Who makes their own BP?.

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Tyockell18

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I'd like to make some homemade Black powder, the Goex is nice but expensive. If I can make some of my own, it would be prefered.

Of course the question is, where to find Saltpeter?. Anyone have a source for good quality ingredients?.
 
there was an issue of backwoodsman magazine a few years ago that addressed this issue. right down to using chicken manure from the hen house for the nitrogen content. cant find it right now, but as soon as i come accross it in the moving boxes ill try to post it.
 
The rule proscribing "manufacture or use of flammable or explosive substances" pretty much covers it.
 
A lot cheaper and safer just to go out and buy a canof powder instead of fooling around trying to make some.There is a lot of work to it and in this age of terrorism not a wise thing going around asking how to do it
 
An when its done wrong...I guess the BIG BANG THEORY will come into play..let us know how it feels...








if you have any arms or hands left to type with...
 
they tried making their own BP on mythbusters a while ago,they could not get much "explosive" power out of the stuff they made. seems there is more to it than mixing three ingredients and igniting
 
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we used to do it back when you could get saltpetre without a prescription- the charcoal came from the barbeque, and the sulphur off the train tracks- it was before the days of liquid sulphur, when they put the stuff in gondolas, in rock form- relax, i'm not going to give ratios or porportions, but let's just say the "mythbusters" got the ratios wrong- WAY WRONG- the proper ratios used to be in every chemistry book- beleive me, it does a LOT more than fizzle and spit when it's mixed properly- used to add different chemicals to colour the smoke , too
 
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Unless you are using a Cannon with a 6 pound ball and a three pound charge, then it really is more economical to buy what you need.

While Black Powder, (also Red Powder and White Powder) can be made, unless you are quite familiar with the process, it is not something to be piddling around with. If you have to ask the question on how to make it, this includes you!

It is also a process that can take days, and it's not like whipping up a batch of stuff in the kitchen. Then you really have to test it, using the proper method or equipment to see what you have, the burning rate, etc.

Quality control is also a factor, along with safety conditions. If you screw up, you can exit by the large hole that suddenly appears in the roof of your house.

Commercial Black Powder is granulated for size, and has a fairly consistent burning rate, and has been tested for loads and charges. You can find information for loads for various calibres in many reloading books, but with an unknown powder of an unknown burning rate, then you are asking for trouble.

If you think Black Powder is expensive, what value do you attach to parts of your body? Too many things can go wrong if you screw up.
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Tyockell18 said:
I'd like to make some homemade Black powder, the Goex is nice but expensive. If I can make some of my own, it would be prefered.

Of course the question is, where to find Saltpeter?. Anyone have a source for good quality ingredients?.
Click to expand...

Hasn't been much of a demand for saltpetre, since the priests stop using it. :evil:
 
I recall another article in Backwoodsman titled "Grandma's Black Powder". No kidding. Apparently the authors grand mother made it in her kitchen! Hopefully no Alzheimer's here! Imagine the result of the wrong ingredient going into an apple pie... Anyway the government frowns upon the discussion of this matter and has gone to great lengths to make potassium nitrate a difficult substance to a quire. There was a product used to rot stumps that had the substance in it but it has been removed from the shelves. My understanding is that the charcoal for this purpose should be made from willow trees as the result of barbecue charcoal only gives the pffft effect. I am not sure what you are paying for your black powder. Maybe talk to your local black powder shooters and they can help you find a cheaper (and MUCH safer) source of supply!

Cheers. Steve.
 
Alright well I guess that sums that one up, didn't realize it was such a touchy subject since you can just go buy it in a can and all?...

It's nice to know that we live in a country where we are not even alowed to have basic ingredients to make the worlds oldest gun powder, or to remove stumps..?. Ah well tis life I guess. Looks like I'm sticking to Goex.

Thanks anyway, everyone. MODS, lock the thread down please and sorry for asking.
 
I have to ask!

where in the Law is it stated, that making Black-powder for personal use is illegal?

Although Black-powder is a low-order explosive, when used in a firearm it is a propellant.

Using Black-powder to manufacture an explosive device is illegal.

As the legalities go.
I see little difference between hand-loading using smokeless powder, and hand-loading using home-made Black-powder.

And yes, making Black-powder CAN be dangerous!

mooncoon said:
I would remind posters to this thread, that instructing people on how to make explosives is against the rules on gunnutz

cheers mooncoon
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It's really no big secret, just google it. The problem is probably where to buy the stuff. Then the legality to mix it. Probably legal for science projects but I am pretty sure you even need a permit for that these days. Saltpeter is also used for meat processing.
 
and there's an acceptable substitute in ice clearing crystals- the stuff you spread on your driveway/sidewalk in the winter - you just have to know the chemical name for it
a lot of the sulphur is transported in tank cars these days, but if one has a mind to, these problems are still not insurmountable- and you can get sublimed sulphur at a pharmacy otc
 
I hope people know that commercial black powder is made in buildings with virtually no walls even so that nothing contains the blast. I have to shake my head when people say they made it in the house or the garage. One guy was using metal bowls and utensils even.
 
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