black powder storage

[OL Jack The Pirate]

Hello

mates

i was interested in how does everyone stores their black powder. like what type of container at home and or taking it with you on the road and at festivals

thankie

Ol jack

[Capt Thighbiter]

Loose powder we keep in the cans ( Goex), cannon rounds in a steel compartmented box. Small arms powder in powder horns. ALL powder goes into larger metal lined wood chest, lockable.

We used to keep cannon powder in an oak , brass bound barrel ( cuz it looked period) but we found a lot of the larger grains were getting turned into dust from being bounced around in the back of the van. BP dust is very unstable, so We put the kibosh on that.

[count de monet]

for smokeless powder ( i can take an educated guess that it's the same for black powder ) the original containers you bought it in is sufficient.

they are designed so that in the event of it igniting, the powder will be able to burn off WITHOUT allowing the burned gasses to accumulate to a high level of pressure.

the only reason powder fires a projectile is that the rapidly expanding gasses are contained until a desired amount of pressure is achieved and then the projectile is released from what ever constraints the factory or shooter has placed upon it.

that is why my smokeless powder ( for a 44 mag ) is in a simple plastic container. the one i bought it in. the powder will melt the container before any hazardous pressure levels ( big boom ) can possibly be achieved.

look at a fireracker--- minute amount of powder but the expanding gasses from ignition ( fuse ) is highly contained..

storage is simply a cool dry place away from any source of ignition. common sense really..

don't know much about shipping ( in your car to the desired locale ) othe than treat it with the same common sense. i do know that powder is considered a hazard shipping wise, maybe consult the local gun store or reloading store.

i don't claim to know much about black powder, my experience is in reloading modern smokeless powder bullets. there may very well be properties of black powder that may even negate some of the things i am saying now...

but this will help a little or a lot...

someone with more black powder experience needs to chime in :)

[OL Jack The Pirate]

Thankie count de monet

That helped me alittle .

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

As stated, keep it in the original container when not using it in powder horns and flasks, or of course in use as cartiriges. Many surplus and sporting goods stores have used ammo cans from the military for sale. A fifty cal. ammo box will hold five- one-pound cans of BP. Water/airtight storage, keeps sparks out too. That's how we store it here at home. We have a designated area in the back porch where it stays.

Bo

[OL Jack The Pirate]

Capt Bo

Now thats what i was looking for thank you very much. thats what i need is a ammo box perfect . then i can put it in a woodbox for looks

[Black Hearted Pearl]

I just purchased two ammo boxes from the Army Navy store. Cost me less than $10 each.

[OL Jack The Pirate]

Very cool i need to get me some of them

[renfairpirate]

Ace hardware has them for around $7.00

[OL Jack The Pirate]

ive decided to keep it in a wooden box i made 12x12x12 with a single devider so i can store two cans or a can and or a powder horn if i want to. theres no metal on my box so no sparks could happen

[Dorian Lasseter]

I'm not an authority on this, but I've been in the hobby for a good many a year...

For mundane transport and storage, I use a 50 cal box for the reasons stated above.

For on site, during a reenactment in public view, when doin artillery, and this works with everything else. We use a lead lined, wood box with a leather cover on the lid, and a hasp and lock. This may sound extreme, but it isn't. The lead lining keeps out most everything, the wood box might have a crack or something between the planks. The leather top cover in many cases can be dampened with no effect on getting the contents wet. Plus if a spark or some tinder lands on top, it'll be put out, not smolder on the wooden top. Also many of these have a peaked top, so no flat surface to have something lay on.

[Capt Thighbiter]

If you use ammo boxes or other type boxes, I would make sure periodically to empty them out and really clean the inside. I was amazed at how much BP we found in our ammo chest, loose, in seams and corners. Not handfulls , certainly, but enough to make me nervous.