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I suppose it had to happen sometime. Forgot to push the RL550 handle forward enough to seat a primer and the ball powder trickled out all the way arount the shell plate and into the outfall bin. So I huffed and puffed and blew 'till I was blue in the face.  How does everyone else clean up all the crumbs from their equipment?  | ||
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I use a small cleaning or paint brush, then vacuum. Some guys say the vacuum is a no-no but I've done it for years. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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I have used a can of compressed air like for blowing off computer keyboards. That's for the nooks & crannies followed up with a hand broom & dust pan for general areas. The compressed air has saved me from a tear down on the progressive press more than once. | |||
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SHOP VAC ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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The Shop-Vac or any other vacuum really is a bad idea. Static electricity is gonna get you one of these days and it won't be pretty! Jim 99% of the democrats give the rest a bad name. "O" = zero NRA life member | |||
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Plastic nozzle, plastic hose, paper bag in a plastic container, a little loose powder a few grains at a time, spent primers getting sucked up, standing on concrete sucking debris off a wooden bench. I suppose since gas is flammable I shouldn't go out and crank my truck in the morning. Might be more chance of static electricity from using metal tools on presses and dies. Hey, how about sparks!  ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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Ok so you cleaned up the mess---What i want to here is how you put the primer in? | |||
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I reload from an old 2 1/2' by 5' desk top. When I'm throwing powder I simply move everything else out of the immediate area. The only thing there is my weigh scale and trickler, and a loading block containing my empties. Even my can of powder is moved away once the hopper is filled. I find I need a neat work area or I soon become error prone. Best wishes. Cal - Montreal Cal Sibley | |||
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Woods, I don't personally care what you do or how you do it! I was stating my opinion and I don't think it's a good idea where static is even the remotest of possibilities however you use the method that you deem appropiate. After all it's your bench. Jim 99% of the democrats give the rest a bad name. "O" = zero NRA life member | |||
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As an honoury housperson, I've noticed the vac is a good way to generate static elec. esp. rubbing over carpelts for a while. This could be grounded out before you got near the powder reservoir, but it's worth knowing about for you amature Vac.uses. JL | |||
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Table brush, available at Home Depot, or a small piece of cardboard to push it around and into my hand. The biggest pain is moving all my gear out of the way. | |||
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I use a paint brush. Woods has absolutely the wrong idea about what causes static electric buildup. Conductive materials such as metals can conduct their static charge to other objects, and this keeps static charges from building up. It's actually fairly difficult to get a large static charge on a metal object. You don't see grains of powder suspended on a vertical metal surface and wiggling around in place when you try and brush them off, do you? You certainly did when you filled your new powder dispenser for the first time. Plastic hoses are a huge hazard in the chemical industry. If a nonconductive liquid (such as hexane) flows through a nonconductive plastic hose, huge static charges can build up, and potential differences of hundreds of thousands of volts can result. The resulting static discharges have caused many chemical fires when large transfers (e. g. tank car fillings) are performed. Static buildup is avoided in these situations by (among other things) transferring the chemicals through a conductive metal line. The tanks between which the chemicals are transferred are conductive, generally, and the tanks are connected by conductive metal wires to equalize their electric potentials. The tanks and transfer lines are further connected to ground so that any chrage that does build up doesn't result in a spark between the equipment and a grounded object. That said, I also vacuum up powder sometimes. With my digestive system clenched at both ends. How else am I supposed to get it out of the carpet? Tweezers? H. C. | |||
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I havent realy spilled anything reloading rifle. Maybe my powder trickler spills a few grains. Now shotgun ,,, I have spilled shot and powder. usually pushing the charge bar when when im not actually reloading. Just use a paint brush to sweep up Though a the vacum cleaner with electric sparks an static electricity might be exiteing!!! My first German short hair I had as a kid would watch me reload shot shell because he knew what shot shells were(they get birds). He would get excited when id reload and if any shot spilled and bounced on the floor he would lock up on point at at the shot rolling across the floor. Sometimes he would retrieve it . He used to retrieve wads too. | |||
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I wonder if static electricity would be enough to ignite smokeless powder. Black, of course, will go off if your stare at it hard. Somebody set up a spark plug in a container of powder, see if it lights. I've used a shop vac, with a special filter to catch it before it gets into the drum. With all plastic hoses, I doubt it would be able to spark enough to ignite. if you run, you just die tired It's not that life is so short, it's that death is sooo long! Speak kindly to me, beloved master. Revel in my unconditional love, and give me every minute that you can spare, for my time with you is short. Your faithful dog | |||
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I'm sure you'll get more knowledgeable answers than mine, but didn't I see an experiment in physics where a nasty spark was made between to metal points using only static elec. The Vac problem is in the plastic hose, I believe, and gives me a hell of a jolt. I would have thought it a "short" except my powerbox circuit breakers didn't pop off. A few loose grains in the bag would be no worry IMHO. But watch the hose to the powder Res. JL | |||
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You're supposed to Clean?? Oops, I better take care of that. | |||
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I thought the Triboelectric Series from top to botoom goes something like this: Human skin Rabbit fur Glass Human hair Nylon Sheep's wool Silk Aluminum Paper Cotton Wood Amber Nickel, Copper, Brass, Silver, Gold, Platinum Acetate, Rayon Rubber Polyester PVC, (Polyvinylchloride plastic) Teflon Where those at the top of the list gave off their charge most readily and those at the bottom reluctantly. Or did I flunk that course? That's why static electricity goes from your hand to the door knob after rubbing your foot on carpet. Which, by the way I would never load over carpet!! That could be dangerous. My powder is always in the container on an upper shelf, but if I hear a couple of grains go off in the vac, I'll let you know.  ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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Bigdog2, Since most of the ball powder dribbled out already, I wasn't tempted in the least to try and seat another primer and fire the cartridge. I used my kinetic bullet puller and started over. It seems the consensus so far is to brush, then suck up all the tidbits. I like the idea of using the aerosol can of compressed air for getting the junk out of the inaccessible areas of the progressive press. I didn't know that was available. But I didn't think bottled water would catch on. Live and learn. | |||
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Woods, You're half right. Down to about the middle of the list there, you're absolutely right. The triboelectric series organizes materials according to their propensity to pick up static charges when rubbed. Materials near the top of the list (skin, hair) strongly pick up positive charge (they lose electrons). Materials near the bottom of the list (polyester, PVC, Teflon) strongly pick up negative charges (they gain electrons). Materials near the middle of the list (cotton, most metals) have little or no tendency to pick up a static charge, positive or negative, when rubbed. The series explains why your polyester disco shirts cling to your midsection so well. When you are out there impressing the ladies with your Funky Chicken, electrons are jumping off your skin and onto your shiny shirt. Opposite charges attract, and your shirt becomes very form fitting. Cotton, being near the middle of the triboelectric series, has a low tenedency to become charged. It hangs straight down and camoflages those love handles while you boogy and cruise the babes. Like polyester, and actually a little more so, PVC strongly picks up negative static charges when rubbed. FWIW, a PVC disco shirt would be an even bigger clingy disaster. Again, I do vacuum up powder, carefully. I think I will continue to get away with it. Worse comes to worst, a few grains of unconfined smokeless powder isn't going to break any windows. H. C. | |||
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We have established that plastic does have the ability to hold a charge, but for the sake of conversation, a shop vac has a pretty big hole somewhere for the exhaust to go during operation. That being the case, my uneducated guess would be, if there was an accidental "discharge" the gases would vent through the exhaust vent, and not cause a genuine explosion. Thoughts? | |||
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If you are talking picking up a whole hopper of spilled powder, then use a hand held broom for the bulk of it. But when you talk about 10-20 grains of leaked powder or remnants from what already's been brushed up, I can't get too excited about worrying about static electricity from a vac setting it off. That's a huge volume for such a tiny amount of powder. Even if some of it did ignite, the whole charge wouldn't and it would be just one small pathetic fizzle. | |||
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Would still scare the heck out of you if you were standing near it when it did go in either case... | |||
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It could stink up the house a bit if the burning powder grains ignited other stuff in the vacuum cleaner bag. The air flow through the bag would give the fire a wonderful draft, so even marginally flammable stuff might flame up pretty good. H. C. | |||
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HenryC Yeah, I understand all that. In the example you gave of nonconductive liquids and hoses, static electricity is generated on a large scale and nonconductive hoses are hard to ground. I just can't see a plastic shop vac hose as analogous in that it could create static electricity. Could be wrong. IMHO, the only danger in the shop vac / powder scenario is in the electric motor shorting out, not in static electricity which we were talking about. Course, electrical problems would also include electic trimmers, work lights, etc. At least the shop vac motor is at knee height and not on top of the bench and even if the motor did short out there would be no electrical conduction to the end of the hose. There was mention of picking up powder out of carpet. Static electricity could be a major concern if you walked across carpet on a low humidity day and reached for a primed 300 win case with 73 grains of RL22 in it. Ouch! Would put on some PLASTIC gloves first. ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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Rechargable dust buster works fine for me. Reloader | |||
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I don`t think the powder burning would be much of a problem in a vac, but the dust in the bag likely would ignite from the burning powder and could cause a fire. I`ve lit powder in unconfined areas in small amounts for years both in and out of the house to dispose of it. It is acually quite hard to ignite and burns with more of a fizzle then a flash. It won`t go out thought once lit and burns very hot. The wife doesn`t appreciate the smell although she doesn`t care for the scent of sauerkraut and fresh kielbasa either so her sniffer is suspect IMO. I do use a vac for small amounts, after I sweep all I can with a wisk broom. On the bench I use a soft brisle paint brush. I haven`t had any problems and doubt I will, but I realize the possiblity exists. ------------------------------------ The trouble with the Internet is that it's replacing masturbation as a leisure activity. ~Patrick Murray "Why shouldn`t truth be stranger then fiction? Fiction after all has to make sense." (Samual Clemens) "Saepe errans, numquam dubitans --Frequently in error, never in doubt". | |||
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I for one was never talking about a major explosion as such, but who needs a smouldering little fire even. You should have seen me in the kitchen with boiled over cooking oil on fire, that was OK but when I hit it with the extinguisher it went up the wall as well. Never did like cooking. JL | |||
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Woods, if you are saying that a shopvac hose doesn't build up static electricity, I will hafta say that in my experience, that would be a false statement. I run my shopvac in dry weather in the winter, and the hairs on my arm go crazy. Small items cling to the hose, and I can even see it change my daughter's TV screen if I get the hose too close to it. Will it do any harm? I doubt it, and I too, use the vac to get loose powder. But I DO know that after using it for a while, I can touch metal, and get a shock, the same as walking on carpet. Cheers! F6 ----------------------------------------------------- \ "If I don't step over the line every now / / and then, how will I know where it is?" \ ----------------------------------------------------- | |||
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There is so much powder spilled, it looks like a black rug. | |||
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I solved the problem by placing a paper towel under where I measure/trickle the powder. Clean up is easy. If it's a small amount, shake it out over the trash can. If it a major spill, pour it back into the container from the towel. I think I would stay away from the vac. Especially if you were sloppy and accumulated a large amount in the bag. Might have a big suprise one day. Back to the still. Spelling, I don't need no stinkin spelling The older I get, the better I was. | |||
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Not entirely, the shop vac is not building up static electriciy, your body is. That is why the hairs on your arm stand up. When you move around the static elec is most likely happening the usual way, from the floor through your shoes. The PVC hose is then charged somewhat but plastic is in the "insulator" group and thus "are good at holding static electricity". They do use plastic to encase electical wires and extension cords. It is one of the least likely materials to actually transmit a spark. Anyway, I know this is probably getting boring for a lot of people. If you stopped the shop vac and let go of the hose and walked over and reached toward a metal object (human skin is one of the material most likely to transmit a spark), then you would have a problem. IMO http://www.electricityforum.com/static-electricity.html ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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I bought a refillable aerosol spray can from Harbor Freight Tools. It will take up to 100psi pressure. Now I can spritz in all the nooks and crannies of the press and workbench for about 20 seconds until it needs to be refilled. One of the best $8 I ever spent. | |||
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I used to work for Hercules Inc and the only thing that was drummed into our heads was to keep everything wet. We only made the base product for paint,dynamite,and gunpowder but that was enough to start fires or "overpressurise" a building. We would use either brass,aluminum, or wooden shovels to pick up spilled product. The fire system consisted of a deluge sprinkler system that would dump about 100,000 gal/min of water in a building or warehouse when a fire was detected. One time a carpenter was pulling nails out of a wooden floor which set some of the product on fire. It was easily ignited by spark or friction. The base product, nitrocellulose, was very unstable if allowed to dry out. So everything we produced was kept in drums mixed with water or alcohol. Think about what you are doing when you are reloading If you spill powder carefully clean it up. I normally use a paint brush and a wet paper towel. | |||
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Henry, I am with you on the first one. Paint brush and a dust pan, and also a small wisk broom handy. Why complicate things? cheers seafire  | |||
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I don't recall ever hearing so much furor over cleaning up a little mess!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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LEE AUTO PRIME..................... | |||
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I huff and puff and blow it on the floor. One day I spilled some powder and was down on the floor trying to recover most of it. My dog thought I was going after something good to eat. When I turned my head away for a second she came in like a rocket and slurped up the Varget. It didn't kill her. lawndart  | |||
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