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Posted: 12/15/2010 3:24:46 PM EDT
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I have searched every where for a solution to prevent static in my powder. I have also tried using dryer sheets in the powder, sheet in the measure, wiping down all surfaces including the scale. I even tried spraying static guard around my bench, and where I stand.
I just can't get this shit to stop 
Anybody have any other solutions, or do I just quit my belly aching and deal with it 
Thanks from the G-man 
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Well, I don't know if this would apply but I work in the electronics manufacturing industry and static electricity is a BIG deal. ESD, electrostatic discharge, can kill or damage lots of parts these days. Being winter and the ensuing low humidity makes the problem worse.
What we do is to have everything grounded to a common point. The tables have a conductive mat that is in turn grounded. Some areas will have a conductive floor mat, again grounded. Even the floor has conductive/dissipative wax on it. We all wear heel-straps that dissipate static charges to the floor mats and we also wear smocks and wrist strap, the latter plug into the table mats, to further protect the parts. In a nutshell, you might need to employ some of these tactics or a variation of them to reduce the static build up on your scales and whatever other tools you use. I suspect too that you may need to get the humidity up in your work area. I may be way off subject as to you question but I suspect the problem is much the same as what I deal with. HTH Pav |
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Quoted:
Well, I don't know if this would apply but I work in the electronics manufacturing industry and static electricity is a BIG deal. ESD, electrostatic discharge, can kill or damage lots of parts these days. Being winter and the ensuing low humidity makes the problem worse. What we do is to have everything grounded to a common point. The tables have a conductive mat that is in turn grounded. Some areas will have a conductive floor mat, again grounded. Even the floor has conductive/dissipative wax on it. We all wear heel-straps that dissipate static charges to the floor mats and we also wear smocks and wrist strap, the latter plug into the table mats, to further protect the parts. In a nutshell, you might need to employ some of these tactics or a variation of them to reduce the static build up on your scales and whatever other tools you use. I suspect too that you may need to get the humidity up in your work area. I may be way off subject as to you question but I suspect the problem is much the same as what I deal with. HTH Pav Thanks pavil Those are some great ideas. I also forgot to mention that some of my factory powder containers already have the static in them too, so it's there before I even put it in the measure. I tried leaving the dryer sheets right in the containers too, and no dice. From your ideas it sounds like I should get a small humidifier? Maybe some ground clips too? Thanks again. ETA; I also forgot to mention that the measure has the least of the static, because I wipe it down with powdered graphite. Most of the problem seems to be comming from the containers. |
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I have a static electricity removing gun. Those of us who remember vinyl records (I hear they are making a comeback) will also remember static and pop from stored electricity. They made a +/- ion gun for removing static from records. I still own one. I won't point it directly at smokeless powder, but I do squeaze it at empty plastic hoppers.
You squeaze it slowly then release it slowly. It works after the second or third pass. Grounding your measure is probably your only hope. |
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Ok; no dryer sheets in the powder. and ground the measure. I don't have a pipe to ground it to, so I'll have to find something else. Thanks again everybody  If you have a wall socket nearby, the middle screw that holds the plastic face to the socket wall box is ground. a ring lug on a wire connected to that screw will get you ground...or you can take a male banana plug and stick it in the ground part of the three prong socket (that's the round part of the socket  )
Careful with static discharge...a spark, even a small one, can and will ignite gunpowder, . |
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Would running a dehumidifier a couple of hours before reloading help? A dehumidifier would make things worse. You would want a humidifier to add moisture. I always touch the steel legs of my table before loading powder charges but other than that I don't worry about static to much. Get a pinch of powder and put it in a bowl, rub your feet on the carpet or what ever to build up the most static you can. Touch the powder. I've done this several times and never could get a single kernal to start. |
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Quoted:
Ok; no dryer sheets in the powder. and ground the measure. I don't have a pipe to ground it to, so I'll have to find something else. Thanks again everybody If you have a wall socket nearby, the middle screw that holds the plastic face to the socket wall box is ground. a ring lug on a wire connected to that screw will get you ground...or you can take a male banana plug and stick it in the ground part of the three prong socket (that's the round part of the socket )
Careful with static discharge...a spark, even a small one, can and will ignite gunpowder, . Have you tried to ignite powder with static personally? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Ok; no dryer sheets in the powder. and ground the measure. I don't have a pipe to ground it to, so I'll have to find something else. Thanks again everybody If you have a wall socket nearby, the middle screw that holds the plastic face to the socket wall box is ground. a ring lug on a wire connected to that screw will get you ground...or you can take a male banana plug and stick it in the ground part of the three prong socket (that's the round part of the socket )
Careful with static discharge...a spark, even a small one, can and will ignite gunpowder, . Have you tried to ignite powder with static personally? Personally, yes. I tried it after reading this http://www.kpic.com/news/local/111383564.html. I knew that it was entirely possible that black powder would ignite from a static spark but wasn't sure about gunpowder...I wasn't sure how it would react to a static spark. I have a cigar lighter that lights the gas with a spark....it was out of gas but the spark works...sure enough, two flicks and the small amount of gunpowder Iaid out fired right up. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Ok; no dryer sheets in the powder. and ground the measure. I don't have a pipe to ground it to, so I'll have to find something else. Thanks again everybody If you have a wall socket nearby, the middle screw that holds the plastic face to the socket wall box is ground. a ring lug on a wire connected to that screw will get you ground...or you can take a male banana plug and stick it in the ground part of the three prong socket (that's the round part of the socket )
Careful with static discharge...a spark, even a small one, can and will ignite gunpowder, . This has been hashed out before. All I will say is that even though it is the ground wire, I've seen what lighting can do when it strikes a house, and I can tell you for certain that you don't want a measure full of powder hooked up to any main conductors in your house in the event of a lightning strike. I'm not going to argue about it, if you hold a different opinion, that is fine, I'm just sharing mine. I've seen multiple instances of lightning striking a house and some of the weird, illogical things that it will do. You just can't convince some people of that until they see if for themselves though. Quoted:
Personally, yes. I tried it after reading this http://www.kpic.com/news/local/111383564.html. I knew that it was entirely possible that black powder would ignite from a static spark but wasn't sure about gunpowder...I wasn't sure how it would react to a static spark. I have a cigar lighter that lights the gas with a spark....it was out of gas but the spark works...sure enough, two flicks and the small amount of gunpowder Iaid out fired right up. That's not a static spark... try it with a static spark, which has a much lower spark temperature and a much lower amount of energy. |
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Static mats (and wrist straps) are connected to ground using 1 Mega-ohm resistors (and sometimes even 10 Mohm).
The same should be done for grounding equipment that is NOT powered. Even with a mega-ohm in series the static will be bled off. Any ground works, even the power ground. Our static mats are plugged into a bench receptacle with only a single wire to the ground connection of the receptacle. Polonium static killers have been around for a long time. |
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