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Old August 21, 2000, 08:25 AM   #1
Eric Blair
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Help,

I've pulled a boner and a half.

I had some rounds that I got from a friend that were duds. (He had sprayed them with WD40 to assist in loading a magazine. Yea, I know he's a genius also.)

I was using the inertial bullet pull to salvage the components.(Brass and Bullets) My play was to get rid of the powder, try to fire the primed, unloaded brass, then deprime. The powder was still flamable, but I didn't want to risk anything, so I was just going to burn off the powder. Besides, it worked as a nice demo to my family that powder burns, not explodes.

Here comes the boner. On the third trip outside, to ignite the powder, I spilled some powder on the living room carpet. Probably 1/2 of a charge for a standard 9mm round. (American Eagle Factory Ammo).

How do I clean this???? I know it takes a pretty high temp to set off powder, but will my vaccum set it off? I soaked the carpet in water, hoping that would ruin the powder.

Did I make things worse, or help?
What next? Just vaccum? Or what?

Thanks!

Eric
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Old August 21, 2000, 08:36 AM   #2
Mal H
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I would just vacuum it up, but I would use a Dustbuster type instead of any canister type of vac. If on the slight chance that some of the powder does ignite, a canister vac could become a bomb with all the swirling dust inside. The water may have made it harder to get up.
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Old August 21, 2000, 08:49 AM   #3
tonyz
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I have spilled powder in small amounts many times and I use the reguler vaccum cleaner with no problums.But the dustbuster seems like a safer way.

Tony Z

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[This message has been edited by tonyz (edited August 21, 2000).]
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Old August 21, 2000, 10:54 AM   #4
Bottom Gun
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I'm clumsy with powder too and regularly vaccuum mine out of the carpet.
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Old August 21, 2000, 12:28 PM   #5
Steve Smith
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If there was a fire in my reloading room, I'd be more afraid of my powder-filled carpet than the 8 lb. keg of W231 in the corner! I'm really clumsy with the powder...and walnut hulls too. I vacuum about once every 1000 rds. to clean up my mess.
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Old August 21, 2000, 01:11 PM   #6
Mikul
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I wouldn' worry about it. It's only 1/2 charge anyway. Even if it ignites, it would probably be 1 particle at a time since they wouldn't stay together in a vacuum.

Have you ever noticed when you burn powder that just touching a match to it doesn't ignite it. It takes a second or two. The temp needs to be pretty high to ignite it. The lint in your vacuum is far more flammable than the gun powder.

If you're concerned, just empty the vacuum cleaner directly into the trash when you're done.
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Old August 21, 2000, 02:44 PM   #7
Art Eatman
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If your vacuum cleaner uses an insert-type paper bag, just use a new bag--no "pre-existing" dust.

, Art
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Old August 21, 2000, 07:59 PM   #8
johnwill
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Toss a match down there, it'll take care of that powder.
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Old August 21, 2000, 08:47 PM   #9
faiello5
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johnwill, that had me ROTFLOL


Regards,
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Old August 21, 2000, 08:53 PM   #10
Sisco
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Not much help here, but a friend once told me of the time his Mom cleaned up his room (he started reloading early). She sucked up some spilled primers with the Kirby, blew a chunk out of the front of the roller brush housing. Never cleaned his room for him again.
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Old August 21, 2000, 09:52 PM   #11
trlmech
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I'd be more worried about my wife going off than the vacuum cleaner but you could wrap some tape around your hand sticky side out and pat it up.
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Old August 22, 2000, 03:29 AM   #12
Clark
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I know a guy who saves unknown powder for the 4th of July. He is so old, I think he sleeps through the 4th, but he believes in his plan.
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Old August 22, 2000, 07:37 AM   #13
WESHOOT2
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Hold a mens handkerchief over the nozzle, allowing it to enter the nozzle an inch.

Then vacuum.

Then turn the nozzle upright before turning off the vacuum, and gently pull handkerchief out of nozzle.
You'll have the powder captured in the 'kerchief.

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Old August 25, 2000, 10:54 PM   #14
Geldor1
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WESHOOT2,
Sounds like the voice of experience.

I just take the cat, grab her by the 4 legs, and gently rub her back and forth on the carpet over the powder. The stadic picks up the loose powder. Then send her outside to shake off.
Now for the tricky part, you have to know just how many times to rub her on the carpet, too much could set the powder off. Then you have to wait at least 2 months until the fur grows back to try it again. It's not to good on the carpet either.

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Old August 25, 2000, 11:32 PM   #15
Watchman
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WOW ! Sounds a bit like one of my stories.

I was loading in my shop and I spilled about a quarter pound of powder. I was'nt just real worried about it, I figured I 'd just sweep it up and toss it in the trash can. As luck would have it, I broke a decapping pin on my Dillion 550. Somewhere along the way in my quest to change the decapping pin, I plumb forgot about sweeping up the powder and it was getting late about 1:30 or so in the morn, I just left it and went to sleep.
I went to work the next day , came home and rembered the spilled powder in my shop. I went to clean it up and guess what ! It was gone.

My basset hound had eaten every bit of it.

I figured this out about a week later when he was layin on the floor asleep and I spilled some more powder. He woke up and just lapped it up ! I though that was odd ,but it didnt seem to hurt him as much as it hurt the cat.

You see , he and the cat sometimes sleep side by side. That basset hound is bad to fart. Stinkinist farts you ever could imagine.
One day he farted and blew a about a 2 foot diameter fire ball right out his ass and set that danged cat on fire...which immediatley jumped straight up in the air and on top of the dog...while he was asleep. Needless to say we had a major cat vs dog fight on our hands .You see that cat was mad at the dog for frizzin up his hair with that fireball and the basset hound was mad at the cat for wakin him up so suddenly. Luckily ,I saw it all and was able to push them out the door with my foot without sustaining serious damage to my person. It was like all hell broke loose for a minute or two and things were happenin so fast It looked like a blur..

Nowadays,whenever I spill any gunpowder I clean it up immediatley..Just to keep peace in the place ya see...


Or if you're a bit lazy..you could let the dog take care of it. It could be entertainin to say the least...


[This message has been edited by Watchman (edited August 26, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Watchman (edited August 26, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Watchman (edited August 26, 2000).]
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Old August 28, 2000, 11:07 AM   #16
poacher
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I use some rug and carpet shampoo that I buy at the store. Just about any brand will work,if your like me it'll be the cheapest brand there. Remeber to buy the foaming type not a presoak cleaner. Follow the directions and let it set in then just vacum it up. HOWEVER!!!!! be advised to not do this when the other half is home. She may see you doing this and take it as a indication that you want to clean the whole carpet.(experience..joy,joy).

Poacher.

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Old August 28, 2000, 10:00 PM   #17
rr41mag
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Think about it for a second. You dumped probably 4 grns of powder on the floor. what would it take to set off powder anyway? Flame? Sparks? it's not gonna happen with a vacuum cleaner. I spilled a hundred primers on the floor of my room one night and vacuumed them up talk about an ungodly noise but they didn't go off. You never know though
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Old August 30, 2000, 07:19 AM   #18
WESHOOT2
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WARNING!

PRIMERS WILL EXPLODE!

NEVER VACUUM PRIMERS! WEAR SAFETY GLASSES WHILE HANDLING!

Really.

------------------
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Old August 30, 2000, 10:56 AM   #19
Eric Blair
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I ended up just using the vacum cleaner. No problem.

Next time though I'm going to grab the neighbor's cat and it clean it as Geldor1 suggests.

Primers? I'd pick everyone up if I dropped them, but they are much bigger than flakes of powder.

Thanks for the help!

Eric
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Old September 4, 2000, 01:37 AM   #20
Bill Adair
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Next time any of you are shopping for a vacuum cleaner, look at the new Hoover bypass models. Ours is one of the Windtunnel series, and has a bag, unlike some of the other new models. It also has a brush roller shutoff, and the powder and primers do not go through the fan, as in all earlier model cleaners.

I swear this thing must have been designed by an honest to God reloader!

Bill
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Old September 4, 2000, 02:08 PM   #21
johnwill
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Actually, I don't know of many vacuum cleaners where the material being picked up goes through the fan. I know that the canister vac, shop vac, and central vac I have here don't route the stuff through the fan. There is a filter before the fan in every case.

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Old September 4, 2000, 05:07 PM   #22
Big Bunny
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Try a dustpan and brush(manual)it works well...very safe too. [Manuel...No that is not one of your mexicans either ]

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