At my wits end with static

[Forrest84]

Ok I'm about ready to throw my hands up. Just before the weather here in Houston area started getting cold and dryish,
my new 6br load was at a S-D of 3 and ES of 6 and my 6.5 lapua was S-D of 5 and ES of 8 now they are both in the neighborhoods of an ES of 78......
Ive narrowed it down to static and i managed to wipe everything down with dryer sheets and putt a couple ferrite chokes on the power cord. the chargemaster sits on a counter on concrete as well as where i stand. I got 1 10 round load to shoot a good S-D again with two wild shots mixed in and so the ES was like 18 and then i loaded another 10 to verify and it went to shit again. So here i am fresh out of ideas and i need to start competing next month as ive been out since the plandemic started. Im all ears

 

[Dstoenner]

Put a sheet of aluminum foil under the charge master. Connect a wire to the aluminum foil with an alligator clip and then connect the other end to the ground plug of your power socket. Also take a small wire and form a loose loop around the metal tube delivering your powder. Now each time you go to run a new load tap the powder pan on the aluminum foil. That gets the static off the pan and you.

The issue is that the powder is coated in graphite which is a great insulator. I am betting that as the charge master is dispensing the powder charge is built up.

We had to do this for working on electonics. We wore static wrist bands that were grounded but that would be a pain for reloading because our movement is so much

David

 

[wpgk58]

Ok I'm about ready to throw my hands up. Just before the weather here in Houston area started getting cold and dryish,
my new 6br load was at a S-D of 3 and ES of 6 and my 6.5 lapua was S-D of 5 and ES of 8 now they are both in the neighborhoods of an ES of 78......
Ive narrowed it down to static and i managed to wipe everything down with dryer sheets and putt a couple ferrite chokes on the power cord. the chargemaster sits on a counter on concrete as well as where i stand. I got 1 10 round load to shoot a good S-D again with two wild shots mixed in and so the ES was like 18 and then i loaded another 10 to verify and it went to shit again. So here i am fresh out of ideas and i need to start competing next month as ive been out since the plandemic started. Im all ears

I have found that a relative humidity between 45-55% is a happy range which does not promote rusting and prevents static. I am in MD and FL. In MD I have to run a dehumidifier in the late spring and summer months and humidifier during the winter months. In FL I have to run a dehumidifier year round.
Wiping down with dryer sheets does help, but RH is the biggest factor.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Evaluate your reloading area. Would it be good for precise electronic measuring equipment?
Temperature, Humidity, electrical.
I like the aluminum foil idea but there are conductive plastics in sheet form that could be used.
Concrete is not a good conductor. Connect your floor and loading bench with anti static mats.
There are some cheap options.
You can buy sheets of conductive plastic.

Loading then testing E.S. sounds like a slow and error prone method. Fix the static issue, how would you know for sure?
What if the fix was temporary and came back?

An option while you try and fix your static issue;
A second weight check with a cheap digital scale. Pan to pan from your C.M. to the cheap scale will add a few seconds to each charge.
Many will hate the idea, but it gets you on the road. Don't try the "check every 10th charge" routine. The other 9 will eat your lunch

Another would be battery power for your C.M.
Even if you don't feel comfortable with D.I.Y. electronics, your local Battery Store (the ones that can make batteries for everything) can assemble a connector for your C.M. and a 12 volt battery large enough to run for days.
You will need an appropriate charger.
Drone parts would also work.
Might not fix static but will eliminate AC noise coming in the power line.
I use Li-ion cells and a charger for boat electronics like radio, GPS, running lights. 3 packs in one box.
The big blue one is an 80ah 12 volt.

 

[BLKWLFK9]

knock on wood, but i have never had to deal with static. Maybe its b/c im in NC and my reloading room is climate controlled like the rest of my house and i dont have carpet in there.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Being in FL, static isn't really any kind of issue unless it's windy and the temperature is dropping.

High humidity and rust is the problem here.

If you have static issues, do what I did and bring the Chargemaster indoors.
I bought an old TV cabinet and set up inside of it.
I don't load everything in there, just my long range stuff.
Climate and humidity controlled is your friend.

Also, there's a very recent thread about this very problem. It should be on the front page right now.
Read it for some suggestions.

Also, if you need a ground wire, the center screw on your wall plate is directly into the body of the outlet. It's grounded.

 

[ThingsThatGoBang]

I am in Arizona, being a much drier climate, and experienced drift from static on my matchmaster. I contacted technical support via phone and reached Alicia who seems to know her stuff and we worked through issues. For me, rubbing everything down with the dryer sheet was part of the solution the other is keeping the unit plugged in for at least 24 hours ahead of using it. I no longer see my small kernel powder clinging to the inside of the clear powder holder like before.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Mine stays plugged in all the time.
I used it this morning and decided to leave it on for a couple of hours after to see if it drifted.
Nothing, no drifting.

 

[Forrest84]

Thanks for the tips I’ll work my way through them