Blending Multiple Bottles of the SAME Powder - Safe Method ???

[15thaf5thbw]

Ok I found this thread ...

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=543074&highlight=surplus%2C+mix%2C+powder

... but it doesn't really answer my question, which is ...

Assuming you WANT to blend multiple bottles of the SAME powder, what is a SAFE way of doing this, as in, what are the tips and tricks for minimizing or mitigating altogether any chance of a static-charge KABOOM!?

I've got 2 8-lb jugs of WC846 that I have decided I do want to blend for consistency before working up loads for 308 WIN and 223 AR. I've got a big plasitc bottle that had some "nutritional supplement" in it that my wife once bought. I figure I could clean that out thoroughly, let it dry, and then carefully pour the 2 jugs of (the SAME) powder into it, bit by bit, closing the (screw-on) lid and gently rolling it about a bit to cause "blending". The vigorous shaking method whilst smoking a Cain and drinking room-temperature JD (with one cube) did cross my mind , but the thought of 16-lbs of WC846 igniting in my hands was a tad on the scary side. So too would be a negligent discharge due to built of static charge. Looking for the no-kaboom solution.

Tips? Tricks? Or am I just too paranoid?

[milotrain]

I would not put powder in a container not designed for powder. The containers they ship in are DOT approved for transpo, I'd just mix them in their own containers. I've also heard (total hearsay) that the new manufacturing methods make powder differences across lots far smaller than they once were.

[NotEnufGarage]

Did you buy the two jugs at the same time? If so, they're already blended.

ThomasHoward - your storage arrangement is very unsafe. You should separate the primers and powder. With that quantity, I'd spread them out over several locations. Also, storing primers in a carpeted area increases the chances of a static discharge igniting a primer (or a whole box of them). That whole stack there is a big kaboom waiting to happen.

[Bill Steele]

You don't have to worry about kaboom while mixing. Smokeless Powder doesn't kaboom in the absence of pressure, it just burns. While obviously flammable, and obviously prudent to make sure you do any mixing away from open flames, etc., you will likely be disappointed if you set a small pile out on your driveway and light it. Black Powder is a different story.

Ok I found this thread ...

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=543074&highlight=surplus%2C+mix%2C+powder

... but it doesn't really answer my question, which is ...

Assuming you WANT to blend multiple bottles of the SAME powder, what is a SAFE way of doing this, as in, what are the tips and tricks for minimizing or mitigating altogether any chance of a static-charge KABOOM!?

I've got 2 8-lb jugs of WC846 that I have decided I do want to blend for consistency before working up loads for 308 WIN and 223 AR. I've got a big plasitc bottle that had some "nutritional supplement" in it that my wife once bought. I figure I could clean that out thoroughly, let it dry, and then carefully pour the 2 jugs of (the SAME) powder into it, bit by bit, closing the (screw-on) lid and gently rolling it about a bit to cause "blending". The vigorous shaking method whilst smoking a Cain and drinking room-temperature JD (with one cube) did cross my mind , but the thought of 16-lbs of WC846 igniting in my hands was a tad on the scary side. So too would be a negligent discharge due to built of static charge. Looking for the no-kaboom solution.

Tips? Tricks? Or am I just too paranoid?

[15thaf5thbw]

Bill, yeah I know it's not literally going to go KABOOM. I've lit off enough scrap powder to see how slowly it burns. But, burning it all up before I get a chance to shoot it is also a major concern, so hence the question.

NotEnuf, yes, both 8-lb jugs of WC846 from Wideners on the same date. I've run through 2 8-lb jugs of RG4895 that I also purchased from Wideners and didn't notice any variance in the powder between the jugs. I also have 2 additional jugs of the same RG4895 from Wideners that were also purchased on the same date as each other but probably about 1 year after the purchase of the first 2 8-lb jugs. So for that next 16-lbs I think I'll work up from MIN just to be safe.

So, probably no need to blend the WC846 since they're from the same "batch" from Wideners, eh? I think that seems reasonable.

Thanks for the replies guys.