The key to high quality Black Powder

A while ago I decided that I wouldn't host information about compositions directly on this site, or the making of energetic materials specifically, and at this point I still agree with that. In the current climate you cannot be too careful about the information you put out there, and what unintended actions it might be used for. As always, the information on this site is intended for education purposes for the application of making fireworks, and not for any other purpose.

However, in order to make a firework fuse you need a combustible component.

I hope in the near future to post information about making a ball mill, essential for the production of high quality BP.

A ball mill has many useful applications, not soley for pyro needs, and without directly giving information about compositions, it's just a very thorough grinder. So I believe it's acceptable to post information about a ball mill, as in itself it cannot be used for anything malicious.

With that caveat in place, let's get to why you are here...

The link below provides some of the best information I've seen regarding the making of high quality BP. In particular, the page discusses the application and relative merits of different manufacturing methods and their results.

Be under no illusion, one thing is for sure, milling is an essential part of the process if you want the best BP possible.

http://www.creagan.net/fireworks/blackpowder.html


Shoe box ball mill

This post is a work in progress, updated when possible... to maybe include some plans if there's interest ;)

Read below to find out what a ball mill is, some theory and the story behind this design, or jump to Creating the shoe box ball mill
                                                                                                                                  

Early on in pyro’s experience, it seems perfectly fine to grind chemicals by hand in something like a pestle and mortar. Although this will usually give an okay result it’s time-consuming, a fair bit of effort, only produces small quantities and the end product is typically not of a uniform particle size. The solution is to mill your materials for a lot longer than any sane person would choose to grind by hand – this is where a ball mill comes in.

A ball mill is one of those bits of equipment that seems unnecessary at first, but in truth, it's pretty much an essential piece of equipment for any pyro looking to achieve the best results with the least effort. For those that don’t know, a ball mill is a rotating container (usually cylindrical) which contains the materials you want ground down into a fine powder plus milling “media”. This media is typically spherical (hence the name “ball” mill) and as the container spins around its axis the media tumbles about inside, smashing into the materials you want grinding. Over a period of several hours, the media pulverises the material into a very fine and consistent particle size. Click the video below for a good example of the process.


This process serves several important functions - You get a product which is very thoroughly mixed, with a particle size which is both very small and consistent throughout. As the process is automated it means that although it’ll literally take hours, it leaves you free to do other things during that time.

Ball mills tend to be quite expensive to buy (if you can find one!) so some people buy “Rock tumblers” instead, as they are similar. Again these tend to be quite pricey and aren't really designed to grind materials, their rotation speed isn't usually fast enough for this. There are lots of people who’ve made their own ball mills and uploaded pictures and videos of their creations. These range greatly, from large mills powered by old washing machine motors, to power drills spinning small plastic drinks bottles via direct drive. I'd avoid using drills, because although they develop high torque they're not designed for prolonged use.

In choosing to make your own mill one of the most important points to identify early on is what your specific needs are going to be. With this in mind, you can design something suitably small, efficient and cheap whilst still getting the job done.

So for me, this meant having something that is:

·         Mains driven – as it’ll be used for hours
·         Needs little assembly
·         Is cheap to make
·         Cheap to operate – so no big, overpowered motors
·         Compact
·         Would produce about 100g of milled powder in each milling session.


That last point is quite important. My mill is focused on making small batches of powder at a time. This is partly because I don’t require much powder in any one session and also to comply with local laws. Only producing a relatively small amount of powder means the entire unit can be small, which makes everything easier.

There is quite a bit of debate as to what the “best” ball mill media is. Steel, ceramic, brass and lead are all popular choices of media material and each with their pros and cons. For me, the “best” media is that which is going to be the safest to use. Again, there is debate here as well. In short, if you’re milling isolated substances that will pose no risk of igniting then pretty much any of the media listed above will be fine. If you are milling compositions, however, that’s when it’s very important that you take every reasonable effort to safeguard against a mill explosion, therefore having a none sparking media is a must. After all, who wants their ball mill to turn into a spinning claymore!

Lead and brass will not spark and is therefore considered to be the standard milling media for use when milling compositions such as BP. Lead in particular is cheap and easy to get hold of in a variety of ball sizes as it’s sold as catapult ammunition. Lead is quite weak as metals go, and will degrade with use. You’ll rarely need to replace the media unless you’re milling something especially hard but it will result in a trace of lead being mixed into your compositions. If you mill something white in colour, for instance, it’ll come out a little grey once you’re done. Lead is toxic so it’s something to be aware of, but as long as you’re not breathing in the fine mill powder or the smoke from the powders you subsequently burn, (and you wash your hands when you've handled the media) it shouldn't represent a great threat.

The other variable in your milling media is its shape. Some people prefer small cylindrical bits of media rather than balls but this again is a source of debate. Ball media is the standard and is perfectly good at doing the job, it’s also far more readily available so it’s what my mill uses. I found a multi-pack of catapult ammo on eBay, supplied as a tester pack to gauge what size of ammo you like to use. This pack had a total of 64 balls, in 4 groups of 16, at sizes 8mm to 20mm.

The mill container I’m using is a plastic jar with an airtight plastic lid, the kind used to hold sweets and condiments.

When using the mill you want to half fill the milling container with media, and then fill half of the remaining space (i.e. a quarter of the containers original volume) with the materials you will be milling. This should provide you with close to optimum milling efficiency and reduce the time the milling process will take. It’s generally thought that it’s more efficient to mill two smaller batches than one large batch, so having a compact ball mill is fine for most light hobbyists.

The power drive I chose to use initially was from an old desktop printer. This seemed ideal as it already had a geared motor plus the rollers with rubber support wheels on them. After putting my mill container on the rollers with the media inside I tested the mill rotation speed required using a variable resistor to control the motor speed.

What you’re aiming for is a speed of rotation where the media will be drawn up the back of the container before falling down onto the rest of the contents, this is the Optimal speed, which is approximately 65% of the critical speed. Critical speed is the rpm at which the media will be held to the side of the container continuously due to centrifugal force. This again will depend on the size of the media you’re using and the container but is typically about 60-90 rpm.

Having tested my mill, certain points became clear. The motor required the full 24 volts that the variable resistor would allow, and this still was not quite fast enough to achieve the optimal speed I was after.

The next move was to either get a more powerful motor or to modify the process to make the slightly underpowered system work. Whilst wanting to maintain a compact size and keep things as simple as possible, I chose the latter.

The simple solution was to create small ledges inside the mill jar, which would help carry the media and material up the back wall. As an added measure, I spent just a few minutes hand milling the materials to start the process of breaking them down, before adding them to the mill jar. Ball mills are most efficient when the materials are already quite small, so this step helped the mill past the early inefficient stage of breaking larger pieces down.

With these additions, it was time to test the mill again...

The results were good. In a little over 3 hours, I had an extremely fine grey powder the likes of which I simply could not create by hand. Burnt in a test line, this new powder produced a satisfying "whumpf" sound as it flashed out of existence, instead of the "hiss" and "fizz" that I was used to with a slower burning powder.

I'd mounted everything on a cardboard box lid, and although this served its purpose it wasn't an efficient use of space. It was also very cumbersome having the variable resistor wired to the motor and separate from everything else (it's an old style unit, outdated in its design).

Having made these test runs I decided to make a purpose-built unit that others could replicate, rather than scavenge parts and try to make everything work. Armed with a better understanding of the requirements, I set about making a true "shoe box ball mill".

Creating the shoe box ball mill


To make the construction easy I opted to use a glue gun. Other glues will work of course but a glue gun makes the process simple and quick, forming a strong bond with hardly any drying time. Additionally, unlike other glues, hot glue doesn't seep into the cardboard which could deform it.

A strong 12v geared motor was purchased. The motor was deliberately chosen to be small, have an appropriate RPM (80) and develop high torque - advertised as 5kg.cm. Torque is a measure of turning force, expressed as Force x Distance. Kilograms are a unit of mass rather than force, but the crude unit "kg.cm" is often seen to try and convey the power of the motor. In this case, the idea is that if you had an arm attached at 90 degrees to the motor shaft, with an anchor point at 1cm, it would be as if a 5kg weight were pushing down at that point. In this expression, torque is kg x distance, so for the same torque, if you double the distance to 2cm, you halve the force to 2.5kg, and so on.

For the safest and easiest option, mains power was supplied to the motor with a standard 12v mains transformer plug. I purchased one which came with a socket, to easily plug in the power and not to have everything hardwired in all the time - as I also want the option to easily use the plug with other items.

You may already have some of these items, but if not then here are some useful links for your convenience.

***To be continued...

Easy Visco machine - Mk. 2

Following the success of the first visco fuse machine eBook featured on this site, I wanted to go back to the fundamentals and create a design that truly everyone can make!

No drills, saws, or fancy hardware needed! This design takes the most basic of household materials and tools and allows you to create a fully functioning visco fuse machine like the one below!


One of the best pieces of feedback I received about the first design was how simple and encouraging it was for beginners. I wanted to build on this strength and create a design that someone without so much as a toolset, let alone a workshop, would be able to make.
The original design first features on this site will still be available (and can be found here), as it provides a more robust model for long-term use, but if you’re looking for a design that you can make easily with hardly any tools then this second model will give you just that – it provides an entry-level design accessible to all which is still able to make a high-quality visco style fuse!

Please see the video below which shows the prototype model in action plus burn tests of the fuse both with and without a waterproof lacquer coating. Please note, the model and plans have been refined since making this video to make the construction even easier! Apologies for filming this in portrait, I'll know for next time!


This model can easily produce fuse at the rate of 3 feet per minute. The fuse itself has a diameter of 2mm, achieving a consistent burn rate of 0.8cm/sec, even underwater! Not bad for a machine that you can easily make for next to nothing!

You'll see from the video above just how simple yet, effective this design is. You’ll also see from the related videos that most designs out there are complicated, and the level of fabrication involved can be off-putting – having to source bearings, wood &/or metals for the main body of the construction and motors. Assembly of these designs usually requires power tools, fine drill bits and a range of manual tools including hammers and saws. This design is different - you can make the whole thing using only the equipment listed below, most of which can be found in a pencil case!

As one YouTube commenter put it:
"I love how basic and low cost you made your machine yet very functional. I spent a lot of time on mine before I got it to produce perfect visco. I did it but it was far from easy, then again I didn't have a shop and fancy tools like some guys, but you just showed that's not necessary. Kudos."

Equipment list                        Materials list
Glue (PVA or glue gun)              Small apple boxes x2
Craft knife                               Cardboard tube (from cling film/aluminium foil etc) x1
Ruler                                       Cereal boxes x2
Pen/pencil                               500ml plastic Dr Pepper bottles (or similar) x2
Scissors                                    A4 paper x1
Paperclip                                 Foam pizza base x4
Lighter/candle                         Wooden BBQ skewers x6
Cocktail sticks                          Large rubber bands x2 (16cm, 3mm in width)
Compass

The materials used for the construction of this design are simply cardboard, paper, plastic and foam…oh and a few wooden skewers. This design was specifically tailored to be made from household materials or those that are both easily and cheaply acquired!

This design removes a large part of the fabrication needed for most models by utilising the existing shapes of household items such as plastic bottles and apple boxes. The entire model can be made in less than an hour with the minimum of cost.


This eBook contains over 5000 words and 69 pictures across 25 pages, which may sound like a lot for a simple project, but that’s because every step is broken down and explained thoroughly to make the build as straightforward as possible. The whole model can be easily made with materials you probably already have, without the need for specialised tools.

The PDF file eBook is ready for instant download at £5.00 via PayPal's secure checkout. The sale will be delivered by Payhip, once payment is complete you will be emailed receipt confirmation and provided with your unique download details - Just click the "Buy now" button below!

                                              Buy Now - £5.00

All of the information you need to make this super easy Visco machine is right here in one place! Just like with the first model on this site, all of the details have been brought together in this comprehensive guide.

All fireworks carry some level of risk but having a safe and reliable fuse greatly reduces the chances of damage or injury. That’s why it’s so important to have a fuse you can trust!

The requirement for the first model on this site was to make a Visco machine that was:
  • Compact, and so easily stored.
  • Easy to construct.
  • Cheap to build.
  • Easy to operate.
  • Quiet.
  • Able to produce small to medium lengths of fuse easily and quickly.
  • Hand powered – reducing complexity, cost (both of materials and in operation) and noise.
This, in turn, would need to produce a fuse that:
  • Has a consistent burn rate.
  • Is reliable – i.e. it will continue to burn in confined spaces, such as the exhaust port of a rocket nozzle.
  • Can be waterproofed.
  • Will be strong enough to withstand pyrotechnic charges (such as those in lift charges and break charges) but still be flexible enough to cope with a certain amount of manipulation.
This new design fulfils all of the above requirements for both the machine and the fuse it produces, and in addition to the original design, this model requires next to no special skills/tools.

Easy visco fuse machineEasy visco fuse machine

The finished model looks simple, and to be fair, that’s the point! It took a long time to design a model which would meet the criteria listed above yet be as simple as possible and use readily available materials. The less complicated a system, the less there is to go wrong with it. Anyone who has battled the trial and error of getting a Visco machine to work without instructions will testify that the fewer times you have to thread the “Dies” the better!

There are many good reasons for making your own fuse, such as:
  • Once everything is set up, production of homemade fuse is often much cheaper than buying fuse.
  • You can tailor the fuse to the specific requirements you have for a given application i.e. burn rate, fuse dimensions, effects (flying fish, coloured flames etc.)
  • You can have fuse “on tap” whenever you want it.
  • Having the satisfaction of making the fuse yourself – after all, the whole reason you’re making fireworks in the first place instead of buying them (fuse and all) is that you appreciate having put in the effort to understand the processes and get it right for yourself.
This design produces a Visco style fuse which has its nitrocellulose lacquer applied in a separate process, as described on the page Nitrocellulose lacquer - coating your fuse.

As I’ve said, “All fireworks carry some level of risk” and that’s why it’s important that you take all necessary safety precautions – including reading this eBook’s disclaimer (which is included in the eBook), which you can read by clicking here  - also available under "Pages" (top right of any webpage).

You won't find an easier and more comprehensive design than this model. Download the eBook now and start making your own fuse today!

                                              Buy Now - £5.00







Quick match

Quickmatch is a type of fuse which burns very fast, hence “Quick”. The “match” part is a reference to the blackmatch which is the combustible component of the fuse. A piece of Quickmatch can be used to light multiple other fuses in a very short period (such as simultaneously igniting the driver motors of a girandola) or to cover a particular distance more quickly, such as down a mortar launch tube.



For those that don’t know, blackmatch is a simple fuse made by treating string with a black powder slurry which coats the outer surface. Well-made blackmatch burns pretty consistently but isn’t waterproof and may have an unpredictable burn rate between different batches. This is especially true if only small quantities of blackmatch are made at any one time from different batches of homemade black powder. If you can make a consistent and good quality black powder and standardise the blackmatch process then you should end up with a fairly reliable fuse.

As blackmatch is essentially unprotected fuse, open to the elements, it’s susceptible to moisture, friction & handling as well as the airflow around it. For these reasons blackmatch isn’t used as the starter fuse for lighting commercial fireworks. However this same quality that provides a few downfalls has one distinct advantage, ignition can occur at any point along the fuse.

When blackmatch burns, the hot combustion gases are expelled. If you place the blackmatch in a confined tube then these gases have nowhere to go except for further down the tube. These hot gases light the fuse further along its length and as the pressure builds the rate that the gasses travel along the tube increase, lighting more of the fuse, adding to the process. The result is a chain reaction whereby a length of ordinary blackmatch will burn considerably faster when contained than when in the open air. This is Quickmatch.





The tubes for quickmatch can be made simply enough using gum tape and a metal former. When the gum tape is pulled through the former a flattened tube is created. One side of the gum tape is made wet and this glues that side to the rest of the tape, securing it in place. Black match can be drawn through the former at the same time as the gum tape, creating the quickmatch in a continuous process to make large lengths of fuse. Alternatively, if only small lengths of quickmatch are required, sections of gum tape can be made into short tubes and a length of blackmatch inserted afterwards.

The quickmatch can be lit directly, or via safety fuse depending on the intended application. When using quickmatch to light a firework directly (as opposed to lighting other fuses in a timing sequence) a safety fuse should always be used to ignite the quickmatch, otherwise the firework will ignite immediately and give you no time to get to a safe distance.



Visco Fuse Machine eBook

Welcome! If you would like to know how to make your own Visco style firework fuse and build a model like the one below then please read on!

(psst! - Want an even easier build? then be sure to check out the Easy Visco Machine Mk. 2! Link to the right ->)




Making Visco Fuse eBook
A simple yet detailed step by step guide is now available!

This eBook provides detailed instructions as well as specially made diagrams to help you make your own visco style fuse machine like the one featured on this site.

The PDF file eBook is ready for instant download at only £2.50 via PayPal’s checkout.

The sale will be delivered securely by Payhip, once payment is complete you will be emailed receipt confirmation and provided with your unique download details - to buy with confidence just click the "Buy now" button below!

All of the information you need to make your own Visco machine is right here in one place! All of the details have been brought together in this comprehensive guide.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge the first two pages of the eBook (includes materials list).

                               

There are plenty of pictures and videos on this site of both this Visco machine and the fuse it makes. Please feel free to see for yourself the simplicity of the design and the quality of fuse by clicking here.

All fireworks carry some level of risk but having a safe and reliable fuse greatly reduces the chances of damage or injury. That’s why it’s so important to have a fuse you can trust!

There are many Visco machine designs out there which work beautifully, but unless you’ve got access to a workshop and a fair amount of technical knowledge these devices might be beyond the fabrication skills of most beginners and tend to put people off - that's where this design is different!

Please click on the thumbnail images below to see a sample of the images used in the eBook.



As a pyrotechnic enthusiast wanting to make your own Visco machine you’ll most likely want something that is:
  • Compact, and so easily stored.
  • Easy to construct.
  • Cheap to build.
  • Easy to operate.
  • Quiet.
  • Can produce small to medium lengths of fuse easily and quickly.
  • Hand powered – reducing complexity, cost (both of materials and in operation) and noise.
This in turn would need to produce a fuse that:
  • Has a consistent burn rate.
  • Is reliable – i.e. it will continue to burn in confined spaces, such as the exhaust port of a rocket nozzle.
  • Can be waterproofed.
  • Will be strong enough to withstand pyrotechnic charges (such as those in lift charges and break charges) but still be flexible enough to cope with a certain amount of manipulation.
This eBook details the construction and use of a design which fulfills all of the above requirements for both the machine and the fuse it produces!

The finished machine looks simple, and to be fair, that’s the point! It took a long time to make a model which would meet the criteria listed above yet be as simple as possible and use readily available materials.

The less complicated a system the less there is to go wrong with it, and anyone who has battled the trial and error of getting a Visco machine to work will testify that the fewer times you have to thread the “Dies” the better!

There are many good reasons for making your own fuse, such as:
  • After the initial cost of materials, production of homemade fuse is often much cheaper than buying fuse.
  • You can tailor the fuse to the specific requirements you have for a given application i.e. burn rate, fuse dimensions etc.
  • You can have fuse “on tap” whenever you want it.
  • Having the satisfaction of making the fuse yourself – after all, the whole reason you’re making fireworks in the first place instead of buying them (fuse and all) is because you appreciate having put in the effort to understand the processes and get it right for yourself.
This design produces a Visco style fuse which has its nitrocellulose lacquer applied in a separate process, as described on the page Nitrocellulose lacquer - coating your fuse.

This design easily produces fuse at the rate of 3 feet per minute and the fuse itself has a diameter of 2mm and can achieve a consistent burn rate of 0.7cm/sec, even underwater! Not bad for a machine that you can easily make in a few hours for under £20!

As I’ve said, “All fireworks carry some level of risk” and that’s why it’s important that you take all necessary safety precautions – including reading this eBook’s disclaimer (which is included in the eBook), available under "Pages" (top right) or by clicking here.


eBook Disclaimer

The legal bit…drier than cold toast, but please read it…

 
Disclaimer

The contents of this eBook are for information purposes only. While every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information provided is accurate, no guarantees for the currency or accuracy of the information are made.
This eBook, in its entirety, including all images used (which have been created by the author) is protected by the 1988 Copyright Designs and Patent Act. As such, you may not; Copy the work, Rent, lend or issue copies of the work, Broadcast or show the work in public, Adapt the work to be reproduced, resold or distributed. Additionally, you may not upload any of this eBook’s content to any public server, on-line service, network, or bulletin board. You do not obtain any ownership right, title, or other interest or copyrights by downloading this eBook, copying, or otherwise using these materials.
All files have been virus scanned, however for your own protection you should scan these files again. The author does not warrant that any defects within the eBook will be corrected, or that the server that makes it available is free of viruses or represent the full functionality, accuracy, and reliability of the materials. You assume the entire risk related to downloading this eBook and any use of this data. This eBook is provided "as is", without any representation or endorsement made and without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, compatibility, security and accuracy. The author disclaims any liability to you or to any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages resulting from downloading this eBook and any use or misuse of the information it contains.
Any opinions in this eBook (explicit or implied) are that of the author and not a reflection of any other party.
The information in this eBook is not intended for malicious purposes or to do harm. If you use any/all of the information provided in this eBook you are responsible, in full, for any outcome.
The information in this eBook is for legal use if used at all. Ultimately, you hold responsibility to act within all applicable laws in your territory.
 
 

The eBook is coming!

How to make your own visco fuse.

Work on the instructional eBook is complete!

As a quick teaser, here’s a glimpse of just a few of the specially made images that accompany the detailed text to form this eBook.




Lots of different angles are used to clearly illustrate the text throughout the eBook and provide a step be step aid.
www.makingfireworkfuse.blogspot.co.uk



www.makingfireworkfuse.blogspot.co.uk




The eBook is available via this blog on the homepage and via the page "Visco machine ebook"