How To Make Black Powder (For Firearms Part 2)

[@Carnivorous_Patriot]

I have been making powder for years and have R&D multiples of things along the way. I have found that the CIA method isn't needed if you have a good enough mill as everything becomes atomized in a good mill. The one I find to be great is the stainless steel octagon mill used for wet tumbling brass. The reason why Willow is considered the best or from my opinion one of the best is because the less dense a wood type is the smaller it mills down. So from my memory willow has a density around 26 Lbs/Ft3. Making it pretty light. Goex uses Red Maple from wine barrels as well as harvested maple wood. They are under new management now so that might have changed to just using actual maple. Red maple has a density around 38 Lbs/Ft3 so a little on the high end for density in my opinion. Schutzen uses Black Alder which has a density around 33 lbs/Ft3 which is pretty good. Swiss however uses Buckthorn Alder. It is not the alder tree it is a bush. I would assume it's density is around 25-28 lbs/Ft3. A sister of the buckthorn Alder grows near me here in Florida but I have not found it yet called Carolina Buckthorn I'd like to test it. Graphite does not reduce the hydroscopic nature of the nitrate. Goex, Schutzen, Swiss, etc all use graphite to improve flow characteristics for measuring. That is all it does. It makes the powder flow better in a measure or flask. It also slightly increases the ignition temperature. Also the reason I was posting this comment was because I notice you left out one important step in your black powder production. And that is glazing. You would notice about a 5-10% increase in volume if you glazed your powder. Glazing you can use the milling jar you have you just need to take the media out. Let the corned powder run in it over night. Glazing or polishing the grains will do 3 things. It will break the jagged edges of the grains making the grains round and more uniform. Doing so makes the grains ignition temperature rise slightly (doesn't matter almost non existent) polishes the surface of the grains making them flow better if the grains have been graphite coated this would then make them nice and shiny and flow really well, and because they are not jagged they will fit better in a specific volume. Increasing the grains per volume thus giving you slightly more power. It also makes the powder burn more uniformly in the barrel as well. Swiss has a very high glazing time if you compare swiss to goex. If I remember right goex glazes for 4 or 8 hours something like that. Swiss glazes for 48 hours. Graphite coating imo is not worth it. Your can achieve a good flow rate by just glazing. Adding an additional Impurity to the powder like graphite doesn't help imo. Pressing the powder into pucks you want to try to aim for 1.7-1.8 cubic centimeters squared. Compressing more can slow the burn rate down but if you have a long enough barrel or heavy enough bullet you can use it to your advantage. Generally 1.8 is considered most optimal. The 75-15-10 ratio imo from my testing is dependent on wood type. You want to have your nitrate ratio to be up enough to lower carbon left over from the burn but not so much that nitrate is left over. Better to have carbon left over than nitrate. Think of it like rich or lean engine mixture. Swiss uses the mixture 77-13-10. It is dependent on wood used. I've made some where 75-15-10 is acting like another powder with a different wood at 78-12-10. 75-15-10 is just a good starting point. Like a recipe for a pound cake. You make a batch then you find out next time you are adding more vanilla to the batch. If you would like to ask any questions or brainstorm, shoot me an email.

[@RobertSchmitt-u7l]

I am trying punky oak wood, you know the rotten outer layer of some trees. The stuff is light like toilet paper, but dense originally, plus its filled with organic material, fungus, bacteria, sawdust, it has carbon structures that will become very small and conductive. What do you think? First time making it, the setup is actually primo if I say so myself. Tumbler is on a lathe, with big pvc tube and big square chunks of brass. It goes reliably and not too loud either. And the pucking press is actually a 40 ton lab press, salvaged, but now working 40+ton but I dont want to bust it. Im doing 1kg of it for starters. Tonight its going to get pucked and then dried with a house dehumidifer and then sifted per usual. I have no chronograph though, and im waiting on my gun buddies to buy one. Until then im just going to use it recreationally and for defense.

[@Carnivorous_Patriot]

​@user-zm4yg9xv8q I have never tried punky wood. As long as the bark of the wood isnt used it should at the minimum make black powder that goes boom and can be used for plinking and hunting. Even not so good powder makes usable powder. Which is why i dont mind testing just about everything. I am very interested in hearing how it goes though. Just like the owner of the video i prefer cedar as well. Willow offeres nothing that Southern Red Cedar (Florida Cedar) does as well. Same goes for Northern White Cedar, California Red Cedar, Western Red, and Atlantic White Cedar. Ive noticed wood type doesnt make too much difference other than some outliers. Its mostly how well the matetials can be incorporated and the corning and glazing process.

[@outdoorinterests]

I am starting to think these techniques that you use have been carefully kept from us. I have been making black powder for years and only after applying your method do I get a powder that I can finally use and shoot with confidence. It's just amazing how the ingredients fluff up when adding the cold alcohol, I deep freeze my alcohol before adding.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it! The colder the alcohol the better it works.

[@bradwiebe5692]

@@Everythingblackpowder Where did you get the compression cylinder and what is it made from? (I have a press , I have willow trees , I'm pretty sure I have salfur, but not 100% , so it's the potassium nitrate that is my biggest trouble. could something else work?? I dont need high quality ,I just want it to go bang! Thx again!)

[@eielson1978]

I think that Spectraside Stump Remover is 99% Pure.@@bradwiebe5692

[@richbattaglia5350]

You’re not just a genius, you’re a pioneer. This is amazing information that you are presenting to the world. Have you thought about doing trials runs through a chronograph while comparing homemade to the regular black powder brands? Maybe even comparisons with smokeless? You earned a subscription with your work and I look forward to seeing future developments!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you. I have a other videos where I chrono my powder and the commercial stuff

[@jayboyusa7380]

Quite possibly one of the best how to black powder videos I have seen thank you

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@dynamicworlds1]

"Corn" used to mean what "grain" means today, not specifically the stuff that grows on cobs. It's a fairly safe bet that "corning" would mean literally "turning into grains" (note the use of "grain" as a word related to firearms still) or to use the term we would use nowadays "granulating".

[@enginebill]

I believe the term is actually "coining", compressing the powder into coins and then it is corned.

[@pulesjet]

Walmart sells RED OAK char coal that works just fine for me. Wet blending using iso alcohol until you have black pudding is best for me. Spooging it thru a window screen produces basically 3F

[@OMGWUNSIU]

Excellent work and very informative. Glad there are folks like you that take the time to work this out and present it is such a straightforward way. Much appreciated.

[@RogWhat]

Great videos (parts 1 and 2)! I do have a local friend here who has made blackpowder for firearms and I will share your videos with him. I use to shoot black powder a lot and gravitated to custom made flintlocks as you seem to have done. Killed quite a few deer with patched round ball flintlocks. I never made blackpowder for a gun but I did study it a lot (I am a retired engineer), both the history and the chemistry. It seems that potassium nitrate is just potassium nitrate and sulfur is pretty much just sulfur, but "charcoal" is not just charcoal and is certainly not just just carbon as presented in the simple chemical equation of a blackpowder burn. Charcoal is actually quite complex with many different "volatile organic compounds" (creosote, etc, etc) and way beyond my chemical understanding. But I did understand this: different woods (oak, maple, etc, etc) make different qualities of charcoals for blackpowder purposes. And here is the kicker: Although moisture is generally present in unburned blackpowder (preferably under about 2%), and too much moisture content before ignition is bad (hangfire, etc), moisture that is actually produced DURING THE BURN is GOOD. It helps keep fouling softer. In some woods/charcoals more than others, the VOC content apparently can produce moisture DURING THE BURN. That was, I recall from reading long ago, the secret of why British Sporting Powders burned less hot and with soft fouling and the fouling would shoot out with the next shot without wiping or cleaning, but American powders shot hotter and dry and produced harder fouling. More or less ditto today for Swiss powder and Goex, I suppose. In the 19th Century I have read that Britain imported tons of Alder wood from Eastern Europe (I think it was Black Alder) for making charcoal for blackpowder. Today, in the US I understood that Goex uses maple wood for charcoal. I think the quest to produce blackpowder with more manageable fouling is going to be a quest for more suitable wood for charcoal. Thats my 2cents, rogerw

[@m1a1abrams93]

I wonder how well locust would work for this ?

[@cristianpopescu78]

I' m amazed every time you post a new Video. It is not only about bllack power its about freedom too.

[@Jagdtyger2A]

You could try replacing the "puck" press dies with a series of smaller dies with small Teflon center rods and make your own 30 and 50 grain pellets skipping the rest of the corning steps

[@Michael-rg7mx]

I don't have your experience or expertise. But I grew up as the first generation off of the farm. I learned to blast firewood both by blackpowder wedges and by saltpeter sugar in a drilled hole. I've tried to duplicate the old days but the farm store chemicals are days gone by. Long way to say it but thanks for showing this. That old oak tree that blew down won't stand a chance this winter.

[@davidmartin5696]

First off I wanted to thank you for sharing your work and research on black powder for firearms. Next I would be interested in seeing more on the corning and granulating process. Also where do you get your dies and screens for sizing and sorting the sizes of powder? Thanks.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I had a friend on mine make the pucking dies and I bought the screens on Amazon

[@lawrencestanley8989]

You can get some great screens from Skylighter, and Woody's sells three sizes of puck presses.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

my 1st try with sour mashed carbon just FAILED as I also used homemade Potash for my kno3, but I have more sour mash carbon! and I did ball mill my carbon wet alone, it is like ink! then dry for measuring and storage.

[@phill1777]

@@lawrencestanley8989 thank you!

[@missingthe80s58]

A proper ball mill will make powder in about 1 hour, any longer and it will clump and at that point you're wasting time. Also you can toss in the dry ingredients right off the scale without need to use the other method. Toss in, close up tight and turn on. Come back an hour later. Use a Rebel 17 drum or the ugly red knock off, half full of 50 cal shot and mounted to a custom drive with a 1/2hp motor. 6" and 2" pulleys and it'll turn at about the proper RPM. I would reassign the HF tumbler to glazing duties. Toss in your still damp corned powder and let it run over night and when you open it after work, you have nicely rounded edges on your grain and it's ready for drying and packing. It will look like Schuetzen but add a pinch of graphite or so rather than drying and tumble again for a few hours and you'll have powder that looks like Swiss. Forgot to add, the purpose of the graphite is flow characteristics. If you're using a Lyman 55 or some other meter you get less deviation as a result though it's really not that big a deal as even just glazing without graphite will not deviate all that much, a few tenths there about. Graphite reduces 2 tenths to 1 tenth if that means much to you. If you weigh your powder charges then glazing isn't needed and certainly not graphite. That shit is too damned slow. I'll use my Lyman 55 and basic glazing. Good enough to group with. Oh and to spam the update a bit more, having tested various wood types as well, I've found that once pressed to high density, they're all pretty well uniform in performance. Slightly variations yes but not 3000000000000% different. Sorry boys, you aren't going to attain smokeless performance with your super seecwet super duper wood type and alchemy methodology. It's all pretty well within about 10%, maybe 15% (100-150 fps) of each other. Your loading, your bullet weight and cartridge type will be the biggest factor. Drop tubes and compression plugs for your cartridges. Get more powder in and MAKE ROOM by compressing the ever loving shit out of it with the compression plug in your neck expander before seating the bullet. Don't leave room. I drop 45 grains of 3FG into my 45 Colt cartridges and make it fit because I use the correct tools. 1,180 fps with a 250gr big lube bullet. Screw 800 fps, I'm not recoil sensitive. I want my ladies to make noise and buck around when I finger the trigger. OP, it's amazing to see the parallels in your studies of firearms grade powder and that of my cousin and I. Your findings almost perfectly mirror ours.

[@jasonmorris2813]

on point

[@devemch7851]

Thanks for the knowledge. I learned a bunch. One thing about BP……… USE brass everything! Any chance of a spark needs to be taken care of. Second, when handling this stuff make sure everything including you are wire grounded to eatth!

[@mtkoslowski]

Commercial fireworks manufacturers make sure that their workers are GROUNDED to earth by means of a conductive strap attached to their leg and then plugged in to a ground receptacle. This is to minimize the risk of fire/explosion caused by static electricity, a very real danger. For amateurs this might be a bit too much. Edit: Amazon sells conductive anti-static wrist straps ($8.00) that can be grounded which is what I use.

[@matthewbattie1022]

It seems like the only difference in swiss powder is that its more finely granulated. You can see the it in a microscope. I bet they just mill it for a lot of time. I have had my best charcoal results with Alder, it actually is faster than the same mix with willow. I love your videos, and have learned a lot from you. Thank you.

[@wthile]

great videos.. I like.. the cost is very effective... BP is getting hard to find here locally as well.. im considering making my own... you mentioned the CIA and press an puck.. how was the breaking up of the pucks? could you do a video on that and then sizing the powder?

[@35southkiwi16]

Excellent. Thanks. I've seen glimpses of parts of your method after having researched numerous sources but you've compiled all together really well. I'm starting to think that pyrotechnics and firearm grades are two different things. Compression seems to be the key thing. For a mixture thst only has three main components it amazes me how much results can vary

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes, the compression is what really makes it as powerful as the commercial brands.

[@bradnieubuurt4758]

@@Everythingblackpowder what do you wet powder with before compression

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@bradnieubuurt4758 water works the best

[@bradnieubuurt4758]

@@Everythingblackpowder thanks

[@sleeperno1215]

I'm glad you spoke to the selection of wood issue. Even though I live in the south with willows everywhere, it is still easier to go to Tractor Supply and use red cedar chips instead. I do have a winery nearby that I am considering stopping by and asking for their waste Muscat grapes grow well down here.

[@petergrhill]

May have try it out, be interesting to try in my 1.5 inch bore cannon. As i burn up 2 oz per shot I need a way to cut down on cost.

[@chuckaddison5134]

Interesting video, duelist1954 has stated that Swiss uses Alder for their charcoal, another video, Hoffman reproductions, has used grape vine but currently uses Silver Maple. So yes there are many good charcoals available. As for graphite, you say it seems to make the commercial powders burn slower. That is most likely true as it is also used as a burning deterrent in the manufacture of smokless powders.

[@308dad8]

A retardant not deterrent. They want it to burn just not too fast for its purpose.

[@utubefrog09]

I think they use graphite to coat black powder because of KNO3’s hygroscopic nature. Graphite is supposed to decrease the moisture absorption by the black powder. Thank you brother for your videos

[@andreabc1469]

👌💣 Graphite is Electrically conductive and this increases safety, but it also has a plegmatizing effect

[@smartmeis]

i love you videos, this has taught me alot, im excited to make my own powder since getting it through the stores seems impossible and hazmat and shipping cost turn a $20 item into a $60 item, i also plan on making my own caps, hopefully can be self sufficient and not rely on stock.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it

[@forrest5050]

i made a puck making die from pvc and squeezed it in a vice i know i didnt achieve yout type of pressure but but im sure it made my powder better. loved the cia method also.thanks for being you

[@blueeyephil]

Anyone try Tree of Heaven charcoal? I've read it is very good. Also black willow but didn't know that red cedar was supposed to be good. I have enough red cedar to help the south rise again. But have pleanty of willow and some tree of heaven around too. But haven't tried making any powder yet. I live in North central Arkansas and Confederates made black powder here near caves along the Buffalo and White rivers. There are a couple of caves called saltpeter cave around. They mined bat guano for nitrates and I assumed used willow but may have used cedar, who knows. They used huge cast iron kettles about 3-4 ft across in the process. The Feds raided some of the powder camps and busted up the kettles. I've seen a couple of recoved kettles that were chiped and cracked. Some day I'm going to give it a go.

[@kbjerke]

Love your videos. Thank you! A few weeks ago, I got a second mortgage for the house (kidding, but not much) and bought a pound of the Holy Black from Schuetzen. At present prices, I will be revisiting making my own. Past experience has proven disappointing, but I'm learning. It generally goes "woof!" but not "BOOM!" LOL I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience. Now I'll go make my own dam video. LOL!!!

[@chiefbiglew]

you make me want to make some .i have sevral black powder pistols and a muzzle loader. i love to shoot them but hardley ever do. i have had the same bottle of pyrodex for longer than i care to say. but i do like your videos.

[@jamesparlane9289]

at 5:00 that is the Wizard of New Zealand Mr. Ian Brackenberry-Channel in his younger and more powerful days. He is a living work of art.

[@ludditeneaderthal]

Tech question: what mesh size is your "pass/hold" for the f grades? Uneducated/completely unqualified opinion: those wiley swiss get less annoying fouling by using a modified oxidizer, a sulfur salt, or both. Might also explain their "slowest of all" burn rate. Of course, they could also add a percent or so of some secret sauce, some semi-inert additive that doesn't burn, kinda dislikes bonding to iron, but has an affinity for the ash chemistry of BP fouling (like dish detergent during the puck compression stage, or the graphite polishing stage, or both)

[@joefreidhoff9230]

really nice video.....very well done. tanks for taking the time to put it together. when you say add equal parts of alcohol is that an equal amount to the water or the nitrate or both? thanks

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you. I use equal parts alcohol to the total volume of dry ingredients. So if you have 3 cups of dry ingredients use 3 cups of alcohol. Sorry, I should have made that more clear.

[@joefreidhoff9230]

thank you

[@thenogoodniks8673]

A friend of mine suggested trying mountain alder for your charcoal instead of willow or cedar. Supposedly that will get you closest to Swiss for performance and cleanliness

[@peterparsons7141]

Really helpful video. Thanks for sharing this. Got rid of my modern 209 primed ,pyrodex, saboted pistol bullet shooter. I picked up a nice original percussion . Starting to play with that for 2023 deer hunting. I find you vids really well done, fun to watch and I’m getting some good info!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it. Thank you

[@outdoorinterests]

Without a doubt the best recipe for black powder. Thank you.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@joefreidhoff9230]

i have scanned the comments and didnt see the subject so if i may..... when you compress do you hold the powder under pressure for a specific time period? you sir are a wealth of knowledge. thank you in advance.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

That’s an excellent question! Yes, I typically hold it for at least 30 seconds, enough time to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

[@joefreidhoff9230]

@@Everythingblackpowder thank you so much for the answer...and for all that you have done

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@joefreidhoff9230 happy to help

[@Micscience]

Thanks for the informative information. I'm new to guns I don't even own one but man there is nothing but rich history and awesomeness when it comes to anything associated with guns. Watching you load that old school muzzle loaded rifle was great I would love to shoot one some day. Take care

[@jtcustomknives]

My question is if you straining out the water would you not be wasting potassium nitrate and Sulfur?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes, that’s why you want to use as little water as possible. also, I believe when you shock it with the ice cold alcohol it helps the KN03 to bond to the charcoal and sulfur and not to be lost in the water that gets strained out. Just a theory.

[@ncsaddlehunter77]

Thank you for taking the time to make your informative and awesome videos. I am making my first batch and using the stems from goldenrod and ragweed to make the charcoal since I have heard that materials such as grape vine make excellent charcoal for black powder.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@olheghtt]

This is just a wild guess, I'm guessing most of the fouling comes from the charcoal, Swiss is made out of country maybe it's something about the region of where the wood is being grown and what would they're using.

[@haroldlewis3026]

Who made your smooth bore, in another life I used to be a Williamsburg gunsmith. I want to make one and really like the looks of your gun, the lock and barrel are a good match. Joe Lewis

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Kashtuk bowcraft

[@WapitiEater]

Didn't suck, won't be making my own damn video. (An appropriate level of mild snark throughout - not bad, Dude! Good info, entertaining and enough spice to keep my attention.)

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@GenderSkins]

I know this is an old video. But the Swiss black powder uses a blinded wood charcoal. And by that I mean it has like, ash, oak, birch, elm, pine in it or some combination there too. So there is more than one type of wood charcoal in it, that tends to burn cleaner. Is kind of the same thing some bbq restaurants do, is they will mix wood species. You could try mixing oak, mesquite, ash and see how that goes. But pine has a lot of sap, as does cedar and thus will produce more fouling.

[@VinceBearinger]

That was amazing. I'm not even gonna try the first type. I'm gonna go right to the second Style

[@Shadowmourne07]

The graphite makes it slower but it makes less hydroscopic so it doesnt absorb ambient moisture from the surrounding air as much. Great videos man, I send them to all my friends that like black powder.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you!

[@barnabywild2215]

I was very precise in the ingrediants ratio and used good quality materials. The resultant powder, when tested, leaves behind a hard, cream coloured plasticized residue akin to body filler. Because of this I won't try it in my muzzleloader for fear of difficulty cleaning. However, it readily burned with enthusiasm using a spark from an old torch igniter. I think it must be sulphur residue.

[@Kaelland]

The fact that Eastern Red Cedar is good for making charcoal for black powder pleases me. Around here, it's not a tree, it's a weed that looks like a tree. In other words, it's invasive AF. At least it's good for something.

[@wadewilson524]

Could you compress your old fashioned non-CIA powder to get a similar density?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Absolutely

[@samwilliams1142]

Do you use a pan powder and main charge powder? Or same in both? I was thinking that powder left after corning (granulating) would be good for the pan.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

yes

[@WannabeWoodsman]

I absolutely love this channel and want to start off making my own super bad ass whiz bang powder correctly so I have one question and I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work but would a 12 ton press work following this method? 8 tons is a LOT of pressure difference.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes it will work.

[@bubbadoolittle2812]

Have you ever tried avocado wood? It's a very light wood and burns with little ash...

[@Everythingblackpowder]

No I haven’t

[@eggnogfrog]

I didn't think this video sucked. I liked this video.

[@shexdensmore]

I wonder what effect ground up gun cotton would have on the powder.

[@dougfleming2099]

Nice vid bud. Where can I get the picking die?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

www.woodysrocks.com/store/p275/Black_Powder_Puck_Press.html#/

[@mtkoslowski]

I bought a 3” pucking die from Woodysrocks and extra spacers to make multiple pucks in the press at a time. It’s expensive but they are beautifully made. To my mind from what I’ve learned from Jake @EverythingBlackPowder, don’t bother making BP unless you are planning to Corn the pucks. I’m still learning but this much is clear.

[@lawrencestanley8989]

Thanks for the video! I've just ordered my puck press from Woody's. I CANT WAIT TO TRY IT!!

[@timwilson8740]

I'm just getting into the black powder I'm learning quite a bit from you thank you so much

[@fredford7642]

Great video! Good to hear your method of black powder is faster, it also says that it is more efficient. I look forward to trying it. Thank you for your time and video

[@Squib1911]

I can agree with that last statement. Those who don't do, troll. Both videos were very educational. Thanx for making them.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@mdbryan9525]

Love the ending line.

[@lawrencestanley8989]

Just out of curiosity, when your pucks dried, did you notice some potassium nitrate on the surface of your pucks as if some of it was forced out during the pressing process and dried on the surface? That's what happened to me and I haven't grained it yet to test.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes, that can happen if you use a little too much water. Granulate it and see how it does. I bet it will work just fine

[@lawrencestanley8989]

@@Everythingblackpowder Awesome, thanks! Ill be granulating this evening after work and I'll try it then.

[@michaelbooher612]

How awesome ! You did it ! I bet eventually you will solve the fowling issue. Or at least match Swiss.. Yep I bet a dollar Thanx so helpful

[@mkshffr4936]

Could you do the compression step with your regular dry method?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Absolutely

[@billneidlinger3339]

Amazing made my first batch and WoW unbelievable results!!! Have you tried storing the pucks to make a bigger batch? I'm assuming as long as they'd remain dry it wouldn't be an issue but was wondering if you tried it at all and for any certain amount of time.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it!

[@jackfrost3560]

Nice been in some bad situation and knowledge is always a life saver .

[@risingmoon893]

Is red gum worth it? How does it affect pressure and fouling?

[@dakotagodfrey9138]

So 100 grams of potassium nitrate With 4 oz of water to dissolve it (over heat) Then you add your 20 grams of charcoal and 13.5 grams of sulfur in When you say equal parts cold alcohol once it starts to bubble, what alcohol do you use? By equal parts do you mean 133.5 grams (total for all components) of it or what do you mean by equal parts? Asking so that way i don't have to pay egregious prices for shipping powder. Many thanks!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Equal parts volume.

[@dakotagodfrey9138]

@@Everythingblackpowder So, just because I’m a little slow, it would be the same amount of all materials used in grams? So 133.5 grams in the case of above?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

So if you poured all of your dry ingredients in a measuring cup and it came to 1.5 cups then you need 1.5 cups of denatured alcohol

[@NewEngland462]

Been making my own and its very satisfying to cast your own lead. And launch it with your own powder. Im all about my flintlocks. Im a 2 tour combat infantryman vet and ive shot everything. Flintlocks is best time u can have with your clothes on

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you for your service. I agree 100%

[@michaelbennett4968]

Love You video top-notch Watson a little FYI I believe is called Western red cedar could be wrong excellent job

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you!

[@michaelbennett4968]

@@Everythingblackpowder you're welcome I just happened to be a log truck driver out here in the grat Northwest in Oregon take care be safe

[@davidgood1699]

I just came across your videos about making blackpower I was wondering if a dehydrator would work I live in Ohio very humid weather.Also in my area NO BLACKPOWER at all in 100 mile radius been having to use Pyrodex or triple 7 they suck I have been using muzzleloaders since the 1970's never had a problem getting blackpower until now thank-you for the information on making your own very informative especially compressing the powder thank you in advance.where did you get the ceramic balls for the tumbler

[@Everythingblackpowder]

In my experience you don’t want your powder too dry. I know that might sound strange but I’ve done test were we stored our powder in a vacuum chamber with desiccant for a couple of weeks and it burned extremely slow, the fouling was much like dust and the overall performance was bad. I typically store my powder in old Goex or Swiss can with one little desiccant pack that you can buy from Amazon. This works the best for me. We bought the ceramic balls from United Nuclear

[@davidgood1699]

Ok about the dehydrator so when do you know when it is dry enough to run it through the grain grinder

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I would let them sit for a week or so be you run them through the grinder

[@williamarmstrong392]

Very interesting video, and informative . Thank you for sharing !!

[@ParkerHale06]

Again thank's Jake. Have you tried making pucks directly from the ball mill without using CIA first ?

[@NielsenValleyFarms]

Could I use isopropyl alcohol for this process?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I do not recommend isopropyl alcohol of any grade. Use 99% denatured alcohol or acetone

[@staffordshires2]

Thanks for the great information. I have 2 questions; 1) you say after boiling pour in equal parts of alcohol.. how much is that? Equal to the 4 ounces of water you first started with? 2) when wetting it to put in the press, wet it with what? Thanks for your time..

[@Everythingblackpowder]

1) Equal amounts of alcohol to volume of dry ingredients. So if your dry ingredients equal 200Ml use 200ml of alcohol. 2) I wet it with water but you could also use a 50/50 mix of water and alcohol. Sorry for the confusion.

[@cheepwings]

Great video. Did you try making powder without the CIA method, but pressing it or compressing it.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes I did. That also makes exceptional black powder but it’s not quite as strong as Swiss

[@jeremyarnold1979]

No sr. Willow isn't the b all charcoal, the eastern red cedar will out perform will all day long. The only other charcoal that out performs them both is balsa. Great video.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you!

[@Charles-A]

Hello. Would you say there is a significant waste of potassium nitrate that remains in the water with the CIA method? Absolutely no doubt on its effectiveness, but I wonder if in terms of cost-effectiveness it might have some drawbacks compared to "traditional" methods

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Absolutely, In fact I don’t use the CIA method anymore because I’ve found it unnecessary. I can make equally as powerful powder without the extra steps and cost in alcohol.

[@Charles-A]

@@Everythingblackpowder that's good to know, thanks!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@bartmcclellan9120]

We're do you get the compression dies to make the pucks. I have been making my own for about 4yrs now but have used the screen corning method. I use my black powder for bpcr in 50-90 sharps, 45-90 highwall. Like to try the puck making process. Thanks Bart

[@Everythingblackpowder]

www.woodysrocks.com/store/p275/Black_Powder_Puck_Press.html#/

[@juanvaldes1837]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@gregoryleuelling3826]

Jake. I would love to have seen or perhaps in the future see the actual press process. How long does it stay pressed for? How many presses are done in a batch of BP etc.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Check some of my other DIY black powder videos. I use a 20 ton press and I max out the press when making pucks. I usually hold it at max pressure for at least 10 seconds to ensure the pucks are compacted as much as physically possible.

[@gregoryleuelling3826]

@@Everythingblackpowder thank you

[@cyclo360]

Very interesting vid, thanks for taking the time to make it...Love the comment at the end🤣👍 Atb from South Australia.

[@forrest5050]

instead of straining it could you just let it dry out?evaporate fluids if you were blessed with plenty of time

[@MrGeoffois]

Since the CIA method seems to add a bit more steps to achieve not having to add 20% by volume. Is it really necessary? When using the same amount of components do you achieve the same amount of energy in total? Meaning, if you use the first method and you come up with 100 units, do you come up with 80 units using the CIA method but it's 20% stronger but you get less volume so basically the same? Hope that makes sense.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I don’t use the CIA method anymore. It’s not worth the trouble if you corn your powder

[@Firmglint91]

Very cool, Iv been wanting to do this but I don’t have a 20 ton press so thanks for doing it for me lol

[@GemPassionpl]

Great job , can ypu make some material about pressing device ?

[@olympicblackpowderrifles3155]

Where did you get those screen? I can't find them other than huge rolls.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I bought them on Amazon

[@olympicblackpowderrifles3155]

@Everything Black Powder great but what's the exact name or size screens?

[@mtkoslowski]

@@olympicblackpowderrifles3155 16 mesh, 1.18mm for FF. 20 mesh, 0.85mm for FFF. Edit: 40 mesh, 0.425mm for FFFF.

[@ReichenbachEsq]

Where can we buy the cylinders to make pucks? I assume they are aluminum? Harbor Freight sells the 20 ton press. Can you point us in the right direction on the puck cylinder parts?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

It might sound cheesy but this is a good cheap option for a puck www.amazon.com/Rosineer-Cylindrical-Pre-Press-Food-Grade-Stainless/dp/B084R5G6T1/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=2GHPEDIQGJVGZ&keywords=rosin+press+mold&qid=1672713699&sprefix=rosin+press+mold%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-4

[@ReichenbachEsq]

@@Everythingblackpowder I see that is stainless steel. Do they make these in non-ferrous materials that won’t risk a spark?

[@tonyhenley8284]

Excuse my ignorance please, but how do you measure volume by grains? I would very much like to test the density of my homemade powder. I also use the puck dies and hydraulic press but I have no idea what density I’m producing. I’m not terribly impressed with my first batch so far but I believe it’s the air float charcoal I bought off line. I can’t seem to find any good charcoal. Guess im gonna have to make it myself. Anyhow I would still like to learn how to measure the density of my powder. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

You need a volumetric black powder measurer. The kind used for loading black powder firearms. Air float charcoal should work okay but you will have to mill it for 12-24 hours

[@Everythingblackpowder]

You will be able to check your density by comparing grains by volume to grains by weights

[@308dad8]

So dissolve KNo3 in hot water then add charcoal and sulfur and raise temp until all dissolved and boiling the. Chill with 4oz of frozen alcohol? Or equal to total volume of water and powder?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Volume. Sorry, I should have made that more clear

[@308dad8]

@@Everythingblackpowder no I’m just trying to be clear. So 4oz plus the volume of black powder for the alcohol?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@308dad8 just the volume

[@308dad8]

@@Everythingblackpowder Just the volume of powder? Or water? Or both? I promise I’m not trying to be difficult.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

The volume of the dry ingredients

[@garygabrielle3254]

What size screen or mesh the get F2 or F3 powder? Thank You.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

www.skylighter.com/blogs/fireworks-information/black-powder-grades-sizes-mesh

[@mtkoslowski]

16 mesh for FF 20 mesh for FFF 40 mesh for FFFF

[@forrest5050]

watched your video are you college educated or just a gifted old school individual? i like the results you achieve. just curious with my question.i can elevate myself to a higher status on making powder just by watching your videos and i am not college educated just relying on common sense.loved your video also

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you. No, I do not have a college education.

[@forrest5050]

never mind comment what was the description i figured it out

[@lutherpayne9957]

Have you ever made nitrated paper for paper cartridges? Would love to see an example of that for my 58 Sharpes replica.

[@xtreampb6309]

if you compress the first homemade powder in part 1, into pucks, would that give you the density in the new powder?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes

[@EDFETHER]

Curious -- If you mill black powder as you did in part 1, but not granulate it. Rather, take the powder straight out of the mill...mix with denatured alcohol to the point where it's malleable but not dripping....then press it into the discs and proceed from there as described in this video. What would be the result? From what I've seen/read, it appears to me that its the density of the powder that makes the difference. To simplify the production, and increase yield (none lost to a T-shirt)...why not combine the two methods as an experiment and see what happens?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I have tried that and it does make good powder but it still is not quite as powerful as the commercial brands

[@EDFETHER]

@@Everythingblackpowder I'd love to see how fast it is compared to the rest (inches of burn/second).

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@EDFETHER 6.00 in the video. it’s as fast as goex and faster than Swiss but it’s not as powerful as either. Even after compressing it I still had to use 5-10 grains more worth of charge to get the same velocity as the commercial brands, But That could be the charcoal I’m using.

[@bradnieubuurt3048]

When you added 99% denatured alcohol to mix that cooked.. was that roughly 3.9 oz

[@chaecoco2]

I have that same Harbor Freight rock tumbler. Have you had any problems with the motor getting too hot running it that long at one time.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

No but I kept a fan on it while it was running in the summer time

[@chaecoco2]

@@Everythingblackpowder I got the same idea.

[@benjaminjarrett9816]

Thank you for the video, very useful information

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@308dad8]

What can we do if we don’t have a shop press? Just seeing if you have any ideas.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Use a vice. Any compression is better than none

[@308dad8]

@@Everythingblackpowder Funny while waiting for your reply I saw a short come across about a hydraulic Vice and thought, why not try it in my bench vice

[@michaelevripiotis6042]

Love the videos! I am just wondering if you could process your charcoal in the manner to make it "Activated Charcoal" this should assist in the intake of the KNO3 and other molecules. From what I have seen much of the Activated charcoal on the market is made using Coconut shells which wouldn't be suitable as I have some what tried it already, but if one could use your wood of choice and if you are keen to try the whole process of creating Activated charcoal, I assume this could possibly result in less fouling and possibly even faster burn times? I am busy looking into it. but it is quite a setup to build. Another note I would like to mention, via the CIA method, maybe there is tiny amounts of KNO3 that gets absorbed in with the Alcohol via stray water vs the purity, if you evaporate it is there any residue left? maybe one could bump up the KNO3 percentage vs the loss observed to keep the ratios in tact?

[@duncanffullner6649]

I tried activated carbon and the results were poor to really bad Willow is best

[@donaldroyer2961]

When you wring it out do you not loose some of your nitrates/saltpeter?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes you do. I don’t make powder this way anymore because it’s to costly and time consuming.

[@senorduncan8735]

Yesterday i charged some cartridges with black powder and some of them had no power to push the bullet . It mean need more quality . But i just mixed 3 components . I wanted make more . I do not know how make it a lot of . It must be mixed very very well

[@chopsddy3]

Have you tried compressing your original powder? It would be nice to make it faster that way if solvents aren’t available.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes I have. It’s works very well and is just as powerful and fast as goex but not quite as powerful as Swiss

[@chopsddy3]

@@Everythingblackpowder Thanks Jake. Good to know. Not only is it good post apocalyptic insurance, It’s about a third of the cost of powders that have to be delivered . A pound of delivered Goex ,after hazmat fees and shipping ,is about $30! A self produced pound, by my calculations, runs between $7 to $8 plus labor. Less if you go real old school and pee some of the components.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@chopsddy3 lol you got it!

[@juantovar4861]

Thank you for the video.

[@noctifersummanus15]

hemp charcoal? hemp grows fast and has numerous use cases i'd be extremely impressed if it also worked well, or worked at all, for ammo

[@308dad8]

So try it and tell us how it goes