Powder sticking on scale and inside walls of cartridges...Frustrated!

[Stopsign32v]

Only thing I can think is my brass and reloading is outside in a 90 degree building locked up and I keep my powder in the house where it is 69 degrees.

But this evening I got more than frustrated with powder sticking to the inside walls of my cases up to the rim and sticking to my metal weigh scale pouring thing, even after I tapped it. I did not notice any condensation but something was causing this! [smilie=b:

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Sounds like static electricity.

DG

[Sam Sackett]

Sounds like you need to be very careful. If it is static electricity, you could generate a spark when you touch the case and have a kaboom!
Check the humidity in the room. If it’s really low, chance of static is high.
Wipe down your equipment with a dryer sheet. That sometimes quenches the static.

Good luck and be safe.

Sam Sackett

[Minerat]

Used dryer sheet will help keep the static under control. I use them to wipe the inside my Lexan powder measure tubes and drop tubes. Also the measure pans. The used ones do not leave a heavy coating like new ones but have enough left to work. Up here we have a dry climate that even walking on carpet in your socks will get you zapped so I treat my powder measures about every 3 times I use them.

[GhostHawk]

I'm with Minerat, used dryer sheets are awesome at holding down static cling.

Use them in my powder funnels all the time.

[Stopsign32v]

I'm not saying it isn't static but it's late July in South Carolina...Dry air is not a thing that exists here right now. Humidity right now shows 69%

[Vopie]

Same thing Happening here, ....Humidity ....! Powder wants to stick in the 410 press drop tube. Be careful! I gave it a couple days, humidity dropped, no more problem.

[Stopsign32v]

Same thing Happening here, ....Humidity ....! Powder wants to stick in the 410 press drop tube. Be careful! I gave it a couple days, humidity dropped, no more problem.

My drop tube became almost too hard to operate. And this is scary, listen to this...

I dialed in the drop tube to 12.6gr over about 30 drops (going from 12.8 to a consistent 12.6). Anyways after I got it to drop 12.6 I went back to my brass flaring the cases and went back to dropping some powder to fill the cases. Dropped a drop in the pan and weighed it. 10gr !!!

I thought that can't be right and dropped again...10gr. Zeroed the scale and started over. 10gr

So I had to UP the drop tube more than it was to get BACK to 12.6! That was scary but I did weigh each and every drop. To me I do not believe static was an issue at all.

[Wayne Smith]

Sounds like you need to be very careful. If it is static electricity, you could generate a spark when you touch the case and have a kaboom!
Check the humidity in the room. If it’s really low, chance of static is high.
Wipe down your equipment with a dryer sheet. That sometimes quenches the static.

Good luck and be safe.

Sam Sackett

Not really. There are Utube videos and research of people attempting to light black powder with static electricity. No go. If you can't light black powder with static electricity then you can't light smokeless, which requires even more consistent heat to burn. The consensus I've read is that the static electric spark is too transient to light black powder.

[bruce381]

Does high humidity soak into powder and makes it clump? in california bay area never get to "wet" so do not know

[Stopsign32v]

Does high humidity soak into powder and makes it clump? in california bay area never get to "wet" so do not know

It didn't seem to, but, when I take anything outside right now from inside such as a firearm that is metal or my camera they immediately fog over and turn into condensation. Maybe pouring cold powder into a hot case...

[Barry54]

Dew point is the absolute measurement for humidity.

Relative humidity plus the current temperature can be entered in a dew point calculator and find the dew point.

Odds are the dew point outside might have been above 69° and whatever you took outside that’s cooler than the dew point will condense water until it warms up above the dew point.

The dew point in Tennessee was in the 70’s last week. Miserable!!!

[billmc2]

I'm in the FL panhandle. Here the dew point goes over 70F around Memorial day and doesn't come back down until after Columbus day. Last Thursday the dew point at my house was 77F. It was down today, it only went up to 72F. My eyeglasses are fogging up every time I go outside.

I do not know if humidity is your problem, but the theory does make sense to me. A couple of years back I was having trouble with spray paint (rattle cans). I was spraying a clear coat over a metal flake, on a piece of wood. All of my stuff was stored inside the house, in the A/C. I didn't want to spray inside, so I took it outside. I sprayed it and waited for it to dry. When I came back the clear coat was all cloudy. Researching I learned that when I brought everything outside, the humidity condensed on the work pieces even though I couldn't see it. When I sprayed the clear coat, the water was trapped under it. What I had to do to get around that problem, was to take everything outside about 1/2 hour before I'd begin. This would bring everything to the same relative temp. No more problems.

If you're keeping the powder in the A/C and everything else isn't cooled, try bringing the powder outside, without opening it, and wait a while for it to acclimate to the warmer temp before you open it, and see what happens. I don't know that this will solve your problem, but it doesn't hurt to try.

[Winger Ed.]

A grounding wire might help.

Get a good contact on the press/measure bracket and get the other end connected to a ground somewhere.
Even connecting it to the concrete floor by putting it under a table leg should do a little good.

I have mine on a all steel table that sits on a concrete floor and never have a static problem.

[JimB..]

Take a jug of powder out and give it an hour to come up to temp before opening it. Report back.

[Hannibal]

Take a jug of powder out and give it an hour to come up to temp before opening it. Report back.

That's a very good suggestion. Also, when you take your firearms outside and they fog over the inside of the barrels do the same thing. Shoot them or make sure you reoil the bore or you can get corrosion damage. Ask me how I know this.

:groner:

[243winxb]

It may help to know what measure, set up your using? What powder? From Lee-
You may want to "condition" the measure by either using powdered graphite on the disks or running the equivalent of a pound of powder through the measure. Powdered graphite is available at most hardware stores (often used as a dry lubricant for locks). If you find that inconsistencies still exist, you may want to wash the disks in warm soapy water, rinse and let air dry. This should help eliminate any static that may have been present

https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/category/powder-handling

[Stopsign32v]

It may help to know what measure, set up your using? What powder? From Lee-

https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/category/powder-handling

296 and a Lee "Perfect powder measure" (which is FAR from perfect IMO)

[243winxb]

296 doesnt stick like 244 for me. LEE- Bumping against the stops when dumping and filling the metering chamber usually causes inconsistent loads with the Perfect Powder Measure. Be gentle at both ends of the stop when charging powder.

Also failure to condition the measure by running a pound of powder through the unit will cause inconsistent charges. You can speed the conditioning by dusting the metering surfaces with powdered graphite. Powdered graphite is available at most hardware stores (often used as a dry lubricant for locks). Empty the powder from the hopper of your perfect powder measure. Remove the screw from the crank plate and remove the rotor from the body. Apply some powdered graphite to the inside of the body and work it in with the rotor. Repeat this until you get an even coating of graphite on both the rotor and the body. Re-assemble the the powder measure. The powdered graphite will make the mating parts slide past each other a lot easier.

Lastly some powders do not meter well, Unique powder is one example that meters with "casual uniformity."

[Stopsign32v]

A new powder dropper is on my 2023 list to get. I've been using this leaking piece of work for too long.

[dverna]

I hope you get it worked out. Large variations in powder drops can be dangerous.

IMO the advice to acclimate your components to the same temperature is worth trying and cheap to do. I doubt static is the culprit at this time of the year unless you live in a very dry area.

I have the Lee "Perfect" measure but have not used it much. But I do not recall having the problems you are experiencing. Once I got an RCBS Charge Master I never used it again.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

[Hannibal]

A new powder dropper is on my 2023 list to get. I've been using this leaking piece of work for too long.

I actually kinda like a Lee measure for stick type powders but I have an old Redding measure that's the bee's knees for ball powders.

[TD1886]

I've been using Belding & Mull powder measures since the early 70's. I have a few of them. I also make extra drop tubes from them. They may be a tad more complicated then most powder measures, but they drop .0 accuracy with all shotgun/pistol powders and just about the same for stick powders. The lies about the accuracy, I believe they say accurate to about 1/10th a grain. Mine do zero on many powders.

[15meter]

Does high humidity soak into powder and makes it clump? in california bay area never get to "wet" so do not know

I have a manual from a very old RCBS Uniflow that states powder can get damp and not flow consistently. There is a recommendation to spread the powder out and if I remember correctly, place a 100 watt bulb over the powder to gently warm it and dry it.

Directions were probably written without consulting with a lawyer.

[dondiego]

I have a manual from a very old RCBS Uniflow that states powder can get damp and not flow consistently. There is a recommendation to spread the powder out and if I remember correctly, place a 100 watt bulb over the powder to gently warm it and dry it.

Directions were probably written without consulting with a lawyer.

I'd feel safer with a couple of the silica gel desiccant packs.

[Big Dangle]

Your not wearing gloves are you? I did once and soon as I dropped some H110 in the funnel it stuck to the sides. Wiped it down with a dryer sheet tossed the gloves never happened again..

[mehavey]

wiped it down with a dryer sheet .... ^ ^ ^ this ^ ^ ^