Author Topic: Powder Differences  (Read 499 times)

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Offline Parrott-Cannon

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Powder Differences
« on: September 04, 2009, 02:51:42 AM »
Does the same granulation of pwder (i.e. fg) from diffferent manufactures have the same power? 
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security. (Thomas Jefferson)

Offline Cat Whisperer

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Re: Powder Differences
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2009, 02:59:43 AM »
Approximately.

BUT there are folks that will tell you from much experience that each one burns 'differently'.

Some (blackpowder rifles) do much better or worse with one brand or another.

And there are differences in how clean (or not) they burn.

I'm not one that cares much as my thrill is the big boom and the sound of branches being ripped off as the 7-1/2 pounds of concrete filled pvc pipe comes down.

Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
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Offline Rickk

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Re: Powder Differences
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2009, 04:00:16 AM »
I've been making BP for a couple years now (small amounts, a couple pounds at a time) for non-cannon use. There can be a significant amount of variability in powder performance due to availabilities in raw materials and process.

The type of charcoal used can make the performance vary by roughly 2/1. An experienced manufacturer should be able to figure out what works best and reduce that variability by quite a bit.

The process (generally milling, then corning, then granulation and coating) can probably affect things by 5/1, but I would think if you are a powder manufacturer you have that mostly under control and it is maybe closer to 2/1. Typically, the longer you mill it (up to a point), the better it works. However, the longer you mill it, the more it costs to make. Even though milling is pretty much a hands off process except for loading and unloading time, machine time costs money too. They tend to separate mills by some distance for safety reasons, so adding mills not only involves buying a mill, but buying a place to put it.

So, even with experience there is room for variation based on your raw material source and the manufacturing capability variation and manufacturing cost factors.

This is at least a partial explanation as to why the powders that seem to be more powerful and more consistent tend to cost more.

Rick

Offline Parrott-Cannon

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Re: Powder Differences
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2009, 06:29:12 AM »
Thank you guys for the info.

Parrott-Cannon
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security. (Thomas Jefferson)

Offline rmagill

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Re: Powder Differences
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2009, 05:09:23 PM »
There is a noticable difference in some, at least between  Goex and Elephant powder of the same granulation Goex is  louder and gets better distance  than the Elephant. At least from my personal experience anyway
Bob