stormyweathers Posted August 7, 2009 Posted August 7, 2009 i tracked down an old dryer with a functional motor for $20, and i can get some old bike parts for gears and chains for around another $20. i can probably salvage the rest of the parts necessary, so i guess im set. ill have a nice size ball mill [3lb i think] for $40. is this a decent price for that size? and also, when it comes to BP, what does milling even do? if the ingredients are powdered, and mixed thoroughly, why bother milling?
Seymour Posted August 8, 2009 Posted August 8, 2009 They may seem finely powdered, but without very expensive tools there is no way you can get it as fine as a ball mill. Once it gets to a certain point the particles are too small to see, but a ball mill keeps grinding them. Besides grinding, having the three components together for hour after hour in the barrel is going to mix them exceptionally well, and this makes a huge difference. This is why you get much better BP by milling them together instead of mixing pre-milled powders. Black powder is not lenient to make. You can mix fine powders thoroughly and it will burn sub-standardly. Ball milling it will tip it over the edge in to woomph. Is your charcoal of a good type? It should be. Black powder is not lenient.
stormyweathers Posted August 8, 2009 Author Posted August 8, 2009 i bought wood lump charcoal, and blended it is that decent?
TheEskimo Posted August 8, 2009 Posted August 8, 2009 Lump charcoal is not the best. It is usually mixed hardwoods, and won't make the best BP. If you want good BP, you have to make your own charcoal...here's a list of trees, and what charcoal is best for BP.http://pyroguide.com/index.php?title=Charc...itability_Table
Seymour Posted August 8, 2009 Posted August 8, 2009 It could be fine. Consider it 'undefined', but suspect what the Eskimo says. It's good that the wood is not mixed with other substances, but you have no idea what species or specieses it contains. Generally softer bits of charcoal are better for fast BP, but it gets way more complex than that. However,you only want to get stuff that works for your needs. I trust you are not entering the pyro olympics BP sprint.
Arthur Posted August 8, 2009 Posted August 8, 2009 "Blenders" of most sorts make a good coarse charcoal from lumps. It may be fast enough for lame fountains, it will not make lift or burst. It could be a good effect charcoal for firedust, when you have good BP! For good BP the charcoal is critical and must be of one of the few rated types in your country. Blend mill it, weigh out some, then ball mill it. Ball milling the raw charcoal to real airfloat, then ball milling the weighed out mix for 8 hours is a good starting point. I've just bought a rock tumbler with a rubber barrel marked for 2.25 kilos of tumbling stone. It holds lead media and a kilo of raw material and makes a good batch in 3 - 6 hours. It cost me £150 and was well cheaper than buying the bits. Also having a rubber barrel it just sits in the garden and makes a gentle swishing noise which isn't "interesting" to the neighbours so I can roll it all day with no problem.
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