Reloading on carpet floors

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CptnAwesome

CptnAwesome

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For those of you that reload in carpeted rooms, what do you do to keep runaway powder granules from getting on the floor?
 
If your press is mounted on a stand on top of your bench, place all of it in a steam table tray. If it hangs over the edge, place one of those hard plastic office chair mats underneath so sweeping or vacuuming is easy to do.
 
Where are the powder kernels escaping from to make it to the floor? I might lose a dozen kernels of pistol flake in the course of a batch, but I doubt I loose that many of rifle stick powder.
 
I try not to spill any powder. It's expensive. There seems to always be a few stray flakes on my bench after loading pistol rounds though and I wipe the bench off and catch what I can in my hand. Anything else gets on the carpet of course. I vacuum the carpet now and then with a shop vac and don't worry about it. This has been my procedure for over thirty years.
 
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My shop has an old threadbare wool carpet. I use either a shop vac or upright vacuum regularly. I don’t spill a lot and am not worried but I also don’t let it accumulate in my shop vac. I would use a dust pan if it was a bunch and would then spray a carpet cleaner then vacuum if I was concerned about powder dust and static or sparks
 
I do not spill very often. Most lands on the bench top. The stuff that hits the carpet just gets vacuumed up. The motor of the bag-less vacuum or a shop vac is not gonna "spark" any small grains of powder. Smokless powder burns it doesn't explode

How to drywall guys vacuum up all the dust or carpenters sawdust which can also ignite?
 
South Prairie Jim said:
View attachment 964066 kids be sure to read the label
Click to expand...


It also says "keep out of reach of children (Kids)":)

It has the highest "signal word. DANGER, then warning then caution

ANSI Z535.5 Definitions:
ansi_danger.gif
See more ANSI Danger Signs.
• Danger: Indicate a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. The signal word "DANGER" is to be limited to the most extreme situations. DANGER [signs] should not be used for property damage hazards unless personal injury risk appropriate to these levels is also involved.
ansi_warning.gif
See more ANSI Warning Signs.
• Warning: Indicate a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. WARNING [signs] should not be used for property damage hazards unless personal injury risk appropriate to this level is also involved.
ansi_caution.gif
See more ANSI Caution Signs.
• Caution: Indicate a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. CAUTION [signs] without a safety alert symbol may be used to alert against unsafe practices that can result in property damage only.
ansi_notice.gif
See more ANSI Notice Signs.
• Notice: [this header is] preferred to address practices not related to personal injury. The safety alert symbol shall not be used with this signal word. As an alternative to “NOTICE” the word “CAUTION” without the safety alert symbol may be used to indicate a message not related to personal injury.
The OSHA 1910.145 definitions for tags are as follows:
osha_danger.gif
See more OSHA Danger Signs.
• Danger: "shall be used in major hazard situations where an immediate hazard presents a threat of death or serious injury to employees. Danger tags shall be used only in these situations."
osha_warning.gif
See more OSHA Warning Signs.
• Warning: "may be used to represent a hazard level between "Caution" and "Danger," instead of the required "Caution" tag, provided that they have a signal word of "Warning," an appropriate major message, and otherwise meet the general tag criteria of paragraph (f)(4) of this section."
osha_caution.gif
See more OSHA Caution Signs.
• Caution: "shall be used in minor hazard situations where a non-immediate or potential hazard or unsafe practice presents a lesser threat of employee injury."
 
gifbohane said:
Isn't vacuuming the powder a danger. With spark in the unit?
Click to expand...
Myth Busters tried every trick in the book to set off vacuumed up powder while vacuuming up powder. Never could get it to go.
Even so ones talking a few grains in an enormous, relativitely speaking, container.
I’d be more concerned about live primers and I’ve never been able to stomp fire one of those either.
 
South Prairie Jim said:
View attachment 964066 kids be sure to read the label
Click to expand...
For certain there is a threshold at which vacuuming powder would be hazardous. We know it’s not at three grains or four, but where is it? Five? Fifty? We also know smokeless powder isn’t a “dust” like combustible grain dust in an elevator.

We can speculate that the warning is to prevent the accumulation of a largish amount powder in a shop vac or that someone has seen a spark in a vacuum. But In latter case seems we’d also have electrocutions when vacuuming liquid spills. But do we?

Where is that threshold for any of this? If a threshold is known, no lawyer worth their salt is going to let it be revealed by the powder manufacturer.

So the only responsible guidance is don’t do it.
 
whughett said:
Myth Busters tried every trick in the book to set off vacuumed up powder while vacuuming up powder. Never could get it to go.
Even so ones talking a few grains in an enormous, relativitely speaking, container.
I’d be more concerned about live primers and I’ve never been able to stomp fire one of those either.
Click to expand...
Yes and like most of their terrific experiments, they caught a boatload of crap for perhaps encouraging unsafe practices.
 
A bit off topic here:

I have seen many reloading rooms showing a ABC type fire extinguisher. Everyone that has one raise your hand!!

You do realize that the household type extinguisher will do absolutely nothing to put out a powder fire??!!

Maybe if your radio or electric powder measure shorts out, but once powder burns your are SOL. Plus the extinguisher is usually mounted right at the bench., A powder fire would consume you before you even thought about grabbing it.

https://shop.hodgdon.com/sites/www/files/2020-06/winchester-smokeless-ball-powders_072811.pdf

FIRE-FIGHTING MEASURES Suitable extinguishing media Large volumes of water should be applied as quickly as possible from automatic sprinklers or fire hose. Unsuitable extinguishing media Do not use water jet as an extinguisher, as this may spread fire
 
CQB45ACP said:
For certain there is a threshold at which vacuuming powder would be hazardous. We know it’s not at three grains or four, but where is it? Five? Fifty? We also know smokeless powder isn’t a “dust” like combustible grain dust in an elevator.

We can speculate that the warning is to prevent the accumulation of a largish amount powder in a shop vac or that someone has seen a spark in a vacuum. But In latter case seems we’d also have electrocutions when vacuuming liquid spills. But do we?

Where is that threshold for any of this? If a threshold is known, no lawyer worth their salt is going to let it be revealed by the powder manufacturer.

So the only responsible guidance is don’t do it.
Click to expand...
Which? Hand load in a caerpeted area or vacuum up spilled powder. Spilled powder is a certainty in what ever quantity.
Not off thread but a side trip: A couple of years ago my gun club, due to concerns of lead dust being raised on the indoor range floor while sweeping up brass replaced the brooms with squeegees. They also purchase at some considered able cost a special vacuum with special filters for the exhaust air. Guess what else is on the cement floor in front of the fire line. Yep, unburned powder. Probably more than an average hand loader is going to spill on their floor around their bench.
 
whughett said:
Myth Busters tried every trick in the book to set off vacuumed up powder while vacuuming up powder. Never could get it to go.
Even so ones talking a few grains in an enormous, relativitely speaking, container.
I’d be more concerned about live primers and I’ve never been able to stomp fire one of those either.
Click to expand...
Gotcha I was under the impression it was fairly easy to do.

Thanx for all the replies THR! I don't lose a lot of powder, I do notice loose granules on my bench here and there though.
 
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