fertilizer

29 June 2006, 03:06

vapodog

fertilizer

The idea of using "scrap/unknown/unwanted" smokeless powder as fertilizer has been posted many times.....and some things are true not for actuallity but for having been said many times.

Has anyone actually disposed of this way.....and noticed any fertilizer effect?

Please...only folks that have used it as fertilizer requested to reply.
Thanks
Vapo

29 June 2006, 03:17

30378

Yes!! Your yard will love the stuff. I crossed contained some H450 and H870 one time and dumped it on the yard by hand broadcasting.

29 June 2006, 06:06

bartsche

Yes 8lbs. of 4895 that went nitrous. Mixed it with 30 gals. of water and burned my lawn for a year. The burned patch was ovular in shape and the aspect ratio was 6 feet x 2 1/2 feet. Racked up a lot of solid waste and spread it over a small area and it burned the lawn also.

I guess nitrous or nitric acid will do that. There are some more sad stories that go along with this deteriorated powder.

roger

29 June 2006, 07:48

Jay Johnson

Had a couple of pounds of IMR4831 that went bad it was probably 20 years old. Spread in on the lawn in the fall along with the winter fertilizer in the spreader. Not a problem.

29 June 2006, 08:08

georgeld

Only time I've done it was with a small amounts and scattered it far as I could sling it.

The only other time I've "had" any powder far many years. I don't know if there was anything wrong with it or not.
BUT: after a divorce, joining the Army, and marrying a bambi lover creating enough hassles I just quit loading, shooting, and hunt completely.
Left my supplies and equip in Dad's garage about 20yrs, maybe 25yrs.
He had a dry pasture and very little water for the cattle. So bought 5 sticks of dynamite, caps, permit etc and stuffed my 18# more or less of 50 cent/lb powder into the hole along with the stick's and set 'er all off with one huge boom.

Said rocks 2' dia went overhead of his hiding place a good 100yds away. When the dust cleared and rocks stopped falling he took a look. And not only had the spring developed as he'd hoped, he'd blown enough hole in the ground to make a dandy pond. This filled up in a few days and is still full some 12yrs later.

The worst part was when I decided the marriage was gone far enough down the tubes I was going to hunt, shoot and reload whether she liked it or not. THen found out he'd blown ALL my powder up that day and it was then selling for over $15/lb. I was not very happy at that.

SO, keep your powder dry in your own place!

George

29 June 2006, 20:00

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by georgeld:
SO, keep your powder dry in your own place!George

Nice story ,George.

roger

30 June 2006, 05:39

tnekkcc

quote:

burned my lawn for a year.

Roger,
You should know to WORK UP a lawn.

30 June 2006, 06:01

vapodog

quote:
Roger,
You should know to WORK UP a lawn.

30 June 2006, 17:49

NEJack

Don't tell my wife

But I did use some spilled powder (AA2460) in the flower bed.

Didn't hurt the flowers any, and the ones that got a bit of the powder appeared to grow bigger and faster, but that wasn't a great test.

It has been a year, and I have been thinking about trying it on some of my peppers.

30 June 2006, 17:55

tiggertate

I have no idea about the fertilizer thing. I have always piled mine up and lit it. Now that I have Tannerite, the next usless powder I run across will be added as a booster!

30 June 2006, 18:56

Hog Killer

tigger, that reminds me, I have about 3qts of old, mixed, spilled, scrap powder. Some of those 1/2 liter water bottles will come in handy.(got plenty) Yet another "use" for duct tape.

Hog Killer

01 July 2006, 02:48

Swamp_Fox

Hmmm...

Maybe I need to save the spillage.

I have a can of FFF blackpowder that is probably 15 yrs old. Maybe I'll take it out back and shoot it as a safety precaution.

01 July 2006, 18:10

<JOHAN>

quote:
Originally posted by NEJack:
Don't tell my wife But I did use some spilled powder (AA2460) in the flower bed.

Didn't hurt the flowers any, and the ones that got a bit of the powder appeared to grow bigger and faster, but that wasn't a great test.

It has been a year, and I have been thinking about trying it on some of my peppers.

Wonder if a slow magnum powder will make plants grow faster

Cheers
/JOHAN

01 July 2006, 20:16

tnekkcc

quote:
IMR-POWDER GRANULATIONS AND COMPOSITIONS
Powder Dia. Perf. Lgth. Web Coating Density
(.65xdie) (.93xcut) (%) (g/cc)
4198 .027 .007 .085 .010 6 DNT .85
3031 .030 .007 .030 .0015 8 DNT .89
4064 .032 .007 .085 .0128 9 DNT .90
4320 .034 .007 .042 .014 8 DNT .92
4350 .039 .008 .085 .016 5 DNT .925
4676 .034 .007 .058 .013 7 DNT .90
4895 .033 .007 .058 .013 6 DNT .90
4831 .039 .008 .085 .016 8 DNT .90

The length and outside diameter are not sufficient for identification of the powder type. The extrusion pin for cal. .30 powders is .015" and inside shrinkage is approximately 55%. The granulation of a single perforated, extruded rifle powder is expressed: .049 x .015 x 1/11 in which the first group of figures represents the outside diameter of the grain, the second group the diameter of the perforation, and the third the length of the cut or the number of grains per inch, when all dimensions are expressed in inches. The web thickness of a single-perforated grain is equal to 1/2 of the difference between the outside diameter and the diameter of the perforation. A 1.0% decrease in web or 0.1% increase in total volatile content (TV) will increase burning rate by 1%. A change in TV has ten times as much effect upon burning rate as a corresponding change in web thickness.

quote:
Wonder if a slow magnum powder will make plants grow faster

Cheers
/JOHAN

My guess is no, in that the Nitrogen, which makes plants grow faster, is going to break down at a rate that is proportional to powder speed, but in weeks instead of milliseconds.

The same large structure [rod dia, length, web thickness] of a powder grain that slows down the burn rate, through thermal impedeance, will also slow down the Nitrogen release rate to disolving, microbiotic and root action.

What to look for;
Yellow leaf tips.... not enough fertilizer
Brown leaf tips......too much and/or too fast fertilizer

01 July 2006, 20:21

jstevens

Of course the slow burning powder will only work on a plant that's over bore capacity and has a long stem. For a shorter stem, use 4064 or 4895.

01 July 2006, 20:55

jeffeosso

Anyone using

quickLAWN ?

02 July 2006, 00:46

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Anyone using

quickLAWN ?

Yes but I had to use a magnum primer and still got hang fires.

roger

02 July 2006, 00:55

vapodog

quote:
Yes but I had to use a magnum primer and still got ~~hang~~ grass fires.

just a little modification....hope you don't mind Roger!!!