EPH 2x Ingredients #3, #4, and optional # 5 ### [[EPH 2x Series Recipes]] ### Related Videos [How Primers Work](https://rumble.com/vtj5g9-homemade-primers-how-primers-work.html)  ### This Topic is closely Covered in this Vid [Adjusting the EPH 2x Series to Fit Your Needs](https://rumble.com/v3vwart-adjusting-eph-20-to-fit-your-needs.html) ### Ingredients #3 (NC) , #4 (Glass), and optional #5 (Aluminum) ### NC - Simply Put [[Any Smokeless Gunpowder]] on these charts will work as the NC. That is - **all of them** will work. Restated: Even the slowest gunpowder on the chart(s) will function well as the NC fines. ###### [[One Caveat for the NC Exists]] Our nc comes from ground up smokeless gunpowder referred to as 'the fines'. We can start with full-sized smokeless powders (say red dot) gunpowder or with pre-made dust-sized specs. Using glass as a grinding media (no matter what size you start with) the nc will get ground down one last time so it is truly fine. Obviously it's easier if the nc is already small. ### If Given a Choice (with NC) Choose the pistol powder. Sure - why not? Generally it burns faster but when ground down - again, there's not much of a difference. ### The Glass The [[Shameless Plug|glass I recommend starts at 325 Mesh]] so it will probably grow to 'say' mesh 200 (surfaces get caked with nc). Personally I use Adrian's mod (calls for 2.5 gn glass). I use 3.0 glass (providing a little extra grinding media) and also makes my DIY primers slightly more sensitive ( for a bang). ### Glass - the Lower Limit (2.0 gns) The lowest limit of a glass addition is 2.0 gns so you always want a little more than this number. Adding 'say' 1.5 gns glass and you can expect to experience ftf's and hangfires. ### Glass - the Upper Limit (7.0 gns) The upper limit of glass is 7.0 or so. With primers - this is "a ton". Notice eph 20 has 5.0 gns of glass. I personally describe 5.0 gns as "quite a bit". Adrian's mod replaces the "missing" glass with more nc (a fuel). ### Please Note About Adrian's Mod Officially Adrian's mod contains no aluminum. ### Al - How much is "just right" (1.7 gns) ###### But it depends on the mesh with Al My take on aluminum is to add 1.7 gns of aluminum on top of Adrian's mod (however my preference is to add 3.0 gns glass rather than 2.5 gns). I add aluminum always for rifle rounds cause we all know rifle powders generally burn slower and are a bit harder to ignite. ### Al - What Size for Sparks ###### Mesh 80-100 is best Generally speaking aluminum is a spark donator (best at 80 -100 mesh). But aluminum is a bit weird. At say 250 mesh (i.e. pretty dang small) alum starts acting less as spark donator but more like a fuel. So try to keep your aluminum large (80- 100 mesh) if you truly want sparks. ### Al - What Size (mesh) for Fuel ###### Mesh 250 or higher (meaning small sized) Sometimes al at 80-100 mesh is hard to find. Now you may ask if I have only small aluminum 'say' 250 mesh in my reloading room because that is all I could find (you have no choice). So if 250 mesh aluminum burns like a fuel and nc burns like a fuel; which should you choose between the two? ### Given a Choice for a Fuel - (with NC or Al) **Add the nc** because as nc burns - it produces (the all important) oxygen where aluminum produces aluminum oxide and isn't an oxidizer. It is stated at the ideal size (Al = Mesh 80-100) will produce sparks. From a firework's expert: "With Al" (and other firework materials) the farther you drift away from the ideal size to particles smaller than the mesh 200-225 range - the fall off as a spark donator is quite dramatic. Al starts to burn (or act like) a fuel. Marshall states: When Al is added (as fuel) it takes a lot of heat energy to get it hot enough to burn. This can cool the reaction enough to hurt or kill the primer as you increase Al percentage. NC of course does not have this problem. Mark: I am choosing to oversimplify the entire reaction on purpose. In reality, the aluminum is 100% covered in a substance called aluminum oxide (this comes from the oxygen in our environment/air). The aluminum oxide plays a role in the chemical reaction (during the primer's burn) but I'm electing to ignore it at this time. Let's keep this simple. To us (primer reloaders) - the aluminum is considered to be pure aluminum and not covered by any oxide (in my book anyway). If you choose to explore more: [[Aluminum Oxide Rabbit Hole]]