[jbourg]

I haven't done it yet, but it's inevitable. How do you clean up a powder spill on the bench and floor? A vacuum is out of the question. Dust broom and pan?

 

[20361]

Hard surface a dustpan and small whisk broom is fine.
Carpet, that's another problem.
Try a carvac type portable vacuum, like a dustbuster or similar for that. Suction only, no spinning brushes to make static and set off the powder.

 

[olddog59]

With a match.....just kidding I would use a small whisk and dust pan

 

[Fishinkeylargo]

Thought about this, if spilled on carpet I would probably pour some water on it and use the wet/dry shop vac to clean it up. Chances of spilling on carpet for me is slim to none.

 

[jbourg]

Had not thought about putting water on it.... If you get power wet when it dries out is it volatile again or is rendered inert and could be picked up with a vacuum cleaner safely?

 

[Fishinkeylargo]

Had not thought about putting water on it.... If you get power wet when it dries out is it volatile again or is rendered inert and could be picked up with a vacuum cleaner safely?

That I'm not sure about.

 

[jimb1972]

Try it and let us know

 

[btleslie]

This came up in another thread a few months ago. I believe someone suggested using a carpet shampooer that sends a jey of water into the carpet then sucks it back up while still wet.

 

[olfarhors]

I haven't done it yet, but it's inevitable. How do you clean up a powder spill on the bench and floor? A vacuum is out of the question. Dust broom and pan?

Well thats one of those things that many never think of, thats why i have never reloaded in a room with carpet, either hardwood or now Concrete (garage), there you can use broom and dustpan and then deposit it outdoors where it acts as a fertilizer.
on carpet then i would wet the area throughly and then use a wet /dry vac, the carpet shampooer i think is a good idea never thought of that actually.
Not entirely sure but would think that once dried that it might still be flammable as the ingredients would posisbly seperate??
which could make a more potent product as the Nitro glyceine/ nitro cellulose would/could seperate from the graphite and other binders???
again not sure about this ,just speculating.
We had wooden scoops to get up ammonium ntirate (and other stuff like that) and such to prevent sparks but that wouldn.t be very practical on a carpet I don't guess?

 

[Fishinkeylargo]

Next time I accumulate a bunch of live ammo in my range brass picking I will save all the powder and soak it in water, let it dry by it's self and see if it burns.

 

[oldbull360]

You can neutralize powder spilled on the carpet by soaking in oil :-\ of course then your wife will kill you . A shop vac should work as the motor is double insulated because it is used for wet pickup. However, a carpet cleaner followed by a wet vac should work OK.

 

[Lil Beaver]

Aw come on guys just drop a match and stand by with a fire extinguisher! That will take care of the powder and the carpet at the same time, of course the Lady of the house may present you with papers from the court in the form of a divorce decree!

 

[bps1]

Next time I accumulate a bunch of live ammo in my range brass picking I will save all the powder and soak it in water, let it dry by it's self and see if it burns.

It will. According to my readings in the ABCs anyway.

 

[HD-Mike]

One would think that spilling powder, a high dollar commodity, would induce a round of spontaneous crying, in which the tears shed would indeed water down said powder, rendering it non-volatile.

 

[53rdcard]

We have pets, so we got one of the small portable pet cleaners that basically works like one of the big cleaners that sprays the cleaner then sucks it up, and it has a tank that all the liquid goes in, wet powder went in there, and was disposed of.

So when i first spilled some powder on carpet, i used that, since then i rebuilt the table that the press sets on to include a wood tray that traps the powder and has a chute for pouring it back into a container, whole thing clamps down to the table with the press screwed down to the tray, and calk around it.

and of course, since i did all that, i haven't spilled any.

 

[jbourg]

Great suggestions, well maybe not the match ones, but the carpet cleaner is a great one. And I have a little Brissell and never thought about using it. Most of my reloading area is hardwood, but there is some carpet near by that might get some spillage.

 

[glenwolde]

I don't load on carpet anymore, but back when I did I hated it when I dropped a live primer.

 

[jbourg]

Well I tried to convince SO that the carpet was old and should be pulled up, but that didn't go over very well...

 

[Fatboy]

On 4/3/13 I posted this in the earlier thread on this subject:

"Call one of the carpert cleaning companies that uses the truck mounted machines. Fain ignorance if his truck blows up out on the street...."

Good Luck,

Fatboy Packin'

 

[gbusmech]

I haven't done it yet, but it's inevitable. How do you clean up a powder spill on the bench and floor? A vacuum is out of the question. Dust broom and pan?

I use a wet/dry shop vac with a paper bag type filter the powder never see's anything but the other debris in there.