How to get large particle activated charcoal become small particles?

[Rune]

Hi!

Stupid me bought a big bag of activated charcoal at a local store. I saw it was kind of course and not a superfine powder, but I thought that charcoal is just halfway burned wood, so I can easily grind it down. Well, I have tried big time. My charcoal is actually made of the hardest black diamonds known to man!

I used a mortar, and I used heavy muscle force. I think I grinded down the mortar instead. The charcoal is just as course as it was. So grinding does not work.

I hope I don't have to buy a new charcoal, because supplies is an issue here where I am. I have to buy from abroad, the shipping can be cheap and all that, yes, but if I buy something I already have, I'm using of my very limited quota of 350 NOK/$42 INCLUDED shipping cost. If I go over that amount, it is a pain in the ass with customs. So I would rather buy from abroad something that I really need instead of something that I have already, if that makes sense. I actually found cosmetic activated charcoal from a Norwegian store, and it costs $32. So you see, abroad is the only possible way to get something here without winning the lottery first.

I can buy from China, which is very easy and free shipping and all that, and for an unlimited amount since the chinese by default fake the value and shipping papers to a ridicilous low amount. But I'm not buying any ingredients from China. They can have their mercury micas or other carcinogenic stuff for themselves. For the same reason I will not buy anything from Ebay or Amazon either, since it is just dropshipping from China. Clothes and electronics, yes, perfect from China, but not cosmetic ingredients or food items. So I have to buy from a real store. And using up my quota on stupid coal.

I have tried both wet and dry grinding. The diamont charcoal does not crush at all. So I'm thinking, isn't there a way to dissolve it? Maybe with 50% lye solution? Maybe set it on fire to make it brittle or someting before grinding? Etch it with strong acids? Alcohol? There must be something that can be done to crush that silly charcoal?

I did dump some in my soap. I thought I just took the water on top, but no. So I have rock hard particles here and there. Exfoliation, yes, but not too funny when you don't want it. And I had to make a black or a dark color somehow to contrast the orange soap.

I'm sure many of you have done the same as me, bought a cheap, big bag of activated charcoal from a local store that sells ingredients for brewing homemade alcohol, for then to discover it was useless in soaps. But maybe some of you or one of you know a trick to crush, dissolve or some way unstabilize this black rock they call charcoal?

By the way. Is activated charcoal such a good idea in soaps the first place? I mean, activated means that it is treated to get a porous structure that can suck up everything. So if you dump it in a soap at trace, it should in theory suck up lye and get caustic. Water can more easily get sucked up than oil. Maybe not too good with a soap full of microscopic caustic bits floating around? And, if it is correct what they claim activated charcoal can do, it will neutralize the fragrance oils. That is one thing activated charcoal is used for, neutralizing bad odours. I'm just thinking loud. But when I googled what activated charcoal really was other than something black, it struck me that it may not be the best soapmaking ingredients due to its claimed properties.

If I manage to transform my activated charcoal to a usable particle size, I think I will let it soak in oil beforehand, just to be sure it doesn't soak up lye or fragrance.

 

[OldHippie]

You could try a coffee/spice grinder, but be prepared to re-sharpen the blade when you're done.

 

[Rune]

Okey, thank you. I will buy a coffee grinder and try. I need one anyway. I had a fake Magic Bullet that I can't find anymore, and it was perfect. But do you think a coffee grinder can grind something so hard? Maybe run it for 30 minutes straight or something. Worth trying anyway. Thank you

 

[zolveria]

I bought some activated charcoal that was pellet size I grind it up in a coffee grinder however it was some what still granule.. what I did was placed some of it in the cool lye water and used less so that the charcoal would act as a scrubber in the soap

 

[Obsidian]

You can't run a coffee grinder for that long, it will burn up the motor.
A good spice grinder with a burr type grinder would probably work but they aren't cheap.

I've never heard of charcoal that hard, makes me wonder if it was a powder that has some kind of binders added.

I would put it in a cloth bag and beat it with a hammer, see if small bits would grind in the mortar.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

,,,I would put it in a cloth bag and beat it with a hammer,,,,

Yeah, that might work. I do something similar with rosin chunks. I put them in a ZipLoc; put a towel over and under; pound with the head of a hammer on its side. Then I pulse in a dedicated food processor, on and off for a few times; then run full speed to get the rosin to a powder. Works for me!

HTH and Good Luck!

PS: Best to wear a mask and allow the powder to settle before taking the top off the food processor. Dump into a container to store.

 

[OldHippie]

But do you think a coffee grinder can grind something so hard?

I figured that the blade would just mix the granules which would cut into each other to do the grinding.

 

[cmzaha]

This is the one I purchase on Amazon\\https://www.amazon.com/Starwest-Botanicals-Hardwood-Activated-Charcoal/dp/B0081P1ENS/ref=sr_1_13_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1527553476&sr=8-13&keywords=hardwood+activated+charcoal+powder

 

[OldHippie]

I suspect that you got activated charcoal intended for aquarium use. I bought mine at Essential Depot to make sure that I was getting power suitable for coloring which is finer than dust.

 

[scard]

Maybe a mortar and pestle, and just pulverize the amount you need each time?

 

[dibbles]

Hi!

If I manage to transform my activated charcoal to a usable particle size, I think I will let it soak in oil beforehand, just to be sure it doesn't soak up lye or fragrance.

I always hydrate activated charcoal in oil or water for awhile before adding it to my batter. Sorry, I have no advice for grinding it.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I figured that the blade would just mix the granules which would cut into each other to do the grinding.

This! The friction of the pieces against one another will likely do something to them.

But if I'm honest, the hammer idea appeals to me. Maybe because the Little Efficacious Gentleman would want to help and have a whale of a time

 

[penelopejane]

I soak my AC in water from the recipe before use.
I paid more for a local ultra fine powder.
It is supposed to extract impurities from the skin.
If you make a mask out of it it works so I figure it does something in soap too.
It is wonderful in shampoo and conditioner.

If you SB the AC into your batter it will be darker for the same amount of AC than if you hand blend it in.
Good luck with the grinding.

 

[David1pro]

I just have to give a bit of reality here...

since it is just dropshipping from China

If you honestly believe that things like cosmetics and especially simple things like activated charcoal are not "drop shipped from China" just because they are in a retail store, you are fooling yourself. The only difference is that instead of being drop shipped in a small envelope, they are drop shipped in huge freight containers.

 

[soap1daze]

I truly would suggest to dump the lot and purchase a proper Activated Charcoal. You can get some at a health food store that is so fine it blows in the air. That is the type I use for soap. It is inexpensive and it is very very fine. People put it into capsules and eat them for some reason. I use 3/4 tsp per pound of oils and that is plenty. A little goes a long way.

 

[Rune]

I just have to give a bit of reality here...

If you honestly believe that things like cosmetics and especially simple things like activated charcoal are not "drop shipped from China" just because they are in a retail store, you are fooling yourself. The only difference is that instead of being drop shipped in a small envelope, they are drop shipped in huge freight containers.

Yes, most likely it is. But if a reputable company does it, it is a chance that they have tested it first. On Ebay, everybody can sell and dropship everything, regardless of the quality. I have tried dropshipping myself, without any success or earning easy money. No money at all, actually. The micas I have seen on Ebay or Amazon (can't remember) is the same as they have on Aliexpress (I have checked). It also seems like everybody can sell on Aliexpress too. Maybe their mica is good, maybe not. It is anyway risky products, since cosmetics from China can be really bad. So I would rather buy from other sources.

 

[Rune]

Thank you for all the tips and tricks! I will try the coffee grinder method first, since I need a grinder anyway. The hammer and plastic bag method, well, I can try, but I have not high hopes, since it did not crush at in a mortar and pestle.

Burr type grinder, well that is a seriously great tip! I have several hand cranked ones, but will look out for an electric. I googled the burr type grinder, since I really didn't know what it was. And I found both what it is, and what they can do, like this example picture:

Yes, a burr grinder it will be! Thank you

 

[Rune]

And I have changed my mind again. Instead of hand cranking that burr grinder, I will try the blade method first. I bough a sort of cheap Nutribullet-ish thing at a local cheap hardware/carparts/leisure and everything else store (Biltema is the name of the store, for those who live in nordic countries). It is 1000 watt, hopefully strong enough, so if that works it will be the way easiest way of crushing that things they call charcoal. The blender does not even have a name, but it is from China, along with everything else in Biltema. I did imagine it to be the size of a Magic Bullet, maybe slighly bigger. But it is a big and heavy monster! Like four times the size of the Magic Bullet, or so. Maybe even bigger. I did not collect it myself, so I had no idea about the size before I packed it out (I never read the dimensions of things before I buy it). It is too big to just hide it away in the cupboards, but well.

To buy an electric burr grinder is not really something I want to do, since I don't know what to use it for other than charcoal. Coffee, yes, but as a lazy and extremely impatient person I must admit that I use instant coffee. But a bullet blender is something I desperately need anyway, for everything except smoothies, which I don't fancy too much. I especially need a blender with a grinder blade to chop up bits and bobs I find in nature, to use as natural colorants. Wildcrafted, I guess you will call it. And to chop up musk nuts. I can't remember the name. But I will buy some from Germany, along with other botanical things. And yes, I will check both what I buy and what I pick myself, if it is suitable to use in soap, and if it has usage limitations, is sensitizing etc. I will let you know if a bullet blender works on the charcoal or not, in case there are someone else out there with rock hard charcoal that needs to be pulverized. If it doesn't work, well, I have to hand crank for hours using burr grinders.

 

[cmzaha]

I have a lovely Rocky Burr Grinder but would never even consider mucking it up with anything but coffee. I am not sure if all burr grinders are finicky but quite expensive one is, to the point of giving me problems if I change the setting for a different grind. I had mine set that would give me a perfect espresso draw, changed the setting to grind beans for my coffee pot, and after a year of fussing with it I cannot get the perfect grind for my espresso machine. Burr grinders are not the cheapest of coffee grinders and they are also not easy to clean and would be very very difficult to clean charcoal of the gears

 

[OldHippie]

My suggestion was something that you could try, but I don't really think that it is a good idea. You're never going to get it fine enough to compare with the real thing. Invest in the correct item and move on.