vacuuming primers?

16 June 2006, 11:13

greghud

vacuuming primers?

the boss has dropped my box of primers and sent about 20 or so all over the floor i have picked up as many as i could find but was worried if i have missed any and she may vac them up is that enough to set them off? and if so how big a bang? they are fedral lr.
just being careful ps i dont know how many were in the box she dropped so cant rely on a count to tell if i have them all.
thanks greg.

16 June 2006, 12:01

georgeld

She might jump the first couple pops, but, shouldn't be much of a bang.

The main DANGER is: many times and many different types of dust are explosive as hell. That's what blows grain silo's up. Sparks igniting the dust in them.

What's gonna happen IF one sets the dust in the vac off?? Whole lot more than wet panties pard!

Better get down on hands and knee's and press hard against the rug til you find them all. Yes, I've vac'd some up several times without problems. BUT: I only use a little hand vac that's been cleaned out just before hand.

Wish you well.

Hope this next story give's you something to think about.

I dropped a hot sprue on a carpet under my loading table a few yrs ago. The minute amounts of powder that had been spilled over the years and wouldn't vacuum out set the rug afire.

Even though I had a bucket of water beside my leg, the instant smoke was so thick and nasty I couldn't even tip it over before I had to get out of it. Was mighty lucky as it just burned the fur off the carpet about a foot in dia. Sure did make lot's of smoke though! Mighty impressive lesson. Hope everyone learns from my mistakes. Most of us old guys have made plenty of them. Would be great if the younger one's could learn without trying the same things we have.

George

16 June 2006, 14:06

NBHunter

I keep a little dirt devil for cleaning up my spent primers. Well for one reason or another I had the upright near my gunroom and decided to just keep going and use it to clean my spot up a bit. It has a rotating brush on it and at first it just sounded like vaccuming up a bunch of sand or something. I guess at some time I'd dropped a live one on the floor and while vaccuming it sounded like a large rock or something had hit inside the machine. I paused to see what I hit and could smell the burnt primer. As stated above about dust I quit right there for safety sake.

16 June 2006, 17:53

p dog shooter

All

I know is the wife was very mad at me when she vacuumed up some 22rfs. said she jumped .

I try now not ot leave that suff laying around.

16 June 2006, 18:44

El Deguello

quote:
up is that enough to set them off?

Just sucking them up with a vacuum? I really doubt it! I've done this many times, never a pop. But with the hose attachment, NOT the beater brush!

16 June 2006, 19:59

hm1996

The wife picked up one lone live primer years ago w/the vac (complete w/beater bar). Ummmm, I have been using the vac in loading room ever since.

Luckily, she started with a clean canister.

Regards,
hm

16 June 2006, 20:09

iwzbeeman

Considering that it takes a sharp blow to set a primer off, I find it hard to believe one can be set off by being sucked up by a vacum, hose or beater type.
I use a small shop vac for cleaning the top of my reloading bench and a standard floor model (beater type) for the carpet and under the bench. Have done it for years.
It is possible, I suppose, to get hit by a meteor when you walk outside but I don't spend a lot of time angsting about it.

16 June 2006, 22:04

hm1996

quote:
Originally posted by iwzbeeman:
Considering that it takes a sharp blow to set a primer off, I find it hard to believe one can be set off by being sucked up by a vacum, hose or beater type.

I wouldn't have thought so, either. My wife will argue with both of us on the matter, however. Of course, this is the claustrophobic lady who has been stuck in three elevators

I would suspect it to be nearly impossible to set off a primer in a shop vac and have used the hand held dirt devils over the years w/no problems.

Regards,
hm

16 June 2006, 22:22

Rusty Marlin

with a shop vac, highly doubtfull as the sucked up material doesn't go through the impeller.
On my wifes Kirby, OH hell yes! as everything goes through the impeller before the bag.
(lets just say she was less than pleased with me.)

16 June 2006, 23:10

skb2706

I propose that we put this to the "Mythbusters" and get this debate resolved.

I know I vac'd alot of primers and never gave it a second thought.

16 June 2006, 23:37

CSH

If you reload over carpet you're bound to lose some primers eventually. I reloaded in a carpeted bonus room for 7 years and probably lost a couple of dozen primers in that time. The carpet was vacuumed with a Tristar complete with beater bar, and there was never a primer mishap (the bag on a Tristar is in front of the motor, though, so material does not go through the impeller). I've been reloading over a concrete floor ever since and vacuum with a Shop Vac. No problems with it either. As others have suggested, it would probably be a good idea to start with a clean bag. The dust in the bag can be very flammable, a lot like dryer lint.

16 June 2006, 23:53

POP

Do not do it. If you do it can get really exciting like it did for me-----once

17 June 2006, 00:11

Cheechako

If you live in Kalifornia make sure no one is watching because I think vacuuming primers is against the law. Has been shown to maybe, possibly cause cancer in lab rats.

17 June 2006, 00:14

Hunt-ducks

I find it hard to beleive a vacume would set off a primer, I think it takes a blow of 20 lbs to set one off, try throwing a primer as hard as you can on a cement floor or wall WON'T GO OFF.

17 June 2006, 01:36

onemsumba

go over the carpet with a really big magnet. I have the $12 ring one from these guys http://www.gaussboys.com/magnets/rings/

It will hold a 4" phone book to the fridge.

its also good for finding steel shot in ducks.

Steve

17 June 2006, 04:23

Jay Johnson

quote:
Originally posted by Hunt-ducks:
I find it hard to beleive a vacume would set off a primer, I think it takes a blow of 20 lbs to set one off, try throwing a primer as hard as you can on a cement floor or wall WON'T GO OFF.

Well you better believe it will. Been there done that. You want to see a pissed of lady run over a couple of them with her new Kirby.

17 June 2006, 05:17

jeh7mmmag

Jay,
Agreeded It has happened to me at least 2 time while vacuming up the carpet in garage. Second time I had some powder on the carpet. Upright vac and it has never blown it bag yet but I sweep first now.

Wasn't I married to her once!!

17 June 2006, 05:30

Jay Johnson

jeh7mmmag

Yep your right that woman is now my X.

17 June 2006, 09:38

Rusty Marlin

quote:
Originally posted by onemsumba:
go over the carpet with a really big magnet. I have the $12 ring one from these guys http://www.gaussboys.com/magnets/rings/

It will hold a 4" phone book to the fridge.

its also good for finding steel shot in ducks.

Steve

Hey where do I buy stock in your magnetic brass alloy? Or are you talking about shotgun primers?

17 June 2006, 10:53

seafire/B17G

Did anyone mention just sweeping the area with a plain old broom???

Thats all I ever do...

Kinda like Nasa spends a couple of million to develop a pen that writes in space, to fill out reports... the Russians gave their astronauts a pencil....

17 June 2006, 15:55

quote:
Originally posted by georgeld:
She might jump the first couple pops, but, shouldn't be much of a bang.

George

My dad blew a big chunk out of his loading press when he set a primer off when trying to seat it.Also had to have to get the cup removed from the base of his thumb.

17 June 2006, 18:45

Rojelio

quote:
Originally posted by jb:
quote:
Originally posted by georgeld:
She might jump the first couple pops, but, shouldn't be much of a bang.

George

My dad blew a big chunk out of his loading press when he set a primer off when trying to seat it.Also had to have to get the cup removed from the base of his thumb.

What kind of reloading presses do they sell in Minnesota that a primer can blow a chunk out of?

Remind me not to buy that brand.

Rojelio

17 June 2006, 21:47

Allan DeGroot

quote:
Originally posted by Hunt-ducks:
I find it hard to beleive a vacume would set off a primer, I think it takes a blow of 20 lbs to set one off, try throwing a primer as hard as you can on a cement floor or wall WON'T GO OFF.

No, but shooting them out of an air rifle can have stunning results

AllanD

18 June 2006, 05:37

Jay Johnson

quote:
Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
Did anyone mention just sweeping the area with a plain old broom???

Well seafire I'll tell you at the time I didn't have a shop. I used a make shift setup in the house hooked up on one of the tables with C-clamps. It's pretty hard to sweep a shag carpet.

06 July 2006, 08:07

quote:
Originally posted by Rojelio:
quote:
Originally posted by jb:
quote:
Originally posted by georgeld:
She might jump the first couple pops, but, shouldn't be much of a bang.

George

My dad blew a big chunk out of his loading press when he set a primer off when trying to seat it.Also had to have to get the cup removed from the base of his thumb.

What kind of reloading presses do they sell in Minnesota that a primer can blow a chunk out of?

Remind me not to buy that brand.

I think it was a C&H brand from the 60's.still in use.my point was,dont underestimate the power in a primer.

06 July 2006, 12:21

georgeld

Getting to the point of the matter.

It isn't really the power of the primer itself going off that's much of a danger.

But, that spark IS what sets things off. Right? IF not, why do we need to use them to fire up the powder?

Has anyone on here beside's me been around sanding floors with the big commercial sanders? Then dumping the dust and had things blow up like a good sized bomb??? One promise, it's enough to make you think about "what if there's a hot spark".

As a kid, we popped match heads with a hammer, and inside double ended bolts/nuts we'd throw. One of the kids brothers gave us a handful, or box of primers so we proceded to pop them on the sidewalk with hammers. After a few hundred one of the others got a piece stuck in his forehead that clipped a vein. After the blood bath and shit that happened over it, the primers were take away from us, and I think the brother too. That was yrs before I knew what a primer was for.

Glad someone came up with the kirby, thought about that during the night after my first post and wished I'd mentioned it. But, you non believers. I've only got one suggestion. Just keep messing with things you don't believe and sooner or later something is gonna bite you! Those of us that "claim, or say so" have been there, done that, and had it happen, those of us that survived these things can tell about it. People that don't wish to believe our experience's are welcome to continue doing so at their own peril. Keep in mind, til it happened to us, we didn't believe it either.

Wish you all a safe, long life, free from accidental discharges,

George

07 July 2006, 12:53

Slim_Zippy

Lesson: Always keep a fire exstinguisher in your reloading area.

07 July 2006, 20:28

hm1996

quote:
But, you non believers. I've only got one suggestion. Just keep messing with things you don't believe and sooner or later something is gonna bite you! Those of us that "claim, or say so" have been there, done that, and had it happen, those of us that survived these things can tell about it. People that don't wish to believe our experience's are welcome to continue doing so at their own peril. Keep in mind, til it happened to us, we didn't believe it either.

Regards,
hm

07 July 2006, 20:48

Jim White

quote:
Originally posted by Hunt-ducks:
I find it hard to beleive a vacume would set off a primer, I think it takes a blow of 20 lbs to set one off, try throwing a primer as hard as you can on a cement floor or wall WON'T GO OFF.

I can assure you that any vacuum that has a revolving beater bar will set off a primer as well as a rimfire cartridge.