Make Your Own Black Powder?
I did when I wasa kid...Parents made me stop when a buddy blew up a too large batch while making it. Singed his eyebrows, blew out his eardrums, and started a fire.
I am wanting to try this again as an adult.
Anybody making their own Black Powder?
[EDIT}: Reason I am contemplating such a thing is that I want to see if I can sustain Gun Ownership for my Heirs in the face of a Lead Ban (I can make my own), a Primer/Cap Shortage or regulation (My CVA Electra doesn't use any), and a Powder Shortage. All I need to do is to make my own.
I am wanting to try this again as an adult.
Anybody making their own Black Powder?
[EDIT}: Reason I am contemplating such a thing is that I want to see if I can sustain Gun Ownership for my Heirs in the face of a Lead Ban (I can make my own), a Primer/Cap Shortage or regulation (My CVA Electra doesn't use any), and a Powder Shortage. All I need to do is to make my own.
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A really, really, really dumb idea! You're a shoe-in for a Darwin! 0 -
I made some when I was 11 years old.
You could buy sulfur and saltpeter at the drug store back then.
That pharmacist was giving me funny looks, he knew I was up to no good!
I didn't have a muzzleloader so I never really tried it out.
Here is a lengthy discussion of the subject:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3954240 -
Yup, I did as a kid. Sulfur, Saltpeter and crushed down to dust charcoal. It worked great except some of our bombs became rockets ... and our rockets became bombs. I'm glad we had nice long fuses. I do need to find some fuses again for my CVA .45 cal canon! I think I'm going to stick with Hodgdon 777 for powder. 0 -
mbsams - I did it a bit when I was in my early teens, and didn't have an event....I am now past my reproductive years, so even if I have an Exciting Event, I would not qualify for a Darwin!!!
allen - You're one good egg! I can always count on your replies being cogent, and on point, with something to add. Looks like you too, were blessed with an exciting life! Would be good to meet ya - we could swap stories forever. Thanks for the pointer.0 -
As far as keeping powder in the shtf scenario:
Black powder will keep indefinitely.
So will caps. I have fired 31 year old cci caps and they fired without problem
You could buy 10 pounds of black powder, and a supply of caps, and store them [buried] and you heirs would have a good stash.0 -
You can lead a horse to water, but ... 0 -
Some DIY projects should be left to Dupont. 0 -
If your heirs want to shoot something besides the CVA Electra, it is possible to make your own percussion caps with a tool called the Tap-O-Cap. Dixie Gun Works used to sell it.
Midway still advertises the Tap-O-Cap, but it's currently out of stock.0 -
Thanks for that ofitg!! 0 -
You're welcome - I hope my 2 cents' worth helps.
The Tap-O-Cap instructions say to use the thin aluminum from beer cans. When I was using the Tap-O-Cap about 20 years ago, it seemed to me that the beer can metal was still too stiff. I got better results using the flimsy disposable aluminum pans that come with frozen pies.
Also, instead of children's toy caps, I used the igniter tips from "strike anywhere" kitchen matches. I glued them into the aluminum shells with a dab of my wife's nail polish.0 -
I made some as a kid but wouldn't think of doing it now since Dupont
blew up a plant in New Jersey a while back and they really knew what they were doing. They went out of the business after that.
The components are ground wet, dried then granulated.
I had a mix detonate in my hands while carefully grinding it in a porcelain mortar and pestle below my face.
It singed my eyebrows and drove hot stonelike ash into the bottom of my right hand.
The mix was KCL and S.
Give up the idea.0 -
I will second the "do not try this at home" sentiment. Have been a pyrotechnition for years, now that live in the great state of Texas, can do it legally, and will tell y'all, it is a major project to make any bp that will work, much less be usable as gunpowder. Look at Skylighters site if you are really serious, but would advise against, and can tell MANY stories of things going wrong, still have no eyebrows from years ago from some of the experiments! 0 -
{potassium chlorate and sulfer will ALWAYS explode under pressure or percussion/grinding. KCL is NOT a gunpowder component. To get green powder made with the correct formula of 75% KNo3, 15% charcoal and 10% Sulfer, they must be weighed, mixed dry by tumbling in a static free container with no more than an ounce or two of powder, and then wet and packed into paper cylinders a left to dry in the sun. A fuse will set it off like cherry bombs. At least that's what my step brother told me before he died after the blast. quote:Originally posted by v35
I made some as a kid but wouldn't think of doing it now since Dupont
blew up a plant in New Jersey a while back and they really knew what they were doing. They went out of the business after that.
The components are ground wet, dried then granulated.
I had a mix detonate in my hands while carefully grinding it in a porcelain mortar and pestle below my face.
It singed my eyebrows and drove hot stonelike ash into the bottom of my right hand.
The mix was KCL and S.
Give up the idea.0 -
My homepage explains this in very good detail, with photos. It is in Swedish, but that is not a problem nowadays [:)].
http://www.svartkrutsvapen.se/page1005.html -
Use this ( under ) to translate = copy & paste [:D]
http://translate.google.se/?js=y&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&text=&file=&sl=en&tl=fr#sv|en|
Stradivarius.0 -
I only know the Method CAPT KIRK used to kill the green lizard man on the planet.[^] 0 -
Pooh! to the naysayers, I say!! Cobble up your own black stuff and fire away!
Get on the web (no, I won't do it for you this time) and look for papers written on the subject. That's how I found my information. You can get sulfur, saltpeter (look for the technical name, please) and bone charcoal (sometimes called "activated" charcoal) off the internet. Try ebay for your chemicals; there are a number of chemical suppliers on there. Purchase "technical grade" chemicals. They cost more, but are more pure, more consisent or standardized (batch-to-batch) in their makeup and are designed for lab and manufacturing use.
Be sure to follow all the common-sense safety rules.0 -
In highschool - 1930s - we made powder using potassium chlorate. Loaded a friends 1860 Colt and it chain-fired 5 chambers, blew out the rammer and the cylinder chamber aligned with the barrel. Destroyed a beautiful heirloom from the Civil War.
They say "learn by doing" ?? At least I learned to never make powder that way.0 -
See if your library carries the 'Foxfire' series of books...specifically #5. The books all capture the early memories of rural America and in the fifth book they interview folks on BP making and bear hunts.
Great reading.0 -
Got a mate back in the UK reloads rimfire black powder brass.He scrapes off the heads of strike anywhere matches,he crushes them then mixes with a little water,drops it into the brass lets it dry out and it seems to work OK. 0 -
quote:KCL is NOT a gunpowder component.
KCl is not potassium chlorate, either. It is potassium chloride, energetically inert, but a corrosive salt.
Potassium chlorate is KClO3. Too sensitive for propellant powder, it was common in the old "corrosive" priming compounds.0 -
gramps used to make it all the time...75 ..15 and 10 are the correct measures....but you need a wooden round tubewith end caps and glass marbles turning for a day or two to mix and pulverize it good...then sift it out[;)][;)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by glyn
Got a mate back in the UK reloads rimfire black powder brass.He scrapes off the heads of strike anywhere matches,he crushes them then mixes with a little water,drops it into the brass lets it dry out and it seems to work OK.
I believe those match heads are potassium chlorate mixtures.
Caution is advised....0 -
You can get saltpeter (potassium nitrate) from (would you believe it?) Amazon.com .
They even have cannon fuse too.
And lots of interesting stuff from pyrocreations.com . Including ball mills for rolling/grinding, many sizes and shapes of cardboard tubes and shells for fireworks, good inexpensive fuse, and even electric igniters.
BTW, I found that plastic PVC sprinkler pipes from Home Depot, especially the short plastic pipe nipples with threaded ends and their screw-on plastic caps, make a very nice BANG with either black powder or smokeless. Watch out for the fragments, though. I will try the paper/cardboard tubes next, fragments don't travel as fast or far.0 -
Oops, double post, sorry! 0 -
I have thought about making my own BP, I figure if you are careful it can be done safely. 0 -
I thought this thread would have died out by now - along with all those trying to make black powder. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by mbsams
I thought this thread would have died out by now - along with all those trying to make black powder.
Sorry, this thread actually inspired me to try it a few weeks ago. I'm still alive, and my homebrew powder has great performance.0 -
Cardboard tubes from pyrocreations.com make a nice BANG with BP (Goex 3FG), but not with smokeless, which just fizzles. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ofitg
quote:Originally posted by mbsams
I thought this thread would have died out by now - along with all those trying to make black powder.
Sorry, this thread actually inspired me to try it a few weeks ago. I'm still alive, and my homebrew powder has great performance.
ofitg, got a recipe? Please share! [:)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Little-Acorn
quote:Originally posted by ofitg
quote:Originally posted by mbsams
I thought this thread would have died out by now - along with all those trying to make black powder.
Sorry, this thread actually inspired me to try it a few weeks ago. I'm still alive, and my homebrew powder has great performance.
ofitg, got a recipe? Please share! [:)]
I think most of the relevant info is available here -
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4279480
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