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How to properly crush BP for the flash pan

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Chris C.

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Hello to all:

What is the proper way to crush black powder into very fine powder for use in a flintlock flash pan?

Thanks,

Mr. Bowdie
 
OK, I'll do it now. Had a pic stored in the 'puter. Sometime in the 80s there was a shortage of bp. We bought what we could. 4Fg was simply not to be had. A company in Ohio, E. Christopher, made and sold these black powder grinders. I kept mine as a curiosity.
bpgrinder.jpg
[/img]
 
Is it safer to crush a BP substitute, such as Blackhorn 209, than it is to crush BP?
 
I would not ever attempt to crush Blackhorn 209. Although an approved black powder sub (for in-lines only), it is a nitrocellulose based powder. As such, the shape and size of the granules (and possibly a coating) are very important to its burning characteristics. Very bad things may happen if you change those characteristics by crushing it.
 
Substitute powders won't work well in a flintlock anyway. I doubt crushing them would help, might make it worse. :idunno:
Real blackpowder, either 2F or 3F, will work best in your flintlock. I have used 2F, 3F, and 4F as priming powders. They all work.
If you absolutely feel that you must crush some finer, use wood or glass to crush it, never steel.
 
Its amazing but predictable...LOL...that only one person...(Jethro)...attempted to actually give an answer to his simple question.

To the original poster:
One way is to simply fill a 35mm film canister half full of 2F or 3F BP, drop in a lead ball, snap the cap on and hold it in place while shaking it for 5-10 seconds, check it, etc.

:thumbsup:
 
roundball said:
Its amazing but predictable...LOL...that only one person...(Jethro)...attempted to actually give an answer to his simple question.

To the original poster:
One way is to simply fill a 35mm film canister half full of 2F or 3F BP, drop in a lead ball, snap the cap on and hold it in place while shaking it for 5-10 seconds, check it, etc.

:thumbsup:

I coulda swore that rifleman showed him a tool to do it with,,,That Null B swiss is the cats meow
for priming flint (especially if you have a TC lock)
 
reddog said:
I coulda swore that rifleman showed him a tool to do it with...
Right you are, missed that other one...but the point was pretty clear considering all the replies...LOL
 
roundball said:
reddog said:
I coulda swore that rifleman showed him a tool to do it with...
Right you are, missed that other one...but the point was pretty clear considering all the replies...LOL

I agree,,,cool looking little tool though.
 
A mortar and pestle works very well. Made this one with a chain saw and lathe, from a Osage limb from the pasture.

DSCN1390.jpg
 
Mr. Bowdie said:
Hello to all:

What is the proper way to crush black powder into very fine powder for use in a flintlock flash pan?

Thanks,

Mr. Bowdie

Finely crushed powder may actually slow the flash.
Granulated FFFF or Swiss "Null B" is the best way to go.
Coarser powder will work but is slower, increasingly so as the grain size increases and its harder to work through the vent if this is necessary.

Dan
 
Mr. Bowdie said:
Is it safer to crush a BP substitute, such as Blackhorn 209, than it is to crush BP?

I would not mess with any of the subs in this manner any more than I would try to crush a IMR type powder. They are not BP, they will not work in a FL pan anyway and crushing them can cause "problems" that would not occur with BP if subsequently used as a propellant.

Since fine grained BP is available there is no reason the pound up powder since if very finely powdered it will not have the flame propagation though the charge that granules will with the air spaces they form between them.
Dan
 
The other way to get smaller granule sizing of existing powders, like FFFg Goex, would be to buy some brass or aluminum screen wire in any size smaller than 46 mesh per inch. McMasters.com sells wire by the square foot. A few years ago, I found 50 x 50 mesh screen wire for $19.63 per square foot. Make a wooden frame out of 1 x wood, or buy some knitting hoops at a hobby store to staple the wire mesh to, and you are in business. Just slowly push the powder over the screen and let the screen break it down into the smaller sizes for priming powder.

When my brother and I sifted powders- both FFg and FFFg Goex-- we ended up with a few ounces of "Fines", which he put in a film canister, and has since used as flash powder. Much of the "fines" are much smaller than FFFFg powder, I should warn. It fires off very fast!

The reason to use FFFg powder to prime a flintlock is that the larger granular size will absorb moisture slower, in the field, than does FFFFg or Null B powders. Because shots at ranges and shooting matches are fired fairly quickly after the pan is primed, moisture is usually not much of a problem. However, when you are hunting, and may spend Hours before you have a shot at game, you need to follow RoundBall's practice of checking your priming powder every 15 to 20 minutes, and replacing it, if its beginning to develop a crust on top.

Dan is correct that FFFg powder ignites and burns slower than does FFFFg or Null B flash powders. However, the different in burn rates is measured in Milliseconds, and hardly noticeable in the field when shooting at game.

After you have shot your flintlock for years, you may be able to hear the difference in the ignition time, but most of us have to move on up to using FFg powder for prime before we can really hear the difference in ignition time. Your sights still won't be able to move off your POA before the shot is fired. That is why members advise you to just go on and use the same powder you put down the barrel, to prime your flintlock.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have found fines often are present at the bottom of FFF cans. Next time your can of FFF runs low, check the dregs for fines and put them in your storage place for priming powder. I usually get a handful of shots worth in each can. If you need to grind, you can use the film can trick with the ball or use a mortar and pestle. The mortar and pestle should be of non-sparking material, for obvious reasons. Some people will actually add a small amount of alcohol to the mixture as they grind, to suppress air dust. I just prime with FFF, because I can also shoot with the stuff if I want to and the better half shoots pistol with the FFF as well.
 
You have several better choices than crushing powder for your flash pan. First, you can just use the same powder that you use for the main charge. Secondly, you could use a sieve to sieve out the fines from your powder and use them in your pan. Lastly, you could buy some 4f powder for your pan. If it were me, I'd just use the same powder that you use for your main charge.
 
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