Hi jake, i'm a 19 year old boy and for a few years i've started to get passionate about the world of black powder, starting to produce my own trying to bring its performances to the stars as you do. my passion started watching your videos and you are still a great source of inspiration for me. Thanks jake, keep it up👍
Another name for Osage Orange is Beau D’Ark (French for ark of the bow). Planted by early settlers as fence rows. Great place to stand to dove hunt. When I heated with wood it dulled my chain saw pretty quick. Had to be careful when burning it because it put out so much heat.
Osage Orange was the choice for making Native American bows in the eastern woodlands. Apperantly, it has great shooting properties in more than one style of weapon.
Osage orange is one of the hottest burning woods, producing 32.9 million British Thermal Units (BTUs) per cord. Other woods that burn hot include: Shagbark hickory: Produces 27.7 million BTUs per cord Eastern hornbeam: Produces 27.1 million BTUs per cord Black locust: Produces 26.8 million BTUs per cord Blue beech: Produces 26.8 million BTUs per cord Ironwood: Produces 26.8 million BTUs per cord Bitternut hickory: Produces 26.5 million BTUs per cord Honey locust: Produces 26.5 million BTUs per cord
@@Everythingblackpowder If you wanna try black locust powder I can send you some of the wood. It grows like weeds but burns great and I use it for wooden boat parts since it's so rot proof. Let me know. I've got lots of off cuts.
When I used black locust to heat the house I was living in 30+ years ago, I gave me a bad headache and a sore throat. I would not suggest using black locust. Maybe it was just me, but a little research might be in order before using it.
Out in the backwoods, we typically refer to osage orange as hedge. stuff lasts forever as a fence post, it makes a banger bow and yes it has been known to start fires either bc of excess heat or when you open your stove with hedge burning in it sparks just start a flying like a flock of pissed off fireflies. Congratulations on a new record.
We usually call it hedge around here in the Midwest. Gets used for fence posts and fire wood mostly. Stuff when dried out is hard as hell, doesn't rot easily, and burns hot. Has a real bad habit of popping and throwing embers when you burn it. Also my dogs like playing with the fruit it drops.
A few years ago I had seen (probably) a Filipino youtube movie about traditional black powder, where they scraped the floor of their hut for nitrate. The wood they used apparently had the same properties, the wood sparked too. And some traditionally used the improved ammunition handbook method: boil their mixture in a pot of water until it becomes a thick paste and then let it dry out. It worked great for them.
@@Everythingblackpowdernice, that’s surprisingly good. I do revisit my early on request of coconut charcoal. I think you and me had a few comments back and forth about it, been watching lots of your videos. Always interesting and good. And now that you got a pyrolizer, if you do try it. I still recommend that you make the charcoal, then activate it right before you mill, the reason why I say that, is that’s what is used in gas mask filters. As it the best at absorbing chemicals. So my thoughts are, the best suitable gas mask filter charcoal ought to make a good powder, it excels at absorbing and bonding with other substances. The reason why, when made, very fine and activated. It has more surface area than other natural carbon sources, from what I understands. I think if you made it that way, you’d get an above average powder, just my thoughts based on its properties. Or you’d get an exceptional powder especially with a 48 hr or 72 hour mill time.
Ok, my retirement was pretty laid back for about two years before the boredom got too much to handle so I decided to build my own house, with my own hands, out of Hebel block on a lot I have in West Texas. That took me about a year and a half. Then I kicked back for some rest for about a year before I decided I wanted a hobby that required some discipline and enough variables to be engaging. Then I came across Kibler Longrifles and just finished building a .36 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle. THEN I happened upon you guys because I’m not interested in dressing up in a costume as part of my shooting and I love the casual and jocular way you shoot. But then I discovered your involvement with making black powder and now you’re sucking me down yet another rabbit hole of interest I wasn’t expecting at all. I’m at a loss as to what to do about this problem you have introduced into my existence, but I wanted to at least let you know how much I enjoy your videos. Thanks. Keep on keeping on!
I started making and testing homemade BP parallel to your channel, most of times I came to same conclusions as you. Some of your experiments saved me a lot of time and effort (like different charcoals and milling time). As a European ex-pyro and muzzleloader fan I appreciate your work and keep going :)
You mentioning Osage Orange burning hot made me think of something-- in Horace Kephart's Camping and Woodcraft (in volume II I think, but most editions have both in one these days) he has a big chart of firewood burn rates and heat. If I remember OO was near the top. It might be worth looking at to see if his chart reflects your experimental data and if there is anything near the top you haven't tried.
I looked at a firewood BTU chart and you're right, OO is right near the top. In line with your suggestion, I'd recommend madrone wood, which is close to OO on the BTU chart. It might be difficult to source, since it's native to the West Coast. It should be noted that some woods that do produce good charcoal are rated very low on the BTU chart, such as cottonwood and willow.
Vine Maple is another super dense wood. It's usually more like a pest wood in the timber industry. Spindly viney trees growing in the firs. And someone stoked the fireplace with a full load of vine maple and the inside of the stove got warped a little.. the oxygenators drooped. Not bad for 1" by .1" steel tube.
@r.awilliams9815 Modrone/Madrona is protected here in Washington State. No sure why... though gaining access to one you would need climbing gear, because of where they like to grow.
In Texas many years ago it was planted as hedge/fencing to divide pastures. We refer to it as a horse apple trees due to the fruit it produces. I have made knife scales from the wood but would have never thought it would make a good carbon source. And a lot of us do the historically accurate thing on our Walkers and make a little leather "thong" that we use to keep the loading lever from dropping every time we touch the revolver off. Just a suggestion. Cheers!
Interesting! As you mentioned, hardwoods are generally lower performing, so this was a surprise for me! Osage orange has long been used as a living fence. It works for that purpose. After the "dirty 30's", it was used as a windbreak around every field, and it works extremely well for that purpose - well enough that a lot of farmers and ranchers are bulldosing all those trees out. Guess it's been long enough that people forgot why they were planted in the first place. And yes, osage orange makes an excellent bow. There is some difficulty finding pieces straight enough and knot free, but when you do, you get a Cadillac of a bow. It also makes an extremely durable and long lasting fence post - 100 years without any significant rot. And yes, it absolutely makes a very hot fire - hot enough that you can use chunks of osage orange in place of coal in a forge. It throws a lot of sparks, though, so you need to be careful of surroundings. EXCELLENT video 👍!
I am primarily an archer and heard about the use of osage orange in the construction of traditional self-bows. In reading about osage orange, it is supposed to have the highest heating value of wood commonly burned as firewood but an internet search of best firewoods didn't include it but did list alder and cottonwood. Great experiment - the 2000fps threshold is getting closer.
Wow, I never even considered Osage orange, and I have tons of it on my property! I have made long bows from it and use it for firewood, it really burns hot. So now I have to try it of course! Another one of your viewers mentioned using Sumac to me, he said it worked great, so I have some drying. Another one I have had really good results from is Aspen pet bedding from Walmart, maybe another one for you to try. Thanks for the all the great videos, keep them coming!
G'day, I hope this be not too pedantic...; but "Cannon Fodder" is not the Powder which makes the Guns go "BANG !" And it isn't the Projectiles nor any Wadding, either. I think the term comes from the Trench Poets of the First World War, but it may have emerged from the US Civil..., or the Crimean War - which was conducted slightly before. Cannon-Fodder Are the Terrified, stupified Serried ranks of Recruits and Conscripts Who were Literally - "Fed to the Guns" In years of unimaginative Massed Frontal Attacks against Entrenched Fortifications. Basically, climbing out of muddy holes in the ground, and wearing a 65-pound Backpack while walking Slowly into massed gunfire from Rifles, Mortars, Cannon and after Hiram Maxim..., Machineguns. At Gallipoli, to "Spice things up" The ANZAC Cannon-Fodder Spent 9 months getting rowed in to the Beach from a Fleet offshore ; and then trying to run Up a Cliff, while the Turkey's on top of the hill Fired down into them - while tossing Hand Grenades and home-made Fragmentation Bombs... Then, claiming "Viktorie...?" After sneaking away in the middle of the night, For Xmas... So, there ye go And now ye know... Fodder for Cannons Is the Young True Believers who Stand out in front of the Muzzles. They whose lot Was not To ask the reason WHY ; They who got To do, and to DIE... Celebrating ANZAC Day is effectively a National Non-Sectarian Religion, here in 'Straya(!) & in Kiwiland, as well. The British like to fixate on their Battle of the Somme. 19,000 killed there, walking into the Machine-gun fire On the first Day... And then they kept on climbing out and Trying again..., for Months before realising that the Definition of insanity, Is doing the same silly thing Over & over & over again, while Expecting some Different result. Cannon Fodder = Obedient, Unthinking, Uncalculating Regardles, Unto the death. Ammunition Culls the Cannon Fodder, Traditionally speaking. Such is life, Have a good one... Stay safe. ;-p Ciao !
Osage orange is one of the two woods my dad always referred to as Amish coal growing up cutting firewood in Ohio (the other being locust). Stuff burns wicked hot and is murder to saw blades and axe handles
You mentioned the heat values and I remembered that's published data... went out and found a value of 32.9 million BTU per cord for dry wood. Everything else was in the high teens to high 20's, even cottonwood, so I don't know how directly applicable that figure is to this purpose since there could be volatile compounds affecting it. Pinyon Pine was the only thing above Osage Orange, at 33.5Mbtu/cord. Out where you are it's probably more apt to be called hedge apple and have thorns. Used to be a natural cattle fence.
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs: Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
We here in Pennsylvania call the fruit from the Osage Orange “Monkey Balls”. They’re a wrinkly green fruit (inedible) about the size of a softball, with black, wirey hairs growing out of it. People here in Pa. Place them in their basement to deter spiders! Although it appears to work better for BP than deterring spiders.
A fence post cut from Osage Orange (hedge to Midwesterners) will outlast 3 postholes. In the dry west, it will probably last forever. If you want to test it, make sure your grandchildren know about it because they'll be the ones evaluating the results. Or maybe passing the test on to their grandchildren. It burns like fireworks. Its sawdust looks like pollen. Cut, split, form,and nail (or staple) it ASAP after cutting, because it cures like unbreakable iron.
The bit about super performance from a rifle vs alright performance from a revolver is interesting. This suggests that the performance gains are from chemistry (energy density, gas composition) rather than burn rate. (or it could be bigger cylinder gap losses. testing in a breech loader or recoil operated SA pistol might be worthwhile) I know I keep harping on about additives rather than carbon sources but in amateur sugar rocketry (which faces similar problems but tolerates a low burn rate) they add red iron oxide (rust) to compositions as a catalyst to speed up burn rate. Since BP and KNSU have some similarities like the oxidizer, it might be worth testing whether 0.5 % Fe2O3 could improve pistol performance. (and all the other additives like wax and starch as well as mixed oxidizers)
As someone who has run rust in my powders I can attest that the addition of rust in a ratio of about 1% but no more than 2% of the mass of the powder you add it to (e.g. scoop out 100 grams of black powder then ADD 1 to 2 grams of iron oxide (specifically Fe(III) rust)) will be a much more potent powder.
@@clone4211it would add a tremendous amount of heat and *_could_* fuze to your bore. I would be hesitant to add it in any significant amount if at all. However, I have also heard some people tell horror stories of adding a little atomized zinc to their powder. I have never done it myself but zinc can mix with the sulfur to create flash powder that is used as a bursting charge for fireworks shells so it doesn’t surprise me if it turned out bad.
@@clone4211 No this is specifically about red iron oxide. This compound specifically acts as a catalyst to improve burn rate. Other oxides also do but nowhere near as effectively. (see the Nakka Rocketry oxides article) Metallic iron powder is a bad idea. Aluminum and Magnesium are used in flash powders (explosive pyrotechnics) and professional rocket propellants. With the right oxidizers they can provide superior energy density but produce solid reaction products (a lot of heat but no propellant gasses). The idea is to use a rubber (hydrocarbon) fuel which makes the gasses and add a little metal powder which contributes no gasses but provides more energy than the main fuel, achieving higher overall performance due to the added heat. The white smoke from Shuttle/SLS/ Atlas/ most military rocket launches is aluminum oxide from the boosters. This works because professional rocket motors use ammonium perchlorate oxidizer, which provides much more available oxygen and can even generate gasses on it's own. Potassium nitrate struggles with gas generation because the Potassium already takes up oxygen and only contributes solids, therefore the marginal energy gain vs increased solid products is hardly worth it. Backyard ballistics has a great video on potential fuels and propellants for further reference. DO NOT USE ALUMINIUM IN GUN PROPELLANTS! The oxide is used for sandpaper and grinding wheels. It will wear out your barrel and mechanical parts. Same goes for Boron fuels except they're also toxic. Magnesium is less bad but still not great. It also offers more energy per oxygen so it should suffer less from low performance oxidizers. (still not recommended due to flash powder burn rate)
@@ARandomTrollCopper chromite is also decent. But iron III oxide (red) is less toxic (basically non toxic actually) so even though it’s a small amount, probably prefer it
Thanks for the content guys. Osage Orange is commonly called Hedge Apple in the Midwest and is a very desirable bow wood. BTW, Hedge Apples make great reactionary targets.
I have built Lonewolf Custom Bows for more than 4 decades in both self bows " all wood" and laminated bows along with other materials. Willow would make a poor bow. Before someone debates this,I dont consider a stick that shoots a few times before it breaks a viable bow. Osage has a high modulas of rupture and modulas of elasticity. Its also slightly heavier because of its density. It makes a fine bow but so does many other material choices. You both conduct good science. Good engineering is not falling in love with any idea. If it dont work scrap it. One of the many principles I use. Best
Love this video content you continue to put out, it never gets old. I too am fairly new to black powder shooting, but living in a state where difficult to acquire black powder. I began my search and found you.. I began to lose hope. Your videos have re-ignited my interest please keep your videos coming. I learn a little something from everyone.
Did NOT Suck! Congratulations on achieving 1901.1. Amazing! Well done! I didn't know you milled the charcoal first before adding the other two components. I just threw in my walnut charcoal as it was to my mill and let it go for 48 hours and got jack-chit results and dirty powder. Thanks for the tip to break it up and mill it first. I will try that with what I have left and see if my powder gets any faster. God Bless
Well now, this is a revelation. So a dense, hot burning wood like Osage Orange (familiar to me from my childhood in Missouri), is highly regarded as an ingredient in cannon fodder. Who'd a thunk it? We called the fruit of those "screwballs" and the squirrels loved them. There is a tree in Oregon named the Madrone (some say Madrona), that will dull your axe and saw before burning out your firebox. I kid you not at all. It's a weird critter, with a smooth olive green skin like a ... well, I don't know what to compare it with. All I know is that it puts out more heat than you can imagine, weight for weight and is denser per cubic inch than any American tree I know of, an I'm aware of quite a few. It might behoove you to ask someone, some choker setter, topper or feller out on the left coast (if the EPA hasn't forbidden tree cutting altogether), to post you out a branch or two for you to fry, scramble, crush and divvy into yer next batch of "antique muzzle loading propellant" hash. If, by chance, it should meet or, hopefully, exceed yer expectations, I would be gratified to have brought it to your attention. Iffin it don't, oh well. Keep it up, yer doin' fine.
@@RedDogForge I don't know. I am only used to dealing with locust as finished planks as a substitute for white oak.. Madrone is much tougher on the tools, though.
Madrone is definitely a pain to work with for firewood, well worth the effort tho. Since I'm in the madrone area, I might have to try it. If nothing else, it'll be good cannon food😁
One of you mentioned that "it burns hotter in a fire". That might be a clue to selecting wood. There are several online sources for "how hot different types of wood burn". You might consider picking 1 or 2 of the hottest woods and 1 or 2 of the coldest, giving them a shot, just to see if it's worth exploring.
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs: Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
Here’s a list of the highest btu woods The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs: Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
Here in Europe we had "Chasse powders" (Hunting) like Vectan-Chasse, but also Swiss brands that were a mixture of FFFFG to FG with probably proportions decreasing as the grain size increased. The manufacturers wanted to optimize the combustion over the entire barrel length. In a long gun this might provide extra velocity. Maybe it's worth a try. And thank you for your videos, I look forward to them every week.
If anybody told me a year ago I would be waiting every week for an Everything Blackpowder video to come out I would have thought they were crazy. lol Yet here I am watching to see what new info you manage to put in every video. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to share what you have learned. Can't wait to see what you share in the future. Phil
@everythingblackpowder To your knowledge, is there such a thing as “over milling” your charcoal? I have a batch that turned out far more fine than usual. I don’t want to waste the other components in completing the batch if I run the risk of inferior BP due to irregularity of one component. You’re the bonafide SME on BP.
In Pennsylvania, Osage orange is known as "hedgeapple". It's pretty common in Central Pa. My wife picks up the fruit, that's green and softball sized. I will definitely try it in my next black powder batch. Thanks for the channel!
Who would have thunk Osage Orange? It's tough stuff. I hated trimming it. They planted it in fencerows for a windbreak and a natural fence. It's got nasty thorns. Great firewood if your saw blades are sharp. Sort of like Black Locust, jam a stick in the ground and 2 years later it's a tree. The science just keeps coming. Not ready to make my own damned video yet so keep it coming.
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs: Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
Perfect!!!! SE Nebraska has an unlimited supply of Osage Orange trees. Only concern is the velocity spread. Get that down and you really got something. Going to have to cut up some of my 100 year old Osage fence posts and make some charcoal. Maybe measure charges by weight for more precision?
Jake, there is a man who makes bows from this with a large channel called Hunt Primitive. His name is Ryan Gill and he sells a lot of primitive archery stuff. He makes A LOT of scraps/shavings and might be willing to work something out with you to get them if you contact them. In fact, bowyers who make the primitive bows would probably be a good supplier because the wood is already well seasoned and they produce a lot of scrap. Thanks for sharing.
Pre-milling is what I do too. I have mason jars I store my dehydrated and ball milled charcoal in so it doesn't soak up moisture. High volatile content charcoal loves moisture.
I have heard of Osage Ornage. In Oklahoma it is often used for fence posts. The stuff is hard and bugs don't like it. Those fence posts can last 100 years. One thing quite similar I think you might try is Texas Mesquite. Also Hard but a thorn tree; Mesquite quills are also used as needles for old Victrola 78RPM players; I have a Victrola and have used it; Grandad had a Ranch in Central Texas and I could pick up them while there. That old man would work my teen butt off for a dollar a day plus board. Great work Jake and crew.
Osage orange, or hedge apple, lasts damn near forever. I have had a hege chopping block sitting outside in the weather for 40 years. It just don't rot.
For what it is worth, ive found cocoanut fiber to produce the most power from what ive tried. Here in Florida, it can be found pretty easily. I also made a batch with an old rope. Like one of those real old scruffy ones. No clue what it was made of but it also had some spank behind it.
Osage is used for fence rows by overseeding , thinning & bending the saplings historically. Great for fence posts, bows ,& fires. Dulls the shit out of a chainsaw blade. When camping produces a very hot fire with alot of blue flame & little or no smoke. For bows its hard to find a straight, straight grained piece. Fyi. Great video
Living in Florida where I've never seen OO I really don't know much about it. The one thing I do know is that some woodstoves you buy have a warning on them not to burn coal or OO in them. It burns so hot it will damage the stove. It's interesting to see the different burn rates of different carbon source powders. You're doing a great job Jake.
When I mill, I reach a point in about 24 hours where the mill dust clumps in the bottom of the mill jar. I take it out and run it through a screen, but it clumps again within about 20 minutes of milling, which isn't really doing any good. The humidity this time of year averages around 60-70% so I am thinking that might have something to do with the clumping. I store my components in air-tight containers, but might try drying the charcoal and potassium nitrate in the oven before my next batch and see if I can mill longer without the clumping problem. Just curious what others are experiencing when doing this in relatively high humidity environments.
If denser woods seem to be a ticket for faster powder, go to a flooring store and ask to buy a box of exotic flooring that is a leftover from a lot. There's almost always a single box that can't easily be used. They're usually willing to sell it for cheap. That way you could try something like Brazilian Chestnut.
Hi Jake, I follow you from Italy and I am also passionate about muzzle loading. I did some research and it seems that the English, until the second half of the 19th century, used buckthorn (Rhamnus Cathartica) or cornel (Cornus Mas - very similar to Osage) charcoal for the production of powder at Waltham Abbey, however in North America neither dogwood nor buckthorn grow. I know Osage well, it is a very hard and elastic wood used by the natives (Osagi) for bows, in fact I have one made of Osage. Here in Italy, unfortunately it is forbidden by law to produce your own black powder, however I would like to carry out a project and you have given me some excellent advice, thanks for what you do.
Jake, I never Wood😂 have guessed Osage Orange, also know as bois d'arc and horse Apple. Here in Texas we pronounce it phonetically as bowed ark. We have several of these trees on our farm and without a doubt it burns hotter than mesquite and will dull a chainsaw chain quickly. It’s an extremely beautiful hardwood and when you hack off the bark of a live tree it is very orange in color. I have used it occasionally to mix with trash in a barrel to incinerate everything and have noticed it produces lots of black smoke and smells of creosote unlike other woods I have used before. I’m literally speechless on the fact you’ve proven that dense woods milled properly can produce excellent antique muzzleloading propellants. Nice! I’m going to try it!
From watching most all of your experiments i really can kind of tell from the sound of your shots how fast your powder differences are,call me nuts but I can tell thanks for all your videos I'm addicted.
Jake, I’ve got to tell you what motivates me most to follow your experiments…more than anything, it’s your intellect. Although not in the same vein, your pursuits remind me of my own when I wore a younger man’s clothes. Trust me, all the interesting stuff is outside the box! IE., ‘they’..the pundits, sages, self appointed guru’s and other associated humbugs claim and proclaim…well, that can’t be done…its unconventional and flies in the face established dictum! Hehe…that’s enough for me to declare that thinking as bovine dung. And me thinks…you do too. That’s why you shot smokeless in your black powder guns. Sometimes….most of the time…it worked, within reason. Of course you can’t reason with the unreasonable…because that requires…intellect. So sally forth young man, you’re breaking new frontiers. Oh by the way…do you know how many grains of a certain very fast smokeless powder it takes to dismember a Mosin Nagant? I don’t either, but I tried to find out. And as long as you continue to try to find answers…progress is being made. It’s not that what you learn is always truly useful, but that you know….that you know. And if Wisdom is your companion, you’ll not always reveal all that you know….because that thing you possess called intellect, is not equally distributed amongst the species. Keep at it, I have no need to make my own video! 0:00
The neighborhood where I grew up, in western Pennsylvania had Osage Orange trees. We called the fruit "monkey balls". We didn't make antique muzzle loading propellent with the wood, but monkey balls made great weapons! Haha. Good stuff as always, man!
Here in Indiana, I grew up knowing about "hedge apple" trees. They grew along the fence rows in old farm fields. they produced big round seed pods that were fun to throw at each other. It wasn't until I grew up and got into archery that I learned this was osage orange. The wood is a really hard, dense yellowish wood with a lot of resin. Really hard to plane and sand. Interesting video. Thanks!
As you're experimenting to learn what materials and processes go into making the best BP (highest velocity, most consistency / low ES, lowest fouling, etc), you might eventually land at the same spot they apparently did in the 19th century just as things were going smokeless. And that spot is so called "brown powder" or "cocoa powder". Clearly you've gleaned that the fuel source (charcoal) and milling process can have big effects. Brown powder was the mixture of 79-18-3 or 78-19-3 where the fuel was incompletely charred Rye straw. What it contributed to the process was remnant hydrocarbons. These remnant hydrocarbons both produced more energy and supplanted the plasticity role that the sulfur contributes allowing for reduced sulfur content. The lower sulfur content also reduces the formation of sulfuric acid which takes up some of the energy produced in a normal BP reaction. The lower sulfur content also reduces the burn speed of the powder and as you probably are aware, higher velocities are most often produced with slower burning propellants in the smokeless arena. No, I have no idea how to produce incompletely charred Rye straw charcoal. I suspect one clue is that it will still be producing smoke when you remove it from the heat. I'm guessing your billowing smoke session from the Osage Orange was from an excess of hydrocarbons in that particular wood. That's probably also related to why it burns hotter than many other woods. Brown powder might get you up to 2000fps with your 50 grain load. The downside, as I understand it, is that it's a bit harder to ignite owing to the lower sulfur content. It might end up having the disadvantage that you'd have to prime the pan with normal 3F black to get proper ignition. Clearly brown powder along with the ammonium nitrate based admixtures lost the race to nitrocellulose / smokeless. As always, enjoyed the video. Keep'em coming. And thank God (or whomever bought it) for the Garmin.
The guy mentioned that Osage Orange burns hot, so I looked up the numbers: Osage orange, 32.9 BTUs per cord. Shagbark hickory, 27.7 BTUs per cord. Eastern hornbeam, 27.1 BTUs per cord. Black birch, 26.8 BTUs per cord. Black locust, 26.8 BTUs per cord. Blue beech, 26.8 BTUs per cord. Ironwood, 26.8 BTUs per cord. Bitternut hickory, 26.5 BTUs per cord.
@@MrOldclunker I was looking to see if there's a correlation between the charcoals tested here and the list. Since they function just as a source of carbon, you'd think they act more or less the same; obv not the case. Maybe there is a difference between the tiny carbon structures left over after the other organic compounds are pyrolyzed off: some would allow more incorporation due to shape, or perhaps some have stronger bonds, which makes fine breakdown more difficult.
Thank you Jake. Thanks to your experiments I will be switching to making powder with hedge (osage orange) now instead since it grows in abundance around me, reducing cost of making a pound of "antique muzel loading propellant" to about $7.50. Figured out the treadmills 100 minute shut off timer by bypassing the whole circuit board and instead am using an auto transformer and rectifier to control speed (in case anyone else has had this same issue, that is the solution). The most common use of hedge (osage orange) is fence posts and firewood for heavy built wood stoves.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine The ones that drive nails into concrete or steel could do it. Although I have never seen one do staples. But, driving staples into dry Osage orange, by hand, without drilling pilot holes, does not happen!
I only been watching your channel for a few weeks now so I don’t know if you done any desert wood like mesquite, walnut, juniper, palo verde and sage can you do some or let me know if you have. These woods are plentiful here in Arizona
osage orange is very dense at about 54 pounds per cubic foot. You have me wondering what black locust with a density of 44 pounds per cubic foot can do. It is more common than osage orange. Glad you are so willing to try different woods for the charcoal and so willing to share your results. My next batch may well be black locust.
I have used Osage Orange a couple of times to make bows, and it's great for that. I would not have thought it would be much good for powder because it's so dense and you had such excellent results from lighter woods like Balsa and toilet paper. You mention that Osage Orange burns very hot. So does Larch or Tamarck wood. Might be worth a try sometime. You have to wonder, too, if 72 hours milling time would get an average over 1900 fps. for the Osage Orange. It's just so close! Great video. Love your stuff.
Sweet!! I have a use for all my scrap pieces now. I use osage orange for knife handles primarily. Excellent bow wood, burns hot, great fence post material, and the fruit keeps spiders away😂 I grew up in Central Kansas and this stuff is pretty common.
I am betting the even velocity is due to the cylinder gap, higher pressure will blow out thru the gap. With the short barrel and the gap it probably just maxes out.
Jake, if you whittle some light grooves around your ramrod end you can get a better finger grip when you get it stuck, but more importantly, you can use a string, leather wang, or shoelace with a prussic knot to pull it free. If it's really stuck you can tie the lace to a tree and yank. Works slick.
Quote from the internet. 'The purest form of amorphous carbon is created from reacting sugar with sulfuric acid". I have been wondering how carbon from the sugar/sulfuric acid reaction would work in black powder since I found your channel.
Osage orange trees (Maclura pomifera) can be found in Arizona and are also known as Hedge Apple, Bois d'arc, or Bodark: Yeah. I used too make bows out of it from our farm in Indiana!
I believe mulberry is a cousin of Osage orange (aka bois d’arc). If you don’t have Osage in your neck of the woods, mulberry might be easier to find. Suburban yards are where you find them. They grow aggressively so people prune them aggressively too. Yard prunings should be easy to come by.
One observation: the guy who sent you the osage orange specified it had seasoned for two years. Then you described how it acted strangely during carbonization. Might the seasoning/drying have effected the carbonization process? Perhaps try some other previously tried wood, only after it has seasoned (long tern experiment of course). Differences in carbon qualities seems to be the largest factor in your results across all the experiments.
Osage Orange, aka Hedge Apple, is probably the hardest, densest wood native to north america. It burns so hot that if you put it in your wood stove it will burn your wood stove out unless it is rated to handle coal. Osage is a close relative of Mulberry.
Powder clumping during the milling process. I live in East Tennessee so humidity is a real problem, I have to put my powder in an aluminum pie pan and suspend it over a hot plate on a low heat setting over night to completely dry it out. You might could use a dehydrator but the hot plate is working well for me. you just have to dry it out or it won't work.
Osage Orange is not only very dense and hot burning, but it tends to last forever because it's insect resistant and doesn't really rot. There are fence posts, tool handles, and such that have been exposed to the elements for decades where sun bleaching is all that's affected them, and a quick touch up with paint or stain fixes them right up, good as new again.
EBP: LOTS of good info in this one! I think you're right about efficiency factor in the pistol cartridges thing. Only so much time to burn powder in the barrel so at some point it just doesn't help (assuming equal power powder).
Wonderful video as always, just one statement. Exotic charcoal is a wonderful example, but almost prohibitive for those of us that don’t have access to it. I love the move mundane charcoal sources, because it is more readily available for us less fortunate 😁. Have a great weekend!
Wow, now THERE'S a resinous wood! I used to make archery bows, and whenever I used those Ipe deck boards (ironwood) I tried burning my scraps, and the oil would ooze out of the wood and emit this smell like chocolate.
Hmmm... Sugar as charcoal? Sugar is pure energy, so... Wikipedia says that sugar charcoal is "the purest form of amorphous carbon," and is used to make artificial diamonds.
There is a company (maybe more by now), that uses the cremains of dead relatives to make diamonds of 1/2 and 1 Carat sizes as mementos for the living. I can think of worse ways of being remembered. When I first heard of it, it was about $600 per Carat.
Interesting! It's been said that Swiss collects their Alder buckthorn in the very early spring when the sugar content is maximum. I'm also thinking sugar maple! But charred sugar would have no calcium,sodium and potassium impurities!
i think your right about the denser woods need more milling to perform the same as less dense. but my guess is more dense woods have more oils and more energy/gram
Here in Ohio, Osage Orange is also referred to as Hedge Apple. It produces a fruit greenish-yellow in color that resembles a large grapefruit, but very textured. It's one of the most highly sought after woods for local bowyers. The fruits cut open make a good insect repellent, smells a bit like citronella. My brother in law has used it in his wood burning furnace, and produced the most heat he's ever seen.
Another interesting fact is after the dust bowl they came in and planted hedge rows along the fields up here too help with the winds blowing across the fields they can be a mile long hedge rows
Hi jake, i'm a 19 year old boy and for a few years i've started to get passionate about the world of black powder, starting to produce my own trying to bring its performances to the stars as you do. my passion started watching your videos and you are still a great source of inspiration for me. Thanks jake, keep it up👍
Glad to hear it. Thank you
Make sure not to smoke near BP. Nore give it to play to youngsters.
@@hekpacobctac616
That Nore character seems sketchy.
I am very interested in muzzleloading too, but I have to do my basic training starting tuesday before i can invest my time and money into this hobby
Another name for Osage Orange is Beau D’Ark (French for ark of the bow). Planted by early settlers as fence rows. Great place to stand to dove hunt. When I heated with wood it dulled my chain saw pretty quick. Had to be careful when burning it because it put out so much heat.
Osage Orange was the choice for making Native American bows in the eastern woodlands. Apperantly, it has great shooting properties in more than one style of weapon.
Another name for it is Boise de Arc, which in the Midwest is pronounced Bodarc. The name is French for Wood of the Bow.
We call it Hedge Apple in Ohio.
Osage Orange wasn't introduced to the East woodland until 1803. It is native to the mid west, not the East coast.
@@coldandaloof7166 Here in Kansas too.
A Texan I know calls it “yaller trash wood”
Osage orange is one of the hottest burning woods, producing 32.9 million British Thermal Units (BTUs) per cord. Other woods that burn hot include:
Shagbark hickory: Produces 27.7 million BTUs per cord
Eastern hornbeam: Produces 27.1 million BTUs per cord
Black locust: Produces 26.8 million BTUs per cord
Blue beech: Produces 26.8 million BTUs per cord
Ironwood: Produces 26.8 million BTUs per cord
Bitternut hickory: Produces 26.5 million BTUs per cord
Honey locust: Produces 26.5 million BTUs per cord
Interesting
@@Everythingblackpowder If you wanna try black locust powder I can send you some of the wood. It grows like weeds but burns great and I use it for wooden boat parts since it's so rot proof. Let me know. I've got lots of off cuts.
@@Everythingblackpowder İt seems like you can get crazy velocity out of hot burning hardwoods if you get the milling right
Live Oak would be the hottest at 36.6 ?
When I used black locust to heat the house I was living in 30+ years ago, I gave me a bad headache and a sore throat. I would not suggest using black locust.
Maybe it was just me, but a little research might be in order before using it.
Out in the backwoods, we typically refer to osage orange as hedge. stuff lasts forever as a fence post, it makes a banger bow and yes it has been known to start fires either bc of excess heat or when you open your stove with hedge burning in it sparks just start a flying like a flock of pissed off fireflies. Congratulations on a new record.
Thank you
Very hard and resin is toxic from sawdust very rot resistant.
We usually call it hedge around here in the Midwest. Gets used for fence posts and fire wood mostly. Stuff when dried out is hard as hell, doesn't rot easily, and burns hot. Has a real bad habit of popping and throwing embers when you burn it.
Also my dogs like playing with the fruit it drops.
Great spider repellent also . 5 apples under the house lol
The fruit it drops is great to rid a place of roaches. We Call it Hedge Apple here in western KY
Mesquite charcoal throws sparks too... Vigorously.
growing it specifically for this purpose might be viable.
A few years ago I had seen (probably) a Filipino youtube movie about traditional black powder, where they scraped the floor of their hut for nitrate. The wood they used apparently had the same properties, the wood sparked too.
And some traditionally used the improved ammunition handbook method: boil their mixture in a pot of water until it becomes a thick paste and then let it dry out. It worked great for them.
1900 is breached! Congratulations! Epic results this time.
Thank you
@@Everythingblackpowdernice, that’s surprisingly good. I do revisit my early on request of coconut charcoal. I think you and me had a few comments back and forth about it, been watching lots of your videos. Always interesting and good. And now that you got a pyrolizer, if you do try it. I still recommend that you make the charcoal, then activate it right before you mill, the reason why I say that, is that’s what is used in gas mask filters. As it the best at absorbing chemicals. So my thoughts are, the best suitable gas mask filter charcoal ought to make a good powder, it excels at absorbing and bonding with other substances. The reason why, when made, very fine and activated. It has more surface area than other natural carbon sources, from what I understands. I think if you made it that way, you’d get an above average powder, just my thoughts based on its properties. Or you’d get an exceptional powder especially with a 48 hr or 72 hour mill time.
Cottonelle stocks just tanked.
Oh crap! I'm wiped out!
😢
😂
NAAAAAA YOU STILL GOT THE GOOD OLD CORN COB!! (I think Jake tried corn cob, didnt work very good tho!) 😆😆😆😆😆💣💣💣💬🗯💭🙊🙉🙈
That made me LAUGH OUT LOUD!! NO SHIT!!
Ok, my retirement was pretty laid back for about two years before the boredom got too much to handle so I decided to build my own house, with my own hands, out of Hebel block on a lot I have in West Texas. That took me about a year and a half. Then I kicked back for some rest for about a year before I decided I wanted a hobby that required some discipline and enough variables to be engaging. Then I came across Kibler Longrifles and just finished building a .36 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle. THEN I happened upon you guys because I’m not interested in dressing up in a costume as part of my shooting and I love the casual and jocular way you shoot. But then I discovered your involvement with making black powder and now you’re sucking me down yet another rabbit hole of interest I wasn’t expecting at all. I’m at a loss as to what to do about this problem you have introduced into my existence, but I wanted to at least let you know how much I enjoy your videos. Thanks. Keep on keeping on!
I started making and testing homemade BP parallel to your channel, most of times I came to same conclusions as you. Some of your experiments saved me a lot of time and effort (like different charcoals and milling time). As a European ex-pyro and muzzleloader fan I appreciate your work and keep going :)
You mentioning Osage Orange burning hot made me think of something-- in Horace Kephart's Camping and Woodcraft (in volume II I think, but most editions have both in one these days) he has a big chart of firewood burn rates and heat. If I remember OO was near the top. It might be worth looking at to see if his chart reflects your experimental data and if there is anything near the top you haven't tried.
I looked at a firewood BTU chart and you're right, OO is right near the top. In line with your suggestion, I'd recommend madrone wood, which is close to OO on the BTU chart. It might be difficult to source, since it's native to the West Coast. It should be noted that some woods that do produce good charcoal are rated very low on the BTU chart, such as cottonwood and willow.
Vine Maple is another super dense wood. It's usually more like a pest wood in the timber industry. Spindly viney trees growing in the firs.
And someone stoked the fireplace with a full load of vine maple and the inside of the stove got warped a little.. the oxygenators drooped. Not bad for 1" by .1" steel tube.
Mesquite... Try mesquite!
Hedge apple is another name for OO
@r.awilliams9815 Modrone/Madrona is protected here in Washington State.
No sure why... though gaining access to one you would need climbing gear, because of where they like to grow.
In Texas many years ago it was planted as hedge/fencing to divide pastures. We refer to it as a horse apple trees due to the fruit it produces. I have made knife scales from the wood but would have never thought it would make a good carbon source. And a lot of us do the historically accurate thing on our Walkers and make a little leather "thong" that we use to keep the loading lever from dropping every time we touch the revolver off. Just a suggestion. Cheers!
Also used as hedge fences in the Midwest prior to the invention of barbed wire. Makes really durable and rot-resistent fence posts.
Interesting! As you mentioned, hardwoods are generally lower performing, so this was a surprise for me!
Osage orange has long been used as a living fence. It works for that purpose. After the "dirty 30's", it was used as a windbreak around every field, and it works extremely well for that purpose - well enough that a lot of farmers and ranchers are bulldosing all those trees out. Guess it's been long enough that people forgot why they were planted in the first place. And yes, osage orange makes an excellent bow. There is some difficulty finding pieces straight enough and knot free, but when you do, you get a Cadillac of a bow. It also makes an extremely durable and long lasting fence post - 100 years without any significant rot. And yes, it absolutely makes a very hot fire - hot enough that you can use chunks of osage orange in place of coal in a forge. It throws a lot of sparks, though, so you need to be careful of surroundings.
EXCELLENT video 👍!
I am primarily an archer and heard about the use of osage orange in the construction of traditional self-bows. In reading about osage orange, it is supposed to have the highest heating value of wood commonly burned as firewood but an internet search of best firewoods didn't include it but did list alder and cottonwood. Great experiment - the 2000fps threshold is getting closer.
Wow, I never even considered Osage orange, and I have tons of it on my property! I have made long bows from it and use it for firewood, it really burns hot. So now I have to try it of course!
Another one of your viewers mentioned using Sumac to me, he said it worked great, so I have some drying. Another one I have had really good results from is Aspen pet bedding from Walmart, maybe another one for you to try.
Thanks for the all the great videos, keep them coming!
@@leonardlehrman6220 ❤
G'day,
I hope this be not too pedantic...; but
"Cannon Fodder" is not the
Powder which makes the
Guns go "BANG !"
And it isn't the Projectiles nor any Wadding, either.
I think the term comes from the
Trench Poets of the First World War, but it may have emerged from the US Civil..., or the Crimean War - which was conducted slightly before.
Cannon-Fodder
Are the
Terrified, stupified
Serried ranks of
Recruits and Conscripts
Who were
Literally -
"Fed to the Guns"
In years of unimaginative
Massed
Frontal Attacks against
Entrenched Fortifications.
Basically, climbing out of muddy holes in the ground, and wearing a 65-pound Backpack while walking
Slowly into massed gunfire from Rifles, Mortars, Cannon and after Hiram Maxim..., Machineguns.
At Gallipoli, to
"Spice things up"
The ANZAC Cannon-Fodder
Spent 9 months getting rowed in to the Beach from a Fleet offshore ; and then trying to run
Up a Cliff, while the
Turkey's on top of the hill
Fired down into them - while tossing Hand Grenades and home-made Fragmentation Bombs...
Then, claiming
"Viktorie...?"
After sneaking away in the middle of the night,
For Xmas...
So, there ye go
And now ye know...
Fodder for Cannons
Is the
Young
True Believers who
Stand out in front of the
Muzzles.
They whose lot
Was not
To ask the reason WHY ;
They who got
To do, and to DIE...
Celebrating
ANZAC Day is effectively a
National Non-Sectarian
Religion, here in 'Straya(!) & in
Kiwiland, as well.
The British like to fixate on their Battle of the Somme.
19,000 killed there, walking into the Machine-gun fire
On the first
Day...
And then they kept on climbing out and
Trying again..., for
Months before realising that the
Definition of insanity,
Is doing the same silly thing
Over & over & over again, while
Expecting some
Different result.
Cannon Fodder
=
Obedient,
Unthinking,
Uncalculating
Regardles,
Unto the death.
Ammunition
Culls the
Cannon Fodder,
Traditionally speaking.
Such is life,
Have a good one...
Stay safe.
;-p
Ciao !
Thank you
In French they call it Bois d'arc (Wood Bow) and it secretes latex that might be the cause of the smoke.
Osage orange is one of the two woods my dad always referred to as Amish coal growing up cutting firewood in Ohio (the other being locust). Stuff burns wicked hot and is murder to saw blades and axe handles
You mentioned the heat values and I remembered that's published data... went out and found a value of 32.9 million BTU per cord for dry wood. Everything else was in the high teens to high 20's, even cottonwood, so I don't know how directly applicable that figure is to this purpose since there could be volatile compounds affecting it. Pinyon Pine was the only thing above Osage Orange, at 33.5Mbtu/cord.
Out where you are it's probably more apt to be called hedge apple and have thorns. Used to be a natural cattle fence.
I guess people will never understand the denser a wood the more BTU per cord. Most all hardwoods have nearly the same BTU per pound of wood.
@@MrOldclunker Suppose that makes pinyon pine that much more impressive?
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs:
Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord
Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord
White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord
Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord
Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord
Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord
Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord
Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord
Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
We love your work. We expect to see a new branch added to the ATF before November! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
We here in Pennsylvania call the fruit from the Osage Orange “Monkey Balls”. They’re a wrinkly green fruit (inedible) about the size of a softball, with black, wirey hairs growing out of it. People here in Pa. Place them in their basement to deter spiders! Although it appears to work better for BP than deterring spiders.
Do they reek like a monkey's balls, too?
A fence post cut from Osage Orange (hedge to Midwesterners) will outlast 3 postholes. In the dry west, it will probably last forever. If you want to test it, make sure your grandchildren know about it because they'll be the ones evaluating the results. Or maybe passing the test on to their grandchildren. It burns like fireworks. Its sawdust looks like pollen. Cut, split, form,and nail (or staple) it ASAP after cutting, because it cures like unbreakable iron.
Congratulations on breaking 1900, great videos by the way...
The bit about super performance from a rifle vs alright performance from a revolver is interesting. This suggests that the performance gains are from chemistry (energy density, gas composition) rather than burn rate. (or it could be bigger cylinder gap losses. testing in a breech loader or recoil operated SA pistol might be worthwhile)
I know I keep harping on about additives rather than carbon sources but in amateur sugar rocketry (which faces similar problems but tolerates a low burn rate) they add red iron oxide (rust) to compositions as a catalyst to speed up burn rate. Since BP and KNSU have some similarities like the oxidizer, it might be worth testing whether 0.5 % Fe2O3 could improve pistol performance.
(and all the other additives like wax and starch as well as mixed oxidizers)
As someone who has run rust in my powders I can attest that the addition of rust in a ratio of about 1% but no more than 2% of the mass of the powder you add it to (e.g. scoop out 100 grams of black powder then ADD 1 to 2 grams of iron oxide (specifically Fe(III) rust)) will be a much more potent powder.
@@the_great_tigorian_channel That makes me wonder if a composition of aluminum and iron powder ala Thermite might be worth looking into.
@@clone4211it would add a tremendous amount of heat and *_could_* fuze to your bore. I would be hesitant to add it in any significant amount if at all. However, I have also heard some people tell horror stories of adding a little atomized zinc to their powder. I have never done it myself but zinc can mix with the sulfur to create flash powder that is used as a bursting charge for fireworks shells so it doesn’t surprise me if it turned out bad.
@@clone4211 No this is specifically about red iron oxide. This compound specifically acts as a catalyst to improve burn rate. Other oxides also do but nowhere near as effectively. (see the Nakka Rocketry oxides article)
Metallic iron powder is a bad idea. Aluminum and Magnesium are used in flash powders (explosive pyrotechnics) and professional rocket propellants. With the right oxidizers they can provide superior energy density but produce solid reaction products (a lot of heat but no propellant gasses). The idea is to use a rubber (hydrocarbon) fuel which makes the gasses and add a little metal powder which contributes no gasses but provides more energy than the main fuel, achieving higher overall performance due to the added heat. The white smoke from Shuttle/SLS/ Atlas/ most military rocket launches is aluminum oxide from the boosters.
This works because professional rocket motors use ammonium perchlorate oxidizer, which provides much more available oxygen and can even generate gasses on it's own. Potassium nitrate struggles with gas generation because the Potassium already takes up oxygen and only contributes solids, therefore the marginal energy gain vs increased solid products is hardly worth it. Backyard ballistics has a great video on potential fuels and propellants for further reference.
DO NOT USE ALUMINIUM IN GUN PROPELLANTS! The oxide is used for sandpaper and grinding wheels. It will wear out your barrel and mechanical parts. Same goes for Boron fuels except they're also toxic. Magnesium is less bad but still not great. It also offers more energy per oxygen so it should suffer less from low performance oxidizers. (still not recommended due to flash powder burn rate)
@@ARandomTrollCopper chromite is also decent. But iron III oxide (red) is less toxic (basically non toxic actually) so even though it’s a small amount, probably prefer it
Congratulations on your new carbon source, you done good.
Thank you
Thanks for the content guys. Osage Orange is commonly called Hedge Apple in the Midwest and is a very desirable bow wood. BTW, Hedge Apples make great reactionary targets.
I have built Lonewolf Custom Bows for more than 4 decades in both self bows " all wood" and laminated bows along with other materials. Willow would make a poor bow. Before someone debates this,I dont consider a stick that shoots a few times before it breaks a viable bow. Osage has a high modulas of rupture and modulas of elasticity. Its also slightly heavier because of its density. It makes a fine bow but so does many other material choices. You both conduct good science. Good engineering is not falling in love with any idea. If it dont work scrap it. One of the many principles I use.
Best
What do you think of the bamboo ILF limbs on Amazon?
Love this video content you continue to put out, it never gets old. I too am fairly new to black powder shooting, but living in a state where difficult to acquire black powder. I began my search and found you.. I began to lose hope. Your videos have re-ignited my interest please keep your videos coming. I learn a little something from everyone.
@@jbflyfishingjbflyfishing4068 glad to hear it
Thanks!
Thank you !
Another great discovery - experimentation at its best - nicely done mate.
Did NOT Suck! Congratulations on achieving 1901.1. Amazing! Well done! I didn't know you milled the charcoal first before adding the other two components. I just threw in my walnut charcoal as it was to my mill and let it go for 48 hours and got jack-chit results and dirty powder. Thanks for the tip to break it up and mill it first. I will try that with what I have left and see if my powder gets any faster. God Bless
Well now, this is a revelation. So a dense, hot burning wood like Osage Orange (familiar to me from my childhood in Missouri), is highly regarded as an ingredient in cannon fodder. Who'd a thunk it? We called the fruit of those "screwballs" and the squirrels loved them. There is a tree in Oregon named the Madrone (some say Madrona), that will dull your axe and saw before burning out your firebox. I kid you not at all. It's a weird critter, with a smooth olive green skin like a ... well, I don't know what to compare it with. All I know is that it puts out more heat than you can imagine, weight for weight and is denser per cubic inch than any American tree I know of, an I'm aware of quite a few. It might behoove you to ask someone, some choker setter, topper or feller out on the left coast (if the EPA hasn't forbidden tree cutting altogether), to post you out a branch or two for you to fry, scramble, crush and divvy into yer next batch of "antique muzzle loading propellant" hash. If, by chance, it should meet or, hopefully, exceed yer expectations, I would be gratified to have brought it to your attention. Iffin it don't, oh well. Keep it up, yer doin' fine.
that sounds a lot like black locust
@@RedDogForge I don't know. I am only used to dealing with locust as finished planks as a substitute for white oak.. Madrone is much tougher on the tools, though.
Madrone is definitely a pain to work with for firewood, well worth the effort tho. Since I'm in the madrone area, I might have to try it. If nothing else, it'll be good cannon food😁
@@clydecramer8946 I hope it turns out to be worth your while.
I have a Madrone tree in my backyard. Might dry some out and give it a try.
It's super hard, I use it for knife handles
One of you mentioned that "it burns hotter in a fire". That might be a clue to selecting wood. There are several online sources for "how hot different types of wood burn". You might consider picking 1 or 2 of the hottest woods and 1 or 2 of the coldest, giving them a shot, just to see if it's worth exploring.
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs:
Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord
Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord
White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord
Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord
Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord
Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord
Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord
Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord
Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
Since Osage burns at 32.9 BTU how about Eucalyptus which burns at 34.5?
Here’s a list of the highest btu woods
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs:
Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord
Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord
White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord
Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord
Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord
Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord
Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord
Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord
Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
Here in Europe we had "Chasse powders" (Hunting) like Vectan-Chasse, but also Swiss brands that were a mixture of FFFFG to FG with probably proportions decreasing as the grain size increased. The manufacturers wanted to optimize the combustion over the entire barrel length. In a long gun this might provide extra velocity. Maybe it's worth a try.
And thank you for your videos, I look forward to them every week.
If anybody told me a year ago I would be waiting every week for an Everything Blackpowder video to come out I would have thought they were crazy. lol Yet here I am watching to see what new info you manage to put in every video. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to share what you have learned. Can't wait to see what you share in the future. Phil
@everythingblackpowder To your knowledge, is there such a thing as “over milling” your charcoal? I have a batch that turned out far more fine than usual. I don’t want to waste the other components in completing the batch if I run the risk of inferior BP due to irregularity of one component. You’re the bonafide SME on BP.
@@catasstrophe as long as you’re not using lead media, no, there’s no such thing as over milling.
In Pennsylvania, Osage orange is known as "hedgeapple". It's pretty common in Central Pa.
My wife picks up the fruit, that's green and softball sized.
I will definitely try it in my next black powder batch. Thanks for the channel!
Who would have thunk Osage Orange?
It's tough stuff. I hated trimming it. They planted it in fencerows for a windbreak and a natural fence. It's got nasty thorns. Great firewood if your saw blades are sharp. Sort of like Black Locust, jam a stick in the ground and 2 years later it's a tree.
The science just keeps coming.
Not ready to make my own damned video yet so keep it coming.
There are 2 trees with that name. Im not sure he is using the spikey fruit tree. They are generally very small trees
You make my Fridays. Thank so much for starting this channel and keeping it up !
You guys probably know it as Hedge Apple
Horse apple?
Man, i like this Channel.
Another breath taker....Holy Cow.... Any idea if the wood was harvested in the spring or in the fall? Fun as Hell to watch...GREAT video!!
The wood with the highest BTU output depends on the type of wood and its density. Here are some woods with high BTU outputs:
Beech: Has a high BTU output of 32,500,000 BTUs per cord
Ash: Has a high BTU output of 32,000,000 BTUs per cord
White oak: Has a high BTU output of 29,000,000 BTUs per cord
Red oak: Has a high BTU output of 28,000,000 BTUs per cord
Sugar maple: Has a high BTU output of 27,500,000 BTUs per cord
Osage orange: Has a high BTU output of 32.9 BTUs per cord
Shagbark hickory: Has a high BTU output of 27.7 BTUs per cord
Eastern hornbeam: Has a high BTU output of 27.1 BTUs per cord
Black birch: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Black locust: Has a high BTU output of 26.8 BTUs per cord
Hardwoods like oak, maple, and hickory generally have higher BTU values than softwoods like pine, spruce, and fir. This is because denser woods burn longer and hotter.
@@byerboys2607 Thanks for the info!
Perfect!!!! SE Nebraska has an unlimited supply of Osage Orange trees. Only concern is the velocity spread. Get that down and you really got something. Going to have to cut up some of my 100 year old Osage fence posts and make some charcoal. Maybe measure charges by weight for more precision?
Jake, there is a man who makes bows from this with a large channel called Hunt Primitive. His name is Ryan Gill and he sells a lot of primitive archery stuff. He makes A LOT of scraps/shavings and might be willing to work something out with you to get them if you contact them. In fact, bowyers who make the primitive bows would probably be a good supplier because the wood is already well seasoned and they produce a lot of scrap. Thanks for sharing.
Bow makers have to season and dry wood anyways before they start working the bow. Any scraps they have should be fairly dry
Pre-milling is what I do too. I have mason jars I store my dehydrated and ball milled charcoal in so it doesn't soak up moisture.
High volatile content charcoal loves moisture.
I have heard of Osage Ornage. In Oklahoma it is often used for fence posts. The stuff is hard and bugs don't like it. Those fence posts can last 100 years. One thing quite similar I think you might try is Texas Mesquite. Also Hard but a thorn tree; Mesquite quills are also used as needles for old Victrola 78RPM players; I have a Victrola and have used it; Grandad had a Ranch in Central Texas and I could pick up them while there. That old man would work my teen butt off for a dollar a day plus board. Great work Jake and crew.
Osage orange, or hedge apple, lasts damn near forever. I have had a hege chopping block sitting outside in the weather for 40 years. It just don't rot.
For what it is worth, ive found cocoanut fiber to produce the most power from what ive tried. Here in Florida, it can be found pretty easily.
I also made a batch with an old rope. Like one of those real old scruffy ones. No clue what it was made of but it also had some spank behind it.
Osage is used for fence rows by overseeding , thinning & bending the saplings historically. Great for fence posts, bows ,& fires. Dulls the shit out of a chainsaw blade. When camping produces a very hot fire with alot of blue flame & little or no smoke. For bows its hard to find a straight, straight grained piece. Fyi. Great video
This project is going well. Luvin' it!
Living in Florida where I've never seen OO I really don't know much about it. The one thing I do know is that some woodstoves you buy have a warning on them not to burn coal or OO in them. It burns so hot it will damage the stove. It's interesting to see the different burn rates of different carbon source powders. You're doing a great job Jake.
Thank you
When I mill, I reach a point in about 24 hours where the mill dust clumps in the bottom of the mill jar. I take it out and run it through a screen, but it clumps again within about 20 minutes of milling, which isn't really doing any good. The humidity this time of year averages around 60-70% so I am thinking that might have something to do with the clumping. I store my components in air-tight containers, but might try drying the charcoal and potassium nitrate in the oven before my next batch and see if I can mill longer without the clumping problem.
Just curious what others are experiencing when doing this in relatively high humidity environments.
We store all of our components in our vacuum chamber. It’s the only way to fly.
If denser woods seem to be a ticket for faster powder, go to a flooring store and ask to buy a box of exotic flooring that is a leftover from a lot. There's almost always a single box that can't easily be used. They're usually willing to sell it for cheap. That way you could try something like Brazilian Chestnut.
I like this idea.
Hi Jake, I follow you from Italy and I am also passionate about muzzle loading. I did some research and it seems that the English, until the second half of the 19th century, used buckthorn (Rhamnus Cathartica) or cornel (Cornus Mas - very similar to Osage) charcoal for the production of powder at Waltham Abbey, however in North America neither dogwood nor buckthorn grow. I know Osage well, it is a very hard and elastic wood used by the natives (Osagi) for bows, in fact I have one made of Osage. Here in Italy, unfortunately it is forbidden by law to produce your own black powder, however I would like to carry out a project and you have given me some excellent advice, thanks for what you do.
Jake, I never Wood😂 have guessed Osage Orange, also know as bois d'arc and horse Apple. Here in Texas we pronounce it phonetically as bowed ark. We have several of these trees on our farm and without a doubt it burns hotter than mesquite and will dull a chainsaw chain quickly. It’s an extremely beautiful hardwood and when you hack off the bark of a live tree it is very orange in color. I have used it occasionally to mix with trash in a barrel to incinerate everything and have noticed it produces lots of black smoke and smells of creosote unlike other woods I have used before. I’m literally speechless on the fact you’ve proven that dense woods milled properly can produce excellent antique muzzleloading propellants. Nice! I’m going to try it!
We have those trees here in NW louisiana and we called the fruit it produces, horse apples. Don't know why. But great video. 👍
From watching most all of your experiments i really can kind of tell from the sound of your shots how fast your powder differences are,call me nuts but I can tell thanks for all your videos I'm addicted.
Jake, I’ve got to tell you what motivates me most to follow your experiments…more than anything, it’s your intellect. Although not in the same vein, your pursuits remind me of my own when I wore a younger man’s clothes. Trust me, all the interesting stuff is outside the box! IE., ‘they’..the pundits, sages, self appointed guru’s and other associated humbugs claim and proclaim…well, that can’t be done…its unconventional and flies in the face established dictum! Hehe…that’s enough for me to declare that thinking as bovine dung. And me thinks…you do too. That’s why you shot smokeless in your black powder guns. Sometimes….most of the time…it worked, within reason. Of course you can’t reason with the unreasonable…because that requires…intellect. So sally forth young man, you’re breaking new frontiers. Oh by the way…do you know how many grains of a certain very fast smokeless powder it takes to dismember a Mosin Nagant? I don’t either, but I tried to find out. And as long as you continue to try to find answers…progress is being made. It’s not that what you learn is always truly useful, but that you know….that you know. And if Wisdom is your companion, you’ll not always reveal all that you know….because that thing you possess called intellect, is not equally distributed amongst the species. Keep at it, I have no need to make my own video! 0:00
@@mark-wn5ek thank you very much
You should do a metric on cost per pound/ounce compared to Swiss as well!
The neighborhood where I grew up, in western Pennsylvania had Osage Orange trees. We called the fruit "monkey balls". We didn't make antique muzzle loading propellent with the wood, but monkey balls made great weapons! Haha.
Good stuff as always, man!
Here in Indiana, I grew up knowing about "hedge apple" trees. They grew along the fence rows in old farm fields. they produced big round seed pods that were fun to throw at each other. It wasn't until I grew up and got into archery that I learned this was osage orange. The wood is a really hard, dense yellowish wood with a lot of resin. Really hard to plane and sand. Interesting video. Thanks!
As you're experimenting to learn what materials and processes go into making the best BP (highest velocity, most consistency / low ES, lowest fouling, etc), you might eventually land at the same spot they apparently did in the 19th century just as things were going smokeless. And that spot is so called "brown powder" or "cocoa powder". Clearly you've gleaned that the fuel source (charcoal) and milling process can have big effects. Brown powder was the mixture of 79-18-3 or 78-19-3 where the fuel was incompletely charred Rye straw. What it contributed to the process was remnant hydrocarbons. These remnant hydrocarbons both produced more energy and supplanted the plasticity role that the sulfur contributes allowing for reduced sulfur content. The lower sulfur content also reduces the formation of sulfuric acid which takes up some of the energy produced in a normal BP reaction. The lower sulfur content also reduces the burn speed of the powder and as you probably are aware, higher velocities are most often produced with slower burning propellants in the smokeless arena.
No, I have no idea how to produce incompletely charred Rye straw charcoal. I suspect one clue is that it will still be producing smoke when you remove it from the heat. I'm guessing your billowing smoke session from the Osage Orange was from an excess of hydrocarbons in that particular wood. That's probably also related to why it burns hotter than many other woods.
Brown powder might get you up to 2000fps with your 50 grain load. The downside, as I understand it, is that it's a bit harder to ignite owing to the lower sulfur content. It might end up having the disadvantage that you'd have to prime the pan with normal 3F black to get proper ignition.
Clearly brown powder along with the ammonium nitrate based admixtures lost the race to nitrocellulose / smokeless.
As always, enjoyed the video. Keep'em coming. And thank God (or whomever bought it) for the Garmin.
The sap of the Osage Orange is raw latex (rubber), which is why it burns so hot. In point of fact, it can be used to operate a forge.
I am glad to see this, I live in Missouri and Osage orange (Hedge) is everywhere around my area.
How about retesting the Cottonelle powder over your new chronograph??
He did that not that long ago. With the 72 hr stuff!
@@edwardphillips8460 Thanks I missed that detail👍
If you need more I'll send you a box
What size shirt do you wear
If I'm not mistaken, Osage orange is also known as horse apple because of the unedible fruit it makes
Incredible results!
Ive got a bow i made with it,and they used to grow it to form a natural hedge row to keep cattle in.Its really dense and knarly.
The guy mentioned that Osage Orange burns hot, so I looked up the numbers:
Osage orange, 32.9 BTUs per cord.
Shagbark hickory, 27.7 BTUs per cord.
Eastern hornbeam, 27.1 BTUs per cord.
Black birch, 26.8 BTUs per cord.
Black locust, 26.8 BTUs per cord.
Blue beech, 26.8 BTUs per cord.
Ironwood, 26.8 BTUs per cord.
Bitternut hickory, 26.5 BTUs per cord.
Sounds like an accurate statement to me
BTU/cord doesn't mean it burns hotter, just denser.
@@MrOldclunker I was looking to see if there's a correlation between the charcoals tested here and the list. Since they function just as a source of carbon, you'd think they act more or less the same; obv not the case.
Maybe there is a difference between the tiny carbon structures left over after the other organic compounds are pyrolyzed off: some would allow more incorporation due to shape, or perhaps some have stronger bonds, which makes fine breakdown more difficult.
Thank you Jake.
Thanks to your experiments I will be switching to making powder with hedge (osage orange) now instead since it grows in abundance around me, reducing cost of making a pound of "antique muzel loading propellant" to about $7.50. Figured out the treadmills 100 minute shut off timer by bypassing the whole circuit board and instead am using an auto transformer and rectifier to control speed (in case anyone else has had this same issue, that is the solution).
The most common use of hedge (osage orange) is fence posts and firewood for heavy built wood stoves.
Glad to hear it!
It’s used for fence post here in central Alabama. Hardest wood around. When it dries you can’t drive a staple in it.
I see people say that, but what about a powder actuated nailgun using the strongest blanks?
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine
The ones that drive nails into concrete or steel could do it. Although I have never seen one do staples.
But, driving staples into dry Osage orange, by hand, without drilling pilot holes, does not happen!
You're a BP inspiration. Getting my grain grinder this week !
I only been watching your channel for a few weeks now so I don’t know if you done any desert wood like mesquite, walnut, juniper, palo verde and sage can you do some or let me know if you have. These woods are plentiful here in Arizona
I haven’t
osage orange is very dense at about 54 pounds per cubic foot. You have me wondering what black locust with a density of 44 pounds per cubic foot can do. It is more common than osage orange. Glad you are so willing to try different woods for the charcoal and so willing to share your results. My next batch may well be black locust.
I have used Osage Orange a couple of times to make bows, and it's great for that. I would not have thought it would be much good for powder because it's so dense and you had such excellent results from lighter woods like Balsa and toilet paper. You mention that Osage Orange burns very hot. So does Larch or Tamarck wood. Might be worth a try sometime. You have to wonder, too, if 72 hours milling time would get an average over 1900 fps. for the Osage Orange. It's just so close! Great video. Love your stuff.
Sweet!! I have a use for all my scrap pieces now. I use osage orange for knife handles primarily. Excellent bow wood, burns hot, great fence post material, and the fruit keeps spiders away😂
I grew up in Central Kansas and this stuff is pretty common.
I am betting the even velocity is due to the cylinder gap, higher pressure will blow out thru the gap. With the short barrel and the gap it probably just maxes out.
Jake, if you whittle some light grooves around your ramrod end you can get a better finger grip when you get it stuck, but more importantly, you can use a string, leather wang, or shoelace with a prussic knot to pull it free. If it's really stuck you can tie the lace to a tree and yank. Works slick.
Quote from the internet. 'The purest form of amorphous carbon is created from reacting sugar with sulfuric acid". I have been wondering how carbon from the sugar/sulfuric acid reaction would work in black powder since I found your channel.
Wow!!! That is impressive. Thanks for putting out this video.
You bet
Osage orange trees (Maclura pomifera) can be found in Arizona and are also known as Hedge Apple, Bois d'arc, or Bodark:
Yeah. I used too make bows out of it from our farm in Indiana!
Have you ever powdered your charcoal in a kitchen blender? Works pretty good & quicker. Try it.
NO
I believe mulberry is a cousin of Osage orange (aka bois d’arc). If you don’t have Osage in your neck of the woods, mulberry might be easier to find. Suburban yards are where you find them. They grow aggressively so people prune them aggressively too. Yard prunings should be easy to come by.
You need to try more of that guys wood! Or get another batch of Osage orange wood from a different source?
One observation: the guy who sent you the osage orange specified it had seasoned for two years. Then you described how it acted strangely during carbonization. Might the seasoning/drying have effected the carbonization process? Perhaps try some other previously tried wood, only after it has seasoned (long tern experiment of course). Differences in carbon qualities seems to be the largest factor in your results across all the experiments.
Its used for fence posts in the mid west. It doesn’t rot and is hard as a rock. Burns really really hot
Osage Orange, aka Hedge Apple, is probably the hardest, densest wood native to north america. It burns so hot that if you put it in your wood stove it will burn your wood stove out unless it is rated to handle coal. Osage is a close relative of Mulberry.
Powder clumping during the milling process. I live in East Tennessee so humidity is a real problem, I have to put my powder in an aluminum pie pan and suspend it over a hot plate on a low heat setting over night to completely dry it out. You might could use a dehydrator but the hot plate is working well for me. you just have to dry it out or it won't work.
Yes, we use a toaster oven to dry all of our components and then we store them in a vacuum chamber
That’s awesome results. I’m impressed. You are definitely cutting edge.
Thank you
Bois d'arc is also used for concrete floats. Awesome wood
Osage Orange is not only very dense and hot burning, but it tends to last forever because it's insect resistant and doesn't really rot. There are fence posts, tool handles, and such that have been exposed to the elements for decades where sun bleaching is all that's affected them, and a quick touch up with paint or stain fixes them right up, good as new again.
EBP: LOTS of good info in this one! I think you're right about efficiency factor in the pistol cartridges thing. Only so much time to burn powder in the barrel so at some point it just doesn't help (assuming equal power powder).
Thank you
Osage orange is a hardwood that is used to make bows, and some really nice looking ones at that.
Wonderful video as always, just one statement. Exotic charcoal is a wonderful example, but almost prohibitive for those of us that don’t have access to it. I love the move mundane charcoal sources, because it is more readily available for us less fortunate 😁. Have a great weekend!
Thank you
You should try Iron wood???
Wow, now THERE'S a resinous wood! I used to make archery bows, and whenever I used those Ipe deck boards (ironwood) I tried burning my scraps, and the oil would ooze out of the wood and emit this smell like chocolate.
Lignum vitae!
I agree
Hmmm... Sugar as charcoal? Sugar is pure energy, so... Wikipedia says that sugar charcoal is "the purest form of amorphous carbon," and is used to make artificial diamonds.
Now there's an idea. Plus sugar gets kinda brittle and puffy as it burns, so it might mill really well, too.
I've tried using straight sugar as an additive and it's just awful. But charring it might be the ticket. This is actually a great idea.
There is a company (maybe more by now), that uses the cremains of dead relatives to make diamonds of 1/2 and 1 Carat sizes as mementos for the living. I can think of worse ways of being remembered. When I first heard of it, it was about $600 per Carat.
Interesting! It's been said that Swiss collects their Alder buckthorn in the very early spring when the sugar content is maximum. I'm also thinking sugar maple!
But charred sugar would have no calcium,sodium and potassium impurities!
@@nathanguyon7620
Yeah! Makes great rocket fuel but would likely have to be charred for gunpowder!
i think your right about the denser woods need more milling to perform the same as less dense. but my guess is more dense woods have more oils and more energy/gram
Here in Ohio, Osage Orange is also referred to as Hedge Apple. It produces a fruit greenish-yellow in color that resembles a large grapefruit, but very textured. It's one of the most highly sought after woods for local bowyers. The fruits cut open make a good insect repellent, smells a bit like citronella. My brother in law has used it in his wood burning furnace, and produced the most heat he's ever seen.
Another interesting fact is after the dust bowl they came in and planted hedge rows along the fields up here too help with the winds blowing across the fields they can be a mile long hedge rows