I do not know what ball mills are really for i would just mix my chems together. am i better of with a ball mill if so how can i make my own b/c i am not spending $$$$ on a bal mill i would rather build one

ball mills are used for grinding your powders or making black powder or even aluminum powder

and does anyone know where to get a cheap electric motor to make one?

well i have heard you can use a blow dryer or a cloths drer im not sure and if anyone has any tips on making a ball mills please postem

Just buy a rock tumbler. They are designed to run for weeks or even months at a time, and I dont think building a ball mill is worth its time since it is nearly impossible to find a good enough motor to even come close to a bought rock tumbler (rock tumblers and ball mill are the same thing) but if you can find a good one then you can just go ahead and make one.

[This message has been edited by IcEColdPlaYA (edited 07-11-2003).]

where can i get a rock tumbler i really do not wanna spend a shit load of money

can i use a vibrating ball mill

for gods sake just make it!!!! my ball mill costed me exactly $7. yup you heard me $7 and about 5 hours of planning. (as my design was very different) ok heres what you do. we need a motor, so... we either A. pick up a dryer from a junkyard or the motor, or any motor that is AC for that matter. OR B> wait until someone throws a dryer out around your neighborhood (trust me i thought it would take months for someone to throw one out then withina week and a 4 block vicinity of my house i found one!) it should spin at about 1725 RPM but its not that important. So you've got your motor and belt how much did you spend? (0) ok now we need a jar well 4 inch PVC pipe is the minimum so ask around if anyone has it. I got my pipe just lying around the garage. ok now just buy 1 endcap and 1

4 to 2 inch reducer with threaded interior and matching plug that screws on and off of it. ok now put the jar together with PVC primer and cement your jar should be anywhere from about 14 to 5 inches long depending on how much you mill. Now we have a jar a belt and a motor that you were smart enough to hook up with a switch. now we just need a stupid roller to attach the belt to and voila El cheapo premo performento ball mill completed. im sure someone will give you links so im not gonna bother posting em less you ask nice.

Somebody from here sent me plans to make a ballmill. I still have them. They are very detailed and have step by step pictures. If you want me to send them to you e-mail me at jak719@hotmail.com or IM me at jak719 on AIM and I will send them to you.

If you dont e-mail me or anything for the instructions you could use a motor from a fan. You could just by a new fan. They always have them on sale. And those are pretty good motors.

what about the balls inside wat can i use

LEAD!!!! for gods sake!!! well MUST use brass or lead when making blackpowder. for grinding down ONLY metal powders steel shot for slingshot works well.

i found one for 29.99 online it looks like its useful

Why dont you spend the $29 ON A FUCKING CHEMISTRY BOOK!

hee hee

"hey wat kinda balls should i use"

.......

(yeah ive got alot of discontent as of late)

sweet, didn't think a fan motor would work...never really thought of it.... awesome

On the subject of ball mills, we just purchased a new vacum, and I am thinking of using our old vacum motor for another ball mill. The problem is that the motor overheated last time, and I am asking if having the motor in an not inclosed space, would prevent it from overheating. Maybe this should be in DIY... sorry if you think so

Where is a good place to buy the Lead-Antimony Balls? I know i can get them at United Nuclear (http://unitednuclear.com/mills.htm), but i was wondering if there is anyplace that is selling them for less...

quote:Originally posted by Retro7531:

Where is a good place to buy the Lead-Antimony Balls? I know i can get them at United Nuclear (http://unitednuclear.com/mills.htm), but i was wondering if there is anyplace that is selling them for less...

... Buy lead shot at the local gun shop.

Im not old enough to go into the gun shop, and they are really strict about that around here. Is there any other place online or store i can get in to that i can buy them and that are cheaper than united nuclear?

My ball mill was easy to make. 1 because i had lead balls laying around 2. because im creative. I used a. 50pack cd case(its not the kind with the bottom that sticks out as a stand) a rubber belt. An eletric drill(1000rpm) ran it for 6-7 hours and alah! cost me nothing and got me some BP!

i am having the same problem as retro i was wondering if copper bb's would work? or if anyone else knew where to get cheap lead antimony balls instead of UN

What Type Of Balls Does a rock tumbler originally come with?

I'm guessing they are steel or somethin and I'm goin to have to purchase lead ones.

quote:Originally posted by pyroCHAD:

What Type Of Balls Does a rock tumbler originally come with?

I'm guessing they are steel or somethin and I'm goin to have to purchase lead ones.

They don't come with lead balls. They come with rock-polishing grit, which is useful for cleaning out the tumbler when you mill metal powders and they get caked on.