Cotton Ball Black Powder

[@GianmarioScotti]

I have tremendous respect for this man's diligent, almost zealous commitment to systematic testing and empirical evidence.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@mikehoare6093]

@@Everythingblackpowder no man, this is a treasure trove right here !

[@oldranger3044]

Pay attention to how Jake deals with the miss fire. Great follow through, but as important is him keeping the gun on target for several seconds in case of a hang fire. For anyone that isn’t aware, it is possible that the charge could ignite a second or so after the flash. O.R.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Howdy O.R.

[@Enjoymentboy]

I never expected to hear someone say "that's not as clean as the toilet paper stuff" while standing there holding a gun. Nice job. 😂😂😂

[@ddhh6552]

Cottonelle clean

[@joearledge]

Start playing with mixing different ratios of charcoal. Ex: 50% balsa charcoal and 50% buckthorn, or Cottonel, or 25/75 of one and the other charcoal. The idea being that your are using balsa charcoal as a "fouling reducer additive". Try to find the mix that is clean enough and powerful enough and cost efficient enough. The ideal mix(realistically) won't be 1st place in any of those categories, but it'll be a solid 2nd place in all of them. Of course the dream will always be making it at $1 a lbs, getting 2,000FPS, and pulling out white patches after 10 shots, but if you ever get to that point, you need to patent it and start your own powder company.

[@v_Shami]

I feel like at that point you've somehow made smokeless powder without actually making smokeless 😂

[@joearledge]

@@v_Shami That's the idea! mainly because the chemistry and manufacturing processes behind making legit modern smokeless are exponentially more complex than making the highest quality BP possible. Cordite may be possible to make at home, but it's still way harder to do well, than ultra high quality BP.

[@MultiMcgruber]

​@@manitoba-op4jxThere's a bit more to it than that, just nitrated carbon is... A bit sensitive, and unpredictable.

[@vulpesvulpes5177]

I’m finding this interesting on several levels. I’ve pulled up some figures on ash content from the USDA. Cotton is 6 grams per hundred. Balsa wood 3 grams per hundred. Toilet paper is not listed, but “wood pulp”, the main component of TP ranges from 5-11 grams/100. All these organics will contain some nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur etc. cotton is notable for containing a stiff dose of zinc. Presumably the zinc will be represented as part of that ash figure. Now your carbonization process should be reasonably complete. Meaning all the nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur etc etc is colorized off. Leaving near elemental carbon and ash. And if I’m correct in remembering your figures, ash content would agree with your “clean” appraisal. With the 3pm balsa being the cleanest. Toilet paper is your anomaly. Toilet paper is made regionally. As is pulp wood harvesting which supply’s the wood fiber in the TP. I can find no ash figures for individual brands. But with an ash range between 5 and 11 grams one might conclude that your “best” TP batch was low in ash and your “worst” TP high in ash. Ash also competes for nitrogen in combustion and may play a factor in your velocity differences between and within batches. Toilet paper is wood pulp. Wood chips are pulped using sulphuric and hydrochloride acids. These in turn leave sulfur and chloride organic compounds which may not completely break down on combustion in your fireplace. Presumably these would be part of the ash. However these data come from material combustion in a bomb calorimeter which used a charge of pure oxygen to ensure complete combustion. Your firebox will not be that efficient. Cotton was the favored carbon source for early smokeless powders. Or “gun cotton”. My mind headed that direction until I recalled that this was the artifact of nitrating as many carbons in a long chain molecule. But carbonization breaks these long chain bonds. Maybe not to molecular carbon, but very short chains. I mention this in case someone else makes the association as I did. Erroneously. Clearly you are close to the Holly grail of powders. Do continue to choose wisely. Fox out

[@rjo49]

Are your wood pulp ash figures from before or after all the washing and bleaching processes?

[@vulpesvulpes5177]

@@rjo49 They are from a table produced by the USDA. Samples were combusted in a bomb calorimeter used pure oxygen in the combustion. The samples were analyzed based upon weight in 100 gram lots. Gas chromatograph analysis was done before and after to determine grams/100 grams of the constituents. The primary goal was to determine calories produced per 100g of each item, but they also listed the elemental constituents. The work dates to 1972 as I recall. So presumably after the pulping process. Fox out

[@rjo49]

@@vulpesvulpes5177 Ok, just curious. In reference to wood pulp utilized in paper manufacture, Wiki says "Some of the most commonly used softwood trees for paper making include spruce, pine, fir, larch and hemlock, and hardwoods such as eucalyptus, aspen and birch". That's quite a range of source material to come up with any specific figures regardless of the analytical process.

[@vulpesvulpes5177]

@@rjo49 Exactly. Probably why it has over 100% range. 5-11 gm/100. It’s the government in 1972 after all. I just thought it might give Willard an idea or two. Ash being the mineral component seems like it would correlate to his “dirty” coefficient. He called me a “tech weenie”. That’s the nicest thing anybody’s said about me in a long time! I think I’ll UN-subscribe, just so I can subscribe again to thank him. Fox out

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂 thanks Fox

[@drummer0864]

I've been watching for a couple of years and I've come to the conclusion, you are the guru of black powder. I can see the future of a warning on toilet paper wrappers now. "Not For Use In Antique Firearms".

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂 thank you

[@bigboresledder]

Don't forget the Prop 65 warning

[@drummer0864]

You mean the one that says," If You Live In Cancer, It May Cause California"?@@bigboresledder

[@got2kittys]

It's fairly consistent. A good source of plain cotton, no dye or other things added, is cotton painters dropcloths.

[@Bobbylegs37]

Absolutely loving this series. Have always been interested in homemade energetic materials since grade school chemistry, and this sort of experimentation is making me feel like a kid again 😅

[@hunteranglin3750]

I still think the reason the toilet paper worked so well is because how dense it was.And how it probably made very consistent charcoal.

[@Godwh1sperer]

Cottonball still wipes the floor with Goex, and while dirty, its standardized the world over. Except for the first shot, all others were in the 1780s, very close! Another excellent and satisfying video!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@Godwh1sperer]

@@Everythingblackpowder chemically, we now know that cellulose fiber, in essence polyglucose, in itself will work as a carbon source for making charcoal, without a need for lignin which forms creosote. Creosote accellerates combustion but gums up the "chimney" and we want it clean. A shorter chain polyglucose is starch. It might be very interesting to to make a charcoal of pure white corn starch or potato starch. These themselves are often sources of dust explosions. Carbonized, their already big surface area becomes ginormous. I see a fork of either going for newspaper or starch.

[@Max_Chooch]

Haha nice! It is fast. I thought it was fast when I carbonized a t-shirt. I didn't have nearly as much residue left behind but I don't have a BP pistol or rifle. My test was with miniature, very thin plastic christmas ornaments I got from the craft store. They're styrene I think. Really flimsy but just enough containment to give a good pop without throwing shrapnel. Made some fuses, poured in 3/4g of my t-shirt BP, milled with a ceramic mortar and pestle by hand. I only filled it about 1/4 full, maybe less, folowed by a fuse, sealed with hot glue. Not quite gunshot loud, but close. Loud enough to echo and reverb down the canyon. So, my test analysis consists of how much residue is left over on my stump after my, uh, test. With oak charcoal nothing worked. It all just fizzled. Couldn't get the carbon fine enough. Cedar was better but marginally so. Really dirty and slow. A t-shirt worked fantastic and even allowed me to completely pulverize it by hand in the mortar and pestle. It left nearly no residue. After watching your video I commented about a t-shirt and you responded (rad!) Cool to see you try it. I have also now tried toilet paper wit about as good of results as a t-shirt. I will say this, while you started with cotton balls, I don't think you needed to. Like, I'm pretty sure I got just as fine of powder from my t-shirt as you got from your cotton balls and I may even have ended up with more than 200g in the end. I didn't weight it, but man it sure seems like I had a lot more charcoal after a t-shirt than a roll of TP. (Was editing my comment when you liked it)

[@CoreySimmons85]

You’re one of the best guntubers on KZbin in my book. Always interesting subjects and not just vomiting up a review from whoever is paying leviathan group any given month.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@FirstLast-dp3jx]

could we postulate, that the reason for cotton ball to not be as clean as cottonel toilet paper, was because cotton balls are more prone to impurity buildup through its physical nature than rolled sheets of toilet paper? Great video btw!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Seems reasonable

[@papanyanz]

I think cotton balls are whitened chemically, same as the paper. One should look for natural untreated cotton in this case.

[@honourandtradition8078]

This channel is just pure gold.

[@ArnoldHuggins-cj9vx]

I really look forward to see what you try next so I can know what works best, what I would like to see is a 50/50 mix of the balsa and cottenelle toilet paper a combination of a clean and a powerful

[@1boortzfan]

It's funny how all these people have the bright ideas but how many of them are actually making their own powder? I know I'm not but it is very entertaining to see you do it. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@dlh1947us]

Guncotton, also known as nitrocellulose, is more powerful and burns faster than black powder. It's a key ingredient in smokeless gunpowder and propellants.

[@keithjurena9319]

Also used in semi-smokless powder.

[@Eggomania86]

The problem with gun cotton when you fire it in a muzzeloader is that you can't compress it.

[@keithjurena9319]

Do not experiment with straight gun cotton in muzzle loaders, EVER. Gun cotton is extremely fast burning and will damage or destroy all firearms. Gun cotton was tamed once solvents were found that dissolved it and granules were made to decrease burn rate.

[@rjo49]

There are things that are nitrocellulose that are not guncotton. Guncotton has a higher nitrogen content than for example nitrocellulose lacquer (which is still occasionally used as a finish for wood). Real guncotton used just as it comes from the acid bath and rinse will disassemble most firearms with uncomfortably rapidity. It is also highly unstable, and has a history of disassembling entire buildings during storage back when it was initially introduced as a potential military explosive charge.

[@vulpesvulpes5177]

Cotton was used in gun cotton in the 1880’s on the theory that the fine fibers of cotton provided the maximum surface area per volume to maximize the nitration of the long chain carbon molecules. Molecular theory was not completely up to snuff in the late 1800’s. As one commenter in this thread notes it was very very fast burning to the point of “dissembling” things. Then cotton was woven into cordage. The cord was then nitrated resulting in less efficient nitration and the product “cordite”. It burns very hot and erodes barrels. Nitrated fibers of carbon is referred to as “single base” propellent. Colloidal nitroglycerine was added to nitrated cotton to produce “double base” propellents. The addition of burn rate inhibitors, stabilizers and the mechanical forming of spheres, flakes, balls and cylinders further modify the burn rate. Inert coatings like graphite complete the journey to modern powder. For whatever that is worth in a discussion that started with black powder. Fox out

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thoroughly enjoying this series Willard - like the sound of an updated making video too. Great to see your channel grow

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@howardb.728]

Inspirational stuff mate.... your shooting friends are blessed to have you around... the effort and dedication is not fully evident in the final cut of your videos but being an experimenter myself, I understand the workload - you have my respect and gratitude. Cheers.

[@reevinriggin3570]

This is a facinating ride, Jake. Thanks for all you do and share. I don't know how you find the time to do all this.

[@rjoetting7594]

I think that I should go and buy stocks in Cottonelle toilet paper. It's value is definitely going to go up now. I'm just wondering if the ATF is going to regulate it now 🤔 hahaha

[@chopsddy3]

ATPF?

[@brighter22]

Carry no more than 10 rolls of tp at a time?

[@chopsddy3]

Oops! ATTPF! That’s better.😁👍

[@luisgarza2036]

Well that was interesting, cotton balls makes a powerfull enough powder to compete with commercial grade BP but it was not so clean, that disapoined me and even more by the cost; that makes a better choice that brand of TP you mentioned to be the closest to swiss. The best BP vids as always!!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@catman4644]

That last line about whether or not the video "sucked" just made me give it a thumbs up and to finally subscribe, I just REALLY like this guy's attitude!!!!!!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@kyleparker2785]

Im glad i found your channel. I didn't realize making black powder was so simple. I think that coffee filters could be a good source for charcoal.

[@MrPanchoak]

It is definitely doable for the hobbiest. But it ain't exactly easy either. If you don't do it right it will not shoot. At all! I tried for thirty years to make good powder but never got anything better than a poor substitute for a smoke b**b. Thankfully I ran across a webpage (no longer there) which explained my woes. You will notice two things about all useable propellant. All the charcoal is home made. You simply cannot aquire it locally anywhere locally. Anything not purpose made won't shoot. Charcoal is everything. Other components not so much. But charcoal simply has to be good. It also has to be absolutely bone dry when measured. If not it throws the mixture all to heck

[@Miningpastpresentfuture]

Another great episode Jake. Please, Keep up the very interesting work.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@victormartin2774]

The cheapest carbon source I can think of would be hay, straw or even cheaper is random local grass though it might no be very clean nor consistent. What I like is there are many carbon sources out there that you can try, in theory the cleaner/purer your carbon is, the cleaner the powder should be but I'm waiting for confirmation when you upload your next video. Note : the microscopic structure of the carbon source might influence the burn rate of your powder, maybe the ligther material will produce more porous grains of carbon, meanig that the salpeter can infiltrate them and make them burn faster.

[@Diogenes425]

You are right about the TP charcoal. The inventors of BP ( Chinese) had to have used Bsmboo. There will be a difference in dry ( dead) & green. The green is pretty good, will try dry dead next. Looking forward to you experimenting. Keep up the educational work. Your ignition is a key too. Pointers on how you go about getting good sparks every time would be greatly appreciated. TY.

[@Hoopaball]

Hemp toilet paper!!!!

[@lightweight1974]

Lol. Stems, leaves, or buds? It could get expensive. But if you stay close to the vent hole in your retort, you may not care.

[@Hoopaball]

@@lightweight1974 In general, hemp fibers have a cellulose content of 53-91%, 4-18% hemicellulose, 1- 17% pectin and 1-21% lignin. The cellulose fibers are packed together and bonded via hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions, which are coated by hemicellulose and lignin.

[@marktwain2053]

LOL. Hemp used for that purpose has very little in common with the "Happy Hemp". Cloth made from it is extremely durable, Levi's were originally made from hemp, but they changed to cotton because they could sell 5 pairs of cotton pants to 1 of hemp. Like I say in most things: "Follow The Money".

[@rjo49]

Hemp charcoal has been used for a long time in Japan as a fuel for pyrotechnic compounds. It is known for relatively high rate of combustion. Takeo Shimizu in his book "Fireworks ; The Art, Science and Technique", originally published in 1912, discusses the use of what he calls "Hemp Coal"; he says it produces a "large force of explosion" when used as a component of black powder, and also finds its way into shell burst charges with oxidizers like potassium chlorate and potassium perchlorate. As a side note, I should point out that as a propellent for aerial shells, black powder functions somewhat differently than it does in firearms, because there is not a tight seal between the shell and the inside of the mortar. A lot of the force produced by the powder is lost as "blow-by", gasses that force their way around the shell and don't provide as much lift. One consequence is that precision of burn rates from batch to batch is not considered as important as it is with firearms. I would also note that the ash content of the charcoal, which is negatively correlated with potential burn rate, can vary quite a bit depending on how the plants were grown (eg, amount and type of applied fertilizers). Last but not least, the conditions of charcoal preparation will have a huge effect on both burn rate and residue. Undercooked charcoal can still have a lot of volatile organic compounds present, and overcooked charcoal can convert to graphite, which has very poor combustion characteristics.

[@almightymachine9930]

Clean or dirty?

[@BobJones-t6q]

I made some with old denim jeans. Don't have a chrono but I got 29 shots through my 58 remington before it started binding. I only get about 16 with Goex. I've never owned Swiss to compare it to. Haven't had a chance to run it through my rifles to compare reloading effort.

[@LeonardRice-p3n]

I'm the same person above. Apparently you tube changes my name depending on which device I log in on. Anyway, I shot two types of denim powder through my rifle today. One milled in the harbor freight tumbler for 24 hours with lead balls and one milled in a pvc drum with lead balls for only about 8 hours because it just kept caking up in the ends of the pipe and I got tired of shaking it lose every hour or so. Results... powder milled in rubber was as dirty as if not dirtier than goex. I got alot more shots in my revolver with it but, the loading effort when used in my rifle was as bad if not worse than GOEX. The other powder with identical components (following your recipe and pucking instructions on both)... In 40 years of shooting muzzleloaders, I have never had one load so easy on follow up shots without cleaning or using spit patches. The 4th shot slid down just as easy as the second shot. Now I am going to be forced to buy a chronograph. I'm really hoping the pvc with lead balls continues to make powder this clean and that the rubber drums are most of the problem because I really don't want to spend the money for brass balls.

[@Thecathunter]

Outstanding. I would like to see your step by step method of making B/P. I just believe it is going to beat the hell out of my old antique way and a lot cheaper. Great video great work keep it up.

[@dlh1947us]

Lamp black is a pigment used to make paint. It is the soot left from burning stuff. When you make charcoal the stuff left on the can is lamp black it is full of impurities. I would not use it. That being said I'm probably wrong as usual.creosote???

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yep

[@MrPanchoak]

I don't really care if my powder isn't the best that a fellow can buy. I just want my flinters to shoot well. Dirty powder Is a pain in the butt. You need to pick the vent hole and clean the flint and frizzen after each shot, I also tend to run a wet swab after every couple shots. but if you do that both of mine are very reliable. Out here in Idaho real antique propellant isn't very easy to aquire. But if I make it, I can use it whenever I please without having to worry about running out. I have just used home made charcoal out of River Willow. I know it ain't Willow, but I didn't know that until you told us. And it shoots fine. Soooo..... Love your channel.

[@AndyTheCornbread]

Another excellent video! I would bet that the price to volume ratio of cotton is why the nitrocellulose industry switched to wood pulp cellulose. If and when you do finally try pure fluff pulp cellulose with no glues etc. I am curious to see what you find. Looking forward to lamp black as well.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@oregonoutback7779]

Tech-weenies ....... Hahahaha. You are without a doubt, the BEST stand-up, black powder comedian performing today !!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

😂 thank you

[@bierakanus5463]

Hey brother, I'm happy to hear you're making a new video on your updated process.

[@KulKlas]

you should try leaf when seasoning coms. And try leaf of diffrent kind of trees, its free to.When i was young i made alot of black powdered home made, making it whit alder. Never had a gun even if it’s license free here. If the gun is made before 1890. Then its is license free here. But then we come to the sad part of a license free gun,price cost like 2000$ and up for a decent rifle from thet age 😮 Lives in boring europ! always nice to see good content how life could be if i living in America!!

[@andrewnawarycz3026]

The toilet paper is definitely the most accurate and I'm in total agreement with you 👍🏻. Every morning I hit the same hole accurately without making any new holes since childhood 👌🏻😁

[@keithjurena9319]

Wood pulp contains some mineral matter like silica, calcium and potassium. This makes ash..you could try burning charcoal until only ash remains to compare ingredients. Making sporting powder for testing establishs primary performance, ashing charcoal should show why. The ash would make the powder carbon lean. This would explain the dark patch with cotton

[@Rustygulley-r3r]

I admire your commitment, technical expertise and generosity in sharing it with us. Thank you!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@CalvinMays]

Very good video. You are doing a great job with experimenting with making black powder. My only thought would be to change the ratio. I know you don't do that typically, but I would love to see what the cotton ball black powder would do if you had a 78, 12, 10 ratio. Since the Buckthorne Alder and Toilet paper and the Cotton ball are all about the same velocity, you are using the potassium nitrate efficiently. Since the cotton ball gives more fouling in the barrel , there may be too much carbon vs potassium nitrate. Therefore changing the ratio to have more potassium nitrate you might burn more of the carbon and get better performance as well. Once again, a great video.

[@kenycharles8600]

Thank you for this presentation. Here's something to consider, for me anyway. If ordinary denim from bib overalls could make acceptable antique muzzle loader propellant, then I have 80 pounds of old bibs for a carbon source. And there's also those raggedy old wrangler shirts,too. Also, would the thread count of different cotton fabric make a difference? I believe the pyromaniac is reawakening in me. This may become a fascinating hobby. It would be fantastic if cotton rags made great antique muzzle loader propellant.

[@d9inger]

The fireworks community settled on eastern red cedar for hot BP, of course there are still debates on it but for the most part it’s the most powerful. We don’t really care about cleanliness like in muzzle loading but it’s certainly worth considering. I enjoyed your videos and will continue to watch.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve used a lot of ERC. At 7:35 you can see ERC at the far left. It’s not the most powerful in my experience.

[@rjo49]

At least, where Eastern Red Cedar commonly grows. One of the principal attractions is that it grows rapidly in abandoned ground (like overused agricultural soils) if it likes the location, and nobody much cares if you cut it in those circumstances.

[@curly__3]

Awesome! Love these vids. It would be interesting to see what plain 'ol scott tp would do. That stuff is dense and probably as 'pure' as it gets... and cheap.

[@Mike-cp3xr]

The Foxfire books said willow was excellent. Your channel is exemplary and much appreciated.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@georgegeorgiev2610]

I think more consistent bp could be made using some sort of temperature controlled electric furnace so that the charring temperature stays between 300-350 degrees Celsius. Iv seen some docs that swiss bp charcoal is sort of brown not black.

[@timkaldahl]

These experiments are great. I personally stick with Triple 7, but I'm always trying new stuff and making powder at home is right up my alley.

[@slcgrgcrgcaneafgugiesclawhfg]

Thanks!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@samellowery]

You've really carved out your own niche here on KZbin for "antique muzzle loading propellant " these last few years and it's great.

[@johnthompson8812]

I have been enjoying you videos on the process and the results of diff materials. I think maybe a secret is in the pre-processing of the charcoal materials. the finer you can get the particles the better. Im thinking that you should try to get the wood into as fine a fluff as possible before turning it into charcoal and then processing as usual. not an expert here but I am enjoying your series.

[@robertcole9391]

Many always professed soft wood charcoal. I think the TP was excellent. However, here in Florida you don't find much willow growing. So... Water vine for soft wood. Now I was curious also if palm tree or coconut wood, Philippines, would make a dependable soft wood charcoal. Just a thought. Keep the videos coming. I love it!

[@young-salt]

The cardboard tube rant got me lol

[@bigrod0069]

Pretty awesome to see someone stayed this dedicated to this. many of us sure appreciate it.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@bigrod0069 thank you

[@chopsddy3]

There is something different about cotton balls when compared to raw cotton. I think it’s treated somehow and the cause of the fowling. How about making charcoal out of an old pair of well washed and worn denim overalls? (If they’re 100% cotton)

[@24680kong]

I believe the treatment for cotton removes the greases and other impurities, so it should be higher purity after. I wonder if the hight surface area of the cotton during the charring process makes a difference.

[@chopsddy3]

@@24680kong Something is definitely different. I’m stumped. I need some raw cotton. That Cottonelle TP is advertised as free of most everything and it’s the cleanest burning. Maybe theres some cheap cotton stuffing available in an upholstery supply setting?

[@vulpesvulpes5177]

Raw cotton is ginned to remove the seeds and husk, washed to remove dirt and bleached with either sulfuric acid or sodium hypochlorite. Depending upon the intended use.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I was thinking of using Cotton, for powder, I think I might use it, my choices are a bit limited except for willow.

[@a-k-jun-1]

A lot of us are watching because of logistical issues. Where I live in Alaska, a pound of propellant costs around $ 75 in hazmat fees.

[@minigpracing3068]

Yeah, hazmat shipping kills options, that's why I'm using 777, I can buy it locally. Butt I might need to break out a roll of TP and set up a system to make my own powder. Maybe call it Shitzen powder 😊

[@paulnormandin5267]

I was going to ask for a new vid on end to end production of BP for the reasons you pointed out. Glad to hear it is in the queue. It is nice to see there are viable alternative sources for carbon, you do excellent work and provide meaningful data and information. Thanks again!

[@nunyabidniz2868]

Looking forward to the carbon black: I'd expect soot to make a really sooty BP in turn...

[@vaquerojoel2026]

This has been a fascinating series, I wonder if the slight difference between cottonel and swiss is a variation of the granular sizes? You have inspired me to start making my own antique muzzleloading propellant, I just have to wait until I move this summer. I'm intending to try all of the local carbon sources in the south central Alaska area and see what happens. Keep up the good work.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it. Thank you

[@robertstump4740]

Good point. I screened some Swiss 1.5F with my own screens and got: 3F 33% 2F 59.5% >2F 7.5% So, with my screens, almost none of Swiss 1.5F is actually 1.5F. To compare different powders make sure the granules are the same size and measure by weight, not volume, as densities can differ. In Alaska, look for plants described as "invasive" or "fast growing" as the charcoal from these tends to make pretty fast powders. This is a fascinating project and you can make your own equipment.

[@vaquerojoel2026]

@@robertstump4740 Thanks for the advice.

[@hazcat640]

EBP, Good info and yeah, would like to see just another one or two TP options like biodegradable and unbleached. Also looking forward to an updated, all info in one place BP making vid / series. Thanks!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@jerryroesener5937]

Your stuff is awesome. Keep it up. I'm glad you're willing to show us what someone can do.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@grantcox4764]

Only just found your channel, so now I have the pleasure of binge watching your back catalogue. Great idea for a series and very entertaining mate...

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it. Thank you

[@claydallen5308]

Very interesting information, thanks. I suggest using grape vines.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@georgegeorgiev2610]

Invaluable content!!

[@kd5inm]

I am looking forward to seeing the updated video on making black powder and the carbon black powder.

[@theblindsniper9130]

You are very good at what you do haha Ive been binge watching your stuff, happen to have any long tange black powder stuff?

[@a.r.m.4you182]

Always appreciating the info you share. It's hard enough to put the video together let alone the time involved putting the parts together to conduct the experiment. Thanks again for the info.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@chrisbeard9113]

I’ve searched online for balsa scraps, and you can find balsa shavings for around $1 per pound. I’ve been wondering about charcoal from the tinder conk mushroom, or Fomes Fomentarius , because it grows prolific here in Alaska and has interesting properties for firestarting and is fairly sponge or cork like. Looking into balsa wood, I found it contains much less lignins than most wood, these are described and plastic cement like globules holding the cells together. Low lignin plants are also desired for higher potential as biofuels. Maybe that’s a path of research that would contain some leads on what is making your balsa charcoal work so well.

[@fredford7642]

Thank you for a very good video on making black powder. Sadly I have NOT seen your video on making Cottenelle black powder. It is very encouraging to see the possibility of making good black powder, other than buying regular over the counter "black powder" Thank you for very good videos!

[@PanSaltzCaballeratos]

I've done something similar (but different). I don't make charcoal out of cotton but I soak it directly into boiled bad quality black powder. Once it dries out it becomes a fluffy black cotton that ignites WAY faster than before. It is not as good as proper black powder but it significantly improves a bad batch.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Interesting

[@berns_pratt]

As a new subscriber, I'm looking forward to your updated series on making sporting blackpowder.

[@AZ762SHOOTER]

They will be planting cotton here in Yuma soon if they haven't already. After they bail the raw cotton there's a lot of waste. You could fill trash dumpsters with what falls off of the bails. You're giving me ideas again...

[@genebishop1405]

Again, another awesome video!! I enjoy watching you do these tests. I hope that at some point in the future that you do a video on the Bamboo TP. Keep up the great work, thanks again!!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@M.M.83-U]

This is very interesting, great work. I'm sure a survey on scrap/extremely low budget options will be greatly appreciated.

[@vicroc4]

Something I've heard is that grass clippings can make "okay" powder. I wonder if fallen leaves would work just as well, since grass is mostly leaf. Also, I've seen pine cones used as a charcoal source for BP to be used for model rocket ejection charges. It makes me wonder how it would work for a muzzleloader.

[@ryanlemons7831]

Sir i don’t get excited easily nore am I easily entertained. I’m also in general a negative hypercritical cantankerous and ornery prick.. but I REALLY like, enjoy and appreciate your content sir! You rock!! And Roll!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it. Thank you

[@duybear4023]

I like this carbon source series and have watched very video. Keep up the good work!

[@wadedeeds1738]

Just found your videos. Absolutely love em.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@kbjerke]

The search ever continues for the Perfect Charcoal Source!! Thanks, Jake! 👍

[@jamesgravel7755]

You do a great job of doing a worthy comparison of each test. The situation is always the same. I hate when guy compare apples to oranges type senerios and don’t really prove anything. I’m going to try Scott toilet paper for my test powder. See how that works.

[@PalKrammer]

I enjoy your videos a lot and am looking forward to your updated tutorial on making black powder. One thing I would like to know more about are the necessary safety precautions. when handling or making the powder. Obviously no open nearby flame or sparks, but what about materials - for example, I see that Goex changed from metal cans to plastic containers.

[@cedhome7945]

As a cannon user from the UK (yes we can have big guns you just need the paperwork) the cost of hiring us as a group with 4 cannon and several matchlocks is getting very expensive with powder at £15/20 per 500g .the experiments you have been conducted are interesting and amusing.i would state the obvious but it's the trace elements and not just the carbon that effected the difference between charcoal types so if you could ask someone with chemical knowledge they might help you by adding the elements or chemical components directly to your mix ....just a thought 🤔

[@mikegagnon9901]

Have you tried sumac wood yet? It definitely makes great kindling for starting fires. There's something about that wood

[@robertstump4740]

One of my favorites. Not quite as clean as Swiss but faster. Sycamore (another great fire starter) is just as good.

[@ericlondon5731]

I recently needed a cotton fiber source to make nitrocellulose. Most experimenters use plain cotton balls. I saw this video and thought you may want to try the cotton source I found : " Flocked cotton fiber". It is shredded cotton fiber that looks like a dense white powder. It is also used in the boating repair industry as an additive to fiberglass . A one pound bag is about a quart size. That makes it quite compact, with little air space. The only problem I foresee in your case is if it can char with out having to be put in some special configuration like an enclosed flat area to get to all of it. I am thinking the paint can might be fine.

[@leonardofuentes4810]

For pyrotechnic purposes i have settled for willow tree wood. Its very light and very short grained which when letting the wood dry for long enough you get a very fast burning BP.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve used a lot of willow. It works well but it’s not the most powerful for muzzleloaders.

[@Torryinabox]

Oooh Cotton, I wonder how this one'll turn out... By what I'd watched of your previous videos so far what I'm gathering is that Balsa wood is the most reliable go to for charcoal source.

[@chuckaddison5134]

Thank you for the work you put into these tests. They are very interesting! I also find it amusing that your "go make your own damn video" has been 'borrowed' by a couple of other channels I watch.

[@nochitlins]

As a kid, I tried making powder using lamp black. Didn't work for me (extremely slow), but I didn't understand at the time that charcoal is not even close to pure carbon, so the mixture ratio using lamp black, being closer to pure carbon, would at least need to be adjusted. Also, very likely, it is simply less reactive to the various species generated by KNO3 decomp.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yeah it just barely didn’t work for us either

[@lightweight1974]

A tidbit of information I recall is that cotton balls are treated with lanolin. I don't know if this is true but would be worth knowing. I suspect if the ones you used were treated you'd get weird fouling. Just a bit of info.

[@mattfleming86]

There are folks out there with lanolin allergies, i'd think if that was the case it would have to be on the label.

[@lightweight1974]

@mattfleming86 just passing along what I heard many years ago when discussing the application of a cold blue product using cotton balls with a supplier. No direct experience, just a tidbit of info I picked up. He may have been full of the same stuff our politicians are, don't know.

[@blackops.bowhunter559]

Excellent video very informative, have you thought of using charcoal made from coconut husks? According to the makers of the scentlok clothing, that is the highest quality of carbon.

[@scotty3114]

Enjoyed the video, looking forward to the lamp black video. That should be pure carbon.

[@daverodney9556]

Great videos can't wait for the rest ... I curious about the dirt cheap TP

[@richarddean3154]

Congratulations on your channel taking off. You have excellent content - I am surprised you haven't run afoul of the powers that be yet. I like your videos and don't think they suck - so I liked and subscribed. Great outro.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@PINKISH1942]

Awesome video! I just gotta ask what about filter charcoal for fish tanks should be pure already ground into pellets should work

[@peterparsons7141]

Yep HEMP. I had some very large hemp plant stalks and left them some in the ground, and some on the burn pile, that got left out over for 6+ months it got very dry and light. Reminds me of sumac stalks or a similar fibrous , weed like plant. (duh ,, weed like plant !). So what about HEMP rope, or Hemp stalks.

[@janstankovic]

Have a nice day. Paulownia wood has interesting properties. It grows quickly, dries quickly and has hardness. It is also called the Chinese imperial tree. Please try Pawlonia Tree Charcoal. Well thank you. Fan from Slovakia - Europe.

[@mortonmorton6083]

Thanks I was wondering about this cotton I know it's expensive to process but I've never made black powder before and interested in blackpowder and shooting it

[@TheBeaker59]

OK so I am an experimental design Chemist well that was my trade a few years back. I think you have reached the point of diminishing returns on your carbon source, results are now within the range of experimental variation. You however have conclusively proved that the lighter the source material the better the burn in your BP. Which is sort of established thinking for centuries, use the lightest wood available in your area. (he said looking out on 2 willow trees you could park a bus under). However pointless though it is, its still dang fun to try EH!

[@rjo49]

Lightweight, open structure, fast-growing weak wood tends to indicate both a high internal surface area-to-volume ratio AND lower ash content. Chiefly, where practical low-volume bp production stands today is in the realm of relative availability and cost of components. That doesn't mean it can't be fun reinventing the wheel.

[@TheBeaker59]

@@rjo49 yup

[@brianr555]

Dangit! I really thought the cotton balls would have been the cleanest…but im no scientist either…i think im gonna have see about getting stock in a particular toity paper! Thanks Jake! Great info and video!!!!

[@hobosbro5863]

You should do a test to see how increasing your density of powder past what you do now improves performance of dirty powder.