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Reloading in carpeted room.

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kchap1031

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Jan 30, 2010
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I am new to reloading and have two choices for bench placement. In my upstairs office with wall to wall carpet or in my garage (concrete floor). I need advice on how to get rid of the static in the carpeted room. I live in Georgia and the humidity in the garage will do a number on my press and supplies. Not to mention I can lock the office upstairs to keep the kids out. What do you guys do to reduce static?
 
A regular vacuum with brush rollers will set off a primer and it will be very loud in an enclosed space like my reloading room, not that I am admitting anything. ;)

Eyes and Ears when you vacuum if you have a primer go missing.
 
My reloading room is carpeted. 99% of the time static is not a problem.

Like rc posted, static guard products work. You can also ground your measure.
 
I have my main bench in the garage, but I also built a 2'x3' reloading bench on casters out of 2x4s and scrap plywood as top.

I bought 2 cheap plastic drip trays on clearance (I think they were made for catching mud/water off boots) and two trays fit just perfect on top of my portable bench. I have both single stage and progressive presses mounted on the bench with the drip trays cut around them.

I can reload anywhere now - living room watch TV in the winter, patio in the summer, even carpeted bedroom/office since the trays catch everything (powder spill, primers, etc.) and nylon wheels don't mar the hardwood floor. And when I am done, I can lock up the bench in the closet.

If static is a concern (not for spark ignition but powder sticking to plastic funnel etc, right?), how about using metal cookie sheets as your trays? Should be fairly cheap at garage/yard sales (I've seen them for $1 or less). If that's not enough, as Walkalong mentioned, you can consider grounding your press/tray and even wearing a static band (computer network guys wear them) clipped to the tray/press.
 
Sorry to burst the bubble of this Urban Myth.http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...ks/sparks.html

That was interesting. Also I use a rubber backed mat for my chair to sit on while I load. This catches most of the spills. I haven't had much of a static problem with my hopper. I did in the beginning but now for some reason it stopped.

cobblestone.jpg


Something like that, found at any home depot or lowes.
 
I do my loading on a nice big 12" by 12" tile floor. The problem is the grout catches things. Next house it will be a big slab of concrete floor with no texturing. I have reloaded on carpet, and while it is fine for the feet, it is hard to find springs and crud like that in carpet. I already made the decision for the next house. Concrete, carefully finished and probably painted.
 
Use a good epoxy paint on that concrete. If the concrete is well prepped, it will last a long, long time. Use good ventilation.
 
I've reloaded inside the carpeted house from time to time. I may do my resizing out in the gun room, but then re-prime and load inside. Portable stand for the press. Sometimes the loading is via weighing on the scale; sometimes via powder measure.

Desert. Very low humidity. But never a problem.

Thinking about my methods, I put unused primers back in storage before going on to the next step of recharging. I generally have no more than maybe a teacup's worth of powder open and exposed when weighing charges.

I dunno. Maybe not being in a hurry helps. And I'm in my 60th year of reloading...
 
Guys:
I've been using a shop-vac in my reloading room for the past 35 years with out any type of accident. I vacuum both spent and unspent primers, plus spilled powder from a concrete floor and a small throw rug. Also vac my work bench and presses when finished loading. It is a dedicated tool and not used for anything else. I suppose somebody up there likes me. :)
 
Sprays and Dryer Sheets

The Speer 14 manual talks about this a little and mostly warns that primers are the biggest concern. They recommend wiping everything down periodically with either a dryer sheet or antistatic spray such as this I'm guessing

http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Dust-Guardian-Anti-Static-Spray/dp/B00006IA4U

I reload over carpet and wipe stuff down in dryer sheets from time to time. Could be doing something or could not but definitely a cheap solution.
 
Just put a large mat under the press and pick up the primers by hand or use a shop vac. I cant say I have ever heard of powder going off due to static electricity. That at powder burns, it doesnt explode. I have reloaded in carpeted rooms with no isses. I have had primers go off in the vacumn due to the britsles. Jut use a shop vac.
 
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