Old IMR 4198 Problem

[Bixahsheesah]

I was going to use some old (20+ years) imr 4198 tonight but when I poured it into the hopper there was a lot of rusty looking dust, and the powder kernels look kinda rusty too. Has anyone else ever seen this, and is it too deteriorated to use? Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[GLShooter]

It's crossed the rainbow bridge. Use it in your garden for fertilizer.

Greg

 

[Krogen]

This happened to me with an old 8 lb can of IMR4198. I poured some of it into my powder measure and got a puff of red dust. I dumped it in the garden. I think looking back I was overly hasty. It didn't smell bad. It smelled of solvent like good powder. No acrid smells. Too late, I realized it was rust from the inside of the metal can. I hadn't been into the can for a number of years and it caught me by surprise. I read there are ways to remove the rust from the powder kernels. Never did it, but Google knows.

 

[Bixahsheesah]

This happened to me with an old 8 lb can of IMR4198. I poured some of it into my powder measure and got a puff of red dust. I dumped it in the garden. I think looking back I was overly hasty. It didn't smell bad. It smelled of solvent like good powder. No acrid smells. Too late, I realized it was rust from the inside of the metal can. I hadn't been into the can for a number of years and it caught me by surprise. I read there are ways to remove the rust from the powder kernels. Never did it, but Google knows.

Huh.. that's interesting. I noticed the same thing: smelled like good powder. I'll check it out, thanks!

 

[bobm]

We have been down this road before.

Thread 'Attention all hoarders......'

Feb 28, 2023

A good friend of mine passed recently, his widow invited me over to pick through his loading stuff. I got a few things, some powder and dies, etc. ALL of these early 90's unopened cans were opened today at my house for inspection. ALL had serious red dust emitting when pouring into a funnel. The loss of nearly free powder hurts. Especially that 4759.....

On the bright side, we will be having a fiery light show birthday celebration in the snowy driveway this Saturday night!! Grandson turns 5. Look for a glow in the sky over SW CO.

Start using all that powder you have stashed.

• bobm
• Replies: 86
• Forum: Reloading Forum (All Calibers)

• 
• 
• 

 

[SeabeeKen]

I had some IMR 4320 that went the same way. Red rusty looking. It had to go to the yard

 

[JEFFPPC]

I have read articles that say to wash it in cold water then spread it out on newspaper in the sun. When dry it is suppose to work very well. It would be interesting to try.

 

[itchyTF]

How about a magnet for the dust?

 

[jsn]

I salvaged 2 cans of 7828 by pointing a fan out the window while pouring the powder back and forth several times. The red dust went out the window, and the powder shot well. Like winnowing.

I tried this also with two cans of 3031, but I decided not to shoot this powder. Much more of the surface of the extrusions was altered/missing.

The 7828 cans only had a portion of the internal surface rusted, the 3031's had the entire interior rusted. I don't know what they used to line these cans, but it somehow can corrode or otherwise disappear.

 

[bobm]

How about a magnet for the dust?

Works very well at pulling out iron oxide dust.

 

[Doug Casner]

Did the plastic containers fix this? When I was a kid my dad had some imr powder that rusted. Doug

 

[KMart]

I have not seen rusty powder that came in plastic containers. However years ago I ran into about a half pound of IMR 4064 in a tin container with the rust. The bottom of the can had rusted through to the outside and easily twisted off at the bottom.

 

[Doug Casner]

I always thought it was the powder but it makes sense it might be the metal can. Doug

 

[SBS]

I have always saved my empty plastic powder containers. I've transferred the powder out of my metal cans to prevent the rust problem. Have also bought more powder in the older metal cans since and transferred them also. A long time ago, Hodgdon used cardboard containers with a metal top (and bottom maybe?). Don't remember any rust problems and recently used some H110 out of one of these (price tag $4.95) and ignition and velocity were normal. The metal cans I've experienced the rust problems with are the IMR powders. I don't recall rust problems even with older lots of IMR metal cans that have not been previously opened to the air.

 

[243winxb]

rusty looking dust,

Comes from the metal can. I poured my IMR4198 back and forth outside in the wind. Blew away the red dust. Loaded and fired fine in 223 rem ammo. Had 10 -1 pound cans for M16. Last can of the 10 had rust, years later.

This IMR4895 powder looked ok, except for red dust. Didnt use it as the other can was in perfect condition.

All powder in metal cans were moved to plastic containers.
Any HDPE marked bottle in black should be ok to use. HDPE is on the bottom of some Hodgdon smokeless bottles i have. Black is to keep the sun off the powder.

 

[Krogen]

Works very well at pulling out iron oxide dust.

Put the magnet in a baggie. Then the iron oxide won't stick to the magnet forever and a day. Simply remove the magnet from the bag when you're done and trash the baggie.