Graphite Coating Granulated Black Powder

[Maserface]

no, I use no binder, and just granulate with alcohol. I should add, this is only for rocket fuel, to keep the dust down. If anything id use rice hulls as lift, because thats the closest homemade BP I would have to lift powder.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Maserface

[LambentPyro]

no, I use no binder, and just granulate with alcohol. I should add, this is only for rocket fuel, to keep the dust down. If anything id use rice hulls as lift, because thats the closest homemade BP I would have to lift powder.

Oh, yeah, I know a few people who use Rice Hulls as lift, it's kind of against tradition, is it not?

[Maserface]

for me it would be a matter of adaptation, I dont make my own granulated BP, I will when I start building shells for the sake of building shells though, and ill probably bind with SGRS :]

[psyco_1322]

Oh, yeah, I know a few people who use Rice Hulls as lift, it's kind of against tradition, is it not?

 

It's certainly not something that has been done by many. Ned Gorski introduced the idea, as far as I know. When you are building shells, it's easier to combine processes if possible. If you had to make tons of coated rice hulls for break, using the same BP as you would for lift, why not just use the coated hulls as lift also? That eliminates the need to go through an entirely different process to make make granulated lift.

 

Myself and others have been working on a concept like this for cylinder shells, where you can eliminate the need to use any milled powders in the shell. It's a hastle and extra work when you have to run your mill just to make the burst powder for the shells, then have to hand mix and granulate BP for use as polverone. If I can make a shell that uses only hand mixed and granulated powder, of the same formula and grain size, this greatly reduces the amount of work needed to prepare building materials.

[LambentPyro]

 

It's certainly not something that has been done by many. Ned Gorski introduced the idea, as far as I know. When you are building shells, it's easier to combine processes if possible. If you had to make tons of coated rice hulls for break, using the same BP as you would for lift, why not just use the coated hulls as lift also? That eliminates the need to go through an entirely different process to make make granulated lift.

 

Myself and others have been working on a concept like this for cylinder shells, where you can eliminate the need to use any milled powders in the shell. It's a hastle and extra work when you have to run your mill just to make the burst powder for the shells, then have to hand mix and granulate BP for use as polverone. If I can make a shell that uses only hand mixed and granulated powder, of the same formula and grain size, this greatly reduces the amount of work needed to prepare building materials.

 

Yea, I know a few people who do use MCRH for lift. Even though it does require much work, I like being conservative about the tradition. If MCRH was created strictly for burst, I am sure that builders in the past when that idea first came out, would have used it for lift to make their lives easier just like you're saying, but there's got to be a reason why it's not used for lift too, just think about it. It's logical.

 

For example, we would never ball mill BP with steel media. It may be a cheaper alternative, but the reason we don't use it is because it sparks and can cause severe damage. See what I'm saying?

[dan999ification]

Mcrh is fine for our shells, but for industry standards it will not hold up to unit volume loading, transport and rough handling.

Tradition or not mcrh make faster more economical lift in theory.

The cost of carrier is a major concern in production also.

 

Dan.

[Mumbles]

You guys are missing one enormous fact. Commercially, nearly nobody makes their black powder. The other thing you have to remember is that up until probably 20 years ago (at most), using commercial BP in the amateur circles was the norm as well. You coated meal D onto rice hulls to burst ball shells, and you used commercial 2FA or 4FA for lift. It would be entirely counter-intuitive to use use something you have to process and make for lift, as opposed to something you just scoop out of a box.

 

I think the biggest reason that it hasn't really caught on is that using meal coated rice hulls as lift has the possibility to start filling the mortar with debris quickly. A debris that can smoulder and cause issues later on if that mortar is reloaded. While in a seemingly majority of commercial shows now, every shell has it's own mortar. Most of the time when amateurs are firing at clubs or private events, most shells are reloaded repeatedly into a small number of mortars. To be honestly, I'm not entirely sure you'd see much if any improvement in lifting efficiency by using meal coated rice hulls as compared to a suitably sized BP grain.

 

Some steels can be used quite safely and efficiently as ball milling media by the way.

[LambentPyro]

You guys are missing one enormous fact. Commercially, nearly nobody makes their black powder. The other thing you have to remember is that up until probably 20 years ago (at most), using commercial BP in the amateur circles was the norm as well. You coated meal D onto rice hulls to burst ball shells, and you used commercial 2FA or 4FA for lift. It would be entirely counter-intuitive to use use something you have to process and make for lift, as opposed to something you just scoop out of a box.

 

I think the biggest reason that it hasn't really caught on is that using meal coated rice hulls as lift has the possibility to start filling the mortar with debris quickly. A debris that can smoulder and cause issues later on if that mortar is reloaded. While in a seemingly majority of commercial shows now, every shell has it's own mortar. Most of the time when amateurs are firing at clubs or private events, most shells are reloaded repeatedly into a small number of mortars. To be honestly, I'm not entirely sure you'd see much if any improvement in lifting efficiency by using meal coated rice hulls as compared to a suitably sized BP grain.

 

Some steels can be used quite safely and efficiently as ball milling media by the way.

 

That's a good point, if the mortar is being constantly reloaded, it can become an issue.

 

Not only that, but smouldering lift cups or debris from the lift even with granulated powder can always pose a threat. I check my mortar before each firing to make sure there is nothing in there.

 

Can putting Al foil around the lift charge be a protector against smouldering debris?

 

 

If it sparks, it sure as hell not going in my mill.

Edited December 21, 2013 by LambentPyro

[psyco_1322]

The foil would protect it, but it might also make a hell of a mess when the thing fires too.

 

Which makes me wonder how much of the rice hulls would actually accumulate in the gun? Most things in the lift charge area gets blown/sucked out of the mortar when the shell fires.