135 replies to this topic

[spawned]

I know its wuite a few posts ago but i would just like to explain that the 'slag' you where getting was NOT sulphur it was some ingredients like clay or something in your charcoal i used to have the same problem and il think youl find even if you make sulphurless BP then it will still leave it, just to clear people up that mayhave the same problem and then read this.

[miniskinny]

If you make a sulphurless-BP, and it still leaves residue, and you use a decent charcoal, it is most definately the potassium nitrate that is leaving it. Could be the quality of it....

[superspud]

hi, im pretty new to this and i just got my first load of chemicals for black powder. i have a scale, but i dont have a ball mill. im in the UK, and they are practically impossible to find in the UK (well, i havent found any), so rather than ball milling the powder, i just pu the mix into a plastic zip seal bag and hammering it with a big ball hammer for abit. it does reduce it to a very fine powder, and it does burn pretty well, but i am primarily asking ifyou can get ball mills in the uk.

thanks for any help
,Pete

[Richard H]

Welcome. Please search the forum. All of your questions have been answered before. I would strongly not recommend hitting blackpowder with a hammer!

[superspud]

at the bashing stage, its not black powder, its just teh powders. essentialy, its just doing what the ball mill does, but does it quicker and with more force...

[Richard H]

Thats o.k. then However remember that a ball mill will achieve a much more intimate mix in a quicker time period than would be possible by hand. For a ball mill you want to be looking at rock tumblers, so check out lapidry websites. Again, a quick search of the forum will give you all the info you need.

[superspud]

i have had a quick skim round the forum, and i cant find any links to UK sites where i can buy ball mills...

[RegimentalPyro]

Ball mills are essentially devices that tumble the milling media [lead/brass balls usually] over/around whatever you are milling.

This is exceedingly similar process to rock tumblers which tumble rocks over polishing powder/grit.

[Possibly useful fact : Rock polishing is also known as "lapidary"]

The bottom line is that a rock tumbler is basically the same thing as a ball mill. Try searching google / this-site for rock tumblers. I bet you a spool of visco that you will find what you are looking for....

[superspud]

i have. ive been looking for ages, and have found nothing :-(

[Pretty green flames]

i have. ive been looking for ages, and have found nothing :-(

Hi

this link may help you:

http://www.mamasmine.../MM/CTGY/TUMROT

They got the same ball mills as at United Nuclear.

And the good thing is that they ship internacionally.

LP

[StarScream]

United Nuclear's 3LB ball mills are actually rock tumblers made by Chicago Electric. You can find lots of them on eBay in the US.

[RegimentalPyro]

i have. ive been looking for ages, and have found nothing :-(

Really?

Well in that case the link you want for buying rock tumblers in the UK is under this topic

[superspud]

ah, ok, never found anything like that... dont rock tumbers have a furry layer inside or something?

[Creepin_pyro]

I had thought that rock tumblers rotated too slowly to operate as an efficient ball mill

I used to have a rock tumbler, and from what I can remember, it rotated very slowly compared to my ball mill.

Definately not fast enough to get a nice cascading action.

Then again, I've never tried to mill anything with a rock tumbler - I suppose it works, just alot slower and less eficiently that a real ball mill.

[Pretty green flames]

I used to have a rock tumbler, and from what I can remember, it rotated very slowly compared to my ball mill.

Ohh

Thank you for the moral boost.

Anyway i emailed some company that sells these tumblers. And in a couple of short days we should know how fast it is.

LP