Step by Step Guide to Making Gunpowder

how to make gunpowder

 

Gunpowder has a lot of uses, one of which is making ammunition (which in the long run is much cheaper than store bought and you can avoid delays in purchasing due to backlogs in orders.)

These instructions are good, but you should also read up on handling gunpowder, how much to use and how to make sure it possesses the power you need.

Step 1: Parts list

To properly make gunpowder the particles of charcoal must be ground together with the potassium nitrate and sulfur, the process of grinding them smashes the potassium nitrate and sulfur into the pores of the charcoal creating a subastance that will readily burn when ignited.

Parts list:
1. Ball mill
2. Scale
3. Potassium nitrate, Sulfur powder, and Charcoal powder. When buying try to buy as close to 5x as much potassium nitrate as charcoal powder, and 2/3 as much sulfur as charcoal.
4. Wire spaghetti strainer
5. Old newspapers
6. Tupperware container
7. Calcuator

Step 2: Mixing the chemicals

As long as you always follow the 75:15:10 ratio of potassium nitrate:charcoal powder:sulfur powder you can make any amount of gunpowder necessary. A decent sized batch would be 300 grams potassium nitrate, 60 grams charcoal powder, and 40 grams sulfur powder.

Steps:
1. If you are using an electric scale, place a container on it to measure the chemical. Press and hold the “tare” button and it will take the added weight into account and set itself to zero.
2. Measure the proper amount of each chemical, into cups and then empty each cup into the ball mill.
3. When all 3 chemicals are in the ball mill grinding chamber seal it and turn it on.
Step 3: Turn it on and wait
Two hours is the standard amount of time to let it grind, however, you can leave it on for longer to get a slightly higher quality powder.

Step 4: Sift out the powder
Remove the gunpowder from the ball mill, and store it in a container.
Steps:
1. Lay out a couple of sheets of old newspaper.
2. Hold the spaghetti strainer over the newspaper and pour the contents of the ball mill into it.
3. Gently shake the strainer until all the gunpowder has fallen through the holes to the newspaper and all the lead balls remain.
4. Put the lead balls back in the ball mill, close it up, and store it for another day.

Making your own gunpowder is one way of becoming more self-sufficient, but if you do this, please be careful.

You can store what you make safely in a Tupperware dish – make sure it is sealed completely to ensure moisture does not get into it.

For more information on making gunpowder, please visit Instructables.


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37 Comments

  1. Brent Larson said:

    Yeah…try to use that stuff in place of modern smokless powder and let me know how that works out for you !

    Reply
  2. William M Bianchetti said:

    If there is no modern smokeless powder left I will let you know how it works out that’s if your still alive Brent sounds to me you have things all figured out and have an unlimited supply of modern powder lol

    Reply
  3. Matthew Fitch said:

    I thought this would be an article on how to mix COMMON ingredients to make gunpowder…something along the lines of, “piss into a bucket and let it evaporate over a month. Next, add charcoal and farts for sulfur. Voila! You have gunpowder!”

    Reply
  5. Scott Stalnaker said:

    This and weapons to use it were around for centuries before smokeless powders and is definitely not a substitute. It is easy to make, efficient and effective for launching or scattering projectiles.
    True, it would be careless and unsafe to make or use it without knowledge. But, it is safe to make, store and use if you take precautions. This article is not ‘all you need to know’ by any means.

    Reply
  9. David Buss said:

    To make it smokeless just substitute ferrous iron for the charcoal

    Reply
  10. David Hemenway said:

    Man thrived for millennia before gunpowder. It is a luxury, not a necessity.

    Reply
  11. Trevor Parsons said:

    There are other things you can use gunpowder for other than shooting$#%&!@* Just saying

    Reply
  23. Judah Benjamin Czma said:

    My grandfather used to make his own ammunition. I used to watch him pour the led into the mold.

    Reply

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