Making your own black powder

Wow, there sure is a lot of varied speculation about the dangers of BP... Lucky I ever survived my teen years, if everything said is true. Though I can't figure how I never really encountered any of the "go's boom by itself", impact, spark, etc problems. Can't count the number of times and ways I played with the stuff growing up--whether trying to make rocket motors, blow up gopher holes with pipe bombs, whatever.

If you can get the ingredients (potasium nitrate and sulpher aren't found in the local pharmacy these days).

I ground everything together using grain alcohol (that would be my grand-dad's white lightening---moonshine) and a pestol & mortar. Once it was all blended, I'd pack it into a ball (consistancy of damp clay), and grate it on a window screen. The small grains that fell through dried quickly, the high-proof alcohol evaporated without leaving much for impurities, and the grain size was relatively consistant. Never had a problem making the stuff. Had a few problems testing it...AKA the neighbors getting a little upset at their windows rattling... But making it? It's easier than baking a cake... I never could get one of those to turn out.
 
Rangefinder,

How can you go against all these self professed experts? They know if you sneeze it will go "BOOM".

They know if you get up from the armchair too quick, you will be static charged, approach the mix, go "BOOM".

They know that you don't need to press or dry the cake, because a site I posted months ago says he grates it as a wet block, and dries it after.

They know that the "ball mill" is the best way in the world to make BP, though the BP makers do not use ball mills, they use large stone wheel rolling mills to mix the slurry, and to get the sulphur to incorporate into the mix. It is not easy, the powders are superfine, they do not want to absorb water, and incorporate.

They go to Ulritch Bretschlers page and decide that that is the way to make BP, although Ulritch says his powder, being not compressed, as the mfgs is, it will take twice as much volume to make an equal weight. It is fluffy, uncompressed, many light flakes. It is good, if you can compress it into your chambers.

It does NOT go "BANG" at a sneeze. It will NOT blow up if you do not ground yourself. It will not detonate if the weather man says a storm might be approaching.

The IDIOT who says it is possible to ignite it even if it is wet is as asinine as anybody I have ever heard of. Wonder if he could be an ATF man who is trying to deter you from such an Un-American acdtivity as making a compound that they, in all their wisdom, have determined to be an "explosivee".

OT, but, the US Gov wants to detonate some 700 tons of ANFO, or maybe it was 700,000 tons. The Gov says it's non-nuclear, the Indian tribes say that it is being detonated on ground that has been irradiated by former nuclear tests, regardless, the dusts will contAin radioactive materials. Wierd idea, but where might the ANFO be used next to justify the loss of liberties we have now?

Cheers,

George
 
George, I'll agree with you to a point......where I stated about you sneeze and it'll go off was a tad overboard but I was just trying to make an analogy....I've been dealing with the holy black for quite sometime and I've never had a "boom" either, but what my point was is why dabble with something that could potentially F you up..........buy the stuff already made, keep the ATF outta yer business and have fun shootin with this stuff........here n AZ static is everywhere and my relaoding area has ground rods and wires all over the place,JUST IN CASE...........while i agree the actual manufacturing is relatively simple(to those who can follow instructions),you gotta remember how many knuckleheads there are out there that have few teeth, low IQ, and just plain aint too smart to dabble in this.......You gotta remember, half the folk on here were Marine Corp snipers in Vietnam with 50+ kills and they did 6 tours,and yet they are 50 years old or less---LOL.....so what you read on here sometimes you have to take with a grain of salt
 
Kid,

I guess I can't argue with that. You're right, some do misrepresent.

Just glad the site is back up, wish more people knew, the majority of posts are from 6 days ago.

Cheers,

George
 
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