With a slow weekend at hand, I have been spending some pleasurable time combing the archives. There is so much information just waiting to be explored and devoured it is truly amazing. I have noticed in a few instances the use of a vacuum cleaner to suck up spilled powder is frowned on. What I have yet to find is the reason why. Since this is a tool and process I have utilized many times over the years, I figured I should find out what my fate may be if I continue to practice it. My bench is in a carpeted room and sucking up a mess from time to time has never dawned on me as dangerous. Thanks for any input or enlightenments.

WS

I have experimented with different vacuum cleaners, and I cannot get any powder or any primer combination to go off inside the vacuum cleaner.

If anyone could recommend a good vacuum load, I would love to try it.

I use my shop vac.

I have a Rigid shop vac, and while it will suck the proverbial "golf ball through a garden hose", I have yet to experience a detonation.

I have an old "Kwik Sweep" mini vacuum from Kenmore that I use in my reloading room. A couple of years ago I vacuumed up a live 209 shotgun primer and it went off when it hit the impeller fan. The dust filter sleeve jumped and it blew some dust out from the seal around the dust cup. That is all that happened. I do make it a point to empty the dust cup every time I vacuum.

For a spill I would sweep up all the powder possible. I see no reason the small remainder could not be cleaned up with a vacuum cleaner providing one empties the reservoir immediately after. No reason to have some gunpowder sitting in the vacuum waiting for something to happen.

All of the shop vacs I have seen filter the mixture before they pull it through the fan. This would reduce the danger IMHO.

Just my $.02!

quote:

I have experimented with different vacuum cleaners, and I cannot get any powder or any primer combination to go off inside the vacuum cleaner

The wife sucked up a live primer with a vacuum with a beater bar. The primer went off left a smoke mark on the carpet and a very surprised wife.

I had this experience happen to me personally , so I know it's not some fable !.

I was using a shop vac with a powerful motor not your typical low budget store purchased unit .

I was cleaning out a storage compartment in a Boat in which I had made repairs on .

Fiberglas dirt and unbeknown to me at the time flare residue ?, from I assume crushed flares but the

cartridges weren't present . Anyway it's a Warm day mid 90's Drier than a popcorn fart , I'll assume

most of you know about static electrical build on typical vacuum hoses .

About 10 minutes into vacuuming BOOM BAM !. First the hose blew some where near the canister drum

then the Drum Blew . It was necessary for me to remove a couple of pieces of the canister metal from

the exterior of the boat , then mix and match exterior gel coat and repair that damage as well .


I sweep up what little powder I spill but my floor is concrete and not carpeted .

I generally save the sweepings dirt and all , twist them in wax wrap paper . Then spring time

take my torches out too the gopher holes fill then with the appropriate gas mixture .

I then put the paper cartridge in the hole light one end a Get my face up and out of the way pronto !!.

After about a week of that the Gophers are the neighbors problem !!!.

I use my shop vac or just sweep it on to the floor, oftentimes over a space heater....looks like a sparkler when I was a kid on the 4th of July. Of coarse the first time I did it I was not thinking! But its a small propane job and only few peaces hit it. Everything else is lunched away from it getting swept up and out of the old horse stall my bench is in. I m sure the cold moist dirt kills any primer or powder. But I never mess around with primers over it. Last thing I need is to screw up my space heater being fed from a 20 lbs tank!

I've never had a problem or heard of one from anyone other than those posting stories on the internet. I don't use a bigass vaccuum. I don't spill a lot of powder, and when I do spill some I clean it up right away. I can't afford to let good primers live in the carpet.

quote:

Originally posted by tnekkcc:
If anyone could recommend a good vacuum load, I would love to try it.

Now that is rich.
Has my mind spinning with long lost memories of my miss spent youth as a budding pyro technician.

muck

Black powder I would stay far away from with a vacuum.
Smokeless I have and will vacuum up what remains after a initial broomming. It is the only way I can find to get powder out of the nooks and crannies.

muck

Several loading manuals say NOT to vacuum up powder spills. I imagine they are talking about larger volume spills, but it doesn't elaborate. That said, the issue is one of static electricity, not impellers and motors. As stuff runs up along the hose it creates quite the static charge and it will ignite the powder. How bad it is depends on how much you are sucking up I guess.

I was vacuuming blown insulation out of the walls and ceiling at my brothers house one time during a bathroom upgrade. The static electricity going through the hose was so strong, you couldn't hold the wand without rubber gloves on.

Remember a fuel combustion ratio is 18 parts of Air too 1 part gasoline .

Dust particles can EXPLODE all by themselves !. Ask someone who has ever worked in a

mill or furniture factory . Surprise Surprise . Besides it just something else to clean up when

all goes bad .

I just fire up the super-size rosebud and roast it. G_d, I love the smell of burning nitroglycerine in the morning!

I've never had a problem vacuuming up occasional grains of smokeless powder but I've never had a serious powder spill beyond a cartridge full. But, I have witnessed accumulated, unburned powder trapped in the fibers of carpeting at the S&W plant range in Springfield MA. ignited by the muzzle flash of someone firing in prone position. Nothing we could do would extinguish the fire until we got a large amount of water on it. My advice is carpeting, gunpowder and shooting don't mix.

Blue-Tip match will clean it up.

Hey WS

We had fun with this subject 4 years ago on this thread. I still say, vacuum it up and don't reload on carpet.

quote:

Originally posted by woods:
Hey WS

We had fun with this subject 4 years ago on this thread. I still say, vacuum it up and don't reload on carpet.

I remember that thread, can't believe it's been 4 years already. Tempis fugit.

Well some times Shit happens and who you gonna call ?. Dust Busters !.

I can't speak for others but I've left a primer or two out of the equation on a couple of my Progressive

set ups . Cranking along only to realize OH CRAP what's that in the cartridge tray

Then again in the single stage it's been a LONG time since I spilled anything .

My Mec 9000 hangs once in awhile and Super Lite flows freely !. Right into the gopher igniter's

It is advised not to use a vacuum cleaner to sweep up spilled powder because a spark from the commutator on the motor could ignite the powder. Just be careful when loading. I have been doing it for 25 years and have never, ever spilled any more than a few grains. I fill my powder measure and immediately close the bottle...

I clean up my powder spills with a propane torch...

If you burn them off wile they are small it's no problem

If you let spilled powder accumulate your problem grows.

It's like creosote in a chimney, if once a week you open the ash door on your stove and let it ROAR for half an hour you'll NEVER have a chimney fire.

You'll also never need to pay a chimney sweep to remove what you could have burned out with a periodic harmless
small fire rather than let a ticking time bomb continue to wind down.

AD

quote:

Originally posted by woods:
Hey WS

We had fun with this subject 4 years ago on this thread. I still say, vacuum it up and don't reload on carpet.

I find that a decent sized area rug is very handy in the reloading area. First it is very easy to roll it up, take it outside and shake it out. No need to vacuum up spills then. Since I reload shotshell it is a good way to get rid of renegade shot which even shopvacs don't do a good job of collecting. Secondly, the added cushioning of a carpet makes it a lot more comfortable to stand at the bench for a couple of hours at a strech. Folks who work on their feet know that standing on carpet or a rubber matt is less tiring than concrete or hardwood floors.

I usually use a paint brush and a dust pan for any "large" spills. I have been told not to use a vaccuum to clean up powder due to the static electricity and the possibility of an accidential ignition. IMO if you spill enough powder on a regular basis to have to worry about an explosion, find a new hobby or at the very least switch to the decaff . If it bothers you that much, try using a sticky backed lint roller on your carpet. It's cheap and it makes the wife think you are actually doing sometning.

I have a small cordless hand-held unit I keep plugged into its base on the wall in my garage, where I reload.

I use it to suck up spilled powder, corn cob / walnut media, dirt, etc and had never had a problem.

I've never had a "large" spill.

Hack

I really don't think static electricity poses a problem with smokeless powder. I have tried to ignite smokeless powder with a welders' sparker to no avail. Modern powders require a very hot spark to ignite.