# Powder measure back to life



## cdhknives (May 12, 2019)

A simple project compared to  a lot I see here, but it brought a favorite tool back to life so I have to share.  This old reloading powder measure had a thin plastic reservoir.  It was brittle and falling apart.  It was converted by a friend years ago to be a small volume measure, and I still get good use from it for small batches of ammo.  So I bought a piece of 12" plexiglass tubing and went to town.

Lessons learned, plexiglass is a PITA to grip in the chuck.  I probably should have taken the time to turn a block for the ID so it could be clamped firmly.  As it was when the cutoff was finishing it grabbed, torqued at the chuck, and shattered about 2" of one end at the chuck.  plexiglass WILL shatter just fine no matter what the propaganda about it being shatterproof says.

It was slightly undersize, so I had to turn a spacer ring.  Thin rings are also a PITA to chuck.  Very light cuts and sharp HSS did the trick.

It all slips together, tight enough it doesn't fall out when held upside down, but will come apart with easy pressure.

All in all, I am pleased with the result...breathing more new life into an old tool.  Yes I still use it...for precision loads I throw a half grain short and trickle up on the scale...and the small measure is perfect for my small volume cartridges...


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## kev74 (May 12, 2019)

Nice work!


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## kd4gij (May 12, 2019)

Looks good. and it works to boot.


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## MikeInOr (May 13, 2019)

Very nice! 

I don't know who told you plexi-glass (acrylic) doesn't shatter???... that has NEVER been my experience with plexi glass, I have shattered plenty when trying to cut it.

Who manufactured the powder measure?


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## derf (May 13, 2019)

I would have skipped the acrylic cylinder and made a bottle adapter.


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## grzdomagala (May 13, 2019)

I thought plexiglass produces a lot of static electricity - isn't that a problem when dealing with powder? 
Looks very nice though 


Wysłane z mojego SM-N950F przy użyciu Tapatalka


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## blaser.306 (May 13, 2019)

As far as the static problem, wipe down the outside of the tube with a anti static dryer sheet. Problem solved. Just be sure to not leave powder in the cylinder for extended periods of time, not only does it dry the powder out but can and will discolor the acrylic.


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## cdhknives (May 13, 2019)

The powder measure is branded Redding.  It was old when I got it 20 years ago, and is much smoother than my new-ish RCBS or Dillon.


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## MikeInOr (May 13, 2019)

Redding makes really good stuff!

I have been reloading for 30 years,  I have never had an issue with static on my acrylic encased power measures.   The idea that modern smokeless powder will go off from a little static spark is a myth.   It takes quite a bit of energy to ignite smokeless powder.

The biggest problem from static would be a static charge causing a grain of powder to stick to the measure throwing off the charge slightly ruining accuracy.  The rest of the measure is all metal so static charges don't really build up.


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## grzdomagala (May 13, 2019)

I'm not reloading so no real knowledge on my side. I just remember that every time I worked with plexiglass swarf had annoying tendency to cling to workpiece and scratch it...
A friend that reloads ammo for vintage hunting rifle once told me that modern powder is relatively safe but black powder is quite sensitive.

Wysłane z mojego SM-N950F przy użyciu Tapatalka


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## MikeInOr (May 13, 2019)

This website is a great read about starting smokeless powder with an electric charge... which is exactly what the author was trying to do.  He even tried to ignite smokeless powder with a taser... and could not.

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/electric_ignition/eignition.html

If I recall the author even tried to use an electric charge through real black powder to prime the smokeless powder to no avail.  Lighting gun powder electronically is a lot harder that you would expect!


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## cdhknives (May 15, 2019)

My biggest problems with static are in cleaning out the measures to change powders.  Small grained ball powders are especially likely to stick on the walls in significant (annoying) qty.  This is even with me living on the Texas Gulf Coast, hardly a dry area prone to static.  The deterrent coating on modern smokeless powders does a remarkable job of making it insensitive to heat, and static.  You have to try hard to get it to burn, even a match held to it takes a second or three to ignite it.  True black powder is another story...but I have special equipment for that.


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