Ball Mill

[ThePizzahero1]

Will 8mm steel balls work for such a mill? Thank you!

[jpchapboy]

@ThePizzahero1 Probably. they are kind of small, but would likely work well. people say that steel has the potential to spark and ignite your powder, but I don't believe it. use them at your own risk. run it outside where there is no possibility of property damage.

[AgentMercer]

@ThePizzahero1 it is wisest to use hardened lead grinding media when working with black powder.

[Nard586]

i dont get it what does it do

[menu12345]

I'm selling a 3 pound ball mill for $30. Please message me if you are interest

[partyoverseer]

undo that last comment

[AgentMercer]

@partyoverseer LOL

[partyoverseer]

it's cool are they rollerblade wheels?

[partyoverseer]

it's cool, but it's not a double reduction the mid wheel just makes is counter rotate. i love the idea though. are they rollerblade wheels?

[jpchapboy]

@partyoverseer yes, they are roller blade wheels from an old pair of skates.

[rexmorgan72]

I am inspired.  I will build one very similar. Thanks for sharing.

[that0neguyxx]

not sure if you still check this anymore but, about how long to you have to mill your powder at this speed to get desired results

[jpchapboy]

@that0neguyxx about eight hours, the longer the better.

[gettingahandle]

more than one way to skin a cat

[CryHawkProductions]

looks a bit fast ^^

[ilikepie9519]

I would like to point that isn't double reduction. For it to be double reduction you would need to have the first shaft, connected to a pulley, with on the same shaft as the pulley, has another pulley, which is connected to a third pulley, which connects to the 5 gallon container

[jpchapboy]

@ilikepie9519 you are right. thank you.

[Desaster6]

Is a Ball mill with 420 Rpm Also Okay?

[clockguy2]

Willow wood traditionally makes the best charcoal for gunpowder...so I'm told.

[jpchapboy]

@9DragonMaster Actually it only took about a hour from start to finish. and no they were not my kids inline skates. just some old junkers I found somewhere.

[riverlifeva]

nice balls :)

[clockguy2]

Nice mill. lead balls were  used in powder mills. the motor is not double reduction it's just stepped off with an intermediate wheel. It would go the same speed if it contacted the barrel outright.

[AnotherScientist]

@Mehmikekylee

It is a double reduction. With 1725rpm at the motor. The motor shaft (3/4"?) to skate wheel (3"?) gives you the first 4:1 reduction (432.25rpm)

The skate wheel (3") to drum (12"?) is the second 4:1 reduction (107.8rpm)

Hi jpchapboy

Great job on your unique mill design. I have some skate wheels and an old drill press motor sitting doing nothing.

Thanks for the inspiration to put them to better use.

[2muchscorp]

It's not double reduction. The size of the intermediate wheel doesn't matter, the result still comes out to 107.8 rpm. If you wanted double reduction the intermediate shaft would need two wheels of different sizes.

[lemon7777]

WIll 19mm diameter steel ball bearings do for the inside?

[broerbreaker9240Z]

its a good ball mill ;)

i maybe will buy one also "50 dollars for one of 3LB i think that would be enough"

or i would do one of 6 LB and thats only 10 dollars more!

[MrAbes89]

good job...

[starshock01]

make a box to house the whole thing in, add some fiberglass insulation to reduce noise, and you sir have the best homemade ball mill i have ever seen

[jpchapboy]

The longer the better. 8 Hours is a good target. Experiment with different times. take a sample every hour and test it. You will find a time that produces good results that don't improve with longer run times.

Good luck.

You also need to compress the powder as it dries.

[panzuman]

hey my ball mill keeps acting up it runs like a champ then out of nowhere the media and bp get stuck and it starts spinning off balance and no grinding happens all the stuff on the inside just stops spinnin! please help if you know what to do! its almost the same as what you have

[jpchapboy]

What are you using for media?

If it is small (like glass marbles) try something bigger and heavy, and/or lead BP rifle balls. You need to breakup the clump. might try slowing it down too. (unless it is already slow)

[panzuman]

its going bout 70 or 80 rpm and im using marbles do you think if i put in ONE heavy ball that it will keep it from clumping?

[jpchapboy]

I bet it would. give it a try.

[panzuman]

awesome than you very much btw are my rpms good?

[jpchapboy]

I think so. I used a couple of steel shot puts. (yeah I know that is considered dangerous, but not half so bad as what someone I know does)

If you found one larger heavy ball It would probably help. If not try RPMs around 200.

[cod4ph1L]

Without a doubt one of the best, if not THE best homemade ballmill I've seen on YouTube!

Nice job!

[jpchapboy]

Thank you. I really appreciate the compliment.

[d3eadinside]

whats the rpm for this motor?

thanks

[jpchapboy]

I think it is a standard 1725 RPM motor. The reduction is about 16:1 which should roughly give me 107 RPM.

[jpchapboy]

I realize that now. THanks for pointing it out. it still works though.

[hockey4life1313]

the balls that go inside, where would i go to get them?

[jpchapboy]

You can use lead balls from a sporting goods warehouse (they are used for black powder rifles) ordinary glass marbles, or even shot puts, which are steel, but I don't think you'll have a problem with them.

[scott1506]

could you use a plastic drun like a small bucket with leadballs? i.e no static?

[jpchapboy]

That is exactly what I have here.

[phlolar]

how many balls and what size are you using?

[7777dmith7777]

looks like two candlepin bowling balls ?

[scott1506]

i take it thats just a paint bucket and lead balls inside?? i thought that if you rubbed plastic it gets static???

[jpchapboy]

My brother makes BP in a highspeed electric blender with a Stainless steel blade and plastic cup. He blends the powder a total of 3 Min. (not all at once) and it is almost as good as Goex. Is that crazy? yes, but he hasn't blown anything up yet. If you try it do it out side, and far away from any buildings. You are responsible for your own safety.

[TheGeorges123]

But, what is the motor voltage ???

[jpchapboy]

This is just a small 110V brushless motor I had kicking around. Check your junk pile. Good luck with your mill. when it is done take a video and post it as a response to mine. I'd love to see it.

[TheGeorges123]

Nice work !!!

5*

I'm making a ball mill right now and you help me alot in the design.

[tlfettled]

Nice set up how much did this cost to make.

[jpchapboy]

I made it for ZERO dollars. I made it with scraps I had kicking around. if you don't have any stuff kicking around then try the following:

Construction site dumpsters are a great place to get free wood.

Yard Sales or second hand stores for cheap roller blade wheels.

Last resort: home depot, but it will cost you $10-15 just for wood and fasteners.

[xlsniper50000]

can you make a diy video for it

[jpchapboy]

I will try to sometime, it is a little difficult to find the time. subscribe to my channel so when I do you will get notified

[Mortician1313]

Great setup. What is on the motor shaft that is making contact with the roller blade wheel?

[jpchapboy]

Thanks. It was a motor I had kicking around. it had a little aluminum shaft on it. it is about 3/4" dia. and attached with a set screw. I just used it as it was.

[Mortician1313]

Thanks.

I assumed it was something specifically made for transmission of power.

[xlsniper50000]

what type of mortor is it?

[jpchapboy]

See response above

[SparkLitSky]

Very good idea I will make 1 of these!!

[RicardoGarciaPino]

I'm asking if this machine can mill aluminium to pownder.... you know, to make thermite.

[jpchapboy]

I have never tried. how is that done?

[RicardoGarciaPino]

for the alluminium, guess i should use a mill like the one of this video to mill shreds of alluminium foil, as for thermite, there are several videos that wich show you how to....

[lilmarine93]

it takes weeks to make high quality aluminum powder this way, plus you need alumina media(for no contamination and nonsparking)

[uchiacon]

You use alumina or steel media. Fill it 1/2 the way up with media and just cover the recesses inbetween with coarse aluminium. Leave unti dark and finer than flour.

You'll also find that marbles + shotputs will crack the marbles and the weight might wear down your rollers. Other than that, grats on making quite a good ball mill! Your rotation rate is good too.

[jpchapboy]

If anyone needs to purchase some Potassium Nitrate I have a lot for sale $3.00/lb plus shipping. My email is the same as my user name at hotmail . com, request more info. No scammers please. Nothing will be shipped before legitimate payment is made.

[RicardoGarciaPino]

Does this mills alluminium??

[jpchapboy]

Está pedindo se la máquina muele el aluminio, o la máquina utiliza el aluminio para moler el otro material?

[jpchapboy]

The motor is a standard 1725 RPM. The shaft is about 5/8" or .625" X PI 3.14 = 1.9625" per revolution. the bucket is about 12" dia X 3.14 = 37.68" / 1.9625 = 19.2 revs of the motor to turn the bucket once. (note someone pointed out that there is no double reduction because the skate wheel is only acting as an idler wheel.)1725/19.2 = 89.84 RPM on the bucket. So that is the long answer. give or take a little margin of error, we have a bucket turning about 90 RPM.

[thrundar]

Nicely done. I think you could also use old push lawn mower wheels and the bolts as well.

[jpchapboy]

Yes I think if you have some mower wheels they would work well. it you can drive two with belts it would work even better.

[dalebfast]

I run a ball mill at work, 40 feet long, 10foot diameter. I grind fly ash. What do you use this for? Sometimes I just cant get away from ball mills! JK

Dale

[jpchapboy]

We use it to make black powder for guns and fireworks.

[jpchapboy]

I was running a 10 lb shot put in the video. You can use glass marbles, or lead black powder rifle balls or both. Just put in as much as seems right. My mill wont work if there is not enough weight in the bucket. It doesn't get enough traction. That is why two powered wheels across from each other is better, just more complicated.

[runescapeplayer321]

nice design u can ball mill alot at a time in that but i would be going for a more simpler design i have build a ball mill but need 2 pulleys and new bearings cause the bearings i got r loud went they spin fast

[jpchapboy]

It really is quite simple. I just traced the bottom and top of the bucket on the 1/2" OSB (plywood) and cut that out. then mount the Rollerbade wheels far enough apart on the curved cut so the bucket sits low, but close enough to not let the bucket crimp between them. Then the shaft of a motor can roll directly against one of the wheels. The OSB gets screwed to a block of wood like a 2X4 or 2x6 that is cut square on the ends, and is the right length.

Total cost to build $0.00 (recycle old crap)

[jpchapboy]

One note, If you build one, position the wheels so that the bottom of the bucket sits lower that the top, so the powder rolls to the bottom. I lost a whole load of charcoal because the lid had a big bung on it and the shot put kept hitting it until it knocked the lid off.

It took about 1 hr to make, including searching for the dang wheels that were elusive.

[pyrofun3]

hey can u tell me how much media u got in that thing i completely upgraded my old shit mill to a way better looking 1 it does 1kg at a time easyily but i need to know were and what could i use as a container i need 1 as big as urs

[d3eadinside]

see what your motor can turn

[pyrofun3]

umm my motor came from a wachine machine

[jpchapboy]

Your motor won't be the limiting factor. My motor is only about a 1/8 HP. You need enough room in the container for things to tumble around. In mine (5 gal) I think it would handle about 2 gal worth of chemicals and media at a time. Traction on the power wheels is the biggest challenge.

[xXPyroJoeXx]

wow nice ball mill dude!

[jpchapboy]

thanks. Glad you enjoyed.

[ALEX62592]

Damn i want it nice job man you can make a shit load of black powder 5 stars

[ALEX62592]

lol i sent it to a couple of my friends all ready