Armory Sponsor
Posted: 12/27/2009 6:58:03 AM EDT
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A small air compressor is invaluable in keeping the press clean and cleaning your weapons. I use it all the time. My sister gave it to me for a Christmas present 8 years ago and its one of the best presents I've every gotten.  |
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I currently use a small chip brush, and I'm planning to get a small vacuum cleaner with a small tipped attachment. I don't want to blow spilled powder all over everywhere, so I've shied away from compressed air. I'm not sure I like the vacuum idea. It just doesn't seem right to suck gun powder through a machine with an electric motor. In fact, I think I read warnings against that practice in some of the reloading manuals. Probably nothing serious would happen, but still, it doesn't seem right to me. |
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I currently use a small chip brush, and I'm planning to get a small vacuum cleaner with a small tipped attachment. I don't want to blow spilled powder all over everywhere, so I've shied away from compressed air. I'm not sure I like the vacuum idea. It just doesn't seem right to suck gun powder through a machine with an electric motor. In fact, I think I read warnings against that practice in some of the reloading manuals. Probably nothing serious would happen, but still, it doesn't seem right to me. Using a 1950 vintage Kirby vacuum might be dangerous to use on smokeless powder. But today's vacuums are much better isolated. A small vacuum will have a very small motor and it will be very well isolated from the airstream it generates. |
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Quoted: So you blow off the area around the press. Where does the spilled powder, etc. go? Into that nice looking carpet? Wouldn't a bench brush and a dust pan make more sense? I also have a vacuum cleaner handy when I'm done. I've tried vacuum cleaners to suck the gunk out of the cracks in my weapons but many times it just takes high pressure air to get the job done right. |
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Must agree a must have item.
I got a cheapy round blue one at Walmart a few years ago about $45 bucks or so and it has a spot under my bench great for many uses. NOMAD 8541 3/6,STA 3/2 STA, Fast CO.,MCSFTCO CQB Section Hurdle the dead, and Trample the weak! NRA LIFE MEMBER www.teamblaster.net, www.impactdatabooks.com  ,
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Quoted: It actually cleans leverguns and semi-auto rifles you don't want to field strip down pretty well without scrubbing. It also works very well after you've used brake cleaner on you weapons. I use a toothbrush. If I need air, I use canned air, but just hosing down shit with high volume compressed air doesn't make any sense. So . . . . . . . . . . it might make no sense to you but makes an abundance of sense to some of us. |
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It actually cleans leverguns and semi-auto rifles you don't want to field strip down pretty well without scrubbing. It also works very well after you've used brake cleaner on you weapons.
I use a toothbrush. If I need air, I use canned air, but just hosing down shit with high volume compressed air doesn't make any sense. So . . . . . . . . . . it might make no sense to you but makes an abundance of sense to some of us. Seems like we've gone from discussing compressed air to clean off the reloading bench, to compressed air generally. Oh course having compressed air handy is a great thing. The only thing I question is whether you want to use it to send gunpowder flying everywhere. |
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If I had the kind of powder spillage you guys are talking about I'd stop and find out why. I've clipped ½ coil from the indexing ball spring and I don't get powder spillage. The few grains I remove with the air are usually contaminated with the oils from the press so shooting them to the floor and then vacuuming them up is no big deal. I must admit that I use it mostly for cleaning my firearms rather than my press. |
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Quoted: Quoted: It actually cleans leverguns and semi-auto rifles you don't want to field strip down pretty well without scrubbing. It also works very well after you've used brake cleaner on you weapons. I use a toothbrush. If I need air, I use canned air, but just hosing down shit with high volume compressed air doesn't make any sense. So . . . . . . . . . . it might make no sense to you but makes an abundance of sense to some of us. Does the brake cleaner hurt the finish on the weapon, I was thinking of doing this but did not know if it would mess anything up. |
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It actually cleans leverguns and semi-auto rifles you don't want to field strip down pretty well without scrubbing. It also works very well after you've used brake cleaner on you weapons.
I use a toothbrush. If I need air, I use canned air, but just hosing down shit with high volume compressed air doesn't make any sense. So . . . . . . . . . . it might make no sense to you but makes an abundance of sense to some of us. Does the brake cleaner hurt the finish on the weapon, I was thinking of doing this but did not know if it would mess anything up. Like COSteve, I have a small compressor under my bench. I was actually giggling when I saw the pic he posted because it's the EXACT model I was using up until a few days ago. I use a 3-gallon higher-quality one now though, because I got tired of jumping out of my skin every time the little one kicked on.... It's LOUD. The new one is quiet (I may post a pic of I tomorrow if I have time). As far as brake cleaner, use the non-chlorinated only, and keep any and all spray cleaners away from wood firearm furniture. The non-chlorinated is essentially the same as Gun Scrubber, and is said to be safe on all firearms surfaces. I still don't trust it around wood though. |
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It actually cleans leverguns and semi-auto rifles you don't want to field strip down pretty well without scrubbing. It also works very well after you've used brake cleaner on you weapons.
I use a toothbrush. If I need air, I use canned air, but just hosing down shit with high volume compressed air doesn't make any sense. So . . . . . . . . . . it might make no sense to you but makes an abundance of sense to some of us. Does the brake cleaner hurt the finish on the weapon, I was thinking of doing this but did not know if it would mess anything up. Remember brake cleaner will remove all oils, be sure to relube to prevent rust and allow smooth function of your gun. |
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If I had the kind of powder spillage you guys are talking about I'd stop and find out why. I've clipped ½ coil from the indexing ball spring and I don't get powder spillage. The few grains I remove with the air are usually contaminated with the oils from the press so shooting them to the floor and then vacuuming them up is no big deal. I must admit that I use it mostly for cleaning my firearms rather than my press. I don't spill much powder, but I do get a lot of crud, mostly from depriming, sort of spread out over the base of the press. I sweep it up with a little brush instead of blowing it away. |
| Compressed air doesn't clean-up debris, it just moves it around and creates small inhaleable particles. The liquids that you "blow away" with compressed air are actually atomized and probably inhaled by anyone in the immediate area. I worked with compressed air for over thirty years and have no use for an air compressor in my home. If I need some compressed air for gun cleaning, I use canned air from the office supply store. |
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The #1 thing EVERY SINGLE reloading bench in the world should have is a :
Hornady Lock-n-Load OAL, Headspace + Bullet gage set. Yes, a good, dedicated dial caliper to go with this set really helps a lot but is not necessary because you already have one, right? This forum would not have half the traffic it does if everyone had this gage set. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It actually cleans leverguns and semi-auto rifles you don't want to field strip down pretty well without scrubbing. It also works very well after you've used brake cleaner on you weapons. I use a toothbrush. If I need air, I use canned air, but just hosing down shit with high volume compressed air doesn't make any sense. So . . . . . . . . . . it might make no sense to you but makes an abundance of sense to some of us. Does the brake cleaner hurt the finish on the weapon, I was thinking of doing this but did not know if it would mess anything up. Remember brake cleaner will remove all oils, be sure to relube to prevent rust and allow smooth function of your gun. Cool, Now I can get all the boolit lube off that gets down in the cracks of the gun. I have been using brake cleaner to clean the brass after it is sized, and wipeing down the bench after sizing boolits. |
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Compressed air doesn't clean-up debris, it just moves it around and creates small inhaleable particles. The liquids that you "blow away" with compressed air are actually atomized and probably inhaled by anyone in the immediate area. I worked with compressed air for over thirty years and have no use for an air compressor in my home. If I need some compressed air for gun cleaning, I use canned air from the office supply store. I will take the compressed air from a oilless compressor over canned air any day. Ever read the canned air ingredients? Your statement about compressed air is still true of canned air. Niether is breathable air, but canned air you cannot even survive on. See now look what I have turned this into. 
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Cool, Now I can get all the boolit lube off that gets down in the cracks of the gun. I have been using brake cleaner to clean the brass after it is sized, and wipeing down the bench after sizing boolits. I've come to expect phonetic spelling on the Internet and usually don't have any problem following along, but you really got me there. I reread that sentence about three times before I figured out what boolit meant. I assume you did that on purpose. |
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Cool, Now I can get all the boolit lube off that gets down in the cracks of the gun. I have been using brake cleaner to clean the brass after it is sized, and wipeing down the bench after sizing boolits. I've come to expect phonetic spelling on the Internet and usually don't have any problem following along, but you really got me there. I reread that sentence about three times before I figured out what boolit meant. I assume you did that on purpose. Cast boolits is a great website with all things pertaining to cast bullets. |
| If I need to blow some solvent out of the gas tube in an AR, I'll give it a two second burst of canned air instead of going out to the garage and firing up my air compressor. If I really need to blow something off with my air compressor, I'll do it outside with the wind in my favor and maybe use a respirator. |
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This is what I use, though I paid $50 when I bought it. Blows AND sucks, but I avoid blowing any loading bench debris around at all costs.
Easy daily cleanup: picks up brass shavings, dirt, spilled powder, spent primers, etc. and then I just pop the top off, dump outside in a damp area & shake out the filter. |
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It's funny how everyone thinks that you will die from using compressed air in your shop. That we will all die from lead poisoning if were not wearing a ventilator when looking down the barrel of our guns.
The air you breath during rush hour is more contaminated that your reloading room will ever be. All the heavy metal particles from brake dust floating around, concentrated levels of carbon monoxide, not to mention all the other toxins released when burning carbon based fuels. And "No" ... your A/C is not going to prevent them from entering the cabin. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not going to go and lick the floor of my shop anytime soon, but compressed air doesn't blow "shit" into places you can't reach ... it's used to blow "shit" out of places you cannot reach. I guess I best turn off my vent fan and my little 6" breezer I use when I am reloading .... it could containment the WHOLE SHOP with gunpowder!!!!!! Seriously ... have you ever tried to light granules that have been spread out over a large area? Compressed air is one of those tools that has a purpose in nearly all environments, but then again ... there are quite a few blowhards nowadays. |
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Quoted:
It's funny how everyone thinks that you will die from using compressed air in your shop. That we will all die from lead poisoning if were not wearing a ventilator when looking down the barrel of our guns. The air you breath during rush hour is more contaminated that your reloading room will ever be. All the heavy metal particles from brake dust floating around, concentrated levels of carbon monoxide, not to mention all the other toxins released when burning carbon based fuels. And "No" ... your A/C is not going to prevent them from entering the cabin. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not going to go and lick the floor of my shop anytime soon, but compressed air doesn't blow "shit" into places you can't reach ... it's used to blow "shit" out of places you cannot reach. I guess I best turn off my vent fan and my little 6" breezer I use when I am reloading .... it could containment the WHOLE SHOP with gunpowder!!!!!! Seriously ... have you ever tried to light granules that have been spread out over a large area? Compressed air is one of those tools that has a purpose in nearly all environments, but then again ... there are quite a few blowhards nowadays. In a manufacturing or maintenance environment, compressed air is an energy source. Using it to blow debris around is a no no. OSHA and your irate co-workers will tell you so. I did it once when I was an apprentice and damn near wound up in a fist fight. That's where I'm coming from on this issue. If some guy wants to blow stuff around his shop at home,that's HIS business, unless he posts about it on ARFCOM. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
It's funny how everyone thinks that you will die from using compressed air in your shop. That we will all die from lead poisoning if were not wearing a ventilator when looking down the barrel of our guns. The air you breath during rush hour is more contaminated that your reloading room will ever be. All the heavy metal particles from brake dust floating around, concentrated levels of carbon monoxide, not to mention all the other toxins released when burning carbon based fuels. And "No" ... your A/C is not going to prevent them from entering the cabin. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not going to go and lick the floor of my shop anytime soon, but compressed air doesn't blow "shit" into places you can't reach ... it's used to blow "shit" out of places you cannot reach. I guess I best turn off my vent fan and my little 6" breezer I use when I am reloading .... it could containment the WHOLE SHOP with gunpowder!!!!!! Seriously ... have you ever tried to light granules that have been spread out over a large area? Compressed air is one of those tools that has a purpose in nearly all environments, but then again ... there are quite a few blowhards nowadays. In a manufacturing or maintenance environment, compressed air is an energy source. Using it to blow debris around is a no no. OSHA and your irate co-workers will tell you so. I did it once when I was an apprentice and damn near wound up in a fist fight. That's where I'm coming from on this issue. If some guy wants to blow stuff around his shop at home,that's HIS business, unless he posts about it on ARFCOM. What am I missing here? What are you tryng to say? |
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Let's see here...
Compressor... check Drill Press... check Vacuum cleaner... check other flammable liquids... check 8+ pounds of gunpowder.. check 15K + primers.... check reloaded ammo in a 50 cal can..... check Ok I am all set and ready for a disaster to happen to me.... 
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