[BProckets]

[flint hapirat]

Hi Bill,
I make much more modest batch sizes (and hence much
smaller rockets). My Mill jar volume is 1liter, using
brass cylinders or rods and I mill 100gr BP in a
single batch. 
I'm no expert in the field (although I'm working on
it...) but you don't want to overload the system.
Someone on PML gave a good advice in this matter - the
BP should fit into the volume between the milling
media. Works for me. 
There are many sites that use (more or less) your
volume of milling - why not check them out?
Dan Williams has a wonderful pyro homepage...

I can't buy BP - so I have to make my own.
A 25kg sac of technical KNO3 (99% pure) costs peanuts
and Sulfur isn't expensive either. I make my own
charcoal out of weeping willow - free of charge. All
in all making BP is very cheap. I never calculated the
price tag on my batch though.
Willow charcoal - or willow equivalent is a MUST! The
charcoal gives the tone of the BP. A lousy charcoal
means a lousy BP and vice versa. 

It's also very simple - the technical grade KNO3 comes
in flake form (over here). I just screen the three
together(and break the sulfur and KNO3 coarse chunks)
and fill the milling jar. Then I add 5% Ethanol/DDW
1:1 and let it run (remotely operated, of course!) for
3.5hrs, on it's own. 
I have two plastic boxes that fit into each other, the
top one was drilled to form a rough screen and I just
pour the BP/milling media into the boxes. The milling
media stays on top and the BP goes down with a little
shaking. 
Sun drying is best done with the little aluminum cake
molds - they heat up very fast and dry 100 gr of BP in
less than 20min (I use small molds - 5" X 10" approx).
That's it. 

Before use I just do one more thing - I screen the BP
and keep the granular BP aside for rocket payloads and
other things. Very simple.
As I couldn't get any professional screens here I use
two simple - cheap - screens: Mosquito screens and
flour screens. I used Dan Williams idea to make the
screens (check the site, a picture is worth a thousand
words) and they are easy to handle and durable.

This may sound a little long and tedious - it's not. 
I need 10min to weigh the chemicals, screen and break
down chunks, load the mill and run it. 3.5 hrs later I
will require 20 more minutes to screen the BP and set
it to dry (and wash my brass media and dry it too).  

Safety is crucial (unless you have 8 more lives to
spare...). Remote operate your mill and secure it so
if it does go off - it won't spread milling media all
over - especially all over you and other people. 
If you handle chlorate - make sure you have TOTAL
separation between the chlorate tools and the BP
tools. I store them in different locations and they
are well marked so if I accidentally mix - I'll know
it. 

Good luck, and let us know how it goes...
Any more questions? 
I would love to help - as much as I can.
Flint
 
--- Bill McAlister <billmac92364 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Im just getting started in makeing rockets. I would
> like to make my BP insted of buy it. Is this realy
> feesable time and money wise? I have an exelent ball
> mill and ceramic media. the ball mill is about 1 gal
> capasity. How much would you recomend makeing for a
> first time batch. ..I plan on makeing 4lbs rockets
>  
> Any sugestions or first time traps to avoid? 
> 
> flint hapirat <flinthapirat at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Just a slow start. 
> Flint
> --- mrgizmo wrote:
> 
> > Man this group is dead lately. Any interesting
> > projects going on.>
> _______________________________________________
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