Cleaning up spilled powder:

milktree

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If it's spilled on the bench, that's easy: brush and dustpan, throw it in the garden.

But what if it's on carpet, or sweeping is difficult for some other reason?

mechanical carpet sweeper might work.

I have a Rainbow vacuum from the '60s that uses water as its filter (like a bong) to catch dust. it works really well on regular dust so house never smells like "someone just vacuumed". I assume (have assumed) it's safe for smokeless powder.

Is there any reason a vacuum with a HEPA filter can't be used safely?
 
I've vacuumed it up plenty of times I'm sure, never had a fire. Smokeless won't go boom generally speaking, it's just ignite and burn.
DON'T try to vacuum black powder though that would be [jihad]
 
How in hell do you guys manage to spill powder on a rug? Jack.
Not often but occasionally I'll forget to prime a case after adding more primers to the primer tube, and I'll charge the case then see powder spilling everywhere from the case. Not a big deal with 9mm (use N320 which is a short stick powder) but using 23 gr of H110 in 44 mag can be messy.
 
Not often but occasionally I'll forget to prime a case after adding more primers to the primer tube, and I'll charge the case then see powder spilling everywhere from the case. Not a big deal with 9mm (use N320 which is a short stick powder) but using 23 gr of H110 in 44 mag can be messy.
I see. I reload in the basement and just sweep any spills into the sump pump pit nearby. Jack.
 
I have nothing constructive to add, but this talk of spilled power.... t I have to admit I have a morbid curiousity to see what happens if someone uses a vaccum cleaner to suck up live primers.... I'm not willing to conduct this experiment, however.... [rofl] It might be even more exciting if the vaccum bag already has some smokeless inside it.... [rofl] I'm surprised the dude on demolition ranch or whatever hasn't tried it.

-Mike
 
tenor.gif
 
Gzus.....dont you guys just rub it into the carpet!

never thought of videoing vacuuming up live primers, yup did it a few times. My old bench had nothing to keep stuff from falling off the back. Sure as stink on shit the only thing that seemed to find its way off the bench is primers and bullets.
Only way to get back there was vacuum.
 
I mounted my press over top of a fire pit. Keeps the legs warm out in the garage, and, bonus, no cleanup!

Seriously though, I would think the likelihood of ignition occurring would be virtually nill using a vacuum. If this wasn’t the case, everyone would have a good story about how they almost burnt the house down while vacuuming.

Who hasn’t used drier lint as a fire starter? You look at that stuff sideways and it bursts into flames. Dust bunnies and such, same story. There may be some static discharges going on inside a vacuum, but nothing with enough heat to cause ignition of some stray powder.

Am I an expert? No. Are you going to blow yourself up vacuum some spilled powder? Also no.
 
A friend of mine use to dump live primers on the floor and vac them up with a kirby. The beater bar in the vac would set them off. Funny as hell!
 
It's not that hard to spill powder. I have vacuumed small amounts, aware that it was frowned on, but would a HEPA filter make any difference if the risk is static electricity inside the dust collector?

Some damp sawdust or whatever sprinkled on the floor before vacuuming might not be a bad precaution.
 
I use a shop vac to clean up small amounts of spilled powder. Worried slightly about the spark from the motor setting it off, but thought about it and dismissed it. Larger amounts I scrape up and burn off in a metal ashtray. Haven't blown myself or the vacuum up, yet.
 
Try using a lint roller. I never tried it but it's the only thing I can think of.
 
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