Fire extinguisher close to your bench?

[1989toddm]

How many have one close enough to grab should the need arise? Never crossed my mind untill today. Although I do have one fairly close but probably not close enough. Also how big of one would it take to put out say a pound of powder?

[462]

I have fire extinguishers at both the work bench and the casting bench.

[obssd1958]

Mine is within 8 foot of me, anywhere in the reloading room.

[Lee]

Won't put out an ounce of powder. Powder is self contained. It goes...you go. Fire extinguisher only displaces the oxygen, one way or another. That said, keep 1 or 2 around, to put out secondary fires. Got lots of powder? Separate it or prepare for the worst ................................... Lee

[Beagle333]

I don't figure a pound of powder would be around to put out, by the time I got the thing lifted off the floor and the little plastic safety tag torn off.

[txsnowman2k2]

How many have one close enough to grab should the need arise? Never crossed my mind untill today. Although I do have one fairly close but probably not close enough. Also how big of one would it take to put out say a pound of powder?
I don't think I would use an extinguisher on lit powder, I would think the blast would spread the powder all over and then a real BIG problem would present itself...could be wrong...tx

[Garyshome]

Just a little something to think about. A FE is better then nothing!

[gray wolf]

I would think the blast would spread the powder all over
What blast would that be ??

[txsnowman2k2]

From the extinguisher...

[yancey]

I have two at the bench on the floor.

[smokeywolf]

I keep one by the loading bench and one by the shop door. Also keep one in each bedroom, one at each end of the hallway, one in the kitchen and one by the BBQs

smokeywolf

[MrWolf]

I keep one next to my reloading bench.

[Handloader109]

Got one just inside by washer. Set my lawnmower on fire the other day, (don't ask, stupid me) was in the front yard, 20 from open garage, ran to get it, and it had been moved. Was 4ft away on other side of door. Got it put out w/of damage, but I was upset about it moving. Make sure no one moves your extinguisher.

[Digger]

Thought it might be a good idea to have one of these by the door of the mancave/reloading room as I already have two extinguishers close by.
http://www.statx.com/First_Responder.asp

Thinking our welders ought to have one in the bell hole close by as they are working on live gas lines ...

[Duckiller]

Why do you have burning material in your reloading room? When I started reloading I was a heavy smoker. I decided that I would not smoke while reloading. I don't make sparks when reloading. Not sure how fire is going to get into my reloading room. I do not have a fire extinguisher at hand.

[Multigunner]

When painting some apartments the guy I was working with had just made some crack about not wanting to get me PO'ed because I might shoot him. Just as he said this I reached for a damaged fire extinguisher laying in the corner. The moment I picked it up the damaged safety pin sheared the rest of the way through and mechanism had a malfunction and blew the damaged nozzle off with a sound near as loud as a .38 going off. The nozzle hit the wall right next to the guys head and dented the drywall. I've never seen anyone as scared as he was.

I have the same sort of FE hanging on the wall about ten feet from my loading bench.
While it probably would not put out a propellant fire, since propellants produce their own oxygen, it would put out any small fire that might endanger the propellants, or put out any blaze started by a propellant accident.

Some double base powders will continue to burn under water, but single base powders can be neutralized by soaking with water.
A large pitcher of water near at hand would very likely be more effective in preventing a powder flare up than a chemical or CO2 extinguisher.

[obssd1958]

My reloading room is also my casting room. I'm not so concerned about the powder that I have on the bench spontaneously combusting, as I am concerned with the materials that might ignite if I should have an "accident" with my lead pot. Those materials would be favorably "dealt with" using the fire extinguisher that is at hand. By the way, it is a small (3lb 9oz to 3lb 14oz) regular dry chemical bottle.

[trails4u]

My loading bench is in the same workshop as my wood-burning furnace....yeah, FEs are laying just about everywhere around here!!

[dale2242]

I would not cast anywhere near my loading components.
I doubt that you would have time to get an FE if powder where burning.
BTW, I do have an FE it my shop, where do my casting .
My loading room is away from my casting area....dale

[monadnock#5]

Leave the room first. Don't fight the fire standing in the middle of the room. Evaluate what you see and then decide on the next step. Like call the FD, or maybe wake the wife up. Your cold and steely skills in assessing and evaluating are critical.

[DeputyDog25]

I have 3 fire extinguishers in the reloading room, one near the bench, one in the closet where I store the powder and misc packing material, and one as you walk in the door. I also have several fire extinguishers throughout the house as well. Call me overdoing it, but I would rather have too many than not enough.

[GRUMPA]

I have 1 right in the same room with all the reloading gear, second 1 is by the kitchen. Any sort of emergency response in these neck of the woods is over 1/2hr and you have to talk them in to find the place.

[georgerkahn]

I reckon any "fire" from powder would be "Powder: 1, everything else, 0" -- but I do have a fairly large fire extinguisher at bench side. I reload in basement, and should I (hopefully) still be ambulatory, my thinking is the fire extinguisher -- if I think and move quickly -- might afford me passage up the stairs and to safety. I don't know if this would work, and truly pray I never will need to put it to the test... however, that fire extinguisher DOES afford a good feeling...
BEST!
georgerkahn

[1989toddm]

Thanks for all the input! I agree that powder would probably be gone by the time I could get a FE. I also don't make sparks when reloading, nor do I smoke there. But I didn't set off a primer in a lee loader the other day. I was outside and it didn't even lift the punch out of the case but it did open my eyes a bit more to the unexpected. Anything can happen and I also agree the quick thinking mind is your best weapon in any hazardous situation.

[mold maker]

Getting close enough to a bulk powder fire, to put it out is doubtful. Keeping all ignition sources away from the area and a clear escape route is more important.
Getting the family to safety, and calling the FD is first.
Access to a water hose and or FE is secondary.
If you've never practiced with a fire extinguisher, your in for a surprise. It isn't like point and shoot. There is a technique to successful use of it. You have to be close and direct it at the base (source) of the fuel and sweep back and fourth and follow the flame up to stop re-ignition.
Often the smoke and fumes produced are toxic, causing death before the fire is knocked down. Even breathing the extinguisher dust, can severely choke you.
That said, I live within 1/3 mile pf a top rated FD, and still have extinguishers at hand, where fires are likely possible. It is cheaper than insurance and reduces rates.

[MBTcustom]

I have fire extinguishers located in the shop, the house, and the bluing shed. There is no place that cannot be accessed by one.
Its just like a gun. Only helps if you have it real darn handy when you need it in that once in a lifetime disaster.
Guess what? I check the air on my spare tire as well.

And to those of you that think gunpowder is this stuff that burns perpetually regardless of encouragement to the contrary, feel free to watch the video at the bottom of the page in this link and educate yourselves better:
http://www.saami.org/

[MT Gianni]

One near the casting pot. One in the boiler room 15 feet away from the loading equipment. The only conceivable ignition source in that room is the lighting and electronic powder scale/dispenser. My concern for that ranks up there with an invasion from Vatican City.

[garym1a2]

I guess the making of this video is the cause of the ammo shortage. Did they really have to burn test a whole tractor trailer of ammo.

I have fire extinguishers located in the shop, the house, and the bluing shed. There is no place that cannot be accessed by one.
Its just like a gun. Only helps if you have it real darn handy when you need it in that once in a lifetime disaster.
Guess what? I check the air on my spare tire as well.

And to those of you that think gunpowder is this stuff that burns perpetually regardless of encouragement to the contrary, feel free to watch the video at the bottom of the page in this link and educate yourselves better:
http://www.saami.org/

[MBTcustom]

I guess the making of this video is the cause of the ammo shortage. Did they really have to burn test a whole tractor trailer of ammo.

First of all, that video was made long before the shortage.
Second, the ammo was donated to SAAMI for the purpose of this experiment.
Thirdly, there are many of us who have stores of components and loaded ammo that approach that amount.
Fourthly, if your local fire dept. actually watched that video, they might actually respond and save your house instead of letting it burn down around your pitiful butt while they watch from a "safe" distance.
Fifthly, if you think getting back all those pallets of ammo would cause even a blip in the supply and demand curve, you really need to take a look around at the real world.

This is was something that gun owners did to convince the fire departments across the nation to quit letting reloaders homes burn to the ground when they hear ammo popping off.
This was a huge boon to reloaders and shooters across the nation, and it was worth every penny of cost and grain of powder burnt.

[longranger]

Fire extinguishers are rated a percentage of what a professional is capable of extinguishing. Using letters and numbers that indicate type and amount of fire that can be expected to be extinguished by a non proffesional in a given size and agent.
Type A fire, wood,paper,common textiles agent usually water,rare anymore are the 2.5 gal H2O big silver cans.Straight water extinguishers are out of favor in all commercial occupancies unless a specific need is present.
Type B fire,petroleum products,oil,gas,grease ect. Usually Sodium Bicarbonate with some anti caking agents added.
Type C fires,energized electrical equipment,Co2,Halon(very expensive for expensive equipment)
Type D fires,combustible metals,i.e. magnesium,virtually dry Portland cement with some additives.
The most common and useful F/E is the 2A10BC @ 5lbs.it will cover most every situation in incipient(early) stage.
If you discover a fire and your comfortable with using your extinguisher then go ahead after sounding an alarm to the occupants.If the fire is bigger than you are comfortable with or your not putting it out with 1 F/E,close doors behind you and evacuate and notify.
It is a good idea to once a month or so using a soft rubber mallet tap the sides and bottom of the F/E until feels like jello inside and you feel vibrations,check gauge and green is good.This will ensure the powder is loose and will expel when desired.

[garym1a2]

The powder I burnt was not that strong of a fire. It did not even start the wood under it on fire. The real worry is if its a large amount in a sealed metal container. In a house fire I would be much more worried about gas or other chemicals. A car in a house fire can be quite nasty,

[joesig]

One ABC by every door. Was one of the first things I got when I got the house and shop. Was in no rush to see if State Farm insurance is any good or not! Thankfully, knock on wood, never had to use one.

[lancem]

As time goes by I don't worry about things like this too much anymore. With the closest volunteer fire department over 30 miles away over bad roads, if I can't put it out right now slowing it down won't help. Working to prevent instead of putting out is the way I look at things, after a lifetime of knowing and watching preppers prepping for just about everything that hasn't happened I've decided to just sit back and see what happens, either I will be ready or I won't...

[firefly1957]

I have a fire extinguisher at the door of my reloading room if i had a small fire somehow in there it could be used to stop that but if powder in bulk caught it would be time to run! I once lit a pound of mixed smokeless i found at a yard sale i thought it would slowly flair up was i wrong. Most of that powder was little diamonds of Alcan powder more than one type the rest was some green dot and red dot and rifle powders. The owner had passed and his grandkids just put it all in one can and sold it along with a Mec 400 12 gauge reloading press for $10 . I bought the press and poured the powder in the lawn with a piece of masking tape to it like a fuse. Upon lighting the tape it burned to the powder and i backed off the powder flared for about a half second then POOF! it went up in a huge hot fireball the heat was very intense and the ball of fire went 30 feet in the air looked like a scale atom bomb . The heat was instant and felt hot over 30 feet away the intensity killed the grass in a area nearly 8 feet across . The pressure would probably have repelled most fire fighting sprays but there was no time to use them anyway as the time from ignition to fire out was under 2 seconds.

[TXGunNut]

My house fire extinguisher is close to the back door, handy to the kitchen and loading room. I figure when the time comes I'll either grab it and fight or head on out the back door.

[Mtnfolk75]

We keep a small ABC under the kitchen sink which is directly across from the electric cook stove & oven, the kitchen is 36"wide and the back door is 5' away & opens out. I have my reloading & casting set-up downstairs in the mudroom with a door 6' from my bench. No FE downstairs.

[Bzcraig]

Since my loading bench is my garage work bench there are two extinguishers within 10'

[Multigunner]

Good Steel wrote


And to those of you that think gunpowder is this stuff that burns perpetually regardless of encouragement to the contrary, feel free to watch the video at the bottom of the page in this link and educate yourselves better:
http://www.saami.org/
Its long been known that brass cased cartridges isolate the effects to prevent a spontaneous detonation of all the enclosed propellants, at least in common fires. There are extraordinary situations that will result in massive explosions and uncontrollable fires.
An example was early testing on Cordite loaded ammunition. In tests shooting bullets into ammo boxes would not set of an explosion, burning crates of ammo with fires started at the top of the stack would not set off an explosion, but when the center crate of a stack was set afire the heat cooked off the ammo and induced sympathetic explosion of the entire stack of crates resulting in a crater 35 feet across.

Canisters of propellants are made of thin materials so the canister will rupture before internal pressure builds to explosive proportions, but every propellant has a tipping point at which a loose pile of the propellant will explode just as if it were in a bomb casing. Black Powder as a Class A explosive has the lowest tipping point in relation to weight. Degraded Double Base propellants would come next with heat degraded cordite at the top of the list.
Some years back a gentleman who manufactured BP for reinactor organizations was killed when his basement operation blew up. The blast killed him, his wife who was on the patio above the basement and a neighbor who had come to try to help.

There have been numerous situations where propellants ended up acting as an explosive. Even wheat dust and flour can explode violently under the right circumstances.

High nitroglycerin content propellants can and have burned and exploded while completely inundated with water. The British lost five warships to magazine explosions before they figured that out. One Japanese warship blew up simply because a ventilator fan failed and temperature in the magazine rose above 125 degrees for several hours.

The small amounts of powder most reloaders keep are not much of a threat, but some like to hoard hundreds of pounds of powder and a few don't exercise much if any caution in how its stored.

If my neighbor's garage blows up thats between him and his insurance company, but if the explosion is big enough to send his lawnmower crashing through my roof then it would concern me.
A truck garage near my home was the site of explosions from barrels of laquer and laquer thinner cooking off, with flaming 55 gal drums raining down all over the neighborhood. Baked the paint off one wall. So I'm a bit concerned about what might be caught up in a fire.

[hiram1]

never do i have over one pound of powder in my reloading room.it is in a room all to it self 20 steps from the reloading room.looks like a well house.with a roof that will come off .it is a walk in room just for that. brick walls with one in wood on the inside.

[MT Gianni]

Good Steel wrote

Its long been known that brass cased cartridges isolate the effects to prevent a spontaneous detonation of all the enclosed propellants, at least in common fires. There are extraordinary situations that will result in massive explosions and uncontrollable fires.
An example was early testing on Cordite loaded ammunition. In tests shooting bullets into ammo boxes would not set of an explosion, burning crates of ammo with fires started at the top of the stack would not set off an explosion, but when the center crate of a stack was set afire the heat cooked off the ammo and induced sympathetic explosion of the entire stack of crates resulting in a crater 35 feet across.

Canisters of propellants are made of thin materials so the canister will rupture before internal pressure builds to explosive proportions, but every propellant has a tipping point at which a loose pile of the propellant will explode just as if it were in a bomb casing. Black Powder as a Class A explosive has the lowest tipping point in relation to weight. Degraded Double Base propellants would come next with heat degraded cordite at the top of the list.
Some years back a gentleman who manufactured BP for reinactor organizations was killed when his basement operation blew up. The blast killed him, his wife who was on the patio above the basement and a neighbor who had come to try to help.

There have been numerous situations where propellants ended up acting as an explosive. Even wheat dust and flour can explode violently under the right circumstances.

High nitroglycerin content propellants can and have burned and exploded while completely inundated with water. The British lost five warships to magazine explosions before they figured that out. One Japanese warship blew up simply because a ventilator fan failed and temperature in the magazine rose above 125 degrees for several hours.

The small amounts of powder most reloaders keep are not much of a threat, but some like to hoard hundreds of pounds of powder and a few don't exercise much if any caution in how its stored.

If my neighbor's garage blows up thats between him and his insurance company, but if the explosion is big enough to send his lawnmower crashing through my roof then it would concern me.
A truck garage near my home was the site of explosions from barrels of laquer and laquer thinner cooking off, with flaming 55 gal drums raining down all over the neighborhood. Baked the paint off one wall. So I'm a bit concerned about what might be caught up in a fire.
Cordite was last manufactured in the 1930's.

[HeavyMetal]

A fire extinguishers are more use in the kitchen than a reloading room IMHO.

Powder does contain it's own Oxygen so will burn under water if somehow ignited.

Proper House Keeping in the reloading area is the key to preventing any issues as well as securing both powder and primer in a safe place, not having more than one powder in use at any one time and never having more primers than needed for the task at hand.

I have an old side by side frig that I use as a "safe" for powder and primer. each has it's own side. no latch on the door so it pulls open easily, not trying to prevent theft here just seperate storage in a cool dry place!

Casting should be done completely seperately from your reloading area, across the room or across the house ( I had an area outside on the back patio for 15 years)

Having said all that I have several ABC FE's around the home and garage because other things, like lawn mowers or hotrods, can have fire issues.


SAFE is a state of Mind and is not coincidental to life.

[Multigunner]

MT Giani.


Cordite was last manufactured in the 1930's.
Cordite for rifles no different from that used in WW1 was still being manufactured in the late 1960's-early 1970's, Cordite of differing formulas is still manufactured as a propellant for high velocity tank cannon and some aircraft cannon, and as a rocket fuel.


Millions of rounds of cordite charged rifle ammunition is still available as milsurp ammunition.
Some milsurp rifle owners insist on continuing to use the old Cordite ammo, and buy it by the case. I've seen stockpiles of old POF ammo at gunshops here.

I mentioned cordite as an example, some reloading powder contain as much Nitroglycerin as Cordite MDT. Modern Ball powders contain fairly little nitroglycerin. Bullseye Pistol powder contains 58% Nitro, same as Cordite MkI and the same as C4 explosives and Gelignite blasting powder.
Older Italian ammo used a Nobel Solenite powder with even more Nitroglycerin.

[MT Gianni]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordite
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Cordite.html
Here is a couple of articles that seem to agree that cordite is a single based extruded stick powder generally made in sticks and inserted as such. I agree that powder burns at a rate very different when contained than when open to atmosphere. It needs to be stored safely. As far as i can tell NFPA says quantities of under 20 lps are OK in the original container. 20-50 need a 1" wooden box or cabinet [wooden lid assumed as well] Commercial quantities up to 100 lbs are OK with the same cabinet. I am far more concerned about the fuel in my cars tank in a house fire than my powder.

[OnceFired]

I have extinguishers in several places throughout the house - in the kitchen pantry, the laundry room, and the upstairs hall closet.

I grab the one from the laundry room when I go out to the garage to reload.

OF

[Multigunner]

Here is a couple of articles that seem to agree that cordite is a single based extruded stick powder generally made in sticks and inserted as such
You should read those pages mpre closely.
From your Wiki link


in 1889 a new ballistite-like propellant consisting of 58% nitroglycerine, by weight, 37% guncotton (nitrocellulose) and 5% petroleum jelly.
Cordite is a double base propellant, not always in stick form.
In fact it was the first mass produced double base propellant other than Ballistite which was not stable enough at that time..
While the name came from Cordite first being made in the form of thin strands or cords, flake cordote was used for pistol cartridges and blanks, and commercial cartridge companies bought raw cordite paste and extruded it in proprietary form, such as ribbons.

The British muddied the water a bit by some times using the term cordite as a catchall for single base powders and blasting sticks.

[latesvak]

I do. I actually have 2 within reach while working on the bench. I feel a little bit safer knowing that they are around.

[Markbo]

I do all my reloading in the garage and smelting and casting outside on the patio. I have 2 extinguishers in my hiuse and 2 in the garage. Always have. Just like a handgun I thank God I have never had to use one.

[labradigger1]

Got one just inside by washer. Set my lawnmower on fire the other day, (don't ask, stupid me) was in the front yard, 20 from open garage, ran to get it, and it had been moved. Was 4ft away on other side of door. Got it put out w/of damage, but I was upset about it moving. Make sure no one moves your extinguisher.

My wife moves our fe's constantly. I keep 4 in the house, 3 in the garage and one 20#er in the reloading room. I try to stress the importance of keeping them where we KNOW where they are. Constant battle as she says they are ugly.
Lab