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Posted: 1/13/2012 5:20:52 PM EDT
| I couldn’t find anything on this subject via search so I’ll ask. I’ve been loading 223 using Varget and occasionally I’m seeing the power (stick power) seems to be affected by static electricity. The power is collecting at the neck both inside and out. Even when dumping into the scale the power wants to stick to the cartridge neck. I have never had this problem before although most of my experience has been with handgun cartridges. Grounding myself and touching the powder die seems to help. Is this a common problem and if so how do you deal with it? |
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Couple things:
1- Are the case necks free of lubricant? This can cause powder to stick and seem like static. 2- Are your measures/funnels relatively clean? 3- Have you wiped your powder measure and funnel with an anti-static cloth like what is used in a dryer? 4- Is your reloading room humid, compared to the rest of the house? Low humidity increases the potential for static. 30-60% RH is about ideal to reduce static. 5- If you are in a low humidity atmosphere, you can run a ground (bond) wire from your measure to an adjacent electrical outlet ground to reduce the potential for static (I do this in Alaska, because the winters usually cause about 10% RH inside the house and powder sticks to damn near everything) or run a humidifier. |
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Quoted:
Couple things: 1- Are the case necks free of lubricant? This can cause powder to stick and seem like static. No they are still lubricated. However, when in the press (XL650) the powder seems to spout back out of the cartridge. I’m pulling away and all of the sudden there is power all over my shell plate. It’s as if the powder it expelled from the cartridge. this is quite sudden and very noticeable. 2- Are your measures/funnels relatively clean? Yes, relatively clean. 3- Have you wiped your powder measure and funnel with an anti-static cloth like what is used in a dryer? No, I will do that now. 4- Is your reloading room humid, compared to the rest of the house? Low humidity increases the potential for static. 30-60% RH is about ideal to reduce static. In the garage, current humidity 54% in the DFW area now. 5- If you are in a low humidity atmosphere, you can run a ground (bond) wire from your measure to an adjacent electrical outlet ground to reduce the potential for static (I do this in Alaska, because the winters usually cause about 10% RH inside the house and powder sticks to damn near everything) or run a humidifier. That seems to be my best option at this point… Thank you for your input… |
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Alrighty then, dryer sheets it is. Fortunately the SO stocks them. Rub the power measure and funnel down as well as the powder container. Seems like it may be a good idea to wrap the actual powder reservoir on my 650 with the stuff like dryflash3 has done his powder container as that may be where the static is actually generated…
eta...wrap plastic containers with sheets...makes sense |
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In dry conditions, a insulator like the plastic they use on the powder reservoirs, will build up enough of a tribo-generated charge to be an issue.
The tip from DryFlash is a good one and more than enough for where I live. In some of the other places I have worked, the desert air gets so dry we blow deionizers over the zone to keep the charge down. http://www.simco-ion.com/TechnologyProducts/IonizationProducts/IonizingBlowers/BenchtopIonizingBlowers.aspx |
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Plastics are a static problem because of their chemistry and molecular structure. The properties that make them rugged and light also make them very good at participating in generating - and holding - static charges. The soapy water trick helps with this, as the soap film "fills in" the spots electrons are stripped from or where extra electrons can be caught.
Or just go with "this works" and don't sweat why. 
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Quoted:
Plastics are a static problem because of their chemistry and molecular structure. The properties that make them rugged and light also make them very good at participating in generating - and holding - static charges. The soapy water trick helps with this, as the soap film "fills in" the spots electrons are stripped from or where extra electrons can be caught. Or just go with "this works" and don't sweat why. Thanks, I never knew why it worked, just that it did. |
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