Black Powder Thread #1

[bmarley5780]

!!!Frustrated!!!

 

Cannot get the BP from stickin togather!

 

Tried spreadin the different chems and charcoal out to dry a little bit but to no avail.

 

...........Grrrr..............

[Bonny]

!!!Frustrated!!!

 

Cannot get the BP from stickin togather!

 

Tried spreadin the different chems and charcoal out to dry a little bit but to no avail.

 

...........Grrrr..............

Maybe try drying chems seperately, immediately before milling in a drying box (if you have) or possibly an oven.

[optimus]

I sometimes also give the milling container a quick blast with a hair-dryer to make sure there isn't any moisture in there prior to milling.

[ULTRABUF]

My bp will always start to clump into a big chunk after a hour or two of milling, so I periodically will shut it off and tap the sides of the jar with a dowel to knock the bp off the walls. This works pretty good for me.

[Zmuro]

I had the same problem and then I put dextrin in to it, while milling and that solve my problem.

[BPinthemorning]

Why in God's name would dextrin help stop the clumping??? Dextrin is a binder, it would just make it clump more...

[Mumbles]

Yeah, but if it's not activated, it's not binding anything. Wallpaper paste doesn't come as a brick, it's a free flowing powder. You have to remember, dextrin was once corn starch. Corn starch is a free flow agent in some cases. If it is moisture that is causing the clumping, I don't see why the dextrin would help at all though.

[aa92td]

Hey guys.

i just wanted to share with you a video of my bp and my ballmill

i milled my bp something like 7 hours..al the chemicals was completly dry and then i chacked this.

here's a video:

http://www.apcforum.net/files/P9130001_NEW.wmv

that is burns very slow...when i'm making my bp in a coffe grinder I get better bp.

so i tried to put some water in my ball mill...a cap of water for 500 grams of bp.

after 2 hours mill with the water i tasted it agian , the results was a lot better.

here is a video:

http://www.apcforum.net/files/P9130004_NEW.wmv

but its still not good enough

so now i took 300 grams of bp with some water and pass it through screen.

and i also took 200 grams of bp with some water and put it under a car wheel (kind of press).

i will test the results tomorrow.

any way here is a picture and a video of my ballmill

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/AgwA/Ballmill/P9100004new.jpg

 

and a short video:

http://www.apcforum.net/files/P9100005_NEW.wmv

 

the jar is quarter full of media.

 

 

my question is.

what do you think about that bp? I think he is pretty poor.

and what i need to do for a better results.

 

Sorry about my english , agwa.

[Mumbles]

I think it's your mill. It's going way too fast to be efficient. That must be at least 200 rpm. I counted at least 20 revolutions in that 6 second video. Likely there is very little tumbling action so that is why your BP is poor. You'd probably have to mill for at least like 18 hours with something like that.

 

Also, you don't mention what kind of charcoal you're using. It will also have a big impact.

[aa92td]

oh yes i forget some chemicals details.

 

pure KNO3.

pure sulfur.

and pine tree charcoal that i made a week ago.

 

 

sorry about my english.

[invisibleworld]

Hey guys, I just was looking through ebay looking for deals on ball mills (saw a 3lb for only 26 bucks brand new) when i came across one of these:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Thumler-Ultra-Vibe-Roc...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Now, my father has something similar to this except his is used for polishing ammunition. My question is if instead of using that fine course rocks, can i just fill it with steel ball bearings and use it as a ball mill?

If you want good deals on ballmills, go to harborfreight.com and sign up for thier catalog. They are always running sales on them. I picked up a double drum one for $24.00 two weeks ago. they sell them as rock tumblers. also got a great hydrolic 12 ton arbor press for only $109.00. lots of other stuff too.

[invisibleworld]

Hey guys, I just was looking through ebay looking for deals on ball mills (saw a 3lb for only 26 bucks brand new) when i came across one of these:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Thumler-Ultra-Vibe-Roc...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Now, my father has something similar to this except his is used for polishing ammunition. My question is if instead of using that fine course rocks, can i just fill it with steel ball bearings and use it as a ball mill?

They sell ceramic milling media which works well for all conditions and applications where sparks or static electricity may be a concern. try E-bay

[invisibleworld]

I dont know of any suppliers that ship to Canada, and wont mind if im 15

I wouldnt be able to get my parents to do it because my dad is convinced that im going to blow the house up, and he wont buy me anything. I've heard of "Gardening Sulphur" for changing the PH of the soil... Anyways next time i can get a ride to Phamasave or a local gardening shop ill take a look.

What's wrong with getting it on E-bay? there must be a hundred sellers try undergroundgadgets@comcast.net for all your chem needs. located in Everett, Washington USA

[invisibleworld]

Are there any catlaysts or things you can add to the standard 75:15:10 BP to make it burn faster or stronger?

Try antimony trisulfide as the sulfer catalist.

[invisibleworld]

The only time I *DON'T* use 75-15-10 is if I'm mixing rocket fuel. Then I use: 70-20-10, 65-25-10, or 60-30-10 dependant on what size rocket I'm pressing. And I'm using plain old airfloat, though I mill the mixtures anywhere from 24-72 hours. Makes a good powder for my needs.

 

M

 

 

P.S. damn nice ball mill there, Chappers. I especially like those end plugs you have. Excellent way to let you customize the batch size. If that was your idea and you're so inclined, you ought to make and sell just the "drum and plugs" portion, cutting the PVC to order for the user's particular mill....

Am I correct to asume you use the lower amount of KNO3 for the larger diameter rockets? What size diameter rocket do you use each formula for, if you don't mind me asking? Are you also using it for lift and break charges?

[Pretty green flame]

Was it ABSOLUTELY necessary to post 5 posts after another?

[invisibleworld]

Was it ABSOLUTELY necessary to post 5 posts after another?

five subjects- five coments, ya, I guess, Why? Is there a problem with that? let me know if there is. I won't post if there is

[Pretty green flame]

Well you can quote multiple things in one post, and making many posts at a time just doesn't look nice in my opinion.

[LGM]

I was wondering what a good target speed for a ball mill is. I realize that there are many sizes of mills, but I was thinking a smaller one. I am trying to make a mill with a water bottle chamber and I can adjust the speed of the motor I am using, as well as how much it is geared down.

[frogy]

A water bottle won't be a good jar at all

 

#1. Cheap plastic will break up from the media

#2. Chemicals will get ground into the plastic and not incorporated

#3. Media won't have enough room to move...

 

Try 4" PVC or something... I use DWV (drain, waste, and vent PVC) which is very low strength PVC (it has a "foam" core instead of a solid core like NWF-PW [pressure rated])...

 

To figure out the Optimal RPM you need, get the Inside diameter of the Jar and the Diameter of the media your using...

 

Ask someone that has a passfire membership for the formula or to calculate it for you... I forget what it was... like .85 * SqRoot(245.45)/(Jar ID-Media OD), but thats not right...

[crazyboy25]

1. ceramic milling media is NOT a good choice for everything they spark ALOT which could cause an explosion.

 

2. don't add antimony sulfide to BP then it wont be BP if the purpose was to make the fastest powder you would just use whistle or flash or HE's BP is used because of its properties which would change dramatically by adding antimony sulfide.

 

3. in rockets the charcoal is usually increased for a slower burn.

 

4. next time use five numbers as seen above not five posts.

[mormanman]

1. ceramic milling media is NOT a good choice for everything they spark ALOT which could cause an explosion.

 

2. don't add antimony sulfide to BP then it wont be BP if the purpose was to make the fastest powder you would just use whistle or flash or HE's BP is used because of its properties which would change dramatically by adding antimony sulfide.

 

I've never heard of ceramic sparking only glass but I'll believe it and its not good for bp either I don't know how it just isn't good for it.

 

What is HE's bp. And wikipedia said antimony sulfide was used in fireworks but I've never heard of that either.

[''']

Antimony trisulfide is used in pyrotehnical compositions a lot (I think he meant trisulfide not just sulfide). And yes I also thinks that ceramic media dont causes sparks. Its unlogical .

[crazyboy25]

sorry about HE's BP. I forgot a period i meant don't add anything like antimony sulfide to BP because then it has different properties and isn't really BP. antimony sulfide is used in glitter formulas not black powder. if the point was to make the fastest powder you could just ad flash or an HE to it but then it wouldn't be BP. Black powder has certain properties that will change when you add anything to it.

[Pretty green flame]

And yes I also thinks that ceramic media dont causes sparks. Its unlogical .

Well it does, ceramic does spark, ball mills have exploded in the past due to ceramic media. So why take the unnecessary risk.