Black powder is a simple mixture of powdered potassium nitrate or saltpetre, coal and sulfur. But simply mixing the ingredients together won't give you the results you want. Follow these instructions for making black powder - be very careful though as you will be dealing with explosives. If you want to save some money or want to experience the satisfaction of creating something yourself, thanks to this guide you will certainly be able to prepare some black powder at home.
Steps
Step 1. Buy the items you can afford
This is one of those cases where the higher the quality of the ingredients you have, the better the quality of the finished product will be. You can find saltpetre and sulfur in many pharmacies.
Step 2. Make your charcoal
You can use willow, birch, fir, oak, birch and maple wood and burn it. Put the wood chips in a large pot with a lid or a 200-liter barrel with a lid and make sure there is a thin gap (the opening between the lid and the container or a small hole), so that some of the steam can escape. Start a fire under the container. When the steam begins to escape from the container, ignite the wood inside and close the lid. Let the fires go out and let everything cool down. What will be left inside the container is your charcoal.
Step 3. Mash the ingredients separately
Use a mortar and pestle or hand grinder to grind the potassium nitrate. Set it aside. Crush the coal. Set it aside. Crush the sulfur too, and then set it aside. It is very important not to mix the ingredients at this stage. You may also decide to use a ball mill. In this case, put the coal and sulfur in the mill and leave it on for several hours. When the products have been reduced to a fine powder, remove them from the mill.
Step 4. Chill 600 ml of isopropyl alcohol for every 100 grams of carbon and sulfur mixture you have
When it is cold, mix it into the mixture.
Step 5. Measure your ingredients
The components of the black powder were measured by weight. Today you can use the proportions 75% saltpeter, 15% coal and 10% sulfur (or 25% coal / sulfur mixture).
Step 6. Prepare the nitrate
Measure 40 ml of water for every 100 grams of saltpetre and put them in an old pan. Add the saltpetre. Bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Add small amounts of water at intervals until the saltpetre dissolves completely.
Step 7. Add the coal and sulfur mixture to the boiling pot of saltpeter
Stir until the ingredients are combined completely.
Step 8. Bring the cooled alcohol and hot solution outdoors
Add the hot solution to the alcohol. Mix them together.
Step 9. Cool down this new solution
The faster you can get it to 0 ° C, the better.
Step 10. Filter the solution with gauze or an old cloth
This will remove all liquid from the solution. Discard the filtered liquid.
Step 11. Spread the solution on a piece of paper and let it dry in the sun
Step 12. Sieve the solution when it is still slightly moist
Spread it again on the paper and let it dry again.
Step 13. Pass the powder again through a sieve or through a series of nets to completely crush it
Step 14. Convey the black powder in boxes in a cool, dry place
Make sure you choose a place that is out of the reach of children.
