Wet Powder

[seanb]

I did a quick search and couldn't find anything addressing this question, so sorry if it has been gone over already.

I recently bought 1 lb of Retumbo powder and it has a couple clumps in it, one is pretty big. Can I just dry the powder out and still use it, or is it no good?

Thanks!

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Wet Powder

I would be leary of it, but would pull the clumps, let them air dry. Leave the cap off the container with the rest of the powder for a couple days, when the clumps are dry, remix it, maybe even throwing in another pound with it.

I'm pretty sure on Vihta Vuori's website they say that 59% humidity was ideal for their powder. Goes against any theory I was taught, but they should know. I would think 59% would ruin the primer once loaded.
Let us know what you did.
Miles

 

[jagged77]

Re: Wet Powder

If I bought a tub of powder with clumps in it, I'd be sending it straight back to whoever I bought it from for replacement....

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Wet Powder

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jagged77</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I bought a tub of powder with clumps in it, I'd be sending it straight back to whoever I bought it from for replacement....

</div></div>
Glad you can do that in England. I don't know too many places in the states that will take powder or primers back.

 

[seanb]

Re: Wet Powder

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: milo-2</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jagged77</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I bought a tub of powder with clumps in it, I'd be sending it straight back to whoever I bought it from for replacement....

</div></div>
Glad you can do that in England. I don't know too many places in the states that will take powder or primers back. </div></div>

Yeah that's what I figured. I thought I could call the company and complain, but I thought they would just say "tough luck" and hang up.

 

[turbo54]

Re: Wet Powder

Smokeless powder is not water-soluble. I would EXPECT wet powder could simply be dried, and used...but...

When I first began reloading I didn't have a tumbler, so I washed some cases. I *thought* they were dry. They weren't. Most were duds. I pulled them all down, broke up the clumps, put the powder in an empty powder jug labeled "NFG", and left the top off a week. Then I put a desiccant pack in there and closed the lid. A month or two later I loaded a cartridge with the NFG powder. It was a dud.

A year later, I came up about 5gr short for a full charge, in finishing up an 8 pounder of varget. I grabbed the NFG powder, trickled my charge to weight, mixed thoroughly, and charged the case. It was a dud.

Moral of the story: keep your powder dry!

I wouldn't count on powder thats gotten wet being ok.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Wet Powder

Seanb,
I don't think it is lumped together because it came into contact with water. I would try it.

 

[seanb]

Re: Wet Powder

I don't know why I didn't think of this until now but this bit of info might help with answers...or just confuse the situation more. I loaded up 12 rounds of .338 LM with powder from this bottle for a ladder test. Round #9, 91.4gr had a very light ejector buff mark on it, hard to see if it wasn't in the right light. I put round #10 (92.2gr) in, pulled the trigger, and *tink*. The round did not go off. The primer had a deep dent in it, so it definitely was hit hard enough. I've never had this happen before, so I just chalked it up to a bad primer, but could this have been from bad powder? I don't know how loud just the primer going off would be (I also had plugs and muffs on) so I can't say really how loud it was. But could the primer go off without pushing the bullet out of the case? Could the "wet" powder muffled it?

On a side note, do you think this round is safe to pull apart and reuse?

 

[jasonk]

Re: Wet Powder

Sure, pull that round apart and see what the powder looks like.

Put the round in a reloading press with no dies in it, run it up through the hole then grab the bullet with a pair of vice grips, pull the shell down and the bullet will stay in the vice grips and be pulled.

Now dump out the powder, do it in a fashion that maybe you'll be able to see the powder that was on top vs on bottom. I'd imagine you'll be able to tell by looking at the powder if the primer went off. Some powder would be discolored or something (I think).