs and plants, but these thing are crazy . Thanks in advance for the help
KinneticEnergy Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 I have yet another question. Ok, so before I get to the question, I'll clear some things up beforehand to answer any questions anyone might have. I use a dual barrel rotary tumbler: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/90900-90999/90979.gif I mill with about twice the amount of polished stones as compared to the bp in the barrel, which ends up filling it about halfway. Here's a pic of the media: http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p88/Bigelbach/IMG_2393.jpg My charcoal is blended for a little bit in a blender before putting it into the mix for the mill, my sulfur is really fine, and my Kno3 is about half the size of granulated sugar. The sulfur is kinda clumpy, so even if i shake it together, it doesn't break the clumps apart. Ok, the questions; I used mixed woods like various pines, eucalyptus, and many others. I just take the leftovers from my fireplace(the black pieces of course). Is my choice for charcoal bad? It seems to work ok for my rockets and small fuse mines. here's a batch that was about 2/3 of the normal speed of my BP:
KinneticEnergy Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p88/Bigelbach/th_MVI_2407.jpg OK, now the final question, I have been testing to try to find out if it is harmful to test my BP occasionally throughout the milling process. The logic behind the question is this; if the mixture is not completely homogeneous when tested, I could then accidentally deprive the mixture of a mixed amount of chems, therefore disturbing the ratios. I usually wait about 1 hour before I test it's burn rate(usually about 1-2 grams). Is what I'm thinking correct? And would testing the mixture too early make the mixture bad? And what other things could periodically testing do to worsen the mix. Thanks again
Pretty green flame Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 1st post: I have no idea what that tree might be, we need a closeup of the leaves 2nd post: Get some lead media, your BP is fine but I would go and cook some willow, just because of consistency, fireplace charcoal is not going to be consistant as you've got a mix of different woods in there. 3rd post: Don't test the powder while milling, it won't exactly "hurt" it if you take a small amount out but it's better to standardise the process of making BP. So same chems every time, same milling time and same media and ball mill configuration. That way you will have more or less the same quality of BP every time (small variations might occur with differen batches of charcoal) Hope that answers all your questions.
lja Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 The tree looks like "Tree of Heaven" or Alianthus Altissima. It grows like a weed and can even get to be a very large tree. It's grow habits are similiar to sumac. It gets clumps of winged seeds instead of the red clumps like sumac.It has a silvery gray bark, branch tips are reddish brown sometimes and a pithy center to the branches. It snaps really easily making it easy to bring a chunk home. It is also one of the best woods for making fast BP. It beats willow easily. Check out the wichitabuggywhip site for their charcoal tests. http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/index.html It's all over the place where I live (and most other places) it was imported from China as an ornamental and become an invasive weed. Just do a search for alianthus, you'll find a ton of info.
GalFisk Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 Can anyone identify this tree for me?The branches are really brittle and lightweight, haven't tried making any bp with em yet. I'll get around to it soon, & post the results. One other thing about the trees, I don't know if it matters at all but they spread like weeds! I mean, I've seen some fast growin' shrubs and plants, but these thing are crazy . Thanks in advance for the help Can't say for sure, but it sounds/looks like poplar. Are the buds sticky/waxy?Edit: not poplar, the leaves are all wrong.
Karlos Posted February 21, 2008 Posted February 21, 2008 Kineticenergy:Maybe...Ailanthus altissimahttp://www.aloraseeds.com/images/treeofheaven.jpghttp://futureforests.net/br_a/page/Ailanthus_Altissima2.jpghttp://www.urbanhabitats.org/v02n01/images...ity_fig4_lg.jpghttp://www.funghiitaliani.it/uploads/month...-1184169941.jpgor Rhus glabrahttp://www.missouriplants.com/Others/Rhus_glabra_plant.jpgor Rhus typhina http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...hinaAutumn3.jpghttp://www.cls.zju.edu.cn/sub/classroom/bo...s/5/IMG0096.jpg?How work youre BP in the mortar hm? Meal powder usually burn guick, but good granulated powder for lifting is not so easy for making:-)Bye.
OneEyeCharlie Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 Has anyone ever made charcoal out of sassafras? The stuff grows everywhere around my house. It seems to fit the category of many of the faster charcoal trees i.e fast growing, weaker wood, etc. Heading off multiple future responses of "No,try it"; I do plan on trying it (again, once it actually warms up), but before I invested the time and Kleenex... I was curious if anyone had actually done it already. Sidenote: Wikipedia mentions that it's a component of Ecstasy production?!? That explains those unmarked sedans parked down the street
TheSidewinder Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 I'm *fairly* certain that I read on some forum somewhere, that Sassafras made good charcoal. I suspect it's going to be a "fast" one. Good to see you're going to try it (once it warms up, which could be June the way things are going), and be sure to post the results. M
lja Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 Sassafras makes good charcoal for fast BP. It's almost as fast as "Tree of Heaven" and seems about as fast as willow. I've been on a bit of a charcoal making extravaganza before spring hits and I'm not burning the woodstove anymore. My first sample of BP with sassafras was fast enough that I made a bunch more of it into charcoal. I've got a few more types of charcoal to try but "Tree of Heaven"(alianthus altissima), yellow poplar(tulip tree) and willow were amoung the fastest. All gave an audible "whump" when a 2-3 gram pile was lit and left little to no dross.Forsythia was only slightly slower, it "wooshed" but didn't "whump", but a pain to debark all those little twigs. Lilac was lousy.
TheSidewinder Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 I think that's the first time I remember hearing "Yellow Poplar" mentioned versus just "Poplar". When pyros speak of Poplar, are they talking about Yellow or are there several varieties good for using in BP?
Bonny Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 I think that's the first time I remember hearing "Yellow Poplar" mentioned versus just "Poplar". When pyros speak of Poplar, are they talking about Yellow or are there several varieties good for using in BP? I've heard of people successfully using black poplar for BP, but to be honest, I had never even heard of yellow poplar. found this link with my local poplar species...http://www.manitoba.ca/agriculture/crops/d...s/fac62s00.html
TheSidewinder Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 Nice page! Interesting. You have nine species of Poplar in Manitoba alone that are susceptible to Poplar Rust. That leads me to believe there are more species. Had no idea there were that many. I don't see Yellow Poplar listed. Hmm.. it probably favors a more Southern climate. I don't blame it.
lja Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron Here's the wikipedia link for yellow poplar. It's kind of a weed tree but great for cheap knot free lumber for molding.
pudidotdk Posted March 15, 2008 Posted March 15, 2008 I'm beginning to make some BP tests, and for that I need to know exactly what kind of wood I am using.I know identification of trees is hard without the leaves, but I'm sure this is willow, I'm just not sure if it is the black willow type.The pictures are a bit blurry, sorry:http://pyrobin.com/files/dsc02015.jpghttp://pyrobin.com/files/dsc02016.jpg These pictures were taken a few months back, so if you need pictures of leaves, I need to go out there to take new pictures. (It's only a few minutes away)
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