Thread: Making Black Powder

I compress and granulate as I load 45/70 and snider brass as well as muzzle load.
I made a compressing die using aluminium ends and two split plastic tubes I hose clamp closed - made that at work (when I was) and it's pretty generic.
I've forgotten how many grams per CC I compress, but it comes out just a tad lighter than equiv Goes powders as I can't quite fit 500gms 'homemade' in a 500gm Goex can.
I also made a press frame for compressing and used a ten ton hydraulic jack, then discovered I could compress in my workshop/garage vice.
To do that I slightly dampen my weighed 'mix', load it into the die and squeeze. After 15 seconds I squeeze again, then a third time - or until my die closes to a designated length, it won't do it all in one 'squeeze' - not even with the jack.
When done, I take the hose clamps off , remove the outer tube from the inner, then pry the inner tube apart and take out the pucks.
I make three pucks in one squeeze, separated by plastic milk jug spacers.
The pucks are about 1/4" thick, and I just lay them out and dry them where they won't get hurt. A solid puck is pretty hard to ignite - won't do it on its own.
When thoroughly dry I put them in a plastic bag and beat the shit out of them with a hammer, then I shove the smashed bits in a ceramic coffee grinder and make the equiv F, FF, FFF and a considerable amount of dust which gets re-milled when I do it next time.
I do it all in small quantities in case TSHTF.

When I'm doing it - I'll spend a few days as it's time consuming and tedious, but I'll end up with a useful amount for little cost.

Originally Posted by SF90

I compress and granulate as I load 45/70 and snider brass as well as muzzle load.
I made a compressing die using aluminium ends and two split plastic tubes I hose clamp closed - made that at work (when I was) and it's pretty generic.
I've forgotten how many grams per CC I compress, but it comes out just a tad lighter than equiv Goes powders as I can't quite fit 500gms 'homemade' in a 500gm Goex can.
I also made a press frame for compressing and used a ten ton hydraulic jack, then discovered I could compress in my workshop/garage vice.
To do that I slightly dampen my weighed 'mix', load it into the die and squeeze. After 15 seconds I squeeze again, then a third time - or until my die closes to a designated length, it won't do it all in one 'squeeze' - not even with the jack.
When done, I take the hose clamps off , remove the outer tube from the inner, then pry the inner tube apart and take out the pucks.
I make three pucks in one squeeze, separated by plastic milk jug spacers.
The pucks are about 1/4" thick, and I just lay them out and dry them where they won't get hurt. A solid puck is pretty hard to ignite - won't do it on its own.
When thoroughly dry I put them in a plastic bag and beat the shit out of them with a hammer, then I shove the smashed bits in a ceramic coffee grinder and make the equiv F, FF, FFF and a considerable amount of dust which gets re-milled when I do it next time.
I do it all in small quantities in case TSHTF.

When I'm doing it - I'll spend a few days as it's time consuming and tedious, but I'll end up with a useful amount for little cost.

Do you have a picture please of the puk-pressing tools you use, I can't quite visualise it.

Originally Posted by Cordite

Do you have a picture please of the puk-pressing tools you use, I can't quite visualise it.

This is a new Computer my son gave me and it's not registered or licensed for 'Word' - so it won't read my 'old computer' I got on a disc - and that's where my pictures are.

My plastic cylinders are 97mm long, one inside the other and both split longitudinally.
The I.D. of the smaller one is just under 61mm and the O.D. of the outside one is just over 68mm.
Wall thickness of each tube is about 1.75mm - three hose clips hold them closed.
The short aluminium end cap is shaped like a 'top hat' and has barrel 10mm long that fits neatly in the pipe - the 'top hat' bit is a flange 10mm thick by 76mm diameter. This cap is in place when I load powder into the die.
The other cap has the same diameter barrel but is about 76mm long. It has the same flange as the other end, but is longer as this is the one that squeezes down.
I just squeeze 'em up until they can't go any further.

The two splits in the plastic barrels are offset to each other - so nothing comes out of them, and when I press I get almost zero free water, just a light dampness.
I use distilled water as I read Early American powders could be plagued by impure water which had a deleterious (bad) effect on the long storage of that powder - so I play it safe.
In the old days I used urine, fresh and stale because I'd read it made stronger powder, but reading up on the British powders of the time - and it's interesting reading too, they didn't bugger around with anything other than clean water.

All up, my die is 116mm long and remarkably pleasing to look at