11 replies to this topic

[deadboltz]

Hello, I'm planning to make blackpowder using the CIA method. I'm using the tutorial below as its for 100g batch although, I have one question. My methylated spirit has a purple dye in it obiously to show that it shouldn't be drank, but would this effect the performance incredibility?

Edited by deadboltz, 07 April 2012 - 02:20 PM.

[starseeker]

Hello, I'm planning to make blackpowder using the CIA method. I'm using the tutorial below as its for 100g batch although, I have one question. My methylated spirit has a purple dye in it obiously to show that it shouldn't be drank, but would this effect the performance incredibility?

The dye will have no affect on your B.P at all,also wellcome to the forum,

[Sparky]

I may be wrong but I thought you needed acetone rather than methylated spirit for the C.I.A method???

[deadboltz]

I may be wrong but I thought you needed acetone rather than methylated spirit for the C.I.A method???

Thank you for your reply's and welcome. I didn't have acetone so I used meths instead it seemed to work fine. I'm drying the Blackpowder in my shed now but if It isn't try by tomorrow could I heat it in a pan just on a low heat so it couldn't ignite but just enough to evapourate the water.

[www.oliverbrown.co.uk]

No you cant!!
Wait for it to dry, spread it out thin on news paper and leave it somewhere warm, it wont take long.

[Rip Rap]

I may be wrong but I thought you needed acetone rather than methylated spirit for the C.I.A method???

Yes you are wrong. Alcohol (meths) is used to draw as much water as quickly as possible out of the kn03, c + s mixture, whilst not drawing out the kn03 in solution.

I'm drying the Blackpowder in my shed now but if It isn't try by tomorrow could I heat it in a pan just on a low heat so it couldn't ignite but just enough to evapourate the water.

By even contemplating that, you have shown you shouldnt be making B.P.! That is a terrible accident waiting to happen. I think you should read and learn alot more before you make anything else.
I am not trying to be negative - just trying to save your face / hands etc from 3rd degree burns.

[starseeker]

You may find that changing the newspaper after a few hours can help the drying of your B.P.

[barnsley-mark]

Definitely NO heat ! And especially not in a metal pan!If you must force dry - change paper often and you can use a small fan place some distance away to create a 'breeze' over the bp but this tends to force dry the outer shell and you still have to wait for thorough drying. Exactly the same as purchased bp if you get it wet.

Edited by barnsley-mark, 06 May 2012 - 07:05 AM.

[Sparky]

[quote name='Rip Rap' timestamp='1333875741' post='76370']
Yes you are wrong. Alcohol (meths) is used to draw as much water as quickly as possible out of the kn03, c + s mixture, whilst not drawing out the kn03 in solution.

I'd be interested to see the results people get in comparison as Acetone has a far lower flash point so will cool the BP much quicker. I even think hardware store meths can contain water! I don't find the CIA method very good as it is so there seems to be some variability I've not got quite right my self.

[Sparky]

Also when drying push it through a 10 mesh to get it to form granules. I find that really helps it dry nicely.

[Mumbles]

Flash point has nothing to do with ability to cool anything. It has to do with flammability. The property you'd want to be looking at is heat capacity. It's a measure of energy required to change the temperature. In this case a higher heat capacity will result in a lower temperature when the hot slurry and cold alcohol/acetone are mixed. Alcohol (methyl, ethyl, or isopropyl) all have higher heat capacities than acetone, so they will all result in a slightly colder mix.

[digger]

Flash point has nothing to do with ability to cool anything. It has to do with flammability. The property you'd want to be looking at is heat capacity. It's a measure of energy required to change the temperature. In this case a higher heat capacity will result in a lower temperature when the hot slurry and cold alcohol/acetone are mixed. Alcohol (methyl, ethyl, or isopropyl) all have higher heat capacities than acetone, so they will all result in a slightly colder mix.

I agree flash point does not have anything to do with it. However heat capacity is only one part of the equation. You must also consider heat of mixing, partial pressures of the components in the final mix as the heat of vaporisation will have a large cooling effect (works out to be an interesting differential equation when you model this operation).

However at the end of it all I don't actually see that cooling has highest influence in this process as it is more about antisolvent crystalisation by using a polar solvent to affect the solubility of potassium nitrate in resultant mixture.