253 replies to this topic

[MDH]

I have found a bulk supplier of Balsa here in British Columbia who is more than willing to help me out.

I will get back to you guys as soon as possible!

Otherwise, is there a way one could grow a palownia tree and feed it nutrients that could specifically help make a very good black powder?

[ultrabuf]

This is a 2 gram pile of my meal powder. After milling I moistened it with 50/50 water/alc and let dry to help increase performance. After I finally get to the hardware store and buy some stuff I'm going to press it to make it into lift, and use the left over fines to coat crispies for burst. The charcoal I use for my lift/burst powder is a mixture of willow and balsa in a 50/50 ratio.

[MDH]

Today I have been working on optimizing the speeds and strengths of various black powderae...

I discovered that in a 4" tall tube, adding small chunks of wood to my fastest pulverone actually tends to increase the speed. It blew up the tube as opposed to the pulverone alone without endplugs.

Does anyone else have any ideas or suggestions as to the odd accelerant like that?

[paul]

Adding stuff like that to the pulverone adds air and spaces
to the mix! It´s the same with bp coated onto rice hulls!

Anyway, a more gentle blast is often preferred for lift, thats
the reason commercial shell factorys use pressed and corned
black powder for bigger shells!

[rocket]

This is the fastest BP i have made so far. You can feel a slite thump when it burns.

Black Powder Video

[pihop]

Have any of you guys tried making charcoal of old newspapers?
It's supposed to be really good stuff.

[TzaRocket]

This is my latest BP,unmilled.

[MMMMMM Pyro]

Tsarocket...

You say unmilled... how on Earth did you get powder that fast without use of a mill?!

Regards,

Mike

[MDH]

Oh that's easy. Before I had a ball mill I used to use a mortar and pestle with a bit of warm water on occasion.

[TzaRocket]

Exactely what MDH said.I only used a mortar and a pestle.But because of my failiures of making a ball mill ,I decided to make a manual ball mill:in a half liter botle i placed 20 balls,and in I poured like 50 g of black powder.And I shaked it like 5-10 min and the powder i got out was as fast as the one made whit a mortar and pestle.

[Creepin_pyro]

What precautions did you take incase of accidental ignition?

[TzaRocket]

What precautions did you take incase of accidental ignition?

Well accidental ignition can't hapen.It is not a ball mill ,so it is not the same thing.Anyway I been dooing this thing for a lot of time now .

[Creepin_pyro]

Well accidental ignition can't hapen.

I beg to differ

[Richard H]

TzaRocket, I think you are an accident waiting to happen! Assuming accidents don't happen is a sure fire way to ending up seriously injured or even dead. Blackpowder mills can and do explode, just because they don't every week doesn't mean it won't happen to you. There are really no excuses for such poor working practices.

[Bonny]

TzaRocket, I think you are an accident waiting to happen! Assuming accidents don't happen is a sure fire way to ending up seriously injured or even dead. Blackpowder mills can and do explode, just because they don't every week doesn't mean it won't happen to you. There are really no excuses for such poor working practices.

I agree with Richard and Creepin_pyro fully here. A "mill" like yours TzaRocket has got to be the most unsafe I've ever heard of. Some of my processes aren't as safe as they absolutely could be, but nothing that can compare to that.Sounds like you're a potential candidate for a Darwin award and maybe another bad example for the hobby!
Give the ball mill another try...buy one if you have to, although they are easy to design and build with limited abilities and equipment. It doesn't have to look pretty either, just has to do its job. Look around at some of ball mills other people have made. I've seen some real eyesores(like mine) but as long as they work who cares.