There were a whole bunch of experiments done by the various militaries back in the 1800's on black powder. The results were that the type of charcoal had the biggest single effect on performance. Softwood charcoal is better than hardwood charcoal, and willow is the best of the softwoods. The best of all was a type of buckthorn that some people call dogwood (but not our dogwood tree). Bone charcoal is almost useless. The charcoal bricketts that everyone thinks of aren't really charcoal at all, and the lump charcoal that is available every summer is usually made from hardwood. So, your suggestion about making your own charcoal is the best approach. And your suggestion about grape vines makes me think it's similar to the buckthorn. Activated charcoal does work, but it's similar to the hardwood charcoal. Nice informative video.
I watched your video several times and took notes. Luckily for me I have a willow tree in my back yard with some dead branches, I trimmed them made some charcoal, went to HarborFreight bought a tumbler and ordered the chemicals from Amazon. I have made 4 batches so far. I have a 1/2 scale cannon and it works very well in it. Thanks for such a well made series of videos.
Regarding charcoal-- most any wood that is good for making bow drill fires should also be good for making charcoal for black powder. The reason certain woods work well for bow drill fires (and why they should also work well for black powder), is because they have a lower ignition temperature. Willow is a good example-- it is great for making bow drill fires AND black powder because it has a low ignition temperature. Other popular woods that are great for bow drill fires are Alder, Aspen, Cottonwood, Poplar, Box Elder Maple (Soft Maple), Cedar (the white sapwood), Juniper, Basswood, Sycamore, Yucca, Elderberry, Big Sage, etc. I would bet that if you tested any of these, they would make premium black powder just like with Willow. In fact, I would love to see you test Yucca (maybe someone could send some to you) because it makes the lowest temperature charcoal and best friction fires known.
@@HoffmanReproductions No worries mate. Yeah, would love to see you get a hold of some Yucca from one of your viewers in the Desert Southwest. That stuff ignites much faster than even the very best charcoal woods. Would be extremely curious to see how it would work as charcoal in black powder. Best, John
@@Shaftley69 Just the dead stalks that are found during the winter. You can turn the whole stalk into charcoal. No need to strip off the outside, etc. The roots are literally full of soap compounds (so much so that they can be used to wash you hair and hands and will leave you clean just like real soap), so they are not as good.
left over dust is the most dangerous part, always remember to clean up your work area and maybe position it somewhere where dust wont collect. almost all major accidents with bp have been because of the dust build up
Very well done. I am super fortunate to have a year round creek in my yard & will finally get around to building a floating paddlewheel tumbler. Will still be able to craft powder if the grid goes off line. Told my wife some time back I would make one to polish rocks etc. Making powder now that none is to be found is all the motivation I need. Carry on.
grounding rod in ground next to the motor. ground the rod to the case of tumbler's motor. tractor tire around tumbler so it can blow up not out in any direction. turn tumbler on or off by plugging in the extension cord not by the switch on the tumbler.
Thats awsome! I live in maine and own flintlocks... ive always thought about making my own powder but never really saw a step by step way to do it..... great video.....
I seem to recall that the grinding, or milling, was done wet. Not damp but very wet. Almost slurry. After grinding the slurry was let to dry then broken up and screened to size. If I can find the reference I will post it here. Good stuff!
I was just thinking, as I dont have a ball mill. Mix everything in a blender with distilled water...dry, granulate, dry. Im patient.... I may try it unless someone yells at me :)
@@HoffmanReproductions Reporting back. Alive :) I put all ingredients, including diy lump charcoal(hemp) into a blender with 2 cups of distilled(dehumidifier)water. 75gkno3, 15g charcoal, 11g sulfur. Put in a blender on high for roughly ten minutes. I put the contents in a mason jar, then into semi-boiling water to steam out the excess(about 2 hours). I screened it towards the end of evaporation and for the first time ever, I got useable flash powder! Partially your fault. Thanks for posting :)
@@HoffmanReproductions FYI I have ball milled my ratio as a slurry with RO water, I think this is very SAFE and zero dust. Let dry and reprocess or corn into granular. AND I feel the mechanics of the mill balls work better?
@@jsmythib Interesting, I always try to utilize hemp whenever I can, have made gun hemp NC, slow match fuse, flash paper disc for reloading primers, ballistic armor and more. What part of the plant would serve best to char? hurds, bast fiber or whole stalk? Thanks. Hemp is on my list to try along with Yucca. I will be hydraulic pressing into discs to dry then grinding and sifting into F, FF, FFF
I asked everything black powder about this but I thought I might also might pick your brain on it as well. I'm reading DeWitt Bailey's book about British military flintlock rifles 1740-1840 and it's talking about when they sent the first shipment of pattern 1776 rifles to America. It states that they sent 90 barrels of "extra fine, double strength, glazed powder" for these rifles. Any ideas on how a guy could make a modern equivalent of this? Thanks Ethan
Howdy 11BangBang! I have also read about different grades of of powder from 18th century manuscripts. I have seen listed cannon, musket & sporting powder to name a few. The double glazed & strength would most likely indicate a higher end grade of powder. I have also come by reference to "Pistol Powder" being used for priming since it was of better quality. My feelings on the powder you were asking about would be the equivalent to our modern made Back Powder in terms of power and quality.
it's an added step (and a PITA) but if you corn your powder by pressing into pucks (use a die or cylinder) with about 10% wetting/binding agent, dry the pucks, then break up into desired granulations, you can get a powder more comparable to Goex (high bulk density). I get 1.6 gm/cc with pucks pressed in a die under about 5K PSI, binder is stale urine mixed with dextrin. tumble coat the powder with a trace of graphite
I use my vibrating tumbler, a pint jar fits in nicely, they rotate like the rotary tumbler inside the hopper. I tape the lids to assure they don't come loose
Black willow (salix nigra) grows along river banks, you see it a lot down interstates on the eastern states from Ontario to Florida, and from Florida to eastern Texas. Used extensively during the American Revolution for BP. Eastern Red Cedar is also a good choice. Alder, Grape Vine, Maple (silver maple is arguably the stronger of the maple family), Plum wood is supposedly one of the top performers. I hear River Berch and Bass wood perform pretty well also. DuPont used Black Willow from 1802 to 1921 - really good for cannons. Goex reportedly uses some sort of Maple blend, but their main customer is the military, so they tend to focus on blasting powder for the majority of their products. Antique muzzleloading propellant is sort of an after thought for them, but they have decent powder. Swiss uses Alder, specifically for muzzleloading and they produce in small "non industrial" size batches, so they have the most consistent, and most expensive powder. Not sure what Schutzen uses, and have not heart much about their performance. I've tested Hickory, Red and White Oak, North American Holly (ilex opaca), Wild Grapevine, Balsa (slow but clean, and very expensive), Davie Poplar, Loblolly Pine, and a few others. They all "work" if you want a muzzleloader to throw a round down range, but the softer woods (more accurately the faster growing woods) tend to work better. Just don't use weird junk, like cardboard, particle board, treated lumber, or anything 'processed'. These have chemical additives to make them useful in their respective industries, and not very good (or healthy) for BP charcoal.
This is awesome, can't wait to see the rest of it. Might try to find a way to save this one in case YT decides to pull some of their idiocy and take it down, lol.
Is it legal to add aluminum powder or titanium powder to black powder? Would that make the powder stronger? If it is legal, how much should you add? Good video, all information, no unnecessary talk.
am curious about your choice for charcoal wood. I'm not an expert but I believe bark is cellulose that has been oxidized. since we are looking for a source of carbon we want cellulose which hasn't been oxidized. I followed your suggestion of using willow which I had. and cleaned off all the bark and sapwood with a drawknife and cut into small chunks. we'll see what happens..he amount of bark from your grapevines may be the cause of your low yield. Be glad to hear your comment. Most of all thanks for your excellent video.to get me started. have some serious pieces of log to split.
On your video you said you do reenactments I am looking to do the same I will try and make black powder but I’m looking for bag molds but can’t seem to find any just wondering if you would have a contact for them thank you
So you don't mill your stuff wet ? I use 99 % isopropyl alcohol. I find it mixes a bit better. The alcohol dissolves the KNO3 and allows for better contact with the charcoal . IT also prevents ignition issues.
the most dangerous part of BP mfg is the polishing and dusting steps. in polishing, you take your dried, corned powder and put it back in your drum (no milling media) and run it for a period of time (1F can be done for about an hour, finer grades are shorter duration accordingly). This breaks off the sharp edges and polishes the grains so they are more stable and consistent. This process generates heat, so care must be taken to not run it too long. then for dusting, shake your powder on a screen that your grains will not pass through, and sift out the dust (this is the most likely time to have an explosion, as the dust will be airborne). Once this is done, you will have powder very similar to all the commercial stuff since the early 1800's.
Don't use glass marbles. Depending on the glass formulation they can spark. Lead must be treated with antimony or it's too soft and can contaminate the end result. Brass is the best method. It cannot spark and is hard enough not to leave any contaminates behind.
No Sir, milling and graining are very different. You need to mill all ingredients to a very fine degree to get them to intermix. If left course, the powder would burn very poorly. The different grains are made after the raw stuff is as fine as can be made.
I have lots of wild muscadine vines and pine trees on my land. Do the vines need to be dried, or can the charcoal be made with green vines/wood? Thanks!
if you mix your ingredients in water, there is no need for a tumbler. I've only recently heard it called the c.i.a method. It's the only way I do it, and it, intimately mixes.
@@HoffmanReproductions Lol okay thought i was missing something. I am new to making my own but from your vids I have made some fast powder. Thank you !!!
@@HoffmanReproductions So, I am doing what your doing as well as many others are doing. I did 8oz in what mill canister. I have tried a quick burn test at 13 hours milling as well as 26 hours. It is slow and see no difference between the two milling time frames. Also the powder seems to be airfloat but I never have it beneath the balls it always seems to be on top or throughout ( Maybe to much at once) Just hoping you could shed some light. Note: The charcoal was made from pine shavings from tractor supply as I always have it around for my quail. I also know that wetting and granulating will increase speed of burn but this stuff is pretty slow in the mill powder state. Thanks in advance.
@@i72locomotive Try drying out the potassium Nitrate & charcoal just before milling by putting them on cookie sheets in an oven set to 200 degrees for 25 minutes. After this, go straight to milling. It's only a simple step but 9 times out of 10, it the cause of slow burn. The reason is, any moisture present in the PN or CC, will not allow the ingredients to mill to a fine enough state. Also, it will increase in speed some after wetting and graining.
If you buy your own ingredients, you can make BP for $3-$5.00 per pound. It typically costs $25-35 per pond to buy store bought. If ordering it by mail, it tacks on $25-$50 in hazmat fee's to buy store bought.
OK I'm confused. I left mine milling for 3 days with .50 cal balls and .44 cal balls in it over 30 balls and my powder was on top and balls on the bottom. Why. It was dark color all through it no white in it from the other ingredients. I'm using cedar charcoal. I would like to try your kits out if you're still doing them. How can I order them from you.
We sell them at www.hoffmanreproductions.com You may have had to much moisture in your charcoal or potassium nitrate. Check out our other vids on the subject. Thanks!
Hey, quick question... Is it possible to mill the ingredients to a fine powder separately and combine them after? Just thinking it might make milling them even safer, but not sure if it would work. Thanks!
For the char coal? If "yes" any sheet metal can will work. Mine is an old popcorn tin from the Dollar Store. Empty metal paint cans can be bought from Lowes or Home Depot that work, they just don't make as much in one batch. They last seemingly a very long time if kept away from water as to not rust out.
@@HoffmanReproductions I need a good bit for the garden. But the stuff I buy local had other stuff added in. I would like the just order one bag for garden and black powder use.
@@HoffmanReproductions yeah, down here we throw Potassium Nitrate on the red clay for the greens, cabbage, lettuce. But the garden center stuff it like 90% pure. I was going to just get one bag this year to make black powder and for the garden. I guess that’s the same type of potassium nitrate your are using right? Or is the garden stuff different?
I should have started this project years ago when it started to get hard to pay shipping or locate locally. Where in the world would colonist have located a binder such as quebracho bark? I can’t even locate it without paying theu the nose in shipping! 😳
The military had a better method that they taught to insurgents that dissolved the KNO3 in alcohol. that was even safer as it was wet up until it was time for corning
I understand the hazard of trying to tumble these ingredients together hence doing this outside but my apartment situation really doesn't make that possible. Could you not get similar results (tumbler) if the ingredients are tumbled separately and then mixed in the correct proportion to make the final mixture? Might be a lot safer for people in my situation. Also, Pyrodex adds potassium perchlorate to make their mixture burn better and perhaps have less fouling residue. Have you considered doing something like that in your powder prep?
Possibly on the tumbling separate, but I have never tried it. So, could not speak to its result. Also, I have never tried changing the mix as I've been very happy with the result. It burns quite well and would say, fouls just a bit less that Goex. Thanks for watching!
The potassium in Pyrodex is part of the reason it sucks..... It's super corrosive and they only use it cause they are making a substitute..... It has no place in real black but by all means try it. Maybe I'm wrong lol I would guess it wouldn't do anything good for real black that already ignites super easy.
@@uriahtatman2407 it is actually the perchlorate in potassium perchlorate that makes the residues corrosive, potassium chloride is formed (salt) and with humidity this leaves a corrosive residue. nitrates are preferred for oxidizer but perchlorate offers more oxygen. the better state of the art substitutes are replacing sulfur and charcoal with fuels that go to gaseous products on ignition, i.e. ascorbic acid, benzoates, cyanamide
Makes me want to get a flintlock rifle just to see if I can make all the components needed to be self sustaining ie cast my own balls as well as powder... thx for the tutorial
So instead of risking your tumbler turning into a pipe bomb, why not simply mill the ingredients separately in a thrift shop grinder and then run them through a fine sieve so that everything is converted to talc, then just mix in two red solo cups taped together or a glass jar by shaking it while watching TV? That would give you extremely fine powder far more quickly and safely. I guess I would also bake the potassium nitrate in the oven for a bit to dry it out before milling since it likes to suck up water from the air - obviously wait for it to cool before mixing. If you have time but not money then you could grind the ingredients in a mortar - make sure to clean between ingredients - and then run through the fine sieve. But that whole rock tumbler thing - you're just adding time and expense to the process and since you place it in a bunker outside to tumble, clearly a real degree of risk.
Hi Sean. Very little risk of the tumbler detonating. It is done outside with the thinking of, you can't be too safe. Ball milling in my experience, yields better quality powder than any other way. The powder once milled, is sensitive to heat, sparks and even static electricity from our bodies. Hand mixing in the talcum state, would make me very nervous. You are right about drying the PN. In Part 3, I talk about that and the charcoal as well which can really hold the moisture if not used quickly after charring. Thanks for watching!
@@HoffmanReproductions well he did only stir it and he was not that smart but your way is a lot smarter and easier then the other way I saw it done. The guy in the video I saw boiled his mix.
Have you heard of anybody using straw to make their charcoal. I ran across a video a few days ago of somebody using straw. But I can remember where I saw it. But it got me to think (oh crap) Has anybody tried cardboard or paper to make their charcoal. Paper and cardboard are made from wood. I think I'm going to try it with the paper and cardboard. I will also try with the straw later. If it works out I will post yes or no. Matter of fact I'm going to try the paper/cardboard and also some pine cones this evening.
@@HoffmanReproductions Sorry about the late reply. I finely got the powder made using cardboard to make the charcoal. Well I have it pucked, got to let it dry then grind it and sieve it. I did light some of it while it was still damp. I think it will be the fastest powder I have made. I will be making some from the Pine cone charcoal next. Just to see how it works out. I will let you know how it goes also. I have been using grapevine, and cedar shavings and gotten some decent powder from them also.
safety tip, keep it moist and you are good! till it is dry! And "I" would never dream of putting all 3 ingredients at the "correct" ratio into a tumbler? Ohers I have watched do. KNO3 is readily hydroscopic and easily becomes solution in water, I will ad this last or bring my KNO3 up to about 300 deg dry and mix/melt in my sulfur at it's melting temp is about 240 deg? But Darn yours is FAST! Thank YOU SIR! Keep those things SMOKING! Love History. FYI KNO3 at about 600 deg/ liquid form works great to blue your guns or parts too!
Thanks for sharing Dave! I know it makes some Guys uncomfortable, but I do ball mill all the ingredients together. It is done in small batches with the mill set in a very safe location just in case of a detonation. In my own experience, it has been the only way I have found to produce very powerful fast powder. I believe it is due to the mill not only breaking down the chemicals to a molecular level, but combing them together as well which seems to be one of the keys.
@@HoffmanReproductions well I must ADMIT I am running my ball mill right NOW with all ingredients well away from anything But my Chickens, but still not to close. I just keep failing with my safer way, and yours IS SO FAST!
Hey Tom, not sure if anyone will respond, but I have heard back from many guys that have tried this and yes, working very good for them if done correctly.
Yep this method works except that tiny ball mill would only make enough for my mountain howitzer to go poof. I do add aluminum dust to make a lot of smoke. No boom no smoke no fun
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I use willow that grows along the river bottom, makes great charcoal
There were a whole bunch of experiments done by the various militaries back in the 1800's on black powder. The results were that the type of charcoal had the biggest single effect on performance. Softwood charcoal is better than hardwood charcoal, and willow is the best of the softwoods. The best of all was a type of buckthorn that some people call dogwood (but not our dogwood tree). Bone charcoal is almost useless. The charcoal bricketts that everyone thinks of aren't really charcoal at all, and the lump charcoal that is available every summer is usually made from hardwood.
So, your suggestion about making your own charcoal is the best approach. And your suggestion about grape vines makes me think it's similar to the buckthorn. Activated charcoal does work, but it's similar to the hardwood charcoal.
Nice informative video.
Thank ya Kirk! For sure, charcoal makes a huge difference in performance. I've been using Silver Maple as of late. Best stuff I've tried thus far.
Willow is a hardwood it may be a soft but technically a hardwood
I watched your video several times and took notes. Luckily for me I have a willow tree in my back yard with some dead branches, I trimmed them made some charcoal, went to HarborFreight bought a tumbler and ordered the chemicals from Amazon. I have made 4 batches so far. I have a 1/2 scale cannon and it works very well in it.
Thanks for such a well made series of videos.
Hey that is great! Thank you!
Regarding charcoal-- most any wood that is good for making bow drill fires should also be good for making charcoal for black powder. The reason certain woods work well for bow drill fires (and why they should also work well for black powder), is because they have a lower ignition temperature. Willow is a good example-- it is great for making bow drill fires AND black powder because it has a low ignition temperature. Other popular woods that are great for bow drill fires are Alder, Aspen, Cottonwood, Poplar, Box Elder Maple (Soft Maple), Cedar (the white sapwood), Juniper, Basswood, Sycamore, Yucca, Elderberry, Big Sage, etc. I would bet that if you tested any of these, they would make premium black powder just like with Willow. In fact, I would love to see you test Yucca (maybe someone could send some to you) because it makes the lowest temperature charcoal and best friction fires known.
Thank you for sharing! Sure, would be happy to test that. Sorry for the delay! Just found this post.
@@HoffmanReproductions No worries mate. Yeah, would love to see you get a hold of some Yucca from one of your viewers in the Desert Southwest. That stuff ignites much faster than even the very best charcoal woods. Would be extremely curious to see how it would work as charcoal in black powder. Best, John
@@JohnB-dr8sk what part of the yucca, the root? With or without the fibrous bark like coating on the root?
@@Shaftley69 Just the dead stalks that are found during the winter. You can turn the whole stalk into charcoal. No need to strip off the outside, etc. The roots are literally full of soap compounds (so much so that they can be used to wash you hair and hands and will leave you clean just like real soap), so they are not as good.
left over dust is the most dangerous part, always remember to clean up your work area and maybe position it somewhere where dust wont collect. almost all major accidents with bp have been because of the dust build up
What a useful and entertaining video. I also appreciate the Bible verse at the end, thank you.
Thank you Sir!
Bass wood, and balsa wood work really good.. These two woods will make air float charcoal...
Very well done. I am super fortunate to have a year round creek in my yard & will finally get around to building a floating paddlewheel tumbler. Will still be able to craft powder if the grid goes off line. Told my wife some time back I would make one to polish rocks etc. Making powder now that none is to be found is all the motivation I need. Carry on.
Thank you! Hey, sounds like your all set!
This is by far the best video I have seen on this topic!
Most kind of you! Thank you Jack!
grounding rod in ground next to the motor. ground the rod to the case of tumbler's motor. tractor tire around tumbler so it can blow up not out in any direction. turn tumbler on or off by plugging in the extension cord not by the switch on the tumbler.
Thats awsome! I live in maine and own flintlocks... ive always thought about making my own powder but never really saw a step by step way to do it..... great video.....
Thank you! Check out our other vids on the subject. Lots of new information on them regarding powder making. Thanks again!
Excellent demonstration, especially as of late.. great info for us enthusiasts. Thank you
Your most welcome. Thank you! Part 2 is about done.
Excellent.
I seem to recall that the grinding, or milling, was done wet. Not damp but very wet. Almost slurry. After grinding the slurry was let to dry then broken up and screened to size. If I can find the reference I will post it here. Good stuff!
I was just thinking, as I dont have a ball mill. Mix everything in a blender with distilled water...dry, granulate, dry. Im patient.... I may try it unless someone yells at me :)
Never tried it that way Sir. Just be carful!
@@HoffmanReproductions Reporting back. Alive :) I put all ingredients, including diy lump charcoal(hemp) into a blender with 2 cups of distilled(dehumidifier)water. 75gkno3, 15g charcoal, 11g sulfur. Put in a blender on high for roughly ten minutes. I put the contents in a mason jar, then into semi-boiling water to steam out the excess(about 2 hours). I screened it towards the end of evaporation and for the first time ever, I got useable flash powder! Partially your fault. Thanks for posting :)
@@HoffmanReproductions
FYI I have ball milled my ratio as a slurry with RO water, I think this is very SAFE and zero dust. Let dry and reprocess or corn into granular. AND I feel the mechanics of the mill balls work better?
@@jsmythib Interesting, I always try to utilize hemp whenever I can, have made gun hemp NC, slow match fuse, flash paper disc for reloading primers, ballistic armor and more. What part of the plant would serve best to char? hurds, bast fiber or whole stalk? Thanks.
Hemp is on my list to try along with Yucca. I will be hydraulic pressing into discs to dry then grinding and sifting into F, FF, FFF
I asked everything black powder about this but I thought I might also might pick your brain on it as well.
I'm reading DeWitt Bailey's book about British military flintlock rifles 1740-1840 and it's talking about when they sent the first shipment of pattern 1776 rifles to America. It states that they sent 90 barrels of "extra fine, double strength, glazed powder" for these rifles. Any ideas on how a guy could make a modern equivalent of this?
Thanks
Ethan
Howdy 11BangBang! I have also read about different grades of of powder from 18th century manuscripts. I have seen listed cannon, musket & sporting powder to name a few. The double glazed & strength would most likely indicate a higher end grade of powder. I have also come by reference to "Pistol Powder" being used for priming since it was of better quality. My feelings on the powder you were asking about would be the equivalent to our modern made Back Powder in terms of power and quality.
Excellent video, thank you.
Glad you liked it!
it's an added step (and a PITA) but if you corn your powder by pressing into pucks (use a die or cylinder) with about 10% wetting/binding agent, dry the pucks, then break up into desired granulations, you can get a powder more comparable to Goex (high bulk density). I get 1.6 gm/cc with pucks pressed in a die under about 5K PSI, binder is stale urine mixed with dextrin. tumble coat the powder with a trace of graphite
I have been a black powder shooter for 65 years this man knows what he is doing thank you and God bless you
I use my vibrating tumbler, a pint jar fits in nicely, they rotate like the rotary tumbler inside the hopper. I tape the lids to assure they don't come loose
Thank you for another great video. Looking forward to part 2.
Thank you! Part 2 should be ready soon!
Cool.
Just found your channel and a fan. Hope to start my own historical vlog one day soon. Always great information.
Thank you!
Black willow (salix nigra) grows along river banks, you see it a lot down interstates on the eastern states from Ontario to Florida, and from Florida to eastern Texas. Used extensively during the American Revolution for BP. Eastern Red Cedar is also a good choice. Alder, Grape Vine, Maple (silver maple is arguably the stronger of the maple family), Plum wood is supposedly one of the top performers. I hear River Berch and Bass wood perform pretty well also.
DuPont used Black Willow from 1802 to 1921 - really good for cannons. Goex reportedly uses some sort of Maple blend, but their main customer is the military, so they tend to focus on blasting powder for the majority of their products. Antique muzzleloading propellant is sort of an after thought for them, but they have decent powder. Swiss uses Alder, specifically for muzzleloading and they produce in small "non industrial" size batches, so they have the most consistent, and most expensive powder. Not sure what Schutzen uses, and have not heart much about their performance.
I've tested Hickory, Red and White Oak, North American Holly (ilex opaca), Wild Grapevine, Balsa (slow but clean, and very expensive), Davie Poplar, Loblolly Pine, and a few others. They all "work" if you want a muzzleloader to throw a round down range, but the softer woods (more accurately the faster growing woods) tend to work better. Just don't use weird junk, like cardboard, particle board, treated lumber, or anything 'processed'. These have chemical additives to make them useful in their respective industries, and not very good (or healthy) for BP charcoal.
For anyone afraid to KNO3 or Potassium Nitrate , if you eat bacon chances are you've ate KNO3. it also makes a good food preservative .
This is awesome, can't wait to see the rest of it. Might try to find a way to save this one in case YT decides to pull some of their idiocy and take it down, lol.
Thank you! Part 2 should be done in a few days.
Add water to the milling process.
Have never been able to get it to work well if water is added I'm afraid.
@@HoffmanReproductionsif you want willow i have hole tree come get you can have it
Good video. I live in a humid area. Would I need to wait until the humidity is down outside?
Can I just use glass marbles instead of lead balls because in my place these lead balls are hard to find. Thank you for the good video
Marbles do work but take triple the amount of time to mill due to their weight.
Cottonell comfort toilet paper works very well for charcoal
Absolutely 💯 correct safty first before you get yourself hurt.😳👍
Yes, safety is very important for sure.
Thank you for these, love your channel.
Thank you Sir!
Is it legal to add aluminum powder or titanium powder to black powder? Would that make the powder stronger? If it is legal, how much should you add? Good video, all information, no unnecessary talk.
Not sure on that one. I am now using buckthorn alder charcoal which makes for much more powerful powder that my previously made stuff.
Titanium would give you dragon’s breath rounds, awesome idea,
the Poinciana tree growes in my back yard, and it is great for black powder, try it.
Thanks! I'm sure it would work.
Awesome video man!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Walmart sells RED OAK charcoal super cheap. Yes its a hard wood but sure works in a pinch.
am curious about your choice for charcoal wood. I'm not an expert but I believe bark is cellulose that has been oxidized. since we are looking for a source of carbon we want cellulose which hasn't been oxidized. I followed your suggestion of using willow which I had. and cleaned off all the bark and sapwood with a drawknife and cut into small chunks. we'll see what happens..he amount of bark from your grapevines may be the cause of your low yield. Be glad to hear your comment. Most of all thanks for your excellent video.to get me started. have some serious pieces of log to split.
Very true. I strip off all bark on any wood now. Buckthorn Alder is what I use now. Thanks for watching!
On your video you said you do reenactments I am looking to do the same I will try and make black powder but I’m looking for bag molds but can’t seem to find any just wondering if you would have a contact for them thank you
Try this Fella out. callahanbagmolds.com/
Paulownia or eastern red cedar makes also great charcoal for blackpowder
So you don't mill your stuff wet ? I use 99 % isopropyl alcohol. I find it mixes a bit better. The alcohol dissolves the KNO3 and allows for better contact with the charcoal . IT also prevents ignition issues.
Great Video
Thank you!
Great video. Where do you get the grapevine???
the most dangerous part of BP mfg is the polishing and dusting steps. in polishing, you take your dried, corned powder and put it back in your drum (no milling media) and run it for a period of time (1F can be done for about an hour, finer grades are shorter duration accordingly). This breaks off the sharp edges and polishes the grains so they are more stable and consistent. This process generates heat, so care must be taken to not run it too long. then for dusting, shake your powder on a screen that your grains will not pass through, and sift out the dust (this is the most likely time to have an explosion, as the dust will be airborne). Once this is done, you will have powder very similar to all the commercial stuff since the early 1800's.
Thanks for sharing!
Verry informative! I like this lesson.I will do it .Safety first.David Back.
Glad you enjoyed it! Part 2 is in the works.
Why are using the quebracho bark? As a binder? It does not seem to contain any significant resin or gum when extracted in alcohol or water.
All I know is that it makes grains that are more durable for me.
When people used BP? there were extreme ranges in quality... it sorta kinda was all useable.
Don't use glass marbles. Depending on the glass formulation they can spark. Lead must be treated with antimony or it's too soft and can contaminate the end result. Brass is the best method. It cannot spark and is hard enough not to leave any contaminates behind.
First off, I love your videos, very entertaining. Secondly, is the red gum necessary, or can I just use the three main ingredients alone? Thanks!
Thank you! You can make it with out and works good. I just find it hardens a bit better with it added.
Could I use small river rocks in the ball mill?
Not sure. Never tried it.
I wonder if Cinnamon as the binder?
Not sure.
Turns out that toilet paper works really well for charcoal!
Very true!
Thiis is badass i love shooting black powder Revolvers!!!
Thank you!
Would you not get various grades from various tumbling times? 3f, 4f 2f. It seems like the consistency you describe is 4f.
No Sir, milling and graining are very different. You need to mill all ingredients to a very fine degree to get them to intermix. If left course, the powder would burn very poorly. The different grains are made after the raw stuff is as fine as can be made.
I pulled a load from an old southern rifle and the powder resembled corse brown sugar........took it outside and it flashed very well.
Very cool! Hard to say how it was made years ago. Even so, the old boys had it figured out.
True ❤️👋👏💪
Really need to put this in a safe place so we will always have it.
Can water be added to the mix while tumbling? So it could be done safely indoors. and dryed after.
I do not believe they would mill properly if ground wet in a mill. Have never tried it myself.
I’ve seen some say get the double drum mill vs the single but use just one drum. Is it really that Important?
Not sure. 2 drum might have a slightly more powerful motor which could be good.
I have lots of wild muscadine vines and pine trees on my land. Do the vines need to be dried, or can the charcoal be made with green vines/wood? Thanks!
Yes Chris, make sure it is fully dry. 3-8 months
What is the bark you add to you powder
Quebracho bark.
Has anyone used coconut charcoal? And if so, results?
if you mix your ingredients in water, there is no need for a tumbler. I've only recently heard it called the c.i.a method. It's the only way I do it, and it, intimately mixes.
actually, I still mill the charcoal and sulfur.
Thanks for sharing Colin!
I made my own black powder 40 years ago to make smoke bombs and fireworks, from chemicals from hobby shops and potassium nitrate from drugstores.
When I was a kid we used to smoke grape vines.😃
DO YOU BY VOLUME OR WEIGHT?
For measuring ingredients, by weight.
Great videos but how are you getting several pounds of powder out of one 16oz bottle of spec ?
With skill lol! To be fair, 16 oz of potassium nitrate would yield about 1 1/2 lbs of finished powder. Mis- spoke on that one. Thanks for watching.
@@HoffmanReproductions Lol okay thought i was missing something. I am new to making my own but from your vids I have made some fast powder. Thank you !!!
@@i72locomotive Wonderful! Thank you!
@@HoffmanReproductions So, I am doing what your doing as well as many others are doing. I did 8oz in what mill canister. I have tried a quick burn test at 13 hours milling as well as 26 hours. It is slow and see no difference between the two milling time frames. Also the powder seems to be airfloat but I never have it beneath the balls it always seems to be on top or throughout ( Maybe to much at once) Just hoping you could shed some light. Note: The charcoal was made from pine shavings from tractor supply as I always have it around for my quail. I also know that wetting and granulating will increase speed of burn but this stuff is pretty slow in the mill powder state. Thanks in advance.
@@i72locomotive Try drying out the potassium Nitrate & charcoal just before milling by putting them on cookie sheets in an oven set to 200 degrees for 25 minutes. After this, go straight to milling. It's only a simple step but 9 times out of 10, it the cause of slow burn. The reason is, any moisture present in the PN or CC, will not allow the ingredients to mill to a fine enough state. Also, it will increase in speed some after wetting and graining.
Out of curiosity can the wood be from somewhere like Home Depot? Or one of the fireplace logs you buy at the gas station?
Hey Lee, pine or cedar would work just fine from there. Not sure about the fire wood. Would depend on what type it is.
Is it cheaper to buy black powder than makeing it jw?
If you buy your own ingredients, you can make BP for $3-$5.00 per pound. It typically costs $25-35 per pond to buy store bought. If ordering it by mail, it tacks on $25-$50 in hazmat fee's to buy store bought.
Homemade is much cheaper but also much more work to do
Excellent video thank you buddy but now we’re all on some list somewhere 🙄🖖🏼❤️🇺🇸
Thank you and your most welcome! Pretty sure I've been on a "list" for a while now lol!
Great video and by your description we can’t be more than 10 minutes from each other. I’m over by Flint Ridge
Cool! Was just over there with the Wife and Kids last month. Nope, not far from us at all. Thanks a bunch!
I'm only about an hour or so away from there. Wish we had that quantity of Flint over this way I've been wanting to try making my own flints.
WHEN YOU MAKE A FIRE WITH A BOW DRILL YOU USE MULLIN,....WOULD THAT MAKE A FAST BURNING POWDER?
AND CAN YOU USE CAYAN PEPPER AS A BINDER.
Not sure. Never tried it.
Thank you sir
I have sodium nitrate?? What the best Kno3 or sodium nitrate
I use Kno3 better known as, potassium nitrate. Thank you!
@@HoffmanReproductions
H to convert sodium nitrate to potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate not in my Country
Not sure what you could use then as I have only ever tries Potassium Nitrate.
Thank you so mach
If you place the cup on the scale and it goes to zero, it is already zeroed out, so there is no need to push the button to zero it out again.
Sometimes that scale does not zero out on its own. I always re-set it out of habit.
😂 🙌 I’m just trying to make gun powder for my flintlock lol
Is this powder suitable for model canons? Thanks.
Yep! Would work just fine.
@@HoffmanReproductions
Great, thanks.
Not sure how we’ll do this if the grid goes down
Stock up before it goes down. 🙂
OK I'm confused. I left mine milling for 3 days with .50 cal balls and .44 cal balls in it over 30 balls and my powder was on top and balls on the bottom. Why. It was dark color all through it no white in it from the other ingredients. I'm using cedar charcoal. I would like to try your kits out if you're still doing them. How can I order them from you.
We sell them at www.hoffmanreproductions.com You may have had to much moisture in your charcoal or potassium nitrate. Check out our other vids on the subject. Thanks!
Hey, quick question... Is it possible to mill the ingredients to a fine powder separately and combine them after? Just thinking it might make milling them even safer, but not sure if it would work. Thanks!
I know some guys have tried that, but it is not something I could speak to myself.
Where did you get your cooking can and how long will it last before you need to replace it? I'm looking online and there isn't a lot of options.
For the char coal? If "yes" any sheet metal can will work. Mine is an old popcorn tin from the Dollar Store. Empty metal paint cans can be bought from Lowes or Home Depot that work, they just don't make as much in one batch. They last seemingly a very long time if kept away from water as to not rust out.
What website do you order from. I’d like to get a 50lbs bag for black powder use.
50 lbs of ???
@@HoffmanReproductions I need a good bit for the garden. But the stuff I buy local had other stuff added in. I would like the just order one bag for garden and black powder use.
@@johnauberry1500 Potassium Nitrate?
@@HoffmanReproductions yeah, down here we throw Potassium Nitrate on the red clay for the greens, cabbage, lettuce. But the garden center stuff it like 90% pure. I was going to just get one bag this year to make black powder and for the garden. I guess that’s the same type of potassium nitrate your are using right? Or is the garden stuff different?
@@johnauberry1500 Not sure is its the same or not. I buy mine from a place called the seed barn out of Florida. They sell small or big bags.
I should have started this project years ago when it started to get hard to pay shipping or locate locally. Where in the world would colonist have located a binder such as quebracho bark? I can’t even locate it without paying theu the nose in shipping! 😳
It was just one of many things that can act as a binder. Lots of folks sell it on etsy and shipping rates are very reasonable.
@@HoffmanReproductions Apparently, Not. $43 with shipping
The military had a better method that they taught to insurgents that dissolved the KNO3 in alcohol. that was even safer as it was wet up until it was time for corning
Grape vine charcoal? So like from literal wild concord grape vines?
The larger wild type is what I used for this video.
I understand the hazard of trying to tumble these ingredients together hence doing this outside but my apartment situation really doesn't make that possible. Could you not get similar results (tumbler) if the ingredients are tumbled separately and then mixed in the correct proportion to make the final mixture? Might be a lot safer for people in my situation. Also, Pyrodex adds potassium perchlorate to make their mixture burn better and perhaps have less fouling residue. Have you considered doing something like that in your powder prep?
Possibly on the tumbling separate, but I have never tried it. So, could not speak to its result. Also, I have never tried changing the mix as I've been very happy with the result. It burns quite well and would say, fouls just a bit less that Goex. Thanks for watching!
The potassium in Pyrodex is part of the reason it sucks..... It's super corrosive and they only use it cause they are making a substitute..... It has no place in real black but by all means try it. Maybe I'm wrong lol I would guess it wouldn't do anything good for real black that already ignites super easy.
@@uriahtatman2407 it is actually the perchlorate in potassium perchlorate that makes the residues corrosive, potassium chloride is formed (salt) and with humidity this leaves a corrosive residue. nitrates are preferred for oxidizer but perchlorate offers more oxygen. the better state of the art substitutes are replacing sulfur and charcoal with fuels that go to gaseous products on ignition, i.e. ascorbic acid, benzoates, cyanamide
Buddy do u eve= make any too sell I'm in Pennsylvania I would cone buy it
Just the chemical kits Sir. Illegal for me to sell the finished BP. Kits can be seen and purchased on our website at hoffmanreproductions.com
Can't locate the name of any spelling of what I thought you pronounced "quay bracho bark" what is it?
Quebracho bark. It can be found on Etsy. Used to help make the powder grains more durable.
Makes me want to get a flintlock rifle just to see if I can make all the components needed to be self sustaining ie cast my own balls as well as powder... thx for the tutorial
Your most welcome and thank you for watching!
That the American way! 😊
Dear god all the wineries round me i think i can get grapevine 😅
I heard old mountain men would just lay the ball in palm and sprinkle powder over it till covered to measure it
I've heard that as well. Just makes me a bit nervous not knowing what the charge would be doing it that way.
I saw a cheap concrete mixer truck…will that work? 🤣😂😜
So instead of risking your tumbler turning into a pipe bomb, why not simply mill the ingredients separately in a thrift shop grinder and then run them through a fine sieve so that everything is converted to talc, then just mix in two red solo cups taped together or a glass jar by shaking it while watching TV?
That would give you extremely fine powder far more quickly and safely.
I guess I would also bake the potassium nitrate in the oven for a bit to dry it out before milling since it likes to suck up water from the air - obviously wait for it to cool before mixing.
If you have time but not money then you could grind the ingredients in a mortar - make sure to clean between ingredients - and then run through the fine sieve.
But that whole rock tumbler thing - you're just adding time and expense to the process and since you place it in a bunker outside to tumble, clearly a real degree of risk.
Hi Sean. Very little risk of the tumbler detonating. It is done outside with the thinking of, you can't be too safe. Ball milling in my experience, yields better quality powder than any other way. The powder once milled, is sensitive to heat, sparks and even static electricity from our bodies. Hand mixing in the talcum state, would make me very nervous. You are right about drying the PN. In Part 3, I talk about that and the charcoal as well which can really hold the moisture if not used quickly after charring. Thanks for watching!
This reminds me of my youthful days. Let's just say my process wasn't quite as safety cautious as your method.
Oh my!
I had a friend who tried to make BP and all he did was make a flare he had no idea what he was doing
I must admit, that is what mine did till I learned the correct way of making.
@@HoffmanReproductions well he did only stir it and he was not that smart but your way is a lot smarter and easier then the other way I saw it done. The guy in the video I saw boiled his mix.
I think I may have enough 3f to last me
Have you heard of anybody using straw to make their charcoal. I ran across a video a few days ago of somebody using straw. But I can remember where I saw it. But it got me to think (oh crap) Has anybody tried cardboard or paper to make their charcoal. Paper and cardboard are made from wood. I think I'm going to try it with the paper and cardboard. I will also try with the straw later. If it works out I will post yes or no. Matter of fact I'm going to try the paper/cardboard and also some pine cones this evening.
Have not tried it but might be worth a go. I would would tend to think it would be very dirty burning but who knows.
@@HoffmanReproductions Sorry about the late reply. I finely got the powder made using cardboard to make the charcoal. Well I have it pucked, got to let it dry then grind it and sieve it. I did light some of it while it was still damp. I think it will be the fastest powder I have made. I will be making some from the Pine cone charcoal next. Just to see how it works out. I will let you know how it goes also.
I have been using grapevine, and cedar shavings and gotten some decent powder from them also.
@@leonardwilson980 Sounds great! Good work and thanks for sharing!
safety tip, keep it moist and you are good! till it is dry! And "I" would never dream of putting all 3 ingredients at the "correct" ratio into a tumbler?
Ohers I have watched do. KNO3 is readily hydroscopic and easily becomes solution in water, I will ad this last or bring my KNO3 up to about 300 deg dry and mix/melt in my sulfur at it's melting temp is about 240 deg? But Darn yours is FAST! Thank YOU SIR! Keep those things SMOKING! Love History.
FYI KNO3 at about 600 deg/ liquid form works great to blue your guns or parts too!
Thanks for sharing Dave! I know it makes some Guys uncomfortable, but I do ball mill all the ingredients together. It is done in small batches with the mill set in a very safe location just in case of a detonation. In my own experience, it has been the only way I have found to produce very powerful fast powder. I believe it is due to the mill not only breaking down the chemicals to a molecular level, but combing them together as well which seems to be one of the keys.
@@HoffmanReproductions well I must ADMIT I am running my ball mill right NOW with all ingredients well away from anything But my Chickens, but still not to close.
I just keep failing with my safer way, and yours IS SO FAST!
Have you ever heard about milking it wet with urine, alcohol, or water?
I do mix it with water and alcohol in Part 2. Not sure about a processes called "milking" though.
Is it cheaper to buy black powder than makeing it jw
After tooling up, it is far less costly to make your own.
Black powder should not burn slow it would light instantly.
If made properly, yes should be like lighting.
try ash
Has anybody tried this and been successful ?
Hey Tom, not sure if anyone will respond, but I have heard back from many guys that have tried this and yes, working very good for them if done correctly.
Yep this method works except that tiny ball mill would only make enough for my mountain howitzer to go poof. I do add aluminum dust to make a lot of smoke. No boom no smoke no fun
Borracho Bark? Spelling please.
Quebracho Bark. You can find it on Esty or from tannery supply stores.
If you want willow i have a hole tree come get