Thanks for all your thoughts. To be honest, I'll probably stick with powdered KNSU for now since the thought of cooking it scares me.

I'll also probably try some commercial motors. The problem with these is not just the price point - they don't come in the sizes I need (I'm ultimately looking for G-size motors.) Aerotech makes an F-size, but it is $25 and not reloadable (F10). The other problem is they all have ejection charges.

This is why I am experimenting. I don't mean to say that I "won't experiment." I am just saying that a homemade motor with decent performance will do for me. I don't want to spend hours upon end on the workbench experimenting, and I don't think I'll need to if the kind folks from these forums, along with Youtube, will help me. There are plenty of formulas online that I can follow, and if in the end they don't work, I can always try commercial motors. You should never discourage someone with experimenting (as I would say to any RC newbies.)