Storing primers, powder.

[Paul J]

Hey guys, looking for a way to store primers and powder that would extend their shelf life as much as possible. Of course i realize they should be stored in a dry place but other than that, Have heard of people using vacume bags,silica packs and chemical hand warmers(they use O2 to generate the heat). Anybody got any other Ideas or opinions on the technique described above? Never tried it just heard about it.

[Anianna]

I'm honestly not sure for primers and powders, but we use uncooked rice to keep salt and flower dry. I don't see why it wouldn't work for primers and powders.

[Paul J]

Thanks, that would help w moisture, I am also wondering if there is a way to cut down on the O2 (a reactive gas)

[Anianna]

To my knowledge, silica is only a desiccant and does not absorb oxygen either. There are O2 absorbers on the market and the active ingredient of those is often iron oxide (Fe2O3). Here is one brand of O2 absorber.

[Paul J]

Yeah i beleive the active ingrediant in hand warmers is the same, sounds logical to me, put the primers in a vac bag along with the silica pac and hand warmers to absorb the moisture and eliminate the O2. I'm just afraid there is something im missing or have'nt thought about. Not concerned about the heat from the warmers, but maybe the by products of the reaction between the O2 and Fe (not a chemistry major)

[Anianna]

Assuming you are referring to the hand warmers that react to air, they contain iron as well as a catalyst made up of additional chemicals to extend the heat life of the initial chemical reaction. I don't know for certain what chemicals are included in the catalyst, but I believe they include salt and carbon.

Is there some reason why you would rather use the hand warmers than O2 absorbers on the market?

[Paul J]

Not realy, just alrready have a lot of them, but not totaly married to the idea by any means. Where can a person buy silica pacs maybe 50 or so

[echo2]

Ours are in ammo cans with dry packs....been working for decades.

[Paul J]

Echo, my stuff is in ammo cans too, where are you getting the dry packs (silica?)

[echo2]

Echo, my stuff is in ammo cans too, where are you getting the dry packs (silica?)

Make them...cheaper than buying.....

Flower drying media from craft store....fold into a coffee filter....staple....done.

Every 6 months or so...toss it into a 150 degree oven for 20 mins to 1/2 hour....recharge...

[Paul J]

Thanks, good info

[Anianna]

It's been a while since I have seen them, so I don't have a link right off for you, but there are companies that sell desiccants that change colors when they have reached saturation. They return to their original color when dried and can be reused indefinitely. It's the same basic thing as what echo2 is using, but indicates when to dry it.

[Illini Warrior]

Echo, my stuff is in ammo cans too, where are you getting the dry packs (silica?)

Make them...cheaper than buying.....

Flower drying media from craft store....fold into a coffee filter....staple....done.

Every 6 months or so...toss it into a 150 degree oven for 20 mins to 1/2 hour....recharge...

crystal cat litter is silica gel also .... half the price at the big box stores compared to flower desiccant/home stores .... when you use 02 absorbers and desiccant packs in the same container, they cannot be located close together .... desiccant is best located at bottom and 02 absorber(s) top/and or sides

[Arkane]

Echo, my stuff is in ammo cans too, where are you getting the dry packs (silica?)

Make them...cheaper than buying.....

Flower drying media from craft store....fold into a coffee filter....staple....done.

Every 6 months or so...toss it into a 150 degree oven for 20 mins to 1/2 hour....recharge...

crystal cat litter is silica gel also .... half the price at the big box stores compared to flower desiccant/home stores .... when you use 02 absorbers and desiccant packs in the same container, they cannot be located close together .... desiccant is best located at bottom and 02 absorber(s) top/and or sides

Bingo. When I pack ammo into .30 cal cans I have a bunch of little cotton craft bags from a hobby store that I fill up and put in with them. No problems whatsoever.

[jt526]

Crystal cat litter fan here too. Use ccodfe filters to make bags. Smells nice too.

[echo2]

Crystal cat litter fan here too. Use ccodfe filters to make bags. Smells nice too.

What chemicals are in there to make it smell nice?

A lot of the kitty litter has chemical disinfectants....which are corrosive in concentration....i.e. ammo box.....from what I've read....but it may vary from litter to litter....I dunno.

[KnightoftheRoc]

I like the dry rice method- it works, and even if it's loose powder, the rice is easy to sift out.
I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the hand warmers in a container of powder, simply because of the heat generated, and concentrated from being sealed up. I'm not positive that an O2 absorber would even be needed for powder, though I can see where you'd want to prevent corrosion on the primer cases.

A cheap, readily available, and long life oxygen absorber is a couple of common nails. They will rust, absorbing oxygen and locking it to the iron, without the heat generated by the warmers. The advantage to them is, you can still use the nails later on. Just give them a quick wash with paint thinner to remove any oils on them, allow them to dry, and you can drop 3 or 4 into each can when loading them. With rice to absorb moisture, you won't need to worry about any reactions between can lining materials and the iron. If you are using aluminum cans, some sand shaken in them just prior to loading, and you won't need the nails- aluminum oxidizes on it's own. So does steel/iron, but I'd rather use the nails than remove interior coatings on a steel can.