Reloading Kaboom Yesterday - Please Learn From This

[smashycrashy]

I worked both with pyrotechnics and explosives in my youth, I've become hyper aware of static electricity. Grounding everything and yourself definitely helps.

Also buy a humidifier to keep the area you are reloading in above a certain humidity, low humidity ramps up static electricity build up. We couldn't work with powder if humidity got below a certain point.

[grant22]

@ Deuce:

-You're probably right about the spark........I'm just throwing stuff up and seeing what sticks at this point.

-Gloves may be too bulky, but it would be just for the transferring of primers like what I was doing. Have you seen butcher gloves though? I think they are Kevlar but still allow for some dexterity.

-You are right on the primer magazine tube construction. It's basically a pickup tube inside a steel tube with a good amount of space between the two. The energy going upward would be way better than the explosion going outward. In my case, the explosion that happened between the 2 tubes ( I was transferring primers) is what got my hand.

-I'm currently thinking about devising a pick up tube that mimmicks the design of the 550's primer magazine. That way, there would be a safety barrier.

-The primers were CCI #500 spp.

-Work bench is a MDF top with metal base and is meant to be portable (although I haven't moved it since I got it).

[bill_k_lopez]

First of all - glad you are ok.

Just a dumb question for you

Did you start out with safety gear and just ended up ditching it because you got comfortable with what you were doing - or did you never use it? I'm just wondering.

My father was a machinist, and as a kid he was always showing me how to use machines (mills, lathes, etc). Same with the woodworking stuff - and he NEVER wore gloves, or safety glasses. So as an adult, I never did it either - until recently. It was really poor training my father gave me by not making me (a KID at the time) wear safety equipment, and that carried over into being adult - I mean all that stuff was for morons that didn't know what they were doing, that was my mindset.

Now that I have my own kids, I started wearing safety equipment when I do work around the house. Recently I've even tried to adopt the practice of shooting with tactical leather gloves. Last thing I want to do is lose an eye, or cut off one of my fingers, or worse.

My father died in 2001, but had all kinds of work related injuries from over the years - including one where he had cut open his hand on an end mill - he severed the nerves and had no feeling in his thumb and two fingers. But he was a man, and men get hurt doing manly work. I loved my father - but shi* like this could have been avoided, and the way I see it you're no less of a man if you wear safety equipment and still have all your fingers.

[hayaku]

oh man.. sorry to hear... glad you are ok.

i want to know what happened too. please keep us informed.

[SoCal50Lover]

I'm never reloading without glasses again. You could be fine a 1000 times but that 1001 time could be the gotcha. Thanks for sharing. I am sure this was a SE accident. That is definitely one of those 1 in a million chances.

I hope the wounds heal up fully.

[grant22]

First of all - glad you are ok.

Just a dumb question for you

Did you start out with safety gear and just ended up ditching it because you got comfortable with what you were doing - or did you never use it? I'm just wondering.

My father was a machinist, and as a kid he was always showing me how to use machines (mills, lathes, etc). Same with the woodworking stuff - and he NEVER wore gloves, or safety glasses. So as an adult, I never did it either - until recently. It was really poor training my father gave me by not making me (a KID at the time) wear safety equipment, and that carried over into being adult - I mean all that stuff was for morons that didn't know what they were doing, that was my mindset.

Now that I have my own kids, I started wearing safety equipment when I do work around the house. Recently I've even tried to adopt the practice of shooting with tactical leather gloves. Last thing I want to do is lose an eye, or cut off one of my fingers, or worse.

My father died in 2001, but had all kinds of work related injuries from over the years - including one where he had cut open his hand on an end mill - he severed the nerves and had no feeling in his thumb and two fingers. But he was a man, and men get hurt doing manly work. I loved my father - but shi* like this could have been avoided, and the way I see it you're no less of a man if you wear safety equipment and still have all your fingers.

Oh I agree with you completely. My job has done a good job of instilling the importance and 'non-dorkiness' of PPE's. I'm a fireman/paramedic in LA, so we wear all our stuff whenever it's indicated as needed......without waivering.

To answer your question, I do wear eye protection during reloading operations. Never in a million years would I have thought this could have happened while transferring primers, so therefore, I wasn't wearing them at this time. Luckily my face didn't get hit, but I'm surprised it didn't. I'm really grateful my eyes were ok.

[bruceflinch]

Glad your wounds were not life-threatening! Dayum!

[grant22]

[joefreas]

Thanks for the update. I load primer tubes almost every day, and will now be taking a few extra precautions (glasses/gloves).

[G-forceJunkie]

I'm not sure a steel tube is the answer. A tube full of primers has a heck of alot of energy, I would rather it blow out the side of an aluminum tube vs building up thousands of PSI then blowing out. Your going to get hit with shrapnal either way, why increase the pressure? Of all the years and thousands of dillion machines out there, it just may be a freak accident. You usually cant prevent those, but the good news is you will probably never see it happen again.

[Bill Steele]

Thanks for the post, glad you are OK, kinda.

I too have read about primers going off while in the magazine, I think Raymond has a post or two on his magazine kaboom, IIRC it sent the tube through the ceiling. I too have not heard of them going off in the pickup tube.

It looks like the tube split right where you were holding it. Is that correct?

Just trying to figure an approach to loading the primers into the magazine that minimizes finger trauma like you experienced if they do go off in the pickup tube.

In one of Lee's books/articles (can't remember where), he made a pretty strong statement regarding how dangerous the stacked primer magazine approach is, I just figured it was sour grapes because he didn't think of it, maybe not just sour grapes...

[gemini1]

OP glad you're ok.

Would'nt an ordinary latex/surgical gloves prevent static electricity?

[wash]

I'm trying to figure out how a static electric charge could get from outside an aluminum tube to a primer located in the middle.

I'm stumped. The tube is your path to ground and aluminum is a good conductor.

I think the defective primer theory has a much greater probability of truth than the static shock theory.

I agree that eye protection is a good idea. Gloves might not be. They could turn you in to butterfingers which probably is worse when dealing with primers. I know that machining and gloves do not mix, some times they will grab and pull your whole hand in to the cutting tool, I would probably rather get nerve damage than lose a couple fingers or worse.

[Maltese Falcon]

Would'nt an ordinary latex/surgical gloves prevent static electricity?

Good idea...I wear them when depriming. Now will try them when priming.

.

[Ukiahgunnut]

I keep asking myself how could SE be the problem if you are using a metal primer tube? Any contact with the tube would ground you to the equipment. If the SE charge goes else where, I am at a loss as to how it could affect the primers. Just my thoughts.

UGN