Thread: Home Brew Black Powder........Craft Powder?

Originally Posted by akaroa1

@Tedz50 I love that mortar . What bore is it ?
I bet it's been out to somewhere like Birdlings Flat in the day and lobbed some lead off shore

@akaroa1 That's how rumours start so can neither confirm or deny but if it happened there may be 20 or 30 golf balls out beyond the breakers.

Originally Posted by akaroa1

I doubt you worry too much about DRIFT with anvil firing !
I'm guessing in serious competition the winner is the team that gets it highest.
I wonder if there is an Anvil Firing association and a chapter in NZ
I also wonder about the rules .... Just asking for a friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQ4dE_RGnQ

Out of curiosity where do you guys buy/obtain kno3 and Sulphur from?
Currently I’m using yara krista k plus (1:3 ratio of potassium to nitrogen?) and manutec sulphur but not the cheapest and if I can get better ingredients I would like to, I do question the 1:3 ratio of the potassium nitrate.
My first batch was kinda pathetic being very slow and hard to ignite but I’m putting most of that down to not being fine enough, but it worked as a proof of concept so I’m trying to improve from there :p
Also used weeping willow charcoal as we had one fall down in the last cyclone, although I’m thinking it’s a bit overdone so room for improvement

Out of curiosity do you guys press your powder into pucks when Corning or just wet and grate it through appropriate sized screens/mesh?

Originally Posted by Tedz50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQ4dE_RGnQ

Very cool

those cannon pics got me thinking, what does it take to get my hands on a small scale cannon, something you have to build yourself? Or can you purchase them somewhere, be glad to have another reason to make some more black powder, although I don’t think I’ll be launching anvils anything soon

Originally Posted by Tedz50

Cannons can be built with simple tools as they are the most basic of firearms.In fact my crudest cannons have been the most fun.

Attachment 230240Attachment 230241Attachment 230242

I like the bonnet mounted one
Very Mad Max style

Isn't it nice to walk down memory lane
And the miracle is we lived to tell the tale and became adults

Originally Posted by Tedz50

Attachment 230243

Nice. Looks positively sane compared with the bolt bombs we experimented with (albeit we were a lot younger and heaps dumber than you were in the pics)

I think the key to doing this..is to be realistic,and enjoy the journey....you are making something that our forefathers have made for hundreds of years using very primative equipment in some cases..... you can make powder tht is right up there in QUALITY of the very best swiss powder HOWEVER doing it via simple methods..no milling and only basic mixing grinding your VOLUME per grain will be larger.....it matters not if front stuffing and in cartridges,you will just have a lesser charge..no issue. apparently when the US Army took guns off the plains indians they pulled the charges and found most were closer to 40 grns than to 70 grns... as our good man shows in the 45/70 subsonic thread..you heaving a big hunk of lead,it doesnt need to be super fast to kill super well.
if you want to do that use smokeless.....
I find BP loads much nicer to fire..way less noise and recoil.

Originally Posted by NAKED_GOOSE

those cannon pics got me thinking, what does it take to get my hands on a small scale cannon, something you have to build yourself? Or can you purchase them somewhere, be glad to have another reason to make some more black powder, although I don’t think I’ll be launching anvils anything soon

Years ago you guys in Northland had a very strong Black Powder club in Whangarei. The club had several members who were madmen.
At their shoots they used to fire a 1/2 scale coehorn mortar with explosive charges. Most spectacular and frightening at the same time.
There were quite a few cannons around in other locations in those days. Some made using sections of Bofors barrels. When fired the "thump' could be felt in your feet even if standing some distance away.

Sounds like a blast,
Although I feel like that might be frowned upon by some these days,
Seems like I’ll be having to get a lathe if I want my on small scale cannon, and maybe some metal casting too, certainly going on my project list though

As for getting a fine mix, I have seen it made in a blender. Long extension cord, in the middle of lawn. Turned on at the end.....
The end result, was used in a pack howitzer as blank loads. (a 9x19 case, with normal primer, filled with smokeless and hot glue to seal, as the primer)

I reckon this would be great if just doing charcoal and water. The blender method that is.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Nice. Looks positively sane compared with the bolt bombs we experimented with (albeit we were a lot younger and heaps dumber than you were in the pics)

@Tentman
NOT ALWAYS.................BUT I SURVIVED !!!!!!!!!!

Next thing you know you will be imitating these guys

this is who I purchased my sulphur powder from.that is what it's labelled as too.i just went and looked....I've actually got all 3 ingredients sitting waiting for me to make another batch.