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Thread: Just how touchy is BP?

  1. #61
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nobade View Post
    Keep it away from fire and sparks and it's no problem. It won't go off if you hit it with a hammer. It's not a primary explosive. It will, however, burn extremely fast if ignited when unconfined.
    yes Burn extremely fast in the open is its major scary characteristic

    Blackpowder does not explode nor even act like an explosive unless and until it is confined.

    The more heavily it is confined the more energy it will exert in escaping - there is a myth about that a blackpowder charge can only exert 20,000 or maybe 30,000 psi maximum pressure - that is nonsense - if you have sufficient charge and have it sufficiently confined, blackpowder can shred a sound steel barrel

    Re the gasoline comparison - I would feel way safer with a kilo of BP in my garage than a container of gasoline - the difference ? Gasoline will come to the ignition source by vapourising, Blackpowder requires the ignition source to come to it.

  2. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by megasupermagnum View Post
    Safety glasses are rarely a bad idea. I just hate how far things have gone. Now I'm forced to wear safety toe boots at work. I'm destroying my hips, knees, and doing no favor to my back and feet... all to save a big toe one day.
    Ahhh yes but understand - when your hips, knees, back and feet give it in thats YOUR fault - drop something on yr big toe (aint fun - done that twice - broke a joint first time and burred him up next time) thats an industrial accident and you get to sue the company - who care a lot about their bottom line but couldnt care zip about yr hips , knees, etc unless its their fault.
    I am self employed so continue to wear soft toed boots but been forced the last few years to pay exhorbitant prices at the hunting shop cuz its near impossible to buy a decent work boot without the steel cap.

  3. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by sharps4590 View Post
    Then you better sell all your vehicles and never drive again.
    who me ???

    Yeah lets join the incrowd an buy a 'lectric car - plug him in a tree stump for a recharge half way there while we snooze among the ants and beetles in the summer sun.

  4. #64
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    Comparing black powder to gasoline is simply foolish. Gasoline volatiles, BP does not. More caution is required with BP than with smokeless but precautions are simple.
    The easiest way to avoid risk of static electricity is to use a non-sparking Lyman 55 measure with a metal hopper though I have used the 55 with plastic hopper.
    Contrary to tip-toeing around black powder I have compressed the stuff 3/8" in .45-70 cases with 0 complications, trying to see how much powder I could cramp into that case. Never did get to 70 grains.

    Fireworks black powder is indeed scary stuff but is a whole different thing from sporting black powder. It is graded as "meal" and "flour", progressively fiber dust. Particles floating in air can ignite. But so can wheat flour or wood dust.

  5. #65
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    Quote Originally Posted by indian joe View Post
    who me ???

    Yeah lets join the incrowd an buy a 'lectric car - plug him in a tree stump for a recharge half way there while we snooze among the ants and beetles in the summer sun.
    No joe, those who are scared of black powder and what it's going to do when it jumps out of the can, is ignited by the static electricity generated when you walk across a wool or nylon rug, rotate your powder measure or pet your dog and it blows your hand off. Those who unknowingly buy into all the myths associated with BP. You obviously don't fall into that category. My point was and remains, driving is a heck of a lot more dangerous than loading black powder. And no, I am not an advocate of electric cars. I expect they're ok in metro areas but near useless out here in the sticks. I can count on one hand and have fingers left the number of electric cars where I live.
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

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  6. #66
    Boolit Master Lead pot's Avatar
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    I will add one word of caution on this subject. And don't ask how I know
    Just don't use a shop vac cleaning the mole den floor. You might blow the lid off the vac.

  7. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by DonHowe View Post
    Comparing black powder to gasoline is simply foolish. Gasoline volatiles, BP does not. More caution is required with BP than with smokeless but precautions are simple.
    The easiest way to avoid risk of static electricity is to use a non-sparking Lyman 55 measure with a metal hopper though I have used the 55 with plastic hopper.
    Contrary to tip-toeing around black powder I have compressed the stuff 3/8" in .45-70 cases with 0 complications, trying to see how much powder I could cramp into that case. Never did get to 70 grains.

    Fireworks black powder is indeed scary stuff but is a whole different thing from sporting black powder. It is graded as "meal" and "flour", progressively fiber dust. Particles floating in air can ignite. But so can wheat flour or wood dust.
    Don - the BLACKPOWDER that the fireworks guys use is the same as we shoot (a bit more dirty and a bit less well graded) I have shot several hundred pounds of that stuff ----its the OTHER powders they use thats scary and some of it big time scary .

  8. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by sharps4590 View Post
    No joe, those who are scared of black powder and what it's going to do when it jumps out of the can, is ignited by the static electricity generated when you walk across a wool or nylon rug, rotate your powder measure or pet your dog and it blows your hand off. Those who unknowingly buy into all the myths associated with BP. You obviously don't fall into that category. My point was and remains, driving is a heck of a lot more dangerous than loading black powder. And no, I am not an advocate of electric cars. I expect they're ok in metro areas but near useless out here in the sticks. I can count on one hand and have fingers left the number of electric cars where I live.
    just kiddin mate just kiddin

  9. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lead pot View Post
    I will add one word of caution on this subject. And don't ask how I know
    Just don't use a shop vac cleaning the mole den floor. You might blow the lid off the vac.
    you musta spilled more than just a couple grains?

  10. #70
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    I’m convinced that using BP in my plastic 55 poses no danger. It’s true that BP comes in plastic containers today. I once heard that they added something to the plastic, so it was conducive and would loose all static electricity. Has anyone else heard anything like that?

  11. #71
    Boolit Master Lead pot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by indian joe View Post
    you musta spilled more than just a couple grains?
    It don't get a good cleaning to often I used one of those small one gallon vacs and ran it between the concrete floor and the paneling where things get swept under out of reach of a broom and that was enough to put the vac out of commission

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lead pot View Post
    I will add one word of caution on this subject. And don't ask how I know
    Just don't use a shop vac cleaning the mole den floor. You might blow the lid off the vac.
    I used a vacuum one time very early on in my reloading career. It only took one live primer, I won't use a vacuum anymore. Those computer compressed air in a can cleaners are very handy to keep around.

    Speaking of which, I recently cleaned the reloading room, and burned a bunch of carboard boxes, many of which I had swept primers into. I knew there was some live ones in there. It was interesting to hear them pop. Some were in the fire a half an hour before popping!

  13. #73
    Boolit Master Dapaki's Avatar
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    I loved reading through this thread, so must old wives tails and erroneous information but lots of personal insight as well. As is likely with most of you, I have other hobbies too and pyrotechnics occupies my summer months while reloading, casting and shooting occupies my winters.

    The reason I bring this up is that I make and use several hundred pounds of Black Powder every year to lift, break and ignite ariel shells as well as Black Powder rockets. One of the things we do commonly is to use 2-3lb plastic or leather hammers to pound BP rockets into paper tubes. These rockets can have a pound of BP in them and I have yet to see or hear of one going off sue to shock and BOY OH BOY, do some of these guys hammer hard!

    Here is a friend, Ned Gorski showing off one of his many large BP rockets.


  14. #74
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    A good friend has been building pyrotechnics for 20 years or more. I used to wonder if one day I’d go to visit and find a large smoking hole where his workshop used to be. He’s safety conscious in the extreme and a very interesting guy, has the best midsummer night parties!

  15. #75
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    A friend was in the reloading room and commented how dangerous BP was. So I poured a pile on a steel plate and beat it with a steel hammer. Then I said to Scottie ... watch this. Made trail of the powder on the steel plate and got my lighter out of my pocket. Asked him if he wanted to leave the room and before he could reply ... lite the powder trail. He is now a believer it Ain’t
    Regards
    John

  16. #76
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    Quote Originally Posted by john boy View Post
    a friend was in the reloading room and commented how dangerous bp was. So i poured a pile on a steel plate and beat it with a steel hammer. Then i said to scottie ... Watch this. Made trail of the powder on the steel plate and got my lighter out of my pocket. Asked him if he wanted to leave the room and before he could reply ... Lite the powder trail. He is now a believer it ain’t
    stoopid!!!!

  17. #77
    Boolit Master super6's Avatar
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    Ned Gorski's Is a legend. world champ pyro .You had to be there.Swiser Ain"t bad either.
    Last edited by super6; 02-29-2020 at 06:24 PM.
    Give me something to believe in. Poison
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  18. #78
    Boolit Mold
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    I like to measure out my Black Powder Charges for what Ill use it for. .50 Cal, 12GA, etc and then roll the charge into a tissue paper with the Round Ball, Mini or Maxi Ball already Lubed with Bees wax and Lard. thats the way they used to do it years ago. then when your ready to load, just rip off a little bit of the paper and stuff it all down the barrel, add your cap and your ready to go. Make a Possibles bag with soft wood cartridge box to hang on your belt. Usually 10-12 rounds will be more than enough for hunting . if you miss more than that go to a mordern semi auto with multiple 30 round mags and you will miss quicker!

  19. #79
    Boolit Buddy Gobeyond's Avatar
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    It’s safe if done right. No fear though but normal caution is advised.

  20. #80
    Boolit Mold
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    Biggest issue with Black powder is dust. Most of the accidents with BP have been traced to this. If you read the old military ordnance manuals, checking for dust was one of the main activities, particularly for powder in ships magazines. Moisture and movement will tend to break up corned powder and result in a buildup of dust. Dusty powder was considered the most dangerous as it would both pick up and cause a flame to travel. Naval gunpowder was often coated with graphite to reduce the creation of dust and to waterproof the corns to some extent.

    Old powder was re-worked by sieving it through fine cloth, or if the grains had become too soft, it was boiled down to recover the saltpeter.

    Gunpowder dust, having a very low mass is much easier to ignite with a spark than clean corned powder. It also forms a plume and hangs in the air around opened containers and will cause a flash over a considerable area if ignited. Static buildup on plastic surfaces will cause a fine layer of gunpowder dust to adhere to the surface. This is really dangerous and will cause a flame to travel across the surface and into containers. This is the reason for making BP handling equipment out of copper or aluminium which will both not produce a spark if struck or allow a static surface buildup to attract BP dust.
    Last edited by BombDoc; 07-05-2020 at 03:39 PM.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check