Where to buy good charcoal

[Tim1877]

Just wondering where to buy the best charcoal to make black powder with

[starxplor]

Most would say the 'best' is what you make yourself. You can get good charcoal many places, most show up when searching online for "airfloat charcoal", if you want a different particle size.

 

The cedar pet bedding with a TLUD cooker has worked very well for me.

[chuckufarley]

 

The cedar pet bedding with a TLUD cooker has worked very well for me.

[chuckufarley]

I second that

 

For about $20 in materials you can make a TLUD and cook up ERC chips. Some of the hottest charcoal for bp and you can get bails of it for about $7-$8.

 

But commercially Phil sells willow charcoal on his site if you just want to buy some.

 

http://www.ihaveadotcom.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_119&products_id=284

[mikeee]

When building a TLUD cooker, start with a 5 gallon can, anything smaller you will spend a lot of effort

for a small amount of charcoal. When cooking wood splints or shavings it reduces quickly by weight

and volume when it converts to charcoal. Some of the standard charcoal available for grilling can produce

a viable black powder, you don't want the briquettes which are processed and materials added to form the

briquettes. There are several companies that make natural form charcoal and cook different types of wood.

Danny Creagan has a list on his website that lists the different wood types and commercial charcoal that

make viable charcoals for Pyro.

[dynomike1]

I dont like ERC but i do like pauliwania. I use 80m for glitter and other stars.

[pyroman2498]

I spent about $70 on my 40 gallon TLUD cooker ! Best money i have ever spent for pyro . 20lbs a day isnt bad , takes no time or effort really

[OldMarine]

I bought some Paulownia charcoal from FireBob that is awesome fluffy stuff. I'm using it for my MCRH and nozzleless rockets. At 60/30/10 it was still too hot for a nozzled rocket YRMV.

[chuckufarley]

I've been wanting to get some of that too OM. Gotta wait for the burn ban to end but I hear good things.

[OldMarine]

He also sells/invented the pyroshakers. I'm saving up for few of those.

[chuckufarley]

Yeah I saw those too. Kinda pricey, but they look really handy. Im sure they're worth it and have been thinking about getting a set myself. So many things to spend money on in this hobby. 😀

[OldMarine]

I've earmarked my bonus for a modified rebel mill from Caleb and after that I'll work on some of the shaker dealies.

[Nessalco]

The whole "best" thing is subjective, as well. I've been using sumac charcoal and it makes extremely fast powder - too fast for some applications, and I have to dial back loads from the charge sizes I developed while using purchased willow. For a while I cooked in a TLUD, and ERC cooked in a TLUD gave about the same results as willow. When I switched to sumac I also switched to using a retort (because of issues with sumac fumes) and have been very happy with the results. I now use a retort to cook all my charcoals.

 

In short - the hottest charcoals may not be the best charcoals. Depends on the application. Find a method that works for you (purchase/TLUD/retort) and have fun!

 

Kevin

[NeighborJ]

Issues with sumac fumes? I hope your not using poison sumac, the kind I use is staghorn sumac with the edible berries. I also use a few retorts for cooking it because it reduces so much in a tlud. I've used it in nozzled motors but it needed a lot of oil to slow it down enough but it does take a few test motors to dial it in. Also I've found that if you leave the bark on it the burn rate slows a little but the stuff from the ground with 1/2 rotten wood seems to make the hottest stuff, the bark just falls of as you harvest it.

[Nessalco]

NJ, nah, it's staghorn sumac. All of the rhus family burn with smoke that it irritant to some people. Bothers me enough that a retort is the ticket.

[NeighborJ]

A-ha that must be why I get a runny nose and have a slightly choked throat when I make it. I thought it was just.... Well I don't know what I thought it was. Good to know.

[NeighborJ]

Has anyone here ever tried cooking leaves in a retort? I've got loads of them, it would shure be nice if I could use them in some slow burning comps. I've tried grass clippings before and used it in TT, it worked good for hang time. Edited December 9, 2016 by NeighborJ

[mikeee]

They have leaves in Colorado that will add plenty of color to your shells.

[OldMarine]

They have leaves in Colorado that will add plenty of color to your shells.

Problem is that unless the viewers have the same leaves they never see the colors!

[NeighborJ]

Dude cooking these leaves gives me the munchies man.

[Blackthumb]

wine corks...

[chuckufarley]

Ever since I built my TULD (and you mentioned it) I pester my sister for her bucket of wine corks.

 

Unfortunately she is not receptive to my desire test them for pyro charcoal performance

[Tim1877]

What's the difference between a Tuld an a retort?

[chuckufarley]

To make a long story short. A retort uses a external heat source to cook a contained sample of wood

 

A TLUD uses the volatiles from the wood your converting to charcoal to convert the wood to charcoal.

 

Google biochar for an idea on TLUDS

 

Not to toot my own horn but look at my tutorial on TLUD here

 

http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/11608-5-gallon-tlud-charcoal-cooker/?fromsearch=1

[starxplor]

In general, you get more charcoal per weight of wood from retort, but it takes longer and building something as opposed to using an open bon fire is more complicated than building a TLUD device. I have 3 1gal TLUD cans so can do 3 gallons per sitting as I do not need a whole lot of charcoal and I do not have a supply of 5gallon cans.

 

One word of note, avoid the aluminum(cheaper) pipes for the stack, they WILL weaken and melt with the heat of these TLUDs.