trapper704
Member
I just bought some bulk black powder and need some empty cans, does anyone know where I can get some? I found some gal cans and some small 4 0z jobs but no pint, qrt, or that size with screw lids. thanks 
powder cans
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trapper704
Member
Yes I would pay postage and some for the cans. I have a few but not enough, I figured I could get some new cans of some kind on the internet, but haven't found much. I would appreciate any or all as 3 of us went in together and bought 25lb of 2ff and 25lb of 3f bulk. now have to divy it up.
dstorm1911
Member
go to Walmart and buy some plastic juice pitchers with the screw on lids
trapper704
Member
Is it safe to put goex black powder in plastic jars? I can get those easy, I just didn't know about useing them for real black powder.
dstorm1911
Member
all of your current BP containers are plastic, I've been using the wal mart ones for years just be sure to label them properly, I use em for smokeless powders as well, the collapsible accordion ones are really nice as they eliminate excess air in the container as the powder is used so less moisture trapped in the container.
sundance44s
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Trapper if ya don`t mind me asking where did ya buy bulk black powder ?
Bad Flynch
Member
>all of your current BP containers are plastic<
Yes, that is apparently so--at least for Swiss and for Scheutzen. However, they are all very black and if'n I had to guess, I'd say that the plastic may have graphite in it to allow static charges to drain away. Other plastics will not and some can gather excessive static charges.
Yes, that is apparently so--at least for Swiss and for Scheutzen. However, they are all very black and if'n I had to guess, I'd say that the plastic may have graphite in it to allow static charges to drain away. Other plastics will not and some can gather excessive static charges.
Pancho
Member
I don't know much about static so I think the mason jar idea sounds the safest to me. We know that tinned steel cans, cowhorns, brass and some plastics are safe but as Bad Flynch pointed out the black containers may be special purpose.
Macmac
Member
JCT. Please test any tins ya got with a magnet. I have to know. So far as I know Goex comes in steel cans..
Real tin is very rare these days.. I am not really aware of there ever being any just tin cans either. So far as I know tin was used like we use galvi today as a coating on steel to assist in no rust.
I really don't want to get you in a bad mood either as I am counting on you will help me make BP... Mac
Real tin is very rare these days.. I am not really aware of there ever being any just tin cans either. So far as I know tin was used like we use galvi today as a coating on steel to assist in no rust.
I really don't want to get you in a bad mood either as I am counting on you will help me make BP... Mac
Probably right mac mac, I just know we should avoid sparking materials.
Mason jar, not a good idea. You can drop a can of powder, or a plastic container of powder. Drop a glass jar and you got a real mess. I wouldn't want to vacuum up a pound of powder. I remember hearing a story of a guy who stupidly kept some flash powder in a jar, needless to say, he was killed by a glass grenade when he accidentally knocked it off the bench. BP isn't remotely as sensitive, but glass and explosives don't mix.
I'll be working on that BP tutorial and hope to get it up here by spring.
Mason jar, not a good idea. You can drop a can of powder, or a plastic container of powder. Drop a glass jar and you got a real mess. I wouldn't want to vacuum up a pound of powder. I remember hearing a story of a guy who stupidly kept some flash powder in a jar, needless to say, he was killed by a glass grenade when he accidentally knocked it off the bench. BP isn't remotely as sensitive, but glass and explosives don't mix.
I'll be working on that BP tutorial and hope to get it up here by spring.
dstorm1911
Member
your not going to get a significant static charge off of a plastic storage container, in fact all of the Hornady powder measusres use nothing more than standard plastic tube and a conduit plug as a cap, the RCBS powder measures, green plastic and if ya ever notice powder will get statically attached to the inside.......... I've been using tupperware style contailers since about 1988 still haven't went boom yet, my ball mill I use for making BP has a drum made from 3/8" wall 12" PVC pipe, its milled hundreds of pounds of real BP over the 5 years since I built it....... and if a rotating drum of plastic pipe isn't going to generate friction...... do you intend to roll your plastic powder storage containers around on new carpeting?
No nothing specil about the black plastic bottles other than UV protection. in fact not every body uses black either..
No nothing specil about the black plastic bottles other than UV protection. in fact not every body uses black either..
Shotgun Willy
Member
How about quart freezer bags to keep it dry, and then into just about any type of container to protect the bags from puncture?
When it comes to explosives the "I've been doing this for 100 years and still have all my body parts" story generates a warm fuzzy but it's not compelling. "Plastic" materials come in the widest variety of characteristics of anything on the planet. Some plastics are just fine with explosives (no tendency to participate in static electricity generation) and some are not.
The plastics used by Hornady, Jim Shockey, Goex and others is perfectly safe in that regard. Polystyrene (generally open and closed cell foam compounds) is not. When selecting a plastic container look for a dense, smooth structure and you should be safe. The "friction" between the powder and the container is not the issue; it's the other materials that the plastic may come into contact with, such as the living room carpet. No, one wouldn't plan that, but accidents happen, and it's the accidents that kill people. Imagine coming home to find the living room gone because the cat decided to amuse itself by batting around a jar full of bp that one of the kids had left out (despite being told to never touch the stuff). Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? No. Your job is to make it impossible.
Another issue here is the presence of contaminants in the powder. Some materials readily heat up when exposed to static electricity (aluminum or copper shavings, for example). It is possible for those particles to become hot enough to ignite the powder. The message: if your powder may have become contaminated by any such material (for instance, spilled on the workshop floor or bench, then swept up), use it to fertilize the garden.
I agree with looking for screw top lids - that's the best option, but in the short term the metal paint cans with press fit lids sold by most hardware stores come in pint and quart sizes and should suffice. No anode/cathode structure for spark generation and they do seal nicely. As I said, for the short term - a few days in a humid environment, to a year or longer in a dry one. Shotgun Willy's idea is a good one, too.
Keep your powder dry and clean and locked up. That makes it impossible.
The plastics used by Hornady, Jim Shockey, Goex and others is perfectly safe in that regard. Polystyrene (generally open and closed cell foam compounds) is not. When selecting a plastic container look for a dense, smooth structure and you should be safe. The "friction" between the powder and the container is not the issue; it's the other materials that the plastic may come into contact with, such as the living room carpet. No, one wouldn't plan that, but accidents happen, and it's the accidents that kill people. Imagine coming home to find the living room gone because the cat decided to amuse itself by batting around a jar full of bp that one of the kids had left out (despite being told to never touch the stuff). Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? No. Your job is to make it impossible.
Another issue here is the presence of contaminants in the powder. Some materials readily heat up when exposed to static electricity (aluminum or copper shavings, for example). It is possible for those particles to become hot enough to ignite the powder. The message: if your powder may have become contaminated by any such material (for instance, spilled on the workshop floor or bench, then swept up), use it to fertilize the garden.
I agree with looking for screw top lids - that's the best option, but in the short term the metal paint cans with press fit lids sold by most hardware stores come in pint and quart sizes and should suffice. No anode/cathode structure for spark generation and they do seal nicely. As I said, for the short term - a few days in a humid environment, to a year or longer in a dry one. Shotgun Willy's idea is a good one, too.
Keep your powder dry and clean and locked up. That makes it impossible.
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scrat
Member
ok ya i wanna know how you bought bulk bp. Folgers or any brand coffee. The containers are great for using when your done. The maxwell house 1/2 gallon and gallon size have nice screw on lids and handles.
Macmac
Member
Oh Don't even mention vacuum cleaners and Black Powder in the same sentance! Never vacuum black powder if you like suckin AIR on this side of the grass!
Most vac's I know of use graphite brushes and those make plenty of sparks.
For anyone who does this feat, you will only do it once I bet.
For those guys with plastics, I wonder what dear kitty will do to those.. purr purr purr... BOOM! Probably far fetched eh?
Most vac's I know of use graphite brushes and those make plenty of sparks.
For anyone who does this feat, you will only do it once I bet.
For those guys with plastics, I wonder what dear kitty will do to those.. purr purr purr... BOOM! Probably far fetched eh?
trapper704
Member
thanks guys I found some goex cans ,so don't have to worry whether plastic is safe or not. Any place that distributes bp still has the bags in a box they sell , just don't ship that way.
GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL
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dStorm1911, you have actually milled HUNDREDS of pounds of blackpowder over a period of FIVE years? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I don't believe you. I will say that you have been doing a helluva lot of shooting or a helluva lot of bootlegging. If you haven't been doing either one then I'd hate to spend the night at your home. I'm liable to wake up with part of my ass on the moon and the rest of it heading for Jupiter!...Okay...
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ThomasT
Member
I never thought of that.
I'm making a new toy for my mothers cat right now.
This ought to be more fun than smearing cat food on the wall sockets.
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