Static Electricity

[blkexp98]

Ive been lurking around on these forums for a while but havent posted until now. With all the good info on this site i thought it may be a good place o ask about static and reloading.

I have a bench that ive made thats on a plastic base with a wood top thats covered in shelving paper. My issue is i live in an apartment and the floors are carpet. So how can i keep static to a minimum? Things seem fine now but its not winter so im trying to prepare as best i can. Ive used the dryer sheets for powder funnels and my scales with pretty good results but dont think that will work for this apllication. Another reason i want to do this is i want to keep my powder and maybe primers in the plastic cabinet below my press.

To complicate things since i am renting i cant quite go drilling into the floor truly ground my bench. So what kind of methods are yall using? I didnt use anything in my old apartment but i also didnt load much there either.

Thanks for the help,

Major

 

[necchi]

What issues of Static are you concerned with ?

Static ignition is a non-issue/ a Myth;
http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/sparks/sparks.html

One of the pic's in this series uses Unique powder.

Almost every powder available comes in a plastic jug with a metal lid,,,,

If it's about cleaning, there are anti static cling sprays on the market for fabrics. A little spray on a dust cloth and a quick wipe helps alot.

 

[blkexp98]

Good to know and thanks for the link. Figures id wait all this time to post and then it wouldnt even turn out to be anything. ;D

The main thng i was thinking about was with static ignition when i was loading. The dryer sheets work good for my powder handling pieces when it comes to it sticking.

Thanks again,

Major

 

[earl39]

if you want to ease your mind about it just put half a sheet of plywood on the floor for your chair and feet to rest on. (just lay it on the carpet) now you have removed the carpet from the equation.

 

[mhdick]

I dont' post much, either. Mainly read & glean information. Other easy method to reduce possibility of static is to use one of those plastic sheets for rolling office chairs you get at an office supply store. Lot lighter than plywood.
I personally have carpet on my floor in the basement in my reloading room/area. Have not had any issue with static ever (maybe because a basement is generally a little more humid than the rest of the house?) and I just stand on my carpet. I guess I also have a humidifier incorporated into my furnace, so it shouldn't be that dry anyway.
I'm guessing you're over-worrying.

 

[Greg110]

This has always been a major issue with black powder shooters since black goes off so much easier;and no one can seem to document BP going off due to static either, so I think you're safe.

 

[hottshott526]

I have been loading while standing on carpet for 10 yrs with no ill effects or static caused explosions.

But you might look at the static effects on your scales. If you have alot of static it will affect how a powder scale balances, making the day to day zero of the scale vary by a bit.

Good shooting
Brian

 

[choochoomud]

i put down a rubber truck bed mat in thought of this issue and it seems to be working just fine , just my two cents

 

[kentuckytroutbum]

I have been loading while standing on carpet for 10 yrs with no ill effects or static caused explosions.

But you might look at the static effects on your scales. If you have alot of static it will affect how a powder scale balances, making the day to day zero of the scale vary by a bit.

Good shooting
Brian

To add to what hottshot said, you can also ground your balance beam scale or digital powder dispenser by running a wire to a cold water pipe and clamping it to the scale or dispenser. It eliminated the "static cling" of powder in my RCBS Chargemaster.

Bill

 

[necchi]

I don't have," "static cling" of powder in my RCBS Chargemaster", after wipeing a dryer sheet in the hopper. ;D

 

[Shynloco]

If I might suggest something to you and it has zero to do with static clinge which is a myth in reloading. But what I do is keep my Primers and Powder separated. I went down to my local Lowes and bought one of those hard cased Honeywell document protectors (like a small safe) for like $49 that locks (with a key) and has 1 1/2" sides. I keep my primers in that in a hallway closet just in case one decides to dentonate for any reason. My powders are kept in a filing cabinet in my office where the temps stay constant and little to no chance of any form of ingition around the plastic containers. I think people often forget about separating the two for storage and keeping them in an area where the temps stay below 80 degree. Just my .02 worth.

 

[freebird63]

I had something funny happen to me last week out shooting in the desert, a thunderstorm was rolling down from the Owyhee mountains towards the desert where I was shooting, got everything set up, target, shooting bench and chrono. I shot a few rounds and started noticing lightning bolts coming down about a mile to the East of me. Then my chrono started showing errors with every shot, when the storm got closer I decided it was time to pack it in before it got worse. Do you think static electricity would effect a chrono, its a CED M2.

 

[kentuckytroutbum]

If I might suggest something to you and it has zero to do with static clinge which is a myth in reloading. But what I do is keep my Primers and Powder separated. I went down to my local Lowes and bought one of those hard cased Honeywell document protectors (like a small safe) for like $49 that locks (with a key) and has 1 1/2" sides. I keep my primers in that in a hallway closet just in case one decides to dentonate for any reason. My powders are kept in a filing cabinet in my office where the temps stay constant and little to no chance of any form of ingition around the plastic containers. I think people often forget about separating the two for storage and keeping them in an area where the temps stay below 80 degree. Just my .02 worth.

Shynloco-
With all due respect, I will differ with you on the matter of static cling. After using my RCBS Chargemaster, I have had powder granules that will stick to the clear plastic hopper after dumping the powder from the side discharge fitting. I do my reloading in my basement shop so I know that the temp & humidity are fairly constant. It is usually not an issue, except when I'm changing powders and I don't want them to mix.

Grounding my Chargemaster alleviates the problem. In fact, I got the idea from one of the technical articles on 6mmBR about grounding powder scales.

Bill

 

[Hackberry]

Having worked with electronics and electricity all my life, I will also respectfully disagree with those who say static electricity is not important. Static electricity build-up can be devastating in some scenarios and has caused serious injuries and death when conditions are right. Why tempt fate? It's so easy to remove the risk.

There are a number of ways to reduce static electricity including anti-static mats, anti-static strips on your reloading bench, attaching grounding wires to your reloading gear where appropriate, etc., but one thing you may not know about is that suppliers for janitorial businesses always carry anti-static liquids for application to flooring that is conducive to the creation of static electricity. It's inexpensive and easy to apply and you may want to look into it.

Another possibility is to use a grounding wrist strap (generally used in the electronics industry) to make sure you don't accumulate a static build-up as you work.

Don't ever let anyone who is unqualified tell you something can't hurt you - do your own due diligence and make sure your actions and activities are safe.

 

[Clark]

In electronics; integrated circuits, transistors, and diodes are shipped in static proof bags so a person's static will not damage them. When the bag is opened, it is supposed to be on a static proof and grounded mat, by a person with a grounded wrist strap.

Some of the diodes can take 5,000 Amps. If someone damaged one of those diodes with their static, they would be dead, and it would not be an open casket burial. Still rules are rules, and take on a life of their own. Once someone starts worrying about something, there is almost no stopping them.

 

[Kenny474]

I have been reloading in a carpeted room for 10 years with no issue. I personally feel grounding your press and wrist straps are overkill for the application. There are far greater hazards in reloading than static.

It's OK to be cautious, but there are more important things to worry about than static.