KN03 question?

[Double D]

Another source of KNO3.  Greenlight Stump Remover.  I order two pounds and was told there would be no more. When I made my solution I used 3 table spoons in 4 cups cold water.  For fuse body I used 1/4 in braided cotton sash cord with synthetic insert. I cut a 10 foot length of  and pulled the synthetic core out.  I soaked the cord over night in the stump remover solution. I layed it in the yard to dry.   The left over solution I put in the freezer for future use.

[KABAR2]

I believe we had sevearal discussion here on the board about making you own black...general consensus I believe was it isn't worth the trouble. 

Those of you who do/did make your own powder care to comment?

Like I have stated before I did this when I was a teenager and powder was hard to find on Long Island N.Y. there was a lot of trial and error our first few tries were very dirty and left a lot of sulfur residue I did some reading

and we refined our techniques until we had a more powerful and cleaner mix. with the all the Homeland issues that have been brought about and getting old and lazy I'll buy my powder in a can. though the knowlege is always

good to have if everything goes in the toilet. and powder can not be had.


Now on to slow match I used to do Genadier  demos with styrofoam grenades for the public so my match case on my cartridge box actually worked. finding a good material for match was another matter

we ended up with cotton clothes line, the problem was the fiberglass core that is in clothesline we would cut the cord in two foot lengths and strip the fiberglass out of the cord then we would boil the nitrate and soak the cord

we experimented with a combination of water & Potassium nitrate, white wine and Potassium nitrate, Ammonia and Potassiun nitrate (LOW HEAT DO NOT BOIL), Naphtha and Potassium nitrate (This is a DUH , but use no heat! do not boil Naphtha just allow to soak)

each worked each gave different burn rates and some hotter than others, unfortunalty my book of formulas seems to have been lost in the move south. so I can't give you burn rates or weights & measures of nitrate used with each. 

When ever experimenting take notes go at it slowly and USE COMON SENSE!  Also all of this should be done out of doors for plenty of ventilation. Hope that is of some help.

Allen <><

[and7barton]

KNO3 is widely available for curing ham - and is on Ebay under that subject heading.
This is the pukka stuff.
 

[rays89]

In my "stupid years"  My favorite flavor of  KNO3 Was Spectracide Stump remover pure powder not like Grant's which is granular and needs to be processed.  On the label it states Guaranteed results you can't go wrong with that claim.  As for today I stick with store bought already made products that is legal and I prefer to let someone else risk life and limb, I prefer to keep mine....

[BoomLover]

And....another source, "HI-YIELD Stump Remover", local garden shop, 1 1/2 lbs, very cheep, "...contains potassium nitrate", no concentration listed, but, it is on the lable. Distributed by "Voluntary Purchasing Groups, Inc, Bonham, Tx 75418 Just got it, haven't tried it yet, but, soon! Will post results! "BoomLover"

[and7barton]

I believe we had sevearal discussion here on the board about making you own black...general consensus I believe was it isn't worth the trouble. 

Those of you who do/did make your own powder care to comment?

The situation is pretty good in the States compared to in the UK - Over here we have to have a licence to purchase the stuff, and every obstacle being put in the way of getting one.......then a licence to actually drive it home (a licence to transport it)........then yet another licence to STORE it. Then there's the situation of us having almost NO ranges that allow cannon-firing.........more problems with owning such an item....... licences, checks and obstacles all the way down the line.
So making the stuff is an obvious way to go. However, I'd maintain that some knowledge of lab techniques, and of chemistry is essential, if only to retain all your fingers.

[Victor3]

...I'd maintain that some knowledge of lab techniques, and of chemistry is essential, if only to retain all your fingers.

 It's actually a fairly safe (though tedious) procedure. A friend of mine used to make lots for his CW reenactment group. I still have about 8 lbs of it in "pucks" (compressed chunks) that he made.

 Here's one method...

http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/homemade_bp.html

[BoomLover]

In Victor3's post, the website listed is quite interesting, especially in reference to making a slow match. Materials suggested include flax and hemp, not too strong on cotton. Also, he does not recommend KN03, burns too fast and "sparky". Question, I'm looking forward to making my own as opposed to buying ready made, so, many of you guys have made your own with cotton, and KN03.. Any problems, such as mentioned above? Thanks, BoomLover

[Double D]

I didn't have the problems described with my kno3 and cotton rope.

[Victor3]

...he does not recommend KN03, burns too fast and "sparky". Question, I'm looking forward to making my own as opposed to buying ready made, so, many of you guys have made your own with cotton, and KN03..

 I've made some with SP and cotton, and it is somewhat "sparky." This is not really a problem for cannon use as the match is held away from the vent most of the time, unlike with a matchlock rifle. I guess it may burn relatively fast compared to what you would want for a day-long carry of a matchlock, but it's cheap to make with cotton, and you can snuff it out if you want to take a break. It was harder to re-light back in the days before the Zippo, so they probably wanted a constant slow burn.

[Terry C.]

The alternative to potassium nitrate is lead acetate, a highly toxic substance.

Lead acetate match is said to burn much slower and hotter than potassium nitrate match, but I'll settle for faster burn with the more user-friendly KNO3. Slowmatch is (for now) too cheap and easy to make to mess around with poison.

My match is 1/4" braided cotton rope soaked in a solution of three tablespoons KNO3 to four cups water. The rope is cut into six foot lengths, soaked overnight, and air dried on a flat surface.

I don't boil my solution. At this concentration it isn't necessary.

I've taken to adding some food coloring to the solution so that the treated match is more readily distinguishable from the raw rope.

[BoomLover]

Thanks, Double D, Victor3, and Terry C, all good advice from veterans of the cannon and mortar site! I'm looking forward to some future enjoyment, and using all the safety issues I have been catching up on! I'd rather read about it and put it into practice, than have somebody read about me not practicing safety! In this hobby, it is not fun to read about mistakes, 'cause somemes they can't be fixed! Thanks again to all, BoomLover

[nc527]

you can also get kno3 granuales from instant cold packs. Be carefull though as some dont have kno3 in them anymore. to be sure, simply shake the box to see if u hear it.