Hey everyone,

I am trying to decide where to located my bench when I begin to reload. I have a storage room in the basement that would be ideal, but the furnace and hot water heater are also in this room. If I position the bench 8-10ft away from those items, do you think that would be okay or would you say absolutely not?

Not dumb. Dry and cool are recommended. Can you reload somewhere that you can ventilate the area? More and more attention is being paid to personal exposure to fumes these days. I do everything in attached garage, including gun cleaning, because I'm just using what I got.

Perhaps you can find "dry and cool" storage space for your powders elsewhere??

- mike

This location is my only real option unfortunately. The location is constantly cool and dry. Even though the bench is about 8-10 feet away, my concern would be the flames located inside the furnace and water heater when they kick on. If this is going to be an issue, I will have to give up on my reloading aspirations.

I think it'll work fine. I've had a bench in the same small room with a freezer and a washer and dryer w/o a problem.
If you're worrying about the open flame in the water heater and furnace, I think it's a non-problem. You're not going to be throwing the powder around and it doesn't exude any kind of combustible gases. I've reloaded with a Coleman lantern hung over my head as my source of light.

quote:

If you're worrying about the open flame in the water heater and furnace, I think it's a non-problem.

+1

"Cool and dry": Dry for obvious reasons. Cool is relitive and is ONLY significant for LOOONG term powder storage, many years. Both primers and powder have more heat tolerance than you. Short term; if you can stand it, so can they.

You can place your loading bench adjacent to your furnace and water heater with complete safety, nothing about normal reloading involves anything that produces flammable vapors.

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:

quote:

If you're worrying about the open flame in the water heater and furnace, I think it's a non-problem.

+1

+2 As long as you leave the black powder out of the equation.

I suggest not storing your powder inside the actual flame chamber of either a gas water heater or furnace. So long as it is outside of the cabinet of those appliances, it is not subject to ignition from those sources. While "basements" do tend to be humid, having those gas appliances located there tends to keep the humidity down because of the combustion going on inside them.

I'm assuming these appliances are gas -- if electric then there is no flame or spark to serve as a source of ignition, anyway. If your furnace is one that you open up and shovel coal into, then God bless you, and worry more about the fate of your house than that of your can of powder.

I agree with Stonecreek, as long as you do not store the powder inside the furnace you'll be OK.

For about 6 years I had my reloading bench in the garage about 12 feet away from the whole-house wood furnace and the backup gas furnace and never had an issue.

I have a similar problem. I am going to keep powder, primers, and bullets inside in a safe place but the press in a away from house garage that the temp varies. I will cool or heat the garage as needed but only when I am working. I have a progressive press and I am wondering if it will be ok.

PaseMkr,

You should be fine. 8-10 feet away is no biggie. I guess as long as you're not cleaning your guns down there with gasoline or kerosene, you'll be fine. Maybe a small fan to stir the air if you are using gun cleaning products in there.


Nighter,

You're press will be fine in the uncontrolled temp environment.

For both of you guys, I would only add when putting your bench location together to give serious consideration to lighting. You almost can't have too much light in your reloading area. I have fluorescent shop lights hanging over my benches, and with white walls, makes for good visibility for loading. So much of what we do in loading is sight dependent, you need good lighting.

Think about what would happen if you have a leak in the pipes or the water heater.
Keep stuff off of the floor if there is a chance of a flood.

quote:

Originally posted by PaseMkr:
I have a storage room in the basement that would be ideal, but the furnace and hot water heater are also in this room. If I position the bench 8-10ft away from those items, do you think that would be okay or would you say absolutely not?

I'd recommend AGAINST doing your Loading/Reloading in that location. If something can go wrong, it will.

Also agree with the folks who said to Store your Primers and Powders elsewhere.

There used to be a company who made a special Stand to mount a Press on, but I've not seen it listed in a long time. Probably because the Black & Decker "Work Mate" will do more than it did, is more stable and provides ample space for the other components you would be using.

The Work Mate folds-up and you could "store it" in that closet along with Sleds, Sledges, Scythes, etc. Then carry it into the kitchen, den, wherever you want to do your Loading, unfold it, slip the board in it with the Press already mounted, tighten the hand clamps and you are ready to go.

If the wife gives you any lip about Loading in the kitchen, store her in the closet until you are finished!

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
If your furnace is one that you open up and shovel coal into, then God bless you, and worry more about the fate of your house than that of your can of powder.

My stone farmhouse was built in 1800.

My reload bench was 91.5" from the anthracite coal fired hot water boiler for more than 25 years. I never 'worried' for one second that my home was going up in flames or explosion.

quote:

Originally posted by nighter:
I have a similar problem. I am going to keep powder, primers, and bullets inside in a safe place but the press in a away from house garage that the temp varies. I will cool or heat the garage as needed but only when I am working. I have a progressive press and I am wondering if it will be ok.

I have kept my reloading bench including my Dillon XL 650 press in a 10x12 shed for 25 years, freezing it in the winter, thawing in spring and reloading all summer and the only thing I have had any problem with is AAA batteries leaking. Powder, primers and ammo are stored in the basement but bullets freeze too.
I would not worry about the furnace or water heater 8 feet away as powder must come into contact with a spark or flame to burn. If you keep any loose powder away from the flame and use your head you will have no problems. It would be a shame to let these little problems keep either of you from reloading.

Going with waht Hot core said. My trimmer and deswager are mounted on pieces of 2x6 and i use a knock of the work mate to do that work in the living room. I tried mounting the press but it wasn't comfortable to use on the couch.

As long as the floor doesn't get wet from drains baking up or cracks in the wall your good. If you plan on storing on the floor I'd still use a deep (12-18 inch) plastic container just to protect against moisture from the floor. I've had problems with water vapor through cement before.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
If the wife gives you any lip about Loading in the kitchen, store her in the closet until you are finished!

Oh Man!!! Take it easy on the Newbie!! Next he'll be cleaning his reloading block and primer trays in the dishwasher!!

You will fine loading in the basement. I would just recommend storing powder and primers upstairs to avoid the humidity that may be higher in the basement.

Storing powder, primers, etc. Get an old , non-working refridgerator. Keep you powder and primers and anything else you might want to worry about in it. Put a bowl of uncooked rice in the bottom to take care of any humidity in the fridge. Put a chain with a lock around the fridge and leave enough slack in the chain so that the door of the fridge can open 2-3" so it can vent in case of a fire. You now have a child-proof, dry, LEGAL, powder storage unit.
As a tip, never have more than 1 kind of powder on your bench at a time.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Storing powder, primers, etc. Get an old , non-working refridgerator. Keep you powder and primers and anything else you might want to worry about in it. Put a bowl of uncooked rice in the bottom to take care of any humidity in the fridge. Put a chain with a lock around the fridge and leave enough slack in the chain so that the door of the fridge can open 2-3" so it can vent in case of a fire. You now have a child-proof, dry, LEGAL, powder storage unit.

LEGAL? Depends on how much he has on hand.

quote:

10-3.7 Smokeless propellants intended for personal use in quantities not exceeding 20 lb (9.1 kg) may be stored in original containers in residences. Quantities exceeding 20 lb (9.1 kg), but not exceeding 50 lb (22.7 kg), may be stored in residences if kept in a wooden box or cabinet having walls of at least 1-inch (25.4-mm) nominal thickness.

And state or local regs might be more stringent.

There was a discussion on NFPA here a while back ago. They are great guide lines but have not been written as legal code everywhere.

I mention this because one of our local shops has recently "upgraded" powder storage from open metal dislay shelves with lots of powder on them to multiple plywood cabinets with slidind panal doors and drywall lining. I did not get to ask about the changes but they are new enough that there is still saw dust around them. It also looked like an idea worth copying.

Thanks for picking a nit. The fridge would exceed the wooden box requirements and I suggest it also for the fact that it will seal and exclude moisture (that seems to be one of the things driving the op's questions). And finally, you aren't having to build anything.

quote:

This location is my only real option unfortunately. The location is constantly cool and dry. Even though the bench is about 8-10 feet away, my concern would be the flames located inside the furnace and water heater when they kick on. If this is going to be an issue, I will have to give up on my reloading aspirations.

Thanks,
Steve

No need to even think that. I am currently doing my reloading on a tv tray in what passes for a living room. I use a Lee HandPress and the whole setup works just as well as my RCBS single stage ever did. If I had the room I would get a Black & Decker workmate as was mentioned earlier and make a reloading bench out of it.

Chris

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Thanks for picking a nit. The fridge would exceed the wooden box requirements and I suggest it also for the fact that it will seal and exclude moisture (that seems to be one of the things driving the op's questions). And finally, you aren't having to build anything.

You don't think the ATF's jack-booted thugs won't be 'picking a nit' when your paranoid neighbor, who thinks her 5 gallons of lawnmower gasoline is safer than your smokeless gunpowder magazine, sics them on you? If so, you must still be living in the Eisenhower era.

quote:

Originally posted by onefunzr2:

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Thanks for picking a nit. The fridge would exceed the wooden box requirements and I suggest it also for the fact that it will seal and exclude moisture (that seems to be one of the things driving the op's questions). And finally, you aren't having to build anything.

You don't think the ATF's jack-booted thugs won't be 'picking a nit' when your paranoid neighbor, who thinks her 5 gallons of lawnmower gasoline is safer than your smokeless gunpowder magazine, sics them on you? If so, you must still be living in the Eisenhower era.

My neighbor does not know how much powder I have and the BATFE can not enter my house without a warrant. At least not till the democrats get to work on that part of the constitution. That isn’t the problem, the problem is if a fire accrued and the fire department found to much powder they would report it to my insurance company who would have a reason not to pay up.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
I suggest not storing your powder inside the actual flame chamber of either a gas water heater or furnace. So long as it is outside of the cabinet of those appliances, it is not subject to ignition from those sources. While "basements" do tend to be humid, having those gas appliances located there tends to keep the humidity down because of the combustion going on inside them.

I'm assuming these appliances are gas -- if electric then there is no flame or spark to serve as a source of ignition, anyway. If your furnace is one that you open up and shovel coal into, then God bless you, and worry more about the fate of your house than that of your can of powder.

I heat with coal and wood and have never worried about the safety of my house. Follow safe practice and all is well. As for the loading bench I light a candle on my bench when I load because I like the smell. Smokeless powder and primers are pretty darn stable and don't just self ignite. I have put primers in my coal furnace and it takes a second for them to pop. They are made to go off when hit not by heating them.