Black Powder

[Marc St Louis]

I see quite a bit of talk about muzzleloaders lately and I was wondering if anyone here has ever tried making their own Black Powder.  I used to like to tinker with guns a lot about 35 years ago and one of the things I did was make some Black Powder, the components were more easily available back then.  What I made may not have been as efficient as what you buy but it certainly worked well enough.  I used it in guns and even made some small rockets using some as a propellant.  You can't find saltpeter up here anymore so that put a stop to that.

[JW_Halverson]

I see quite a bit of talk about muzzleloaders lately and I was wondering if anyone here has ever tried making their own Black Powder.  I used to like to tinker with guns a lot about 35 years ago and one of the things I did was make some Black Powder, the components were more easily available back then.  What I made may not have been as efficient as what you buy but it certainly worked well enough.  I used it in guns and even made some small rockets using some as a propellant.  You can't find saltpeter up here anymore so that put a stop to that.

Check your laws about it first.  Since it is an explosive, you may end up doing time in Gitmo!

It's very easy to compound a batch of blackpowder, but please stay away from any recipe you find that involves using power tools or does not have you compounding the material while WET.  Wet mixing is the only safe way to make cake.  And take a page from E.I. DuPont and do it where the inevitable blast will hurt no one but yourself. 

[artcher1]

Lots of youtube videos Marc. Seems to be an awful lot of info out there about making your own. Not seen or heard anything about it being illegal here. But you guys may have different laws..............Art

[Marc St Louis]

There are no laws against having explosives up here but you need a permit to transport it.  I always made small batches of the stuff and even though I never read anything about wet mixing at the time I found, by experiment, that it was the easiest method of mixing the 3 components.  To old to want to bother with that anymore but it was fun at the time.

[sleek]

The brand name escapes me, but there is a stump remover that is 90 something percent salt peter.... Works great! A simple way to make a burning powder from it is to just add sugar. The ratios escape me but I know 50 50 works. It burns very hot. No clue if its good for guns, but I used to use it for rocket fuel, called it rocket candy.

[nclonghunter]

Probably got this all wrong but I think salt Peter is sodium nitrate and that is used in making preserved meats....

[sleek]

Actually its Potassium nitrate, chemical symbol, Kno3, and I sure wouldnt eat any of THAT meat, I like the part of my body it affects waaaaaaay to much... so does my wife for that mater.

[Eric Krewson]

Sodium nitrate was once called "chili" salt peter, not the same as potassium nitrate used in black powder.

Last time I made black powder I was 13. My best friend and I made a crude BP pistol which blew up and killed him. Best to buy your black powder in a can and not fool with making it yourself.

One idiot on Utube is making his own black powder and shooting it in a gun he made with an aluminum conduit barrel. I related my story to him and he claimed to know what he was doing, was not taking any chances and brushed aside my words of warning.

[hedgeapple]

A friend of mine for 35 years ago was big into blackpowder and the whole long hunter era.  He made custom flint locks and even had an original style rifling drill/lathe that was turned by hand.  I remember him telling me black powder was easy to make.  Use stale urine (potassium nitrate, I believe) and willow ash.  I never tried it or watched him do it.  Those are just my recollections.

[sleek]

From what I recal about urine, letting it dry leaves a white powder ring along the side of the container. Collect that andththat's the nitrate you need.

[KrisDelger]

My recipe: dried chicken droppings (High in sulfur and amonium nitrate[salt peter]), and finely ground willow charcoal (The more porous willow makes one of the best coal bases for black powder) mix it 30/70 and grind it very slowly and very carefully in a non metal and non sparking container.

do flash tests to get the right mixture and don't blow your @$$ off I'm not responsible if you do 

[PEARL DRUMS]

My dad and two friends did when they where early teens. They made a "gun" as well. My dads buddy Tom now has a 1/2" hex head stamp on his skull, he is alive and well! The bolt was screwed in one end to create a breech. It didn't hold, but the black powder they made went boom.

[Marc St Louis]

My dad and two friends did when they where early teens. They made a "gun" as well. My dads buddy Tom now has a 1/2" hex head stamp on his skull, he is alive and well! The bolt was screwed in one end to create a breech. It didn't hold, but the black powder they made went boom.

Hmm, yes.  Home made guns and scars.  I know a bit about that

[Buckeye Guy]

Hmm, yes.  Home made guns and scars.  I know a bit about that

Me to Marc

One thing I know for sure about black powder is the price has went up a bit
I used to get it for $1.65 a pound and it came in a wooden barrel , you had to take your own container or they would give it to you in a paper bag
I bought my first front loader for $20.  it came with a sack of powder and a bag of shot , the man behind the counter said to send my dad by and he would let him carry the caps for me , Dad was kinda upset he had to drive all the way over there to get them , I think he figured if a fellow would walk 20 mile to buy a gun he was old enough to have it on his own !
Man times have changed !
Guy

[PatM]

 I used to regularly see containers of Saltpeter at horse tack shops at the race track not too many years ago.