Shiloh Rifle Forums

Set the powder dispenser on a grounded mat and then add a ground strap around the hopper. Both can be purchased off Ebay, I think their purpose is used in sensitive electronics assembly. The hopper strap looks like a flexible watch wrist band. Both leads go into a dedicated grounding.
kw

That little bit of static electricity doesn't hurt anything and I wouldn't even worry about it. On the other hand, many people are allergic to the chemicals in those dryer sheets.Those sheets will also put an oil on your plastic. In addition, they are known to be cancer causing even outside the state of California.

George

I have run both BP and smokeless through my Matchmaster and so far the dryer sheets have worked. After reading the above post, I did go ahead and order a grounding mat and strap. BP has a really low ignition threshold, so any extra safety margin is probably a good idea.

Have a RCBS and bought one of the frankford's because they were supposed to be faster, after 2 of them failed, Im back to the RCBS and will stay that way.

matt

Matt,
All are only as good as the person that had that golden screw driver in his/her hand tuning them.

Believe all the horseshit you want about static electricity it’s bs. Testing with a 50k volt spark generator will not ignite BP. Look it up educate yourself. BP needs heat to ignite electric current alone won’t do.

More bullshit from your 4Fg guy?


KW

Read this.

https://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_ex ... parks.html

KW

That's good info Kenny! The idea that static will set off powder has been around for a long time. I still am OK with the idea of running my dispenser with a static pad under it if only to shield the electronics and help them work their best. I have heard stories of static messing with scales and so $15 for the pad and strap seems reasonable.

Jonny,
Static pads have their place. If you feel comfortable using them use them. I use the pad and I ground myself when I build things for my Ham radio hobby. Back when I started in this hobby everything was with the vacuum tubes and I'm still mostly in the vacuum tube age.

Now my modern rigs are solid state and when I get into them and pull boards to fix a problem I ground the board to ma and my elbows are on the pad.
Black powder needs a hot spark to set it off, but you never know.

Once a thunder storm moved in and I disconnected the antenna feed lines from my gear and stuck the coax in a fruit jar and the tower took a hit and the static jumped out of the quart jar and impregnated the glass with brass from the connectors and danced around the desk and down to the concrete floor making it's way to the ground rod through the floor and it burned a path start to finish.

Kurt

Kurt wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2021 6:04 am Matt,
All are only as good as the person that had that golden screw driver in his/her hand tuning them.

Right!!

Kurt,
Been there and done that with lightning and my ham radio gear. Don't have any modern stuff around so it doesn't matter much. The tiny amount of static electricity that makes powder granuals adhere to a plastic hopper is never going to set off the powder, even black powder. But for the people who have to worry about everything, go ahead and ground everything, don't wear wool when reloading, and be sure to not reload if the humidity is too low. Esh-ka-bibble!

George

George, it pretty much takes a red spark to set powder off. But by all means ground your powder drop if you feel you need to. Also it would be a good idea to unplug the drop from the outlet when not in use. I have had things ark across the plug from lightning hits before I put some MOV's on the outlets and a 80 lb smoothing choke on the line voltage coming into the breaker panel.

I checked the voltage on my Amplifier once and I know better to have the free hand off the unit while checking with the volt mtr. Got my little finger on the second imac 500Z parasitic chock and took 2300 volts through from the right hand that blew out of the off hand thumb and it burned a hole through the thumb that never plead. It sounded like a shot gun blast.
I have been inactive on the bands for many years since the eliminated the requirement for the code. It started to sound like the CB bands. I still have the gear and I do switch them on but I think I will donate the gear to the High School Ham Club if they are still active.
I also have a TCK X-Mitter that De commissioned out of a WW-2 Liberty Ship.