Flash powder to fire cannon?

[grizzdude]

Hey you guys ever use flash powder to fire your small cannons? I have a small cannon that I usually dump powder from a few black cats and it goes boom every time. Yesterday I tried using about 40gr of flash powder to fire my 3/4" cannon ( I was on the other side of a huge dirt berm for safety) and all it did was make a poof sound and shoot most the powder about 3 feet in front of the muzzle, no boom at all.   Possibly not a big enough load?

[flagman1776]

I can't imagine why you are disassembling fireworks instead of buying real blackpowder (Goex is a brand) in 1# cans.  I'd use Fg or FFg. 

[grizzdude]

I can't imagine why you are disassembling fireworks instead of buying real blackpowder (Goex is a brand) in 1# cans.  I'd use Fg or FFg. 

I don't have any black powder on hand at the moment, the shop i just went to only had hodgdon FFFg and they wanted $30 a pound. Is the goex better priced, how about pyrodex? $30 a pound seems just a little to expensive. I only get a chance to go to town once every couple weeks (live deep in the mountains) so I just wanted to get by and fire the cannon at least 1 time.

[Double D]

Don't use fireworks powder it has different burn characteristic than black powder.  It is very fast burning. 

There is a very real chance if you use flash powder that you will only get one shot, and then we will be reading about your cannon accident in the News,

If you can't get black powder locally order some from one of the powder suppliers listed in the stickies.

I think the dealer who is selling black powder for $30 is taking advantage of the current buyers panic-maybe.  It depends onhow he is ordering the powder in.

I have never had much luck with the synthetic black powder substitutes.  They are actually types od smokeless powder  and can be used with with caution.

[Dresden]

As a pyrotechnician I can assure you that flash powder is as unsafe a thing to use as a propellant in anything, the reason the gubberment hasn't banned it in fireworks is: NOW PAY ATTENTION AND READ< NOBODY CAN PROVE THAT IT DOES NOT
DETONATE WHEN USED IN ANY QUANTITY> 
PLEASE< PLEASE believe me, flash powder should only be contained in paper, like firecrackers, use fireworks Sober, Safely, and don't experiment.

[flagman1776]

The gun shops where I used to buy black powder don't carry it anymore...  I've bought all mine in recent years through a black powder re-enacting club who buys periodically.  The club buy spreads the HazMat fees among several people but aren't doing anything an individual can not...   

[KABAR2]

There are online sources for powder so you can buy it mail order......
as said else where firecrackers not recomended.....

[RocklockI]

But ,the good news is that you have firecrackers! Firecrackers make excellent projectiles for a firecracker mortars and cannons ! It will cost you about 7-8 grains of powder per shot.
 
This IS firecracker season !
 
Gary