BP Dang it!!

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mrelijahgardner

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Franklin, Kentucky
I was making paper cartridges for my BP revolver today. I accidentally spilled about half a pound of powder on the floor in the carpet. I scooped up what I could. I was tempted to use the vacum to suck up the remaining bits of powder but opted to use a wet rag.

Does anyone else have an experience like this they would like to share?
 
Years ago, I used to have my reloading bench set up in an old dairy barn. (I was always careful about losing live primers, but you can't find them all...)

One day I was repairing a grate that was a part of the drainage system for the barn. A bolt was frozen, so I hit it with an oxy-acetylene torch. After a loud bang, a stinging sensation and digging the anvil to what was likely a magnum primer out of my lower lip, I opted for a can of WD-40 and a larger wrench.
 
If you know anyone with a rainbow vacuum cleaner, they have a water reservoir which catches everything the hose sucks up. There may be other brands that use the same method but I don't know about them.

You could also rent a carpet shampoo machine which wets and vacuums it back up.

Steve
 
Sundance44s

Must be why my wife bought a wet type vac (shampoo machine ) to use around me ..:eek:
 
Gee, if you had spilled any kind of a white powdery substance anywhere in this state, region, east coast, or nation for that matter, the hazardous biohazard teams would be there to make sure it wasn't some kind of terrorist biowarfare or anthrax like substance!
There are still letter carriers wearing those nitril gloves when they deliver the mail. Fortunately it was only a "black" colored powder and it wasn't spilled anywhere in a public place! :D
 
To salvage the powder

Take one of the wifes stockings (panty hose... or whatever they call'em), stick half of it in the nozzel of the vac and tape the other half it to the outside. You may want to double them up, but in my experience, that will pick up all of the powder and you can salvage 98-99% of it.
 
You could mist it down with a water spray bottle to to render it inert and then vacuum up. If moisture makes it stick then use a wet vac or carpet shampoo type vacuum to suck it up.

The point is, damp black powder is harmless!! :p
 
I scraped up about abot a 100 grains of BP from my carpet in my office. Took it outside to lite it off and din't quite flick my Bic fast enough burne the hair off up about six inches north if my wrist and burne a thumb and a finger, but not bad. I wish I coulda seen the look on my face. It felt like half a pound. And I haven't blown up a dry vac yet ... from spread out granules.
I did feel pretty stupid though after I did it.
(True confessions)
 
Back before I was married and I had a couple of room mates, I heard my buddy using my Kirby. He's spilled a tin of percussion caps in his room and the Kirby sucks up past the fan blades. Anything that goes in there has to go through the fan. Pennies will always bust a blade on it. :rolleyes: Don't have it anymore.

Anyway, I hear the thing turn on, then, pow, pow, pa, pa, pow! ROFLMAO! Glad he hadn't spilled any powder.:what:
 
Yow! Be careful using a vacuum to pick up any powder. I had a friend spill some smokeless and vacuum it up. It lit off in his vacuum and started one helluva fire. BP woulda gone off a lot faster, possibly blowing you up in the process. If you have to clean up a spill, consider using a dustpan to get most of it, then wetting the rest and using a wetvac, or a carpet shampooer.
 
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