Silicagel dessicant for gun safes, etc.?

[fatelk]

I have the opportunity to get a large quantity of silicagel desicant packs, more than I have any use for. I was wondering if many people used this stuff in gun safes, ammo cans, camera bags, etc.. If so, I thought it might be worth my while to sell it cheap, pass on a good deal.

Anyone have any idea what this sort of thing might be worth, if anything? They are packets about an ounce, with the colored moisture indicator beads. I used to use a larger box of the stuff in my gun safe years ago when it was in a garage. It worked good as long as I baked out the moisture every so often.

 

[Slugless]

I'd be interested in buying. There's an earlier thread from about a week or two ago about cheap sources of silica gel. The reason I'd be interested is the color indicator beads.

 

[glockman19]

I use it in the safe. I also just gor a golden rod but haven't installed it yet.

 

[Flame Red]

I have used 'Damp rid' for years and never had any problems with mosture. I like it because you can get it cheap at any super market/spral-mart.

However, I turned by brother-in-law on to it and he said that it rusted the slide on his Mustang!

I just don't put in next to any guns in the safe.

 

[The Scandinavian]

Silica Jel is available here as cat litter - I have about 4lbs in my safe. It's the regular variety with the blue indicator beads that go pale pink/colourless when they absorb moisture.

The cost is negligable - but you need to be sure to get the right sort as other materials (fullers earth etc) are also used for cat litter.

 

[Rustynuts]

You can buy tons of the stuff loose on eBay cheap and with the indicator blue/pink granules too. (well not really "tons") You can regenerate the stuff in an oven set to 300, pink turns to blue.

 

[Antipasta]

Check out http://www.marketworks.com/storefro...00000095558415&sfid=59167&c=359328&i=10344405

 

[fatelk]

I posted about this on another forum as well, in case you see it there too.

Did a little research. It looks like it sells on ebay pretty regularly, but I can't find much info on the type with the indicator beads, other than wickipedia:

"Alone, silica gel is non-toxic, non-flammable and chemically unreactive. However, some of the beads may be doped with a moisture indicator, such as cobalt(II) chloride, which is toxic and may be carcinogenic. Cobalt (II) chloride is deep blue when dry (anhydrous) and pink when moist (hydrated)."

Mine has the cobalt beads, and I would not use them for food storage. They actually were used with some VERY high-dollar electronics. They were happy to "recycle" them to me (corporations love to recycle- makes them look good). The lady who wrote me the property pass told me I was a "good environmentalist".

The info I could find indicates that it's widely used by the US military, and is pretty much the best dessicant around.

That being said, I have no illusions about it being real valuable. It looks like what sells on ebay goes for around $4 a pound in bulk, without the indicator beads, and I can definitely sell it cheaper than that, for sure. Mostly I'm just trying to figure out what a good fair price is.

The info I found indicates that to recharge it, 245 degrees (f) for two hours. I didn't find anything about microwaving it, would be great if that works just as well. The stuff I have is in one-ounce envelopes, some kind of fabric on the back, and plastic on the front. The plastic does the shrinky-dink thing in the oven; I just dumped a bunch of packets out, baked them, then put them back in the packets. It would be even easier to just dump a bunch of packets together in a larger cloth bag that could take the oven or microwave. I'm trying to talk my wife into sewing up a few larger bags, to see how it works.

Lastly, does anyone know the level of risk with the indicator beads? The only info I found warned about not using it around food, but did not indicate that it was unsafe to handle. I can't imagine it being very hazardous, as it's used in industry all the time and is not labeled as hazardous.

 

[Rustynuts]

I wouldn't worry too much about the toxicity unless you go around eating them. I'd try to avoid contact if possible and wash up after handling. Even if they off-gas something bad in the oven, I doubt there's enough of them to be a problem.

 

[Slugless]

Don't breath the dust from pouring them out/handling, either.

 

[Notch]

The type of cat litter that comes in the big clear plastic jug and looks like silica dessicant is in fact .....wait for it... silica dessicant.The jug has a big wide mouth so there is no need to even put it in another container. Just open her up and set the jug on the floor of your safe. When the beads are all cloudy, take out the jug, pour them into a big baking pan and "recharge" them in the oven. I used the same jug for over a year until I managed to spill it all over a carpet... Ah well, another container was cheap considering how long you can make it last and how well it works!

 

[cedjunior]

When the beads are all cloudy, take out the jug, pour them into a big baking pan and "recharge" them in the oven

Actually when the beads become clear thats when they're saturated with moisture. Cloudy is dry.

Silica beads in general are not toxic, washing your hands or taking other precautions like that are not necessary. Warnings against consumption are due to the fact that eating large quantities of them can cause GI problems due to the absorption of liquid in your body.

The kitty litter "pearls" as they're called work well for cigar storage too

 

[Slugless]

ced,

That's interesting that yours turns clear. The bulk stuff I have comes as clear white crystals and when they get old they turn yellowish/opaque. Some of the yellow color goes away on regeneration but not all of it - no matter how long I bake it for.

I've not tried baking it at 300 F though.

 

[cedjunior]

The yellowish/opaque color is from the beads absorbing things other than h20 from the air. Vapor from gun cleaner or oils on guns will be absorbed by the silica gel along with any moisture in the air. When the beads are used for humidification of cigars, they need to be "charged" with distilled/pure water since the goal is not to eliminate humidity, but control it @ 65-70%. When you charge the beads with water they become clear like glass.

 

[whitetiger7654]

I have used 'Damp rid' for years and never had any problems with mosture. I like it because you can get it cheap at any super market/spral-mart.

The type with the bag that collects water? If so get it out immediately! I used to use that then somehow one got a pinhole leak. It soaked my guns and floor of safe. It took hours to clean it all up.

 

[WaltonS]

whitetiger, it comes in buckets as well.

And here you can get some cat litter "crystals" for $12, or about $10 for two or more 8-pound containers.

 

[fatelk]

Well, I looked up the MSDS for the indicating beads (cobolt chloride-doped silica gel), as well as toxicology for cobalt chloride, and my conclusion is that one would have to grind them into powder and eat them for them to harm you.

I think when I get time I'll just list some on ebay and see if they go anywhere, maybe a couple bucks a pound. If I can get rid of some there, I'd gladly sell to anyone here that wants some for less.

 

[The Annoyed Man]

I have an eva-dry EDV500 in my safe. It has a display window where you can monitor the changing color of the enclosed gel beads. When they show captured moisture by turning pink, you remove it from the save, deploy an electrical plug contained in the base, and plug it into a wall outlet for 12-14 hours to dry it out. Then you just unplug it, stow the electrical plug in the base, and put it back in the same. My guess is that it can be recycled limitless times.

I got mine from the company that delivered and installed my safe. The price was something like $20.00, and it takes up minimal space in the safe. The dimensions are 8"L x 1.25"D x 5.5"H. If I was worried (which I am not) about my guns rusting during the time that the unit is being recharged, I could afford to own two, and keep one in the safe while the other is dessicating.

 

[Notch]

The kitty litter "pearls" as they're called work well for cigar storage too

Hey... I've seen cigars in the kitty box before and wondered what the heck..... ;-)

 

[macmuffy]

The kitty litter "pearls" as they're called work well for cigar storage too

Hey... I've seen cigars in the kitty box before and wondered what the heck..... ;-)


Very hard to light but once lit they are not too bad with a sniffter of brandy.





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[Maximum1]

Yes, I use the stuff in my gun safes, ammo cans, camera bags, etc..

 

[OAKTOWN]

For those of your that are cheepskates (like me); crated motorcycles come with largish (1/2-1lb) silica desicant packs in the box. Shops just throw them out. So if you're in good with your local shop ask them to save you some.

 

[CU74]

OAKTOWN - Thanks for the tip about big silica packs from motorcycle shops. The 1/2 lb size should be ideal for my gun safes.

I use kitty litter in all of my mil-surp ammo boxes. (I am one of the "buy it cheap and stack it deep" folks.) Pour a couple of cupfuls into a cheap anklet-style nylon stocking, tie a knot and toss it in.