Probably a nearby water pipe but wouldn`t that cause you to discharge to the reloader causing the static spark ???

 

Just scowl at it and hollar, "You're grounded, mister!"

That'll be about as effective as anything else.

Keller

 

Do you have a "GROUNDED" electrical outlet close? If so just loosen the screw that holds the cover plate & loop a length of copper wire around it & re-tighten --then attach the other end to a screw or bolt close to the powder hopper. OR you can clamp to a COPPER water pipe in place of the grounded outlet. Ross Puls

 

Raise the humidity in your loading room and you will rid yourself of the static problems. No ground wire needed. I keep it around 55% in mine.

 

Take a static cloth your wife uses in her clothes dryer and hang it in the powder bottle---All you need----Works for me---George@SJB

 

If you use the static cloth , make sure that it does't block off the powder hole.

bring the bottom of the cloth about 1" or higher above the powder hole drop.

 

If you ground the reloader by way of a wire to an outlet, connect the wire to the reloader FIRST and then connect to the outlet. If you do bleed a static charge at that time you will draw the static spark at the outlet not at the reloader.

Pat

 

Where's Neil Winston when you need him. I tend to think this reloader grounding is non-sense.

 

It is nonsense. What makes anyone think their loader is charged? If one sees a few flakes of powder clinging to the sides of the powder reservoir, that static is inherent in the plastic and cannot be eliminated by grounding the loader.

 

Yeah, utter nonsense in fact. It is so much nonsense that when I started having the same problem as the poster who started the "problem with Clays powder" thread and found the powder baffle that MEC advises against using but many on here swear by clogged with powder that dropped down from it when I touched the loader with a ground wire, I thought the problem cleared strictly by coincidence.

Really guys, loaders can develop an electrostatic build-up. Any time one material slides against another, the potential for an electrostatic charge exists - even powder against plastic. Ever notice that no one who owns a loader attached to an Automate has ever said their loader developed an electrostatic charge? That's because their loader is grounded by being attached metal-to-metal to an electrical appliance that is grounded through the household wiring to which it is connected.

Ed

 

Years ago a guy saw me looking at the scars on his neck and proceeded to tell me how he got them. Seems he was pouring directly from a 12 pound keg into the poder hopper when it lit up,their I was holding a 12 pound rocket he says.He then pulls hi shirt up to show the graphs on his whole chest,neck and arms.HE was NOT smoking! Must have been static. Almost burned hi house down. Sure broke me of pouring direct. Jeff

 

Ross, I agree with you that is what I do and have never had a problem.

Trap-4

 

<blockquote><I>"Sure broke me of pouring direct."</I></blockquote>Is there another practical way to get powder into the powder hopper besides pouring it directly from its container?

If static is going to be an issue, what's the difference whether the powder comes out of a 8# jug or a 14 oz. bottle? You're only gonna pour enough to fill the hopper.

Keller

 

Ed, It would take very large amount of static to hold a powder drop in place. Have you ever been shocked touching a loader? The act of touching a loader would ground it meaning loaders are not charged with static.

There is probably more to Bigbore's story. If true, it would be a common occurrence.

 

Thick wire with aligator clips and grounded to a basement water pipe. The wire is long enough to attached to 2 other reloaders ( 1 being a metallic). Since I did this a month ago I can't say whether it's effective or not. BT100dc

 

I pour from the keg into a plastic cup.In my mind better to have a cup ful than a whole keg. No more 12 pounders of 700X, shame. Jeff

 

I use a PW Platinum 2000. The PW's have plastic shot and powder reservoirs attached to a plastic top plate. With this set up, I fail to see how grounding the loader will prevent static electricity in a plastic powder delivery system.

 

Johnny, all I can tell you is that after being fully embarrassed by several boxes of shells, many of which sounded like a flock of ducks, and having to remove numerous wads from my barrel, I went home to cut the leftovers open, finding anywhere from a few flakes of PB to a full charge inside. A search for the cause led to my 9000G and a glance in the bottom of the powder reservoir showed me that the red plastic baffle was now black inside. An LED light confirmed that the black substance was in fact powder.

Suspecting an electrostatic charge, I connected a ground wire to the wall outlet near my loading bench, touched it to a bare spot on the loader's base and the powder disappeared into the bushing. I then permanently connected the ground wire to one of the bolts attaching the loader to the bench, tossed the baffle in the trash where it belonged and have never had as much as flakes on the inside of my power reservoir.

That was many years ago and I have not had even a hint of static buildup since then. And I now don't have to ground my loader as I have it bolted to an Automate.

Some time after that incident, an industrial electrician with whom I shot trap and I were discussing reloading and I mentioned my discovery to him. He was only surprised that I wasn't expecting that to happen. Since then, I've spoken with numerous shooters who had similar experiences.

Ed

 

you don't ground a reloader because you can't. static electricity is a stationary charge on an insulator (non conductive.) electric current will flow through a conductor. you can't make static electricity flow over the insulated surface of your powder hopper and through a wire conductor just because you hook one up to your press. also, have you ever tried to ignite smokeless powder with just a spark? it's real hard to do. take a flint striker like you use to light the propane torch and put it over a thimblefull of your favorite smokeless poured in the center of a pie tin. get the striker as close as you can and don't be scared - it's a fairly slow burn when you finally do get it lit. good luck with it

 

Please ---DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT---I've been loading for yrs---Static elect won't change your load more than a few tenths of a gr----KISS----There are more things to worry about----George@SJB

 

Y'all hash this out. I told you how to fix the static issue in your loading room in my post above. I learned it on here. Turned the humidity level up on my furnace and I haven't had static issues with any of my loaders with any powders since then. I use mostly Hornady/Pacific but I have a couple MEC's I use too.


Hell run a wire out to the power pole if it makes you feel better.

 

I ran a wire to my power pole and nothing happened-----DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT

George@SJB

 

George,

I was joking but ...........LOL

 

I'm going to go load some AAs and may have a bulge now and then---

DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT---George

 

Ed, Static electricity is a high potential that will move to a lower potential if the lower potential gets close enough. If you touch an object that has a static charge {high potential] , that charge will move to a lower potential, your body. Static electricity doesn't need an earth ground to move. Static electricity will jump from one cloud to another, clouds are not grounded. Lightning discharges to the earth, what is the earth grounded to?

Have you ever been shocked touching your loader? Your body will always be a lower potential. If you answer no, there is nothing there.

"I connected a ground wire to the wall outlet near my loading bench, touched it to a bare spot on the loader's base and the powder disappeared into the bushing."

Did you touch the loader with your fingers at any time during this experience? You had been touching the loader all along when using it.


Plastic is not a conductor. It is impossible to discharge all static on plastic by grounding it with a wire. The static below the voltage needed to jump to the lower potential, your wire, would remain on the plastic, trapped. That is why you can't eliminate the static on a hull by grounding.