Sticky Powder

[Walks]

Anybody every empty their powder measure & have the powder stick to the side of the hopper ?

[tunnug]

yup, it's called static.

[tazman]

Some of the powders have a chemical reaction with certain plastics and will "etch" the powder drum if left in overnight.
Others just have so much static that it will cling to the hopper walls and can be difficult to get out.
Some powder measure manufacturers address this issue in their instructions. It has been long enough since I purchased a new powder measure that I can't remember specifically what they recommended.
Usually, the static cling only happens with the flattened flake powders since they have no real weight in proportion to their surface area. Granular or spherical powders don't normally do this unless there is a static problem in the house and it is transferred to the equipment somehow.

[greenjoytj]

Wipe the outside of the plastic hopper with an anti static dryer sheet.
Don’t leave powder in the plastic hopper any longer than it needs to be there.
Powders with very high nitroglycerin content (Titegroup) are most likely to cause some damage to any plastic the powder touches. I wash out my plastic hopper with detergent after use.

[NyFirefighter357]

If it's static, wipe the inside with a dryer sheet it will kill the static. You'll have to do that every so often but it works well.

[greenjoytj]

I always wiped just the outside of the hopper because I was afraid the anti static sheet would deposit some kind of stuff that would act like a glue and cause powder to stick to the “stuff”.

I’ll try wiping both sides next time.

Would a length of copper wire looped around the powder hopper and grounded to the house ground (a copper water pipe) drain off static? Maybe drain it off the plastic powder canister too?

[Kevin Rohrer]

^^This^^

I particularly have a problem w/ H110.

[Walks]

Well, I've learned through experience that TITEGROUP has to be emptied out of the Measure as soon as you're done with that loading session.
I don't even leave it in from 10pm until 8am to start loading again.
I empty the Measure, then take it out to the lawn. I wipe out the Measure with a clean old hand towel. Lose about 5-10grs of powder every time.
I've tried the Fresh dryer sheet on the inside, works like ****, I think it actually make it worse.
I washed and dried the hopper, It's sitting on the window sill in the sun right now.

I think I'll try the dryer sheet on the OUTSIDE of the HOPPER first. If that doesn't work, I'll try the used on the inside next. If that doesn't work..........

[BCB]

Yep, as Walks said concerning the dryer sheets...

I have NEVER had them work at all...

I just accept the minor static problem and lose a few grains of the flake powder or the other powders that tend to stick when I use it. We've probably all drop a charged case on the bench or to the floor. That loses more powder than any static in the hopper. If I need to worry about a couple of grains of powder, my reloading days are over and done...

Good-luck...BCB

[greenjoytj]

I use an artist paint brush, ½” wide with a ~10” long handle to push down powder granules sticking to the inside of the hopper.

[BNE]

I use a used drier sheet on the inside. It helps. I keep the sheet in the hopper when not in use.

[jetinteriorguy]

I spray the inside of all mine with graphite in a spray can. Everything works smooth as silk, no static.

[str8wal]

Powders with very high nitroglycerin content (Titegroup) are most likely to cause some damage to any plastic the powder touches.

Hmm. I keep Titegroup in my Lyman 55, 24/7/365 and it has done no harm. I just keep adding to it as I go through TG steady. Same for many other powders. Lyman 55 must use some good plastic.

[Walks]

I've never used TiteGroup in my LYMAN 55, but I've left UNIQUE, BULLSEYE & 2400 pistol powders for days on end when I was young, DUPONT - IMR Powders too.
No problems at all.

[timinpa]

I have a Redding measure and titegroup and power pistol stick terribly in it, my solution is to blow it out with compressed air, gets it all out, even with the baffle.

Tim