Look for “stump remover” in garden stores. Saltpeter is often sold under this name. You may also find it labeled as saltpeter, niter, or potassium nitrate. [2] X Research source Buy it online. If you do a search for saltpeter, you’ll get plenty of results, and you can easily have a bottle delivered to you. Make it yourself out of a cold pack. Cold packs which can be bought for a few dollars to help with sore muscles contain sodium nitrate and water and can be used to make saltpeter. Make it with urine. This is definitely the most difficult way to source saltpeter, but some black powder enthusiasts prefer to make their powder entirely from scratch. To do so, one process is to fill a drum with manure affixed with a drain, valve, and filter at the bottom. Urinate into it, then top it off with water. After about 10 months, dry it out on trays. [3] X Research source
You can use a ball mill to grind the components if you’re planning on making a lot of gunpowder. A ball mill is used to both grind and mix powders safely.
74. 8% saltpeter 13. 3% charcoal 11. 9% sulfur
Be extremely careful around the black powder once it has been mixed. Do not smoke or light a flame anywhere close to the powder, and keep it away from heat.
If you mix the gunpowder with water, you’ll need to corn the gunpowder, or break it up into small pieces. Run the gunpowder ball through a kitchen sieve to break it into small pieces, then let the pieces dry out on a piece of paper. Again, be extremely careful around the gunpowder. Exercise caution at every stage.
You can buy powder containers at hardware stores or online. Some recommend using empty (unused) paint cans to store black powder. Note that it is also illegal in some areas to store explosive materials in a residence or dwelling. [9] X Trustworthy Source U. S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms U. S. federal law enforcement agency dealing with crimes related to firearms and alcohol and tobacco products Go to source If in doubt about the proper way and location in which to store gunpowder, contact your state field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (U. S. ) or the equivalent authority in your country.
