Why Is Your DIY Black Powder So Dirty?

[@Gunsmith-4570]

I am very glad you are still, " chasing the holy grail of swiss powder. So far you and like 1 other person are the only ones really trying to make better powder. The process is very interesting and I find your style refreshing, no condescension just good information. Thanks again!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@dudearlo]

I agree, its pretty dope :D Like some modern day Alchemy 😎

[@NativeLibyans]

I have seen many people making black powder, but you are the best. You make it with high quality because it burns very quickly. My tribe in Libya has been making it for hundreds of years, but I read in one of the History books that they were making it with low quality.

[@robertstump4740]

Love your channel and the work you are doing. I might be able to help with the loss of MV concerns. I have been doing similar work for the past year and have found at least four circumstances that can reduce your MV.#1: Grain size, pretty obvious and you already know this. In general, with same wt charges, 3f is faster than 2f, 2f faster than 1f. #2: Inadequate milling. You can mill your way out of a bad powder by returning it to the ball mill. I suspect the ceramic media does not have the wt and density of lead balls and may make your milling less efficient. A poor performing powder usually indicates it needs more maturity in the mill, regardless of the charcoal source. #3: Overheating your charcoal. I know this is another rabbit hole to go down but temperature control of the charcoal process is necessary for a good performing, consistent powder. I lost 100fps in MV with charcoal roasted at 620-670F compared to same charcoal source done at 520F. Over-cooking burns off much of the creosote and makes the fouling dryer. I don't know the magic temp yet and it may vary from source to source. #4: Over compressing the puck. Commercial puck densities in the 19th cent varied from 1.55 gm/cm to about 1.8 gm/cm. Tests done then demonstrated an inverse linear relationship between bp density and MV, that is as density went up, the MV went down. The MV consistency could be significantly effected by changes in density as little as 0.05 gm/cm so tight regulation of your puck compression may be worthwhile. I compress my pucks in a 3 in diameter die and, with some math, realized that a density change of 0.05 gm/cm in a 3 inch die translates to change of compression distance of only around 0.033 inch. I have not totally figured out fouling issues yet but have found that glazing helps. Also, anything else that helps your powder burn more efficiently generally reduces the fouling. Hope this helps. Good luck with your efforts.

[@shizumiyato7045]

Any black powder that works at all is better than no powder.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I agree!

[@richardlahan7068]

The commercial powder manufacturers coat their powder granules in graphite to protect the powder from moisture. I think it may also give some protection from static electricity. Graphite doesn't burn so it will either get blown out of the barrel or coat the inside of the barrel.

[@潘阳-v3e]

according to some studies， the best temperature of making charcoal is between 350 and 400 degree centigrade. based on these studies, the charcoal we used should be write as C/H/O(this means the main power is from H and O), and different wood will lead to different charcoal. and the paper also suggested that we should choose the wood that with low desity and low resin. that all i konw, hopfully this would help!

[@garygabrielle1056]

First. I enjoy your videos. Now my comment. This only my observations but i have noticed that on humid days ( i live in upstate NY) my barrel fouls up a lot quicker than on low humidity days. So a cleaner barrel with different powder doesnt always apply. Humidity makes a big difference where i live.

[@forrest5050]

i could see the difference in the recoil of the rifle with the 20 added grains. my dear old dad always said you cant get something without giving something getting back engineering wise .something i commented on yesterday, if you used a finer powder you could have achieved the better velocity as the finer powder would have weighed more due to the volumn more splitting hairs.now back in the 70s when i shot with my dad,they used to say how you cant blow up a black powder gun by over charging and the excess powder just blows out the end of the barrel, also kinda like putting more horse power under your hood to go faster but eventually you will max out for speed due to design principles of the vehicle. you sir a a very special person hope my comments are not too boring your videos are very good.einsteign without the sheep skin

[@oldschooljack3479]

I finally got around to trying to make some of my own powder... I tumbled with lead media in an old brass canister I picked up. I whipped up 4 ozs into meal, but I need to press it and corn it and see how that works. The raw meal flashed quite fast. It shows a lot of promise.

[@Kap11th]

I have been following all of your videos along with Hoffman Reproductions & someone made the same comment to him. All of your stuff is spot on, however if that were true whats goex's excuse for being dirty. If rubber dust was a problem you would have a rubber-less drum in no time at all. They are made to tumble rocks with heavy abrasives. I think making a new drum with risers glued inside With an increase in speed did the trick. I was on a another forum & the gentle man was making what he called Sporting powder 78/12/10. Said it was the cleanest he had ever made. I tried it and it was the dirtiest I ever had ?? I made up some 45 cal. dummy rounds and I'm using them for my tumbling media. When I added too many lead balls which I used previously you could see the drum slow down & the powder came out lousy. In my opinion it is the speed + the heavy tumbling action that makes or breaks the powder. Keep up the good work. I love watching your videos.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

That’s interesting about the sporting powder. We have done some extensive testing with different ratios and we lost a significant amount of power with that much oxidizer and it very wasn’t any cleaner, although nothing we tried was really any cleaner.

[@HoffmanReproductions]

Cool findings Jake! Your right, made a huge difference on fouling in my guns. Have not tested mine yet on the chrono. Excited to see your next vid on this!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thanks Ben

[@equipyourselflifeskills5802]

Use cotton to make you charcoal. Just add the charred cotton to your ball-mill after you weigh it for your correct ratio. Your ball-mill should air float the batch. Once you have run your batch to air float, add 5% dextrin as a binder and run it for 10 minutes in your ball-mill. Corn your black powder as you normally do and once dried then run it through your sifter to grade it. Your grains will be very hard and your ignition should be greatly improved. I assume your KNO3/S are of high grade. Hope this helps.

[@waliza001]

what kind of cotton?

[@jackblackpowderprepper4940]

Excellent video. I learned from you and Mystical Pyro about DIY BP. I don't puck mine, use lead balls, and a rubber jar on my mill. But I love the results I'm getting. But I'm not checking fps. I'm using cascade willow it grows here in Washington state and a 75:15:10 ratio. Early muzzleloader season starts Saturday so hopefully I get to use it. I forgot to mention I forgot my cleaning rod and fired 20 rnds. .490 round ball .010 prelubed patch 50 grains of powder and was able to seat the ball. However on around the 12th rnd I lost my groups.

[@garrettfromsmokeinthewoods]

Now this is a revelation I have made my own powder and the past with not good results was going to start to try again this weekend thanks for this update

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@duacot6633]

I am willing to speculate the reduced velocity is tied to the time spent milling. For pyro, I notice a difference in performance based on the time spent milling. I do not mill less than 24hrs.

[@thinkingbill1304]

I have been collecting the bits & bobs to do make my own BP. The weather in my area has been so dry that everyone is deathly afraid of fire. So, no charcoal making. That's changing with the season now...I hope. Meanwhile, my gut said that lead ball media would introduce inert mass to the mix. Never mind the toxicity thing. That said, going from rubber & lead to PVC & ceramic at one time is two substantial variable changes at once. May I suggest same for same ingredients with rubber/lead, rubber/ceramic, PVC/lead, PVC/ceramic with corresponding volume to weight measurements vs. velocity & fouling vs. milling time & granulation. Perhaps the rubber is acting as a fuel or the lead is making things slower & less energetic? My guess, PVC/ceramic will yield the best result overall. Many thanks for the effort it takes. Y'all be safe & shoot happy!

[@benrobertson7855]

Hi,I made brass balls from rod,a couple each day during lunch with a grinder,held them with vice grips.takes a bit of time,but got them forever now.they work a treat,made my tumbler out of a 8” shell,bronze end plate held in place with string .strung like a drum skin.if that makes any sense.drilled the sides of the shell and riveted copper boat roves on the inside to give ‘speed bumps’....tumbler motor is a moterhome ceiling fan( needs to be 12 volt)... Thanks for your advice on charcoal temperature,have used willow,a fast cherry weed that grows down here and palonia... Regards from New Zealand.

[@Andrew-ps6xe]

I didn't even bother to make spheres. I just cut brass rod segments as long as they are wide.

[@luisgarza2036]

Another great step in the right direction, thats what is called an improvement!

[@thefirstmissinglink]

Yup, picked up the ceramic pie weights a while ago. Love the upgrade of the mill! Took me a moment to realize that you were not using something from a previous relationship for the test comparison. (Go Ex)🤣. The 600° ceiling is interesting and wonder if that is variable with the type of wood as well as altitude. I function between 7 and 10k ft. Things boil or gas off at a lower temperature here. We have a supply of willow up here that is un beatable. I just haven't been able to get set up to produce at this time for a lack of dedicated space.

[@yankeedoodledandeefirecrac7518]

I LOVE what your doing I am a huge BP shooter and LOVE your testing!! THANK YOU!!!!! Please answer these questions based on your experience: Grape VINE wood? cleaner better? how about Silver Maple that is what Goex uses. any news you got there?? then i heard that Buckthorn ALDER wood .I know you have better cleaner powder right? Please make a video on those charcoals and see if you can help us WHERE TO GET THOSE WOODS! I want to buy them but nothing on the web..? Keep up that great work !!v Thank you!!! Look up our club come shooting with us one day "Laguna mountain muzzloader." Our Rendezvous are pretty decent. Thank you again! Tim

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Grapevine makes great powder but not any cleaner in my opinion. I get willow locally but I have a friend send me the Alder Buckthorn from Ohio. We can discuss the rendezvous if you wasn’t to email me, you can find it on my page.

[@ryanlemons7831]

Superb as always sir! Man can’t wait to see the new controlled environment charcoal video!

[@BuckF0eJiden]

954 Bronze is a fantastic option for a non-sparking, corrosion resistant metal. Its about as hard and strong as mild steel, and pretty inexpensive for what it is. If you're interested in making parts to reduce contamination, and you're wortied about sparks (as you should be in this business), I highly recommend Aluminum Bronze.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@2fame4name24]

I just looked it up 954bronze has around 3-5% iron, not sure if it wont spark, some brass alloys (like C360) also use iron, up to 0.35%. Maybe thats to little iron to make sparks, but I honestly just stay with lead, no worries there.

[@BuckF0eJiden]

@2fame4name24 they specifically use aluminum bronzes like 954 to make tools for use in petrochemical work where sparks can cause issues. It won't spark. 932 is a good option, too.

[@leoarg]

Hello, good evening, I just saw your video and it's very good. I tell you that here I couldn't get the ball mill (as I make the black powder I also make the implements to make it) so I had no choice but to make it with a motor from a car windshield wiper, where you have a motor that already it has the speed reduction, it has 3 speeds from which to choose the one you like the most, it is at 12vdc and I feed it with an old pc source (all free up to here) and that way I have two things, the first one I make sure that it consumes practically nothing and the second is that with this source and motor configuration everything is grounded so that it does not generate static, the container is metal and a can of powdered milk and I weld it to the motor shaft. The balls are made of bearing steel that I ordered in different workshops and they gave them to me. In this way I am totally sure that it does not have contaminants such as lead or container plastic. I hope it helps you. Excuse any translation error because it is the google translator.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Excellent

[@jamesharrison2374]

Interesting video. Have been lucky to get a good supply of WASAG powder, it is the one I mainly used in Germany. I miss the Elephant powder out of Brazil. Swiss is the best, miss the cool little cardboard tubes the Swiss powder comes in when bought in Switzerland. Hope to find some to buy here in the US as it looks to be sold out every where.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Ahh You got the Alumina Balls!! don't need a reducer if you get a no hub fitting same o.d. as end cap or just two no hubs one each end. I did same idea with internals but at angles similar to cement mixers mixing paddles! and ABS it's harder And I accidentally "may have" discovered Carbon material "May Not" matter as much as I thought? But How or What I do to my Carbon makes HUGE differences! in speed and clean? I did micro adjustments on my last batch in-between rudimentary testing. I came up with a base of 75:15:10 but I noted my fouling? and my foulded ratio sweated indicating my KNO3 was Not used up completely? and ended adding the equivalent of 2% and 1% of gross amounts added in char and sulfur until the fouling did Not Sweat. I did not break the math down to actual %. I got Soo excited with it I did not Bother Pucking! I just pushed dough balls through screens. Oh Well Now I need to TEST MORE! I think I "MAY" have found the Dragon! and my journey and equipment was almost the same!!! as You! my last batch was FAST! Hoffman FAST! it scared Me and my Dogs! when I tested it on my welding bench! and it looked clean. I used a split piece of tubing for speed control? How can I get hold of you? we could cut development in half? Keep your Smoke Poles SMOKING! Keep Chasing the Dragon! Keep it by the tail!

[@thomas.bill92]

What I have found to work well in those tumblers is a regular 1 litre nalgene bottle.

[@joeyhardin1288]

Tons of science going on here; Love it! God Bless and stay safe.

[@SuperSneakySteve]

After watching Ron's video I went out and made a PVC mill but chickened out because there internet told me static electricity would make it blow up. I think it's a mistake to change more than one variable at a time. Try using lead balls in your PVC or ceramic balls in your rubber mill. I inspected my rubber containers and didn't see much wear even after many batches. Not enough rubber was removed for me to feel with my fingers. I also think the balls wouldn't shed any lead after the sprew is gone. I'm happy to see the community coming together on this. My powder is screened with rice starch and made with weeping willow. It's very dirty and I was thinking of trying other woods. I think in your case the ceramic balls aren't having the hammer effect of the heavier lead balls. Where did you buy them?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Well we tried most of that already and the cleanest powder is with both the pvc mill and the ceramic media. The 77/13/10 batch was milled for 8 hours and the 75/15/10 batch was milled for 4 hours so I’m not convinced that it’s mill time that’s the culprit. As for the balls not getting smaller after the sprue is worn off, you would be mistaken. I measured a few of the balls and one in particular that comes out of the mold at .735, measured .721 so they are definitely getting smaller. My failure in this was where I didn’t chronograph the first two experimental batches (one in the old jar with ceramic media and the other with the new jar and lead media) We just went out back and fired a few shot with it and checked out the patches. We weren’t counting on loosing 200fps. Also, the internet has been telling me for years that I’m about to blow myself up.

[@seanmcdonnell1282]

I got into making my own about two years ago and still use the rubber canister and lead balls. I do use a fairly hard alloy for the balls but they still wear. I haven't seen a measurable amount or wear on my canisters but the balls definitely do shed. The quickest way to see how much lead is mixing in is to mill just potassium nitrate. It will come out a nice pale gray after a few hours. Powder burns clean enough for my purposes but definitely is leaded fuel.

[@aberdeencompassionsociety]

I found them on Amazon

[@ixb1]

Swiss powder is milled by big heavy wheels and particles of powder are way smaller than our homemade stuff. Dirty patches are simply because unburnt charcoal.

[@missingthe80s58]

It's one thing to say that, it's another entirely to sample batches, scan them and establish averages that can be scientifically repeated and thus proven. I do not accept assumptions. Too much of that bullsh!t in both the black powder shooting and black powder making hobbies as is.

[@dylanschulz2404]

A little more consistency is nice though! New favorite channel thanks for posting these vids!

[@joedhall3424]

It is a known fact that some charcoals produce faster powder and some cleaner burning powder too. I think it would be good to find out for a certainty what is the difference. I just learned that most charcoals contain sulfur. Just thinking out loud....would be nice to have charcoal from various woods produced in the same way and milled in the same way tested for chemical composition via the ultra modern instrumental methods. Would be an eye opener I am sure. Also, there are several papers on the subject out there in cyber space.

[@tompowers8495]

I have read that adding roasted grasshoppers to the mix makes for a more "springy" mix..........

[@joedhall3424]

I love all of your videos and especially your comments. As far as cleaner charcoal and thus cleaner powder, try washing the powdered charcoal with distilled water and later alcohol using a Buchner funnel with filter paper and a vacuum flask arrangement. Removes water soluble minerals and other soluble contaminants. Lastly, if you have not tried Mimosa charcoal or mesquite charcoal, you might want to take a look if you have time. They will give alder buckthorn and willow a run for their money.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

We have done several experiments with washing the charcoal and for the most part all it does is lower the velocity by a good 600fps

[@joedhall3424]

I hear you and believe what you say about the washed charcoal producing lower velocities. And remember that activated charcoal which produces poor black powder is super clean. So, connect the dots.

[@joearledge1]

Hey Sir, glad my info on the rubber dust and the other guys info on lead dust helped some. I was excited to see that you and Hoffman Productions got similar results in regards to less foweling! Not sure where the velocity drop is coming from, but I like your plan for testing. I'm sure you've seen it already, but Hoffman lined his tumbler with aluminum. You may consider doing a batch using his setup and one using your new setup to see if there's any difference or if both are equally good solutions to the problem. Anyway, keep up the good work Sir, can't wait to see more of your results in the future👍

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I talk to Ben often on the subject and we keep each other up to date. Thanks again!

[@joearledge1]

@@Everythingblackpowder anytime Sir, good to know ya'll collaborate, keep up the good work we all sincerely appreciate everything ya'll do!

[@mattwhite9046]

I've been curious about the lead & rubber issue as well. My .490 balls have gotten reduced down to about .475 diameter. I'm assuming most of that lead goes up in smoke. Care to share where one can attain a similar product... If one were so inclined? The duct tape trick on the spindle works for a while as a short-term fix. Ideally, a piece of plastic tubing with the same OD as the ID of the existing tubing would be better. After having a motor issue arise, the duct tape on mine melted, slid off to the side & gummed everything up. It took a while to disassemble, clean everything & put it all back together. I can't find the right tubing so I opted for a couple strips of bike innertube wrapped tightly & then affixed with electrical tape. Makes for a bumpier ride over that transition but it turns faster & without hanging up as much. Good stuff here.

[@javant6993]

When charcoal is burned, ash is left. This ash is mostly potassium carbonate (also produced by the burning of black powder) and insoluble calcium salts. The calcium salt could be removed by treating it with acetic acid followed by washing with water to remove the soluble calcium acetate

[@garyeyser3949]

Here’s something to think about. I’ve found that just before I mill I dry my charcoal to get any moisture out. I’ve noticed a 100 fps increase with this process. But I do have to say that usually I make my charcoal in batches and store it before using it, so maybe that’s why I’ve found that I have to dry it before milling.

[@jeffjefferson2676]

Have you thought about using a pottery oven to make your charcoal? That is a controlled environment, and you can dial the temperature in. This looks pretty good. Greetings, Jeff

[@codaktakman7636]

Appreciate the education from the beginning of it all

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Happy to help

[@seantierney3]

if you get a consistent method of making charcoal it might be worth while to test other sources and test them for velocity and cleanliness. reading old British manuals dogwood always seemed to test well and for artillery powder they switched to reeds or straw. I have also read somewhere that corn cob piths were good.

[@TheHappy2cu]

I really enjoy these. Thanks.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it

[@DenverLoveless]

Contaminants is a good guess. However, the mill time would be my first suspect even with increased rpm's it may appear to be done to the naked eye, but just not quite. Lower velocities almost always (in my experience) meant not fine enough. The mill being the only thing different points to that. Maybe investigate both variables?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

The first 77/13/10 batch we milled for 8 hours just like I would have with the old setup. And it didn’t change much

[@rogerclark9285]

On page 246 of Foxfire 5 an old mountain man gives his method of making black powder. He said he used stale urine instead of water when he wet the powder to granulate it because it gave a faster burn rate.

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

Fun video man, I'm always learning something from you!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thanks Ethan

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

This kind of R&D is always interesting.

[@MrTacklebury]

I wonder if it was the lead acting to support the combustion? Your charcoal shouldn't get over 560f-570f and stop the cook when the gasses still flame, but are darker like orange. Also quicker cooldown without introducing air obviously, would help slow the process. If you get the better char, it'll be a brownish black, instead of glossy black. Try bumping sulphur up to 12% and see what happens, might replace some of the speed of losing the lead.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Cool. Thank you

[@calebblackwell2160]

I wonder if because the new media is lighter if it isn't mixing as well? Causing slower velocities. I would ball mill a batch with lead and a batch with the new media for the same amount of time in the new drum you made. And see if you get the old velocities back. I suspect that you will need to mill it longer if using ceramic media.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Good idea

[@HobbiesHobo]

Super interesting! I'm following along to see .....

[@kermit2999]

I wonder if a stainless tube 304 would make a difference, tig a few slats in it since mig tri-mix cost would make the experiment expensive.

[@bigracer3867]

Ok I made my mill. I use a large hard food grade plastic protein powder jug. About 60 rpm. Seems to work well. And cheap!?🤣 I’m a mechanic all my life I got stuff everywhere to make projects. 👍

[@buckstarchaser2376]

I'm wondering if the wetting process for making the pucks that are later corned, is resulting in some undesirable distribution of the ingredients. When that water is evaporating, carbon is not very soluble, but the oxidizer is highly soluble, and can get concentrated on the surface, where the water is doing its evaporation thing. Also, if the wet oxidizer is in contact with the sulfur and it's not kept near freezing cold, Some of the sulfur is likely going to rob oxidizer to make un-helpful sulfate compounds, a double-problem. Perhaps doing wet grinding of very dry ingredients in xylene instead of water would give a fairly stable and non-burnable atmosphere in your tumbler, while keeping any reactive oxygen or moisture separated. The downsides are that the vapors are about as flammable as gasoline, and you'll need to get the pucks up to about 300F to drive off the residual xylenes. On the other hand, the xylenes will remove other oils when you drain/screen/press the liquid out, and it will pull out remaining water that way, and via heating. You will need to keep the vapors under tight control though.

[@Slowly_Going_Mad]

That might be a little far, but still worth investigating. I also think that not only does the sulfur help by reducing ignition temperature it may generate small amount of sulfuric acid. This can react with the heavy tars in the charcoal and even with the potassium nitrate. Basically making a sort of small nitration mix. I've usually gotten my best results after doing a first pass milling and granulation then milling down for a final pass.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

@@Slowly_Going_Mad Yeah, I don't even remember typing all that. I'm not sure why I chose Xylenes of all things, as those will tend to dissolve some of the sulfur and cause a small amount of sulfur crust on the drying product anyway. It's probably better to go with distilled water for wet milling, and then pull it out with multiple rinsings of dried acetone. The random reactions of tars and sulfuric acid in there probably won't do well for consistency, but sulfuric acid will inevitably pull moisture out of the air to hydrate itself. This will probably cause hard grains to swell and crumble, then, upon burning, harm your barrel, while much of your energy is not available due to trying to re-boil the trapped liquids. I don't do any of these chemistry projects though, so I'm simply looking at it academically.

[@Slowly_Going_Mad]

@@buckstarchaser2376 the chemistry behind it is indeed interesting and surprisingly complex, bordering on alchemy as only loose generalizations of what's going on can be made about it. I also put it to use for my revolver and have fun with some fireworks type things. It's strange that overcooked charcoal doesn't work well and neither does undercooked char. Ash content has measurable effects like acting as a catalyst and too much robs it as it's just dead weight past the limit. I found it strange that my undercooked oak charcoal burns very cleanly albeit slowly without very good confinement, though it can be made to go full power, and that my well done batch of poplar char burns really dirty leaving an almost rubbery soot that's heavy with sulfide compounds where as the other doesn't do that. I'm working on a batch right now where I cooked a bit more of the volatiles out of the oak and I'm wondering if I get roughly the same results. I suspect that at least in this case the burn rate is so high that any spare sulfur is going to be condensed (along with any salts, slag, and ash) rather than combusted more completely as with the slower stuff.

[@luuk-out-below9804]

Like your new mill Jake !

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@jimv.661]

Lots of good tips, thank you. I've wondered since the very first about using lead to mill with. I don't remember, have you tested longer milling sessions? Just for shits and giggles, I milled some for 2 days, stopping and shaking the contents several times to loosen it up and start milling again. I didn't use my Chrono but seemed to improve the final product.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I milled the first batch for 8 hours and the second batch for 4 and no noticeable change

[@dannybeeson5084]

Sounds like the contaminants messed with your mix ratios. Looks like it didn't take long to get back in the groove. Looking forward to seeing you get to Swiss cleanliness.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@Jim-g3s7m]

A little stray of the subject matter but I’m curious if you’ve ever consider adding a percentage of triple seven to your homemade black powder during the grinding process to integrate the artificial black powder into your homemade powder. With the thought of increasing your velocity? May be adding 10% by volume would increase your velocity without sacrificing ignition qualities..

[@Everythingblackpowder]

It hadn’t crossed my mind

[@stayaway547]

Hi. Wanna try with fig tree as carbon source for formula. Crazy powder...!

[@greenjp779]

Lead dust getting into the powder and most likely people's lungs when you fire. Idk what that does to powder performance but I do know lead vapor also happens when shooting modern smokeless powders as well. I don't want to be a safety nerd, and I don't know the extent of risks overtime, but If you want my advice then you should wear a mask or respirator when you fire. If not then that's fine too, I just wanted to throw that out there

[@willywantoknow2563]

Also curious if bark included or bark removed with charcoal would have any effect to conaminents. Most medicinal neutrience is in bark. ??? Just curious.

[@tigerpollock114]

I started purchasing supplies for making black powder, where can I get pucking die?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

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

[@chrisbaker6776]

Hey buddy really enjoy the channel ! Have to share a new project , inherited an old single barrel 12ga that was grt grandads .actions tight and solid . I am turning a 18 in green mtn .45 bbl blank to drop in like an adapter and will fix in place .then will dress it up J P Gemmer style . Should be odd but sexy LOL In .45lc of course ! M Baker Blank

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you, that sounds like an Interesting project

[@skyeshore5704]

How do you keep track of chamber pressures with muzzle loaders? When hand loading modern cartridges you can estimate chamber overpressure from flat primers and heavy bolt lift in bolt guns. Are there any similar signs in this case? It makes me nervous to experiment with powder chemistries if you can't identify possible overpressure or pressure spikes. Great video. Thanks!

[@Everythingblackpowder]

The short answer is no. But unlike a cartridge loaded with modern smokeless you don’t have to worry about pressure problems with any black powder firearm. Black powder doesn’t even come close to the pressure spikes of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin based smokeless powders.

[@skyeshore5704]

That makes sense. Thank you for the reply.

[@krockpotbroccoli65]

Very interesting to see you and Hoffman going down this rabbit hole from different angles. Interesting to juxtapose this with the fact that back in the day people would beg borrow and steal anything to make their smokepoles burn and the vast majority of gunpowder made before the industrial process to make it was perfected, was utter dogshit in comparison to the shittiest batch you've ever produced. Talk about contamination, those guys were getting their potassium nitrate from pissed on compost heaps...

[@PraetzelProjects]

Hmm, I always like running near a pound for a day of milling bc if I always just don’t want to start and weigh and such, I’ll keep that method for fireworks, but may adopt this for shooting powder, you corn or rice your powder? Also where’d you buy your ceramic media?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I corn all my powder nowadays. I bought the ceramic media from United Nuclear

[@Cyotis]

Thanks for the info !

[@SuperSneakySteve]

I'm going to bite the bullet and purchase brass balls. I think the weight will do better than ceramic and less likely to chip.

[@uarbor70]

I am not sure what your granulation method is for your homemade powder but if you are granulating through a screen you are making much less dense powder than corned production powder. You should get a scale make a your powder charge to the volumetric measure. I'll bet you will find that your powder is lighter per volume. You might just get that velocity back if you weigh it

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I haven’t made screened powder in years. Corned is the only way to fly. About compressing your powder. Why Is Your Homemade Black Powder Weaker Than Goex? Black Powder Service Announcement. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaXQkJqmipKZgLc

[@richjageman3976]

Have you tried brass balls to put in the tumbler? As far as I am aware of they do not leave the dust like lead balls do.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve been using brass for several months now. It’s the only way to fly

[@richjageman3976]

@@Everythingblackpowder What size do you use? I am just starting out and have 1/2 inch diameter and unsure if that will be good or not.

[@zhihao1]

Does alder buckthorn produce higher velocities than willow? I heard they both are considered some of the best, but is one better than the other?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes

[@russ4570]

it didnt suck. great vid,

[@JasonBeck26]

Hello, thank you for the video and sharing the results. I have feedback and question. Feedback: Please note that there is a strong relation between diameter of the container, diameter of the media and the speed. Usually the jar diameter is equal to the length. If the jar diameter is 100mm then the diameter of the ball media is 12,5mm and the speed must be 140 critical and 90 optimal rpm; If the jar diameter is 200mm then the diameter of the ball media is 15mm, the speed must be 98 critical and 64 optimal rpm. Question: Since you have tried both dry and CIA methods, what is the difference and does it make sense to mill first the charcoal and sulfur and then separately dissolve the potassium nitrate in distilled water and add the milled charcoal and sulfur and cook it until dry or use cooled alcohol and then mill all again OR simply put all ingredients Charcoal Sulfur and Potassium nitrate dry in the ball mill and mill longer? Does if make a difference and does it make sense the CIA based on your tests? Thank you

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I don’t use the cia method anymore. I’ve found I can make just as powerful powder if I just mill the components together long enough.

[@JasonBeck26]

@@Everythingblackpowder ok so there is no increase in the velocity with the CIA

[@briansherrillruralliving9708]

Where are you getting your buckthorn alder? My next batch will be grapevine

[@OhmSteader]

Just throw in a anti-static dryer sheet. Also wondering if white charcoal would fire.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I don’t know. I’m not familiar with white charcoal

[@leoscheibelhut940]

Very helpful.

[@bkauffman0390]

Thanks for these videos bruh!

[@gregriley649]

Keep up the good work 👍

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Thank you

[@robertakerson7186]

I am following your experiments with great interest! One thing slightly off topic: if as you mentioned you mill your lead ball bullets to remove the sprue, then how do you know which side of the bullet is the front?

[@Andrew-ps6xe]

You don't. You tumble long enough to make everything even. If you don't tumble long enough, it is possible to obscure the sprue without actually leveling it.

[@robertakerson7186]

Mr. Andrew- It's a joke.@@Andrew-ps6xe

[@Grognarthebarb]

Can't believe you never thought of the lead ball thing. I thought of that day 1 when I saw your method

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Better late than never

[@jdlucasnc]

Great videos! Question, are you still using the CIA method before milling and picking?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

No. I milk all my components together for 8 to 10 hours and then puck it. I’ve found this to be just as good as the cia method

[@naldahide]

Im just thinking here, but is it possible that the ceramic media is leaving abrasives in the powder..? That could cause friction which could also cause barrel erosion to occur... Maybe copper, brass or bronze media would be better..? IDK, just brainstorming an idea.. love your vids and mean no disrespect..

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Sounds reasonable. We have been using brass for some time now it it’s works better

[@kluper1157]

what do you use for cleaning patch Material? it is textured?

[@curteaton]

Whenever I reach for my black powder guns, it's because I'm in the mood for something a little more dirty.

[@peterburnett4409]

Thanks for your great vids Jake - pi$$ funny telling the pin heads to “go make your own damn video” Saw an idea for milling media on a Cast Boolits “mega” BP thread - they sectioned 1/2” and 3/4” copper pipe into inch long pieces and filled them with lead - peened the ends over - reckon it’s the ducks nuts they do.

[@craigpalmer9196]

thanks for the ball jar tips! wood is local? making char coal retort or other method?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

In a retort

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Do you activate your charcoal or leave it unactivated? I don't know if this would make a difference. To activate charcoal you smother it in water at the end of the heating process. This changes it somehow. Not a clue if you do this already.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Non activated charcoal makes more power

[@aberdeencompassionsociety]

Were do I get ceramic milling balls

[@Everythingblackpowder]

United nuclear

[@chaecoco2]

So have you given up using brass balls as your milling media?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

No I’ve been using brass for about a year now and I’m really happy with it

[@StevenMMan]

This is an aspect I have no experience at, so I have nothing but questions. One can not complain about the consistancy of the 50 grain load. Do you have a theory as to why the inconsistency of the 70 grain load? Or is this a small sample size compared to overall experience?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

The 70gr charge averaged 1792fps with a max spread of 67 which is very typical of any firearm including muzzleloaders.When you start getting a spread over 100fps it’s an indication of a problem

[@thomasbutcher1925]

That’s great information, thanks. I’m curious, what are you using for your cleaning patches? Looking forward to your next video.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

They are birch wood Casey

[@michal.abramowicz]

Double the speed double the result? So what about 10x times ;) ?

[@jefferydavis5990]

What is your opinion on using glass marbles instead of lead in your black powder mill?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve done it and it works

[@davesherry5384]

Graphite used to glaze the powder gives clean results but black powder is dirty and awlways will be unless you using fake BP.

[@Qwertypp10]

I would try charcoal that was washed with hot water- it would remove all ashes from it.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve experimented with that and the velocities were in the 1300s

[@georgeward4937]

What about using aluminum balls?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Never tried it

[@mattbrown9484]

Can you just use pure carbon powder?

[@wjsj69]

If I didn't know your gun was a flintlock, I'da thought it was a very well-functioning caplock. So fast! Do you make 4F for the pan or same as what you charge with?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Nope. I prime with the same powder I’m charging with

[@wjsj69]

@@Everythingblackpowder Amazing! I guess it should be after all the R&D time you put into it. Love your vids, very informative! If this shortage goes on much longer, I'll be utilizing your processes.

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Glad to hear it. Thank you

[@ESho5656]

You shuold try to make black powder with sodium nitrate and other oxidizers to see which one works the best

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I’ve done it and I have some videos on it

[@hutchdoesstuff]

you ever though about putting it in a dehydrator or baking it in a toaster oven on low to rule out any moisture contamination

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Yes, I put some in a toaster over some years ago and it caught on fire.

[@DenverLoveless]

Dehydrator 3 days after making pucks

[@Bayan1905]

Out of curiosity, what is the flintlock rifle you're shooting in the tests?

[@coreyhoffmann8277]

Great video, where did you get your milling media? I use .490 hardened lead round balls but would love to try the ceramic and see if I can get the same results as you did.

[@Grognarthebarb]

Sling shot ammo. Usually white ceramic balls

[@Everythingblackpowder]

I bought it from United nuclear

[@michaelg4931]

@@Everythingblackpowder I noticed on United Nuclear's webpage for purchasing the ceramic balls that the description specifically states "Since all Ceramic media has the potential to make sparks, it is useful in all applications except for milling explosive powders such as Blackpowder". Did that get added/changed since you bought them?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@michaelg4931 lol maybe. I couldn’t say.

[@pierrejohnson6264]

Good shit bubba. 👍