Humidity, Gunpowder, and a Powder Measure

[AZRedhawk44]

Evidently I left some IMR 4064 (I think) in my Dillon powder dispenser for several months.

I know, bad move.  I guess I got distracted and just forgot about it since the press setup is way out of normal flow of traffic for me.

There was a heavy build-up of white powder/crystals all over the cap, between the cap and the plastic tube, and throughout the dispenser mechanism of the Dillon powder dispenser.  Obviously I threw out the powder after being particularly ginger while prying the cap off.  I soaked the assembly in water overnight and most of the KNO3 (I assume that's what it was) dissolved into the water, then I thoroughly dried it.  But there's still some residual white gummy/crystaline substance in there.

Any of you whizzes know how to get this gunk out of a powder measure?

[bedlamite]

https://www.harborfreight.com/110-lbs-pressurized-abrasive-blaster-60696.html

[Hawkmoon]

Any of you whizzes know how to get this gunk out of a powder measure?

Goof Off?

[Northwoods]

Hey - Redhawk is back!  Good to see you again.

[lee n. field]

Call Dillon?

[Kingcreek]

Just disassemble and clean in warm soapy water, let dry thoroughly.
No big deal except for the wasted powder.

[just Warren]

Any of you whizzes know how to get this gunk out of a powder measure?

Some kind of open flame?

[Scout26]

Just disassemble and clean in warm soapy water, let dry thoroughly.
No big deal except for the wasted powder.

Second this.  Try plain warm water first. It may take a time or two, as only so much KNO3 will dissolve in water.  Then warm, soapy water once all the visible crystals are gone.

P.S.  Welcome back !

[230RN]

"IMR 4064 "

If you're not sure what the powder was, how do you know which source canister it came from and therefore which to discard?

My own operating standard is if something unknown or unexplainable is occuring with propellants, get rid of the propellant.

A safe way to discard it is to thinly distribute the powder in the grass or  your garden.

As far as cleaning the apparatus is concerned, the suggestions above sound suitable.

Terry

[French G.]

Won't help this time, but something I always did with my Dillon measures is I put a piece of aluminum foil on top, then pressed the cap down over it, might help seal it up a little better. I started this as an experiment, 100% cured the problem of powder static clinging to the side of the measure.

[Scout26]

"IMR 4064 "

If you're not sure what the powder was, how do you know which source canister it came from and therefore which to discard?

My own operating standard is if something unknown or unexplainable is occuring with propellants, get rid of the propellant.

A safe way to discard it is to thinly distribute the powder in the grass or  your garden.

As far as cleaning the apparatus is concerned, the suggestions above sound suitable.

Terry

I think he was only referring to discarding that powder that was left in the measure.  Any powder still in canister(s) is probably fine if the stored properly.

[Hawkmoon]

Won't help this time, but something I always did with my Dillon measures is I put a piece of aluminum foil on top, then pressed the cap down over it, might help seal it up a little better. I started this as an experiment, 100% cured the problem of powder static clinging to the side of the measure.

I use dryer sheets the same way.

[charby]

Hoppes, it is a powder solvent.

I do wipe my powder measure out with a dryer sheet every time I fill it. I dump it back into the powder bottle after a reloading session.

[Ben]

Shoot. This thread reminded me that I have gone for a year - the longest dry spell in my reloading history - without reloading. I've got several measures for the Dillon sitting in the reloading room with powder in them. I need to check and dump them today. I'm in a very low humidity environment, but better safe than sorry.

No rust worries doing the soapy water thing?

[230RN]

^ "No rust worries doing the soapy water thing?"

Just be sure to rinse it off thoroughly with distilled air.


I was wondering where KNO₃ (or whatever the white stuff was) might have come from, but I guess there could be some reaction between the nitrates and any potassium (or sodium) compounds they might use for flash suppression or stabilizing.

OK, this is my "internal lawyer" and "inherent risk manager" talking, but I would not take chances on the powder in the original container despite the only apparent repeat apparent variables being time and humidity.

I would probably discard it or at least re-work up the loads used with it.  I've been shooting and reloading since about the mid-last-century and enough weird-assed things have happened that I would not trust anything whatsoever which was unusual.

Take it or leave it, that's my advice, and that ain't just geriatric paranoia talkin'.

Terry

[brimic]

Potassium nitrates/ nitrate salts? There shouldn't be either in smokeless powder, at least not in significant quantities- it there were, it would corrosive as hell.
IMRs are primarily nitrocellulose.

That being said, I would try to clean the measure up with alcohol.

[AZRedhawk44]

Potassium nitrates/ nitrate salts? There shouldn't be either in smokeless powder, at least not in significant quantities- it there were, it would corrosive as hell.
IMRs are primarily nitrocellulose.

That being said, I would try to clean the measure up with alcohol.

Any idea what the white crystalline substance would have been then?  Google searches suggested to me it was KNO3.  I'd hate for it to have been something particularly volatile along the lines of nitroglycerin that I was applying force to remove the cap on the measure.

[brimic]

Is the top of the powder measure and the body of the measure aluminum or magnesium? Corrosion will look like a grayish/whitish powder

[230RN]

Any idea what the white crystalline substance would have been then?  Google searches suggested to me it was KNO₃.  I'd hate for it to have been something particularly volatile along the lines of nitroglycerin that I was applying force to remove the cap on the measure.

Well, that's where I was going with it.  There would only be minimal amounts of K or Na in it, as I mentioned before, and I don't think any IMR powders are double-based, that is, have nitroglycerin in them.  Burning rate is primarily controlled by granule size, hole-in-the-middle size, graphite, loading density, and deterrents.
 
There is minimal amounts of other stuff like preservatives and stabilizers, and a bit of residual ether-alcohol solvents, none of which would imply the amount of gunk you are describing.

The only other thing I can think of (per brimic's suggestion) is some kind of galvanic reaction between your aluminum foil (was that you?) under the cap with high humidity or something like that.

Well.... or... do  you have a male cat?  They do weird things.  (I'm not really kidding.)

Terry