crazyboy25 Posted September 21, 2007 Posted September 21, 2007 never done it but ill bet the powdered sugar makes it fluffy with air pockets if im right cab-o-sil will have the same effect.
FrankRizzo Posted September 22, 2007 Posted September 22, 2007 Very interesting LGM. What percentage of sugar are you adding?
LGM Posted September 22, 2007 Posted September 22, 2007 I use one slightly heaped tablespoon per every 20-30 grams, so thats about 2-3 grams. The BP works like this both in meal and corned form, so I don't know about the fluffyness (<word?) being the cause. My theory is that as the powder burns, the sugar melts around the KNO3, allowing for more fuel/oxidizer contact. If someone could try this with their powder to verify this as not just some fluke with mine, that would be great. Edit: While I'm asking questions, has anybody made BP by putting the ground up raw ingredients in a water bottle with some media (in my case, pennies) and just shaken it for a while? The powder I get is pretty fast and could be improved by using good ingredients (currently stump remover KNO3 and 90% dusting sulfur). I can have 100 grams of good powder in about 10-15 minutes.
Dman65 Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 Edit: While I'm asking questions, has anybody made BP by putting the ground up raw ingredients in a water bottle with some media (in my case, pennies) and just shaken it for a while? The powder I get is pretty fast and could be improved by using good ingredients (currently stump remover KNO3 and 90% dusting sulfur). I can have 100 grams of good powder in about 10-15 minutes. LGM, Please do not do this any more! When you ball mill black powder you are supposed to put the ball mill away from people and structures so that if the powder ignites no people or property will be injured or destroyed. You are shaking up blackpowder and "ammunition" in a make shift canon! If there is some quartz in the charcoal of your blackpowder and a piezoelectric effect takes place you will basically be holding a pipe bomb in your hands! DO NOT DO THIS!
frogy Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 If people have a (edit: working) brain they can tell what is right and what is wrong... There are much more dangerous things than shaking green mix and media in a bottle... Pipe bomb... not, dangerous... yes.. stupid... yes... People have made BP in a portable coffee grinder before... some have open shafts that go down to a DC brush motor which makes tons of sparks, without it igniting... Really it is good that you pointed out how stupid it is, but people with any common sense could have figured that out...
LGM Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 A pieizoelectric effect, while theoretically possible if i were to dump quartz into the jar, would, with the amount of quartz that could actually end up in there, not be enough to ignite BP. I have tried it with a BBQ igniter. I'ts not like I'm using glass or ceramics as media. I understand the risk in this, it is just until I can get my ball mill working.
frogy Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 I know why your doing it... Even if it's stupid I can't really say I haven't done something as stupid or worse... (10 gram 1.75" salute shell that didn't clear tube a few days ago) It's pretty safe, but risky at the same time what your doing... I myself wouldn't do it, but I'm normally a safety freak... (built a brick wall to put mortars in front of so if salute shells get stuck I don't die) ....
invisibleworld Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 What is the Risk of ramming black powder rockets with proper tooling compared to mixing B/P in a rubber water bottle with copper/ tin/ zink penneys. It is always wise to know what exactly your ingrediants are, of course. How much is this technique differ from morter and pestal? I definatly would not do that. I have never heard of it going off in a ball mill, but my experience is novice at best. I just dont like the Idea of being that close to it. When I ram rockets it is with gloves, face shield and a dose of paranoia.
psyco_1322 Posted September 24, 2007 Posted September 24, 2007 Edit: While I'm asking questions, has anybody made BP by putting the ground up raw ingredients in a water bottle with some media (in my case, pennies) and just shaken it for a while? The powder I get is pretty fast and could be improved by using good ingredients (currently stump remover KNO3 and 90% dusting sulfur). I can have 100 grams of good powder in about 10-15 minutes.LGM, Please do not do this any more! When you ball mill black powder you are supposed to put the ball mill away from people and structures so that if the powder ignites no people or property will be injured or destroyed. You are shaking up blackpowder and "ammunition" in a make shift canon! If there is some quartz in the charcoal of your blackpowder and a piezoelectric effect takes place you will basically be holding a pipe bomb in your hands! DO NOT DO THIS! Geez you're stupid! His post said nothing about ammunition, he didnt even say it was a ball mill. It pennies in a water bottle being shook. Thats about as far from a ball mill as you can get. Oh and its not a makeshift cannon either, and pipe bombs cant be made with water bottles. Hence the name. Were you born this dumb or did you go to school for it?
johnnytflash Posted September 27, 2007 Posted September 27, 2007 hello and, what a cool place!! Anyhow has anyone tried a "vibrating" tumbler as a ball mill? Or whould it just go BOOM? just wondering because i have one. Thanks
psyco_1322 Posted September 27, 2007 Posted September 27, 2007 If your talking about those ones that look like a bowl that sets upright and vibrates. They dont work and will not work no matter what you do. Its a vibrator not a tumbler, it does have any milling motion, it cant grind things up.
Zmuro Posted September 28, 2007 Posted September 28, 2007 I finished my hydraulic press and I pressed some black powder packs. I weihgt them, calculated density and it's 1,7g/cm3. Is this good?
Mumbles Posted September 28, 2007 Posted September 28, 2007 Yes. 1.7 Is pretty much the ideal density supposedly.
Deafaid Posted October 11, 2007 Posted October 11, 2007 which of this 2 types of bullets are best to mill black powder? type 1: http://www.midwaysverige.com/apps/eproduct...leItemID=420271type 2: http://www.midwaysverige.com/apps/eproduct...leItemID=613679 a simple answer....thanks
hst45 Posted October 11, 2007 Posted October 11, 2007 Go with the second one, the .50 cal. lead balls. That's what I use. They're cheaper by half and they will work great.
Deafaid Posted October 15, 2007 Posted October 15, 2007 i've been thinking and i'm wondering if this bullets are hardened with antimony? If they're not hardened....i don't want to buy this bullets because they will contaminate my bp. Does anybody know if this bullets are hardened?http://www.midwaysverige.com/apps/eproduct...leItemID=613679 thanks in advance
LGM Posted October 15, 2007 Posted October 15, 2007 I would say no, the bullet looks dented so I would think it wasn't hardened. Also, I don't think bullets are hardened. There isn't too much of a problem if you use non-hardened media, just don't breathe in the smoke (yes it smells good, but you have to resist the urge) .
Aquarius Posted October 16, 2007 Posted October 16, 2007 Try casting your own with bullets. Use lead and a bit of weldes tin, drop them hot in water and you have hardened bullets, perfect for milling.
50AE Posted December 3, 2007 Posted December 3, 2007 Hello, I would like to show you my blackpowder, made with paper charcoal (newspaper and paper kitchen napkins). Many people discouraged me to do it, beacause they thought paper won't do a good charcoal, but I tried it, and it worked very well.The paper is very soft, and that makes it suitable for BP. The biggest con of it, it's the price, wood is cheaper. But for people who have some newspapers to trash, you can use them otherways . Before you see the videos, note that :- The BP is sulfurless- Its ratio is 76 KNO3 to 24 C- Only the charcoal is milled (with mortar&pestle). Then it is mixed in the KNO3 dissolved in water, and let at 80C to evaporate. Paper napkinNewspaper (not milled well, can better)Compilation of napkins, newspaper and willow (the 2 last deflagrations are willow vs napkin) And please don't argue beacause I test indoors, there are small parts only, no K2S gas (sulfurless), and the BP container is far from the test This is it. Hope you like it.
whitefox77 Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Maximum safe milling levels for indoor milling. I live in an apartment and simply don't have access to out-door milling. What would people consider the maximum safe amount of BP to mill indoors in a basement? I've been doing no more than 30g at a time.
Pretty green flame Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Switch to wet mixing. Mill the charcoal and sulfur together, mill the KNO3 to a fine powder and wet mix it by hand. http://www.frogfot.com/pyro.html#gunpGo here for more detailed instructions. This method makes quite good BP and is far more suitable for the "Apartment pyro" Hope this helps a bit
oskarchem Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Ha, well I'm cooking up a batch of newspaper charcoal to test tit out, if you think of it , We're actually ecological, because we recycle the newspaper we read...
50AE Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 I live in an apartment too. But I don't have ball mill, but a mortar and pestle. So to make BP, I first grind the sulfur and charcoal together, but I dissolve the KNO3 in hot water. Next, I add the grinded mixture to the KNO3 solution and I start to stir everything until it becames homogeneous. Later, I turn the hotplate on a low degree and let the water evaporate. Then, I re-grind the hard BP with the mortar, adding some alcohol, and finally granulate it. It takes me about 40 minutes to make 30 grams. The quality is good.
mormanman Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 I live in an apartment too. But I don't have ball mill, but a mortar and pestle. So to make BP, I first grind the sulfur and charcoal together, but I dissolve the KNO3 in hot water. Next, I add the grinded mixture to the KNO3 solution and I start to stir everything until it becames homogeneous. Later, I turn the hotplate on a low degree and let the water evaporate. Then, I re-grind the hard BP with the mortar, adding some alcohol, and finally granulate it. It takes me about 40 minutes to make 30 grams. The quality is good. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the CIA method. I hear its real dangerous and kind of a waste of time but it works and thats all that really matters, right.
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