Ball mill help

[jaysgoh]

I finally found something similar to Ball Mill , do you think this will work ?

http://www.touchdiy.com/webshaper/pcm/pictures/5%20Jewellery%20Tools/tumbler%206808%20-%20L.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuSPotAaH4s

can i use this bead for the media ? or using a glass marble ? http://www.touchdiy.com/webshaper/pcm/pictures/Shaun_Accessories/Cutter%20&%20Plier/beads%20set%20-%20L.jpg

 

i can get Kno3 and Sulfur easily here ! Finally , but CHARCHOAL PROBLEM AGAIN GOSH ! \

between i still thinking should i start this hobby ? i mean illegal hobby in my country . its something like explosive act ..

i was thinking i can make bp if i got the charcoal but if i got my bp i cant make a booster for my shells ..

 

My Itme Price in My Country .. is it expensive ?

Kno3 1 kg = 10USD

Sulfur 1kg = 5USD

The Ball Mill SHown in the image = 77USD

Edited August 11, 2013 by gohjiejing

[PyroCube]

This thing doesn`t look like it`s very solid built. A ball mill has to have a

quite strong motor which is very durable and I suppose this one is not. You can`t use steel

media, it can cause BP ignition, you better use lead or ceramic media, glass is too light to create a good milling effect.

 

Your tumbler also seems to turn too fast, ballmills of this size have normally around 70 rmp.

You better build a ballmill yourself, just do some searching and you will find out how to do it.

 

 

Greets

[LTUPyro]

Glass marble or beads won't be very good media, though you can get lead balls at gun shop and use it as media. Charcoal shouldn't be a big problem, it's pretty easy to make, you just need to get good wood like willow, poplar, balsa, also white pine works good for me. Search for TLUD method, or NightHawkInLight have pretty good tutorial for making charcoal as well. If you make fast and hot BP you don't need any booster. If you get some aluminium you can make Slow flash for boosting shell though, but I don't recommend making it until you get more experience in this hobby.

[Arthur]

I think everyone starts with a retail tumbler, some progress to a bigger tumbler, others make a ball mill. You could consider making your own charcoal, it's so simple

[jaysgoh]

I'm from a diffrent country which is same like Singapore ! Fireworks and Guns or Even Airsoft is Illegal for us . i think i can make this and fire it during festival season and keep it low.

 

i am not good in building or i cant , i cant find any AC motor and roller or tools to make it precision and smooth .. if i can find it will be costly and maybe some ..

 

i cant get lead at gun shop cause my country dont have any Firearms Shop . Balsa Way too expensive but i got no choice i have to use this .. i heard that Newspaper can be use also .. i really hope that newspaer can be use in lift and burst .. Balsa Sheet 1/4 1 pcs cost around 10USD

 

is the lead same as soldering lead ? can be cast ? \

 

so overall can i use this machine for ball mill ? it quite costly but i have to buy this if i am going to this hobby

 

i can get rc plane motor in various size , i own a 750kv 2826 motor .. at first plan to build but at last the cost for bbuilindg is expensive than buying the machine ..

Edited August 11, 2013 by gohjiejing

[PyroCube]

The main problem is that your mill spins way too fast. Your media and blackpowder will just stick to the walls and you got nothing.

Maybe you can slow it down in some way, then it will be a good alternative if you can`t get another one or build one.

You can`t use soldering lead, it`s way too soft and consists mainly of tin and other metals, just a small percentage lead. Maybe you can look

out for a brass rod which you can cut into pieces and use as media. I don`t know much about brass but I heard that it`s non sparking and

can be used for ballmilling BP.

Your balsa might be expensive but i think it`s worth it. You can make really fast BP out of it, I wouldn`t trust newspaper BP.

Remember that BP only has 15% charcoal.

 

Greets

[jaysgoh]

Anyone want to let go their ball mill? Ship to Malaysia.. I'm on my budget to be honest..

Single bucket ball mill + spare parts +media + shipping fees. Please pm me if you want to sell or upgrade Urs. Will my custom hold the item? I hope they will not take away my item because of it is a ball mill..

[jaysgoh]

Do harbor freight ship internationally? They got nice price.. Anyone can provide url of ceramic media in harbour freight page?

[patsroom]

@ gohjiejing

 

You know your laws better that I and you are willing to skirt around them, I am not saying to do so but if you do it is your choice. So with that said:

 

Paulownia charcoal is a very good one to use, the tree is native of China. It is used a lot for making shipping crates and boxes if I am correct. So I would think that might be a possibility there to find wood to make charcoal with. You can make small batches at a time even if you live in a city. Who knows you may be able to find the tree growing in your country.

 

Now for the ball mill. Look for a good motor that can run continuously without burning it up with enough power to turn a work load of the size you want. Car windshield wiper motor may work, washing machine motor, there should be something that you can find that will work.

And for media for the ball mill try looking for stainless steel ball bearings, or cast your own lead balls, maybe even use fishing weights. I just do not know what you have in your country that you can use, but just look for things as you can. As so long as you understand what is needed and their uses pro's and con's then you can substitute as you go.

I hope this helps and not get you into trouble, good luck............Pat

The font sizing is acting funny with me not sure why will work on it later................Pat

Edited August 11, 2013 by patsroom

[mikeee]

Harbor Freight products are made in China.

If you can find a supplier where you live you would not have to pay shipping from USA.

[jaysgoh]

Thanks for your reply.. Will try looking for it

[Jakenbake]

I think your brushless motor idea would be perfect. A little amall. But no brushes for sparks. A 2826 size motor is unfortunately way to small for this application. And setting up the power supply and esc would be a pita. Do you use evaporative coolers in your country? A simple mill can be made using 2 cooler shafts and 4 bearings. A cooler motor and pulley will work for power and drive.

[jeffreyschultz]

First post, lots of questions, but have to post a reply first. I didn't see an "introduction" post for new users to say hello, so I figured my first reply would be both. If this is the wrong place for the intro, then let me know and I can make it right.

 

I am considering building a ball mill versus buying one, and before starting any serious design considerations or force/speed calculations, are there any rules of thumb of what is considered "best practices" or advice in starting out? I am not looking for anything too substantial, perhaps something capable of milling 5-10 lbs of material (not that I plan on messing with that much just starting out), not including the milling media. The sorts of advice I would be interested in is good companies where I can shop around for parts (I am sure many of you have done this before), guesstimates of the size of the jar and electric motor, inner design of the jar to help increase friction and therefore better milling of the material, etc.

 

I plan on working up a design for one with adjustable speed to allow tweaking to match the critical speed of different materials and media, adjustable contact points to support different size jars, etc. I might even pull out a micro controller and write some software to approximate critical speed, detect when the material is riding the walls, perhaps even throw in a thermostat for the electric motor and jar to stop before either gets to hot that could result in breakage or an accident--I like projects as you can see.

 

I have loved fireworks since I was young, and put on a show for my family every 4th using consumer fireworks I purchased, and am now making the journey to constructing my own for personal use. I find great pleasure in building things and have an appreciation for beautiful and intricate designs, so it sounds like this might be a good outlet for me. I have been reading a lot about safety and laws, and some of the mishaps that can occur by not making sure you know what you are doing and messing with scare the crap out of me and am willing to do whatever it takes to avoid such situations. (might be overkill but am contemplating using an acrylic glove box I built for some chemistry experiments that needed an inert environment to eliminate the possibility of run away oxidation of materials upon opening that might decide to be pyrophoric--just an idea, still thinking about it).

[schroedinger]

Maybe look up for a kitchen hand mixing device, they got everything from a engine, power converter and speed controll. Should be good if you set up everything proper,but not for a big mill. Lead media can be cast youself, but better to look out for car tire weights, then soldering lead, as these contain heaps of tin and antimony.

 

For that mill do you have proper information on the rpm? I saw a mill like that some time ago, it 100% the same, but that got just 30-50 rpm, like a normal rock tumbler.

 

For charcoal, look around you`re area you will 100% sure able to find some proper wood

[Bobosan]

There is an introductions thread at http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/145-introductions/ if you wish to post there also.

 

Plenty of ball mill info on the forum and using the search function will bring them out for perusal. The easiest and cheapest way to start ball milling is with the 6lb Harbor Freight mill and some .50 calibre round musket balls from the local sporting goods shop.

 

Welcome to the forum, Jeff!

[schroedinger]

Don`t think that he can get that, as he is from asia.

 

 

Looked up where i saw that mill, it actually was a pyrotechnical supplier who sells it as a ball mill, he also states that it can be used for grinding up metall powders (with additional drum). So if you can get this easy take it (if you can get one of the lortone types i would prefer that, as they are used byheaps of people and god quite god reviews), for a start it will be god enough.

 

But remember it can run just for 60 min. The price is quite funny, as the supplier i saw wanted crazy 400$ for it^^