Arthur Posted December 15, 2021 Posted December 15, 2021 For those who find it matters; the presence of huge amounts of lead in BP is a first analysis method of determining home made powder.
justvisiting Posted December 15, 2021 Posted December 15, 2021 Pyrokid, I've written a few articles on it. I've done it a few different ways. In some cases I've used Rebel 17 rubber-lined jars running at 58 RPM. Each of those jars holds 5 litres, and the jar ID is about 6" across, with 6 sides. In other cases I've run hobbyist-sized mill jars in a small DC mill or a modified rock tumbler. Those would run at 75-80 RPM. I used to use PVC 'Sponenjars' but the racket was unbearable. In those PVC jars, I ran ceramic of mixed sizes and then 5/8" and 3/4" brass cylinders. The brass was a great improvement over the ceramic. Both of those media types were too large. Ceramic of a smaller size would likely have done a better job, but the lightness is an issue. Also, I no longer feel comfortable milling complete BP if I don't have to, especially with ceramic. I'm not saying it's no good at all, I just don't prefer to use it. I've compared various sizes of stainless steel media to each other in different milling setups, generally focusing on single component milling. My chems are stored dry and indoors, so clumping is not much of an issue for me. Arthur, I've quantified the amount of lead alloy in charcoal milled with it, and in black powder milled with it. There was a LOT in the charcoal, and nowhere near as much in the complete BP milled with it. The charcoal is so light and fluffy, the media really hits itself hard, where with complete BP the potassium nitrate and sulfur buffer the impacts between media. I forget the lead amounts offhand, but I reported them the one time I checked what they were.
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