Couple random questions for today

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CMV

CMV

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1. I spilled some powder (H335) on the carpet - about 1/4 cup. Can I vacuum that up or do I need something else? I scooped up what I could, but most of it went down into the carpet. I'm thinking I could take a piece of old pantyhose and put it over the attachment wand & then put a crevice tool or other attachment on there. The pantyhose should act like a filter & catch the powder so it isn't going into the dirt bin & spinning around.

2. Along those lines, if a primer ends up on the carpet & I miss it, will it accidentally being sucked up by the vacuum hurt anything? (other than cause an extremely irritated wife if it goes off - assuming it would even be audible over the vacuum)

3. If I want to decap a primed case with an unfired primer, can I do that like normal or do I need to fire the primer first?
 
1. No prob with smokeless. Vacuuming is NOT ACCEPTABLE with the holy black.

2. I use my shop vac to clean my shop all the time....never had one detonate. Although I have seen one go off in a household vac. I still wouldn't worry about it.

3. You can, although it's technically "not recommended". Go slow, wear eyes and maybe ears in case it goes off. Even if it detonates, it's no worse than a loud cap gun. Best solution would be to fire it, then decap as usual. If you decide to fire the primer in a gun, treat it just like a loaded gun.
 
Tear up the carpet

Don't waste your time. Just tear up the carpet and install some decent flooring that won't hide stuff. Shake the carpet out on the garden and toss it.
I hate working over carpet. I bought some shop floor material from Harbor freight and for over the carpet stuff look at a decent office supply store for a clear pad.
 
esheato said:
1. No prob with smokeless. Vacuuming is NOT ACCEPTABLE with the holy black.

2. I use my shop vac to clean my shop all the time....never had one detonate. Although I have seen one go off in a household vac. I still wouldn't worry about it.

3. You can, although it's technically "not recommended". Go slow, wear eyes and maybe ears in case it goes off. Even if it detonates, it's no worse than a loud cap gun. Best solution would be to fire it, then decap as usual. If you decide to fire the primer in a gun, treat it just like a loaded gun.
Click to expand...

I agree with the first two responses above, but as for the third, I have and know plenty of others that have decapped live primers many times with no incidents. I think you will find this the general consensus here.
 
earplug said:
Tear up the carpet. Don't waste your time. Just tear up the carpet and install some decent flooring that won't hide stuff. Shake the carpet out on the garden and toss it. I hate working over carpet.
Click to expand...
How about just replacing the house? Oh my, I almost fell over in my chair from laughing. :D

Practical solutions to our typical reloading/shooting problems do not have to include different guns, different press, different bullets, different powders, etc. Conducting root cause analysis and addressing the underlying problem is more "high road" ...

I mean, if you are not shooting as accurately and fast off hand with an "inaccurate" 40S&W caliber subcompact like Glock 27 as Hickok45, would your accuracy solution include replacing the shooter?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdqIhmu9Fuk

How about Minute-Of-Gong accuracy of 230 yards with G27? I can't do that with my G27 (I can hit the gong at 100 yards though), so my G27 must be inaccurate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMEg4y54Dk
 
I agree with the first two responses above, but as for the third, I have and know plenty of others that have decapped live primers many times with no incidents. I think you will find this the general consensus here.
Click to expand...

I do it all the time myself, but I know some forums freak out when you recommend it.
 
I've missed a primer before and it DID go off in the vacuum. I'm 15, so it was my mother who was very angry. No harm done though.

The vacuum was a household fan vacuum where all of the debris goes through the fan--Not the shop vac type. The shop vac type should be fine.
 
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I agree with the first two responses above, but as for the third, I have and know plenty of others that have decapped live primers many times with no incidents. I think you will find this the general consensus here.
Click to expand...

Oh I know, and I do it all the time myself, but some forums freak out when you recommend it.
 
OK, I dried the tears from my eyes so I could see the computer monitor ... :D

1. No problem vacuuming up smokeless pistol/rifle powders, even the models with the beater brush. Since I reload indoors (my reloading room is carpeted), I have been vacuuming the carpet without issues for years.

2. There's been reports of live primers going off in the vacuum cleaner (and the force of the priming compound ignition can be quite a bit) but for me, I have yet to have a live primer go off in the vacuum cleaner (both with the beater brush and shop vac).

3. I always wear eye protection when I am handling primers but have yet to have a live primer go off when I deprimed them.
 
Thanks!

If you de-prime it, that primer is now trash or can it still be used? That is 4¢ after all & replacing this carpet with hardwoods isn't going to be cheap. :)

I really would like to be out in the garage, but it's full of toys. I had to take my workbenches out to get the last trailer I bought to fit inside & I have literally 2" clearance all the way around it. Taking over the other side would mean dear wife's car would have to stay outside with my car & truck & that isn't a fight worth starting.

I really thought I wanted a house with a slab foundation vs a basement when I bought this one. No dampness, mildew, moisture or leak issues that seem to happen frequently with basements (not all, but enough that I didn't want to deal with it). But I regret that decision all the time.
 
I prefer carpet below my workbench. Springs and screws tend to not bounce 50' away as they do on cement of hardwood flooring.
 
Eons ago a friend of mine spilled a box of primers on the carpet and failed to find the last dozen or so. While he was at work, his wife decided to vacuum his reloading room and blew the impeller out of the old Hoover when several of them detonated. He thought it was funny even then, 'though she is an "ex" wife these days...
I've never detonated when decapping a live primer, just used some common sense precautions such as those already cited here. I have detonated when seating a primer with a stray kernel of walnut media stuck in the priming cup. That will make you stand up and walk it off for a while.

mike
 
Me too. I have vacuumed up powder before. I just scooped up what I could with a sheet of paper first.
 
Primers, powder, vacuums and drop-cloths

Vacuuming powder, the most dangerous thing is if sparks from the electric motor could possibly ignite the powder. Examine the airflow through your vaccum and see if this is even REMOTELY possible.

Note: A filter made of stocking material will not keep powder dust out of the airstream. A good, strong barricade of such material will keep primers out, though, as long as there are no holes. But it will reduce the airflow somewhat.

When I have to vacuum powder, I tend to use my Rainbow vacuum. It is a small version of a shop-vac, but uses water as the filter medium. There is absolutely no chance of gunpowder collecting (and being retained in) a vacuum's filter bag.

If you reload over carpet or any place where a dropped primer may get lost, I suggest you spread an old sheet (one without holes, though) under your work space. It will catch all. Don't use plastic. Plastic is noisy and can develop static (whose greatest danger to smokeless powder is not spark, but scattering the powder by electrostatic repulsion). On top of that, primers bounce on plastic, and roll around. Not so much with cloth.

Lost Sheep
 
Spilled powder and tumbler media was the #1 reason I went with bare concrete (floor epoxy paint, really) in my reloading room. Broom and a dustpan are all I ever use to clean that room.


If I had to do it all over again, I'd do the exact same thing, but instead of painting the floor gray with black, gray and white flakes, I'd paint or tile it solid white. It would make seeing little black gun parts a bit easier...


But I've never had any issues vacuuming powder, since there's usually not enough to cause a fire problem, even if one or two grains were to ignite. All that's in the vacuum (mine at least) is dust. Not gonna catch dust on fire, and it definitely won't blow up the vacuum.


Now, if the entire bag or canister was full of powder, lost money aside, I might worry a bit... but for a handful? No.


Primers, on the other hand, I would make an extra effort to pick up. Any time I drop a live primer, I stop what I'm doing and go find it. I'll usually find every spent primer on the floor long before I find the good one though... but I'll find it. Eventually.
 
I use a shop vac all the time, no problems what so ever. Now for primers it's best using one that has the filters before the main fan. The beaters on the carpet brush normally will not set primer off. But if their Federal all bets are off. The carpet should work as a damper so there is no Boom......
 
I keep a small "Dust Buster" near my bench.
I've used it hundreds of times to clean up spilled powders & primers.

I've never experienced (nor heard of) any sort of issues doing so.
 
CMV,

I’m guessing this is a trick question, and not so random as you suggest. You’re kidding, right? I’ll bet you already know the answers/consequences of you’re probing questions. I speak from personal experience. Hah, hah, hah. We both know what happens!

Ergo, my advise:

1.) use a kitchen match
2.) use a magnet
3.) Never, ever waste, or discard a perfectly good primer. They are very dear, and the day that you need just one, is coming very soon.

kerf
 
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