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Just away of pressing meal powder with out a hydraulic press. I did it this way before I build my own press. Pressing with a hydraulic press is better, faster and nicer but not everyone has one. So this is a way to go.
About pressing blackpowder with simple tools:
take or make a paper or cardboard tube like for a salute or small rocket engine about 4 - 5 cm ( approx. 2 inches) length and with about 10 - 15 mm ( something about 1/2 inch) diameter.
Cut to dowels of hardwood, strong plastics or a non-sparking metal (e. g. Alu, brass etc.) about half the lenght of the paper tube.
Place a dowel in one the ends of the tube about a half the way in. Secure it with a strip of scotch tape. Fill blackpowder in the other end and place second dowel on top.
The amount of blackpowder filled in should be the amount which would fill the space in the tube about the hight of the tubes diameter, e. g. diameter of tube is for example 15 mm than the hight of the filled in blackpowder colume should be no more than this 15 mm.
Prior to filling in the blackpowder must be wetted with a solution of about 1 part water and 1 part alcohol (e. g. rubbing alcohol etc.). Make the water/alcohol solution first in a separete container and mix about 5 - 10 % of the weight of the blackpowder withg the blackpowder. E. g. you got 100 gramm of blackpowder take a maximum of 10 gramms of alcohol/water solution. The blackpowder should be wet but not sloppy wet.
If you have a bench vise place the whole thing in the bench vise and screw it as tight as you can.
If you don't have a bench vise compress the blackpowder with about 10 moderate blows with a wooden mallet like if you would do to make a fountain or rocket.
After this remove the pellet of blackpowder and let it dry for at least a day. After this you can proceed to corn it.
This whole description makes this simple process sound more compilcate than it really is. With some exercise it's no problem to make about 100 gramms of blackpowder pellets with a bench vise in about 15 - 20 minutes.
Happy new year everybody!
