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BP Granulated with denatured Alc.


MWJ

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This is my bp test after ball milling for 8 hours then granulated it with denatured alcohol.

 

 

Thanks

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Pretty good. What kind of charcoal?

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Pretty good. What kind of charcoal?

Pond. Pine. I made it from my wood stove. I just removed it when the flames died down then smothered it in a SS pot. I have 1000 or more acres all around me. :)

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Bp made form Pine really surprised me as well for the speed. The power is up there in the top 10 for sure.

The use of expensive solvents and redgum only seem to hold value for "events" or other gatherings that require manufacturing on site ,and the bp need to dry fast. As from a production standpoint , It would be to expensive to justify . I make well over 50# maybe venturing into the 75-100# range a year. If I where using anything but dextrin I would be poor!! lol.

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Me too, dextrin and plain water works and I believe there is an advantage to using water, has something to do with disolving the kn03 completely and being absorbed into the charcoal more fully. Microscopic particles of charcoal look like sponges. I sure do like them fat TT streamers you made from that MWJ :)

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The theory behind using alcohol to granulate BP is to avoid using dextrin or any binder which might slow the BP down. The alcohol is thought to dissolve some of the resins in the charcoal so they function as a loose binder. The rapid evaporation of alcohol allows very quick drying which helps preserve the granules. The result is soft granules that may not hold up well to storage, but burns as hot as possible since no binders have been added to slow the BP down. Of course, any advantage in speed would need to be offset by the cost of alcohol over water. It is likely to be more economical to use a little more of a slower powder to lift a shell than it is to have the fastest BP possible. Of course, certain types of rockets and burst benefit from the fastest BP possible.

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The meal dust that I got from granulating this will be used for my black match. I did use more Al. then I expected to use and it is more money to make this but I don't plan on doing this every time I make bp. This was just a test and recommended by someone here that I rely on for very good info. Now that I see what it does, I plan on making more for, like I said Black Match. If I understand correctly. BM should be very fast (100 ft per sec.). This should do what I want.

 

Me too, dextrin and plain water works and I believe there is an advantage to using water, has something to do with dissolving the kn03 completely and being absorbed into the charcoal more fully. Microscopic particles of charcoal look like sponges. I sure do like them fat TT streamers you made from that MWJ :)

I used the TurboPyro method for my stars with my home made Pine charcoal. I'm glad you liked them. That means a lot to a newbie. :)

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Blackmatch on it's own should only burn around 1 inch/sec. When encased in a tube for quickmatch, then you can easily get into the 100's of feet/sec.

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Blackmatch on it's own should only burn around 1 inch/sec. When encased in a tube for quickmatch, then you can easily get into the 100's of feet/sec.

That explains why some of the videos I saw on youtube about making BM, it burned slower then I thought it would. I will be making quickmatch also. I guess I need some gummed tape for that. I looked all over our little town (Tonasket, Wash.) for some gummed tape and no one had any. Where is a good place to order some for wash. state?

 

Thanks

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Just roll craft paper tubes . I use the spiral method of rolling and make 3-4 ft lengths at a time for leaders. Just need tape to secure them , as the spiral rolling technique holds the tube in place well. I prefer to pleat the tube flat when done, then insert the 2+ strands of BM into the tubes. / The rod I use is a 3/16 4' dowel .

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Leedrill answered that question for me as follows, hope it helps you too :)

 

 

leedrill, on 20 Jan 2014 - 11:49 PM, said:

they sell it at art stores for holding down the sides of water paintings but usually dont ell it in the sizes for shells they usually only stock 36mm and 48mm wide {water activated gummed tape } they stock it in white and plain kraft brown if your are keen to cut it down it is quite a cheap way to buy it and is usally an art store in most towns

 

 

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On my cannon i use art straws and black match to speed quick match up.

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You can get gummed tape at pyrodirect.com

They have them in different sizes.

 

You can also get it from McMaster Carr, and it will probably be cheaper too.

Edited by psyco_1322
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You can get gummed tape at pyrodirect.com

They have them in different sizes.

They want $18.00 to ship $6.00 worth to Wash. State.

 

 

You can also get it from McMaster Carr, and it will probably be cheaper too.

They only have 1" but the shipping might be better and I can work with 1" if that's all they have. I really would like 3/4" if I have a choice.

Thanks

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MJW, Pyrodirect is one of those places that for whatever reason doesn't ship small packages with USPS, so everything costs almost $20 to ship, whether it weighs 6 ounces or 6 pounds. Take a look here: http://www.pyrocreations.com/gummed_kraft_tape. Steve is a great guy and stocks a great selection of pyro goodies, as you can see. Even better, he is set up with USPS, so shipping on gummed tape should be about $7. He doesn't have 3/4", but depending on what you want it for, the 1/2" can work just fine (and look a little prettier).

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They only have 1" but the shipping might be better and I can work with 1" if that's all they have. I really would like 3/4" if I have a choice.

Thanks

 

Huh? Maybe have another look? I paste shells from 3-6" with 1" tape, although the 3s could maybe use 3/4" tape, and though I have done an 8" with 1" tape, it's a bit narrow for such a big shell.

 

http://www.mcmaster.com/#gummed-tape/=r0h0yn

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