I Come Seeking Guidance and Knowledge: Damp Primers

[challenger_i]

Last night, Mother Nature took the roof off my shop and deposited in my neighbor's yard.
Everything in my shop managed to get wet in various degrees.
I had a box of #34 primers setting on the table next to my loading bench, waiting their turn
in the brass.
The exterior box (this is a box of 1000) got damp, but not drenched.

What should I expect for the primer's usability? What might I do to salvage them?

Thoughts? Hints? Suggestions?

[MUSTANG]

I would put them in a dry place, take each box of 100 outside of the 1000 overwrap box. Let sit for a week and all moisture should be gone. I would then Reload and fire as normal.

Some primer mixtures actually use water as an activating agent. Some others; use an alcohol/water mixture as a "Temporary" desensitizing agent while loading the Primer Cup and then the anvil - letting them dry in a dehumidifier or for 24/48 hours before being packaged to let the primer mixture dry.

[elmacgyver0]

I would bury them in cat litter for a couple weeks, then test random samples.
Make sure the cat litter is new and in one of those resealable plastic buckets.
Or use a dehydrator as long as it doesn't get too hot.

[challenger_i]

Thank ye, gents! You have soothed my ruffled feathers!

[Half Dog]

Give them time to dry and you might be surprised. Primers seem to be very durable in environmental conditions. After you think they are dry seat a handful in brass without powder or a bullet. If they all go boom when you shoot them I would call them good.

[imashooter2]

You should expect no change or degradation to the primers after they dry back out.

[Hogdaddy]

Rice works ; )
H/D

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Priming compound is made wet so as to be handled safely at the factory. I would think that 99.9% of them should be good after being allowed to dry out. One problem might occur, which is that if the cups are steel they may begin to rust.

DG

[GhostHawk]

I agree with Mustang.

A warm sunny place and a week of dry should do the trick. If you want to be sure load up 5 rounds with just a primer and test.
I would take one primer from each of the top 2 boxes, 1 ea from the 2 bottom boxes and one from the middle.

If any one does not fire cook em in sunshine for a few more days.

[challenger_i]

Thanks! Now to bathe my loading equipment in oil!

[fastdadio]

I had an old machine gun belt of about 30 rds of 30-06 dated from the early 40's that I decided I wanted to be inert for display. I pulled the boolits and dumped the powder and soaked the primed brass in a bucket of water for two days. After they dried out I decided to try a couple before I reseated the boolits. I cycled them through my bolt action and all but two went bang.

[MrWolf]

Rice works ; )
H/D

Yup. Keep it simple. Primers can take it.

[Winger Ed.]

You'll shoot your eye out kid.

Better let one of us older guys safely dispose of them for ya.

[JimB..]

I wouldn’t mix with rice, litter, or anything else that might leave stuff behind. Setting on a paper towel on a cookie sheet either in the sun or by a fan overnight will be plenty. They’ll all go bang.

[challenger_i]

Ah, NO! :)


You'll shoot your eye out kid.

Better let one of us older guys safely dispose of them for ya.

[Rapier]

Things dropped in water or wet by rain, get a new box of rice bath in the AC, unless it is a salt water bath, then, it is rare when your electronics ever function again. Primers should do well in a rained on the outside box deal, just in the AC, and if not actually under water soaking.
Hurricanes, repetitive, give us a lot of unwelcome practice at reserection.

[compass will]

And sorry about your roof :(

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I use the dash of my pickup, truck pointed south for my dryer. Thermometer goes up past 140* F sometimes, usually makes 90+ even in the winter. A week in the sun, should be good to go. Humidity is very low here.

[challenger_i]

Thank you, sir!


And sorry about your roof :(

[Black Beard]

They will dry out quicker if they are open side up. You could shake them about in a priming tray to do that and then leave it in the Sun.

[414gates]

I wouldn’t mix with rice, litter, or anything else that might leave stuff behind. Setting on a paper towel on a cookie sheet either in the sun ...

+1

Spread them out on a baking tray, and leave them in the sun for a few days.

[poppy42]

Let ‘em dry out and shoot ‘em they will be fine!

[beemer]

Had friend that lost his shop to fire, fire dept. drenched what was left. The primers in a metal cabinet survived the fire but were wet, dried out they worked.

I was given a carton of old green box CCI primers that been wet. A few in one box had the mixture washed out, the rest of the carton had dried out worked fine.

Really hate that your shop was destroyed. Oil everything metal that you can or throw it in a can of oil as quick as possible, that will preserve it till you can get around to cleaning it up. It takes a while and rust never rests.

Best of luck !
Dave

[challenger_i]

Thank ye, sir! I managed to get my tools, and the loading equipment that was out of the cabinet sprayed with ACF-50 (aviation corrosion control that I think is made from platinum!) and then put in containers and covered with 5W30 motor oil (what I had handy).
Have been in salvage mode in the shop ever since the 22nd. Sourcing materials to replace the roof (2400 sq/ft!). Is going to be a hot, busy month...

[barnetmill]

I had an old machine gun belt of about 30 rds of 30-06 dated from the early 40's that I decided I wanted to be inert for display. I pulled the boolits and dumped the powder and soaked the primed brass in a bucket of water for two days. After they dried out I decided to try a couple before I reseated the boolits. I cycled them through my bolt action and all but two went bang.

Oil will do a better job, but I still would not consider the primers to be completely inert.