21 replies to this topic

[juggalo_pyro]

I may be able to secure a phenomenal amount (50 lbs/22.5 kilograms) of pure carbon powder, and I was wondering just how it would affect my black powder and just exacaly what it would do to it .

[Pretty green flames]

I may be able to secure a phenomenal amount (50 lbs/22.5 kilograms) of pure carbon powder, and I was wondering just how it would affect my black powder and just exacaly what it would do to it .

In a couple of words, it total crap.
Charcoal has impurities mixed in which increases burning speed of BP so when you take those impurities away
you are left with pure carbon which has little or no use that i can think of.

Is this like graphite or something?

[juggalo_pyro]

its pure carbon for a rig setup out here so im not sure what it is other than carbon thanks for the info though

[EnigmaticBiker]

I may be able to secure a phenomenal amount (50 lbs/22.5 kilograms) of pure carbon powder, and I was wondering just how it would affect my black powder and just exacaly what it would do to it .

Charcoal also has a porous structure which allows the KNO3 and sulphur to be incorporated into it. So the BP behaves more like a compound than a mixture of three ingredients.

If it's graphite powder you're talking about, each particle is likely to be a solid mass. It is used to slow down and polish gunpowder grains for a more controlled burning propellant.

[Andrew]

If it is graphite, which it almost certainly is, it will be artificial, which is made from subjecting the left over fractions form crude oil that no one wants to a charcoaling process. The resultant mess is graphite but there is still a lot of nasty oils left. Those oils really hamper the burning of bp. Also as mentioned before, the graphite will cost all the other ingredients rather than making a homogenous powder, natural graphite does this as well. This property makes it very difficult to light, and it cam self extinguish in small amounts. If it is natural or grown it will be a lot more expensive, and will tend to be full of dirt, not very flammable! Well not full of but you get the idea.

If it is pure carbon, in a tetrahedral bond arrangement, can I buy some from you??

All in all graphite does not make very good bp.

[neo]

but how is it with activated charcoal? should'nt that be faster than norman charcoal? it got atleast more surface area..

sorry for stealing your thread a bit

[EnigmaticBiker]

If it is pure carbon, in a tetrahedral bond arrangement, can I buy some from you??

No use for BP, it's a b*stard to mill as well.

[juggalo_pyro]

but how is it with activated charcoal? should'nt that be faster than norman charcoal? it got atleast more surface area..

sorry for stealing your thread a bit

no problem on stealing the thread Neo and on the matter of activated charcoal and carbon I tried that once with the activated carbon in fish tank filters that never got used and it doesn't work worth a crap I couldn?t even get it to light with a blow torch on it for about 2 minutes I suppose if you put it in a wood fire it may work but just strait it won't because it comes pure then its activated so that it readily picks up surrounding impurities that?s why they use it in filters so like I said maybe try putting it in a wood fire so it can try and pick up the impurities bp uses otherwise its useless

[EnigmaticBiker]

but how is it with activated charcoal? should'nt that be faster than norman charcoal? it got atleast more surface area..

sorry for stealing your thread a bit

Activated charcoal didn't work very well for me.
It is often called activated carbon and is not necessarily made from wood charcoal.
It is very porous but has a different structure to wood or straw charcoal.

Try Wikipedia for more details:- http://en.wikipedia....ctivated_carbon

[Andrew]

No use for BP, it's a b*stard to mill as well.

didn't want it for bp, just to sell on at stupid profit,

if you did try to ball mill it, it would probably mill your ceramic balls to powder.

[pyrotrev]

No use for BP, it's a b*stard to mill as well

Maybe, but it looks a hell of a lot better on the girlfriend than airfloat charcoal!

Edited by pyrotrev, 20 April 2006 - 07:05 PM.

[EnigmaticBiker]

Maybe, but it looks a hell of a lot better on the girlfriend than airfloat charcoal!

Somewhere out there, there's probably a kinky, obsessive pyro, who just can't resist that faint smell of willow whilst...

[Andrew]

LMFAO

[Kayakujutsu]

but how is it with activated charcoal? should'nt that be faster than norman charcoal? it got atleast more surface area..

sorry for stealing your thread a bit

Activated charcoal is normal charcoal which has been steam treated to remove all the goodies which makes black powder burn fast, if only we new what goodies was removed we could add them to activated charcoal and make the best willow subsitute available. could sell that for a fortune....

[EnigmaticBiker]

Activated charcoal is normal charcoal which has been steam treated to remove all the goodies which makes black powder burn fast, if only we new what goodies was removed we could add them to activated charcoal and make the best willow subsitute available. could sell that for a fortune....

I agree that much activated charcoal is made from wood, but have read that other sources of organic materials are also used.

The structure is also altered as the wiki article quoted above states.

As to the substances removed by high pressure/temp steam treatment, does anyone out there have access to GC or HPLC equipment?
Somebody is likely to have already done this.