Making black powder with graphite?

In my thread regarding the Ferguson Rifle, someone said that Ferguson recommended the use of polished black powder in his rifle.

I didn't know what "polishing" black powder meant. So I looked it up. Apparently the British did it to reduce black powder dust. At first they polished it by tumbling it in silk bags, but black powder dust would still accumulate. So then they added graphite to the process.

This sealed the grains and reduced dust, making it a safer gunpowder to handle. They used the graphite black powder for their carbines. So I guess because graphite is a dry lubricant maybe it kept the action functioning properly for the Ferguson. I can't think of any other reason he specified its use.

My question is, is anyone familiar with this "polishing" process? It seems to me it might be useful in cap and ball revolvers if the graphite does act as a lubricant.

Thoughts?

Loyalist Dave said:

I was taught that when you buy 3Fg for your revolver, that 3F powder when "glazed" [the modern term] with graphite, it then is designated 3Fg
So IF you're using 3Fg you're already using pretty much the same stuff mentioned by the British sources and using graphite.

LD

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Do you have any idea how they do this? Most of what I've learned about making black powder has come from fireworks guys, and guys that learned from fireworks guys.

Loyalist Dave said:

It was done by steam injection back then..., which is odd since BP you don't want damp, but it was part of the drying process.
http://folk.ntnu.no/skoge/prost/proceedings/aiche-2008/data/papers/P130339.pdf
"Glazing" was done prior to the use of graphite, and is present in all commercially made BP, and this has been done since the mid 17th century. In the 19th century large scale use of graphite during the drying and glazing came in and the g was added.

LD

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Well I actually wet my comp right after I mill it. Now I just use water, but before I've used 90% alcohol. Of course you have to let it dry but in both processes to corn my powder I do wet it.

So I wonder if you just add the graphite at that point. If so how much. hmmm....

Edit to add: I read your PDF, and I now understand what they were doing, I'd have to think about how I might accomplish the same process.

TheRodDoc said:

The g in fg does not stand for glazing or graphite. It goes along with the f and stands for "FINE GRAIN" Fg, FFg, FFFg and FFFFg or 1fg 2fg 3fg and 4fg, are all in the fine grain class of powders . Lg or Cg is large grain or coarce grain is much larger grains and also is divided into sizes as the fine grain powders are. Lg RLG LG1, LG2 and etc. Was made for big bore guns and morters.
I have posted this link 2 times before but no one seems to bother to have read it.
You guys really need to read this to learn how gunpowder was really made in late 1860's. Right from the horses mouth and not from internet gossup.

Scroll up after page opens for contents page:
https://books.google.com/books?id=rVwwuV8RRfcC&pg=PA5&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false

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Thanks for the PDF post. I enjoy reading the old ways of making powder. However, after reading the chapter on "glazing" in the pdf you posted, I still don't have a clear idea of how I can replicate their "glazing" process.

For instance, my ball mill can process 10 lbs of comp at a time, although my usual run is 2-5 lbs. I then use a 20-ton hydraulic press, and custom made aluminum die to turn that comp into hard pucks. These days I only use a little water in the comp prior to pressing, while before I use to use 90% alcohol. In any case, after pressed I let them dry for a few days, or I store them in this form inside brown paper envelopes inside my gunpowder magazine. I pull them out as I need them for further processing.

I then break up the black powder into fairly large chunks, which I then crush in a non-ferrous coffee grinder. I then grade out my powder using geological testing sieves. My fines, in my case anything finner than 3 fg, goes back through the process again.

Graphite is a dry lubricant. In the old days, they used it to polish or glaze their powder to reduce dust. In other words to make the powder more transportable and less dangerous to handle. But the reason Furguson had to be recommending its use for use in his breechloader rifle was for the lubricating characteristics of the graphite glazed/polished gunpowder.

So here's the nuts and bolts of my question: How can I replicate this lubricating characteristic using graphite? My grading process is pretty rock solid, I just want the graphite to coat my grains.

Put my graded gunpowder back into the ball mill without the balls of course, and run it through a second shorter milling process? I really don't want to erode my already graded black powder, so I wouldn't want the second milling to be very long.

Guys respectfully, I'm really just interested in how to polish black powder, using graphite in a modern process. I mean no disrespect, but I understand modern grading.

Here's a page which is a good reference about grading black powder. I understand and use various mesh sized screens to produce the desired grade.

https://www.skylighter.com/blogs/fireworks-information/black-powder-grades-sizes-mesh

I'm interested in how I might "polish" black powder with graphite.

I suppose I could take 2 Fg powder, put it back in my mill with graphite, run it with the 2 fg black powder and graphite, then remove and regrade it through my grading process again (mesh) and then repeat the process until I'm left with 3 fg covered in graphite, and a mix of graphite dust and black powder dust, which I suppose I can use in future "polishing" I don't know. I'll have to mess around with it to see if works.

noelf2 said:

I meant to respond to your original question as well, but forgot. The common reason to polish powder (to smooth the edges of the grains) is really to help it flow better and be a bit more consistent. The graphite will help keep it from clumping. I doubt the graphite acts as a lubricant. Adding anything other than the regular materials required to make black powder WILL suppress the burn rate, a bit. If you want to smooth powder, just put it in your ball mill (without any milling media) for 5 minutes or so after it has been corned. You will get more fines/dust that need to be filtered out. If you want to add graphite, just put a half teaspoon (or so per pound of powder) as you smooth/mill it after corning. I don't believe it's worth the effort, but, that's me.

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That seems reasonable. I appreciate your response.

This all started in my Ferguson rifle thread. I commented about the amazing rate of fire the breechloader was capable of, and another poster said it would be short-lived because the rifle's mechanism would foul after about 2 minutes of firing. Another poster wrote that Ferguson specified only "polished black powder" be used in his rifle, to prevent the fouling of his breech mechanism. I was wondering if this "polished" black powder would help keep a revolver's action from fouling. That's what started all this.