"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...
On 20 Aug 2010 17:31:14 GMT, steamer wrote:

--FWIW I wrote the guy a letter to find out a little more about it
but I guess so many people wrote that he's only sent out a form letter in
response and I didn't really get my questions answered; maybe some of you
lot can set me straight?
--For starters I made a little cannon of my own but it doesn't work
for beans: best I can do is lob a bb about 2ft. I'm thinking the type of
powder I'm using might have something to do with it and that the open
touch-hole is dissipating some of the force. So for starters where does
one
get that kewl small-diameter fuze he's using? And who's got a source for
that extra-extra fine powder he's using? Ordinary pistol powder is maybe
too
coarse for this application..

4F should be used and it is entirely possible to Gently...in small
amounts..gently grind it smaller. His was a brownish color..rather than
black/grey...so Im not terribly sure it was actually black powder. It
had too much report for that small a quantity of black powder.

It may have been a fulmanate of some sort.

Gunner

Definitely not enough smoke for black powder either, and I suspect after a
couple shots the smell would have driven him to continue his testing
outdoors. Been a while since I shot any of that crap, but Pyrodex is a
greyer color than BP. Still I think Pyrodex produces more smoke than that
also.

You used to be able to buy 4F and 5F BP because its used in flash pans for
those purists who still shoot flintlocks.

I don't know about fuse that size, but larger waterproof canon fuse has been
available at all the gun shows I have ever attended.