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How can you tell if powder is bad
Oakie
Member Posts: 40,526 ✭✭✭✭
Someone gave me about thirty cans of powder. All of it is sealed, but old, in metal cans. The cans have rust on the top, but no where else. I shook the cans and the powder is not clumped up. Will it have a certain odor to it or what?????? I would hate to toss it, if it still good.
The man that left me the powder, died a few months ago. He left me about twenty dies, tons of powder, primers, melting pots, lead, ammo, molds and a bunch of other stuff I have not gone through yet. I don't even know where to start. It filled the back of my Expedition, with the seat down Oakie
The man that left me the powder, died a few months ago. He left me about twenty dies, tons of powder, primers, melting pots, lead, ammo, molds and a bunch of other stuff I have not gone through yet. I don't even know where to start. It filled the back of my Expedition, with the seat down Oakie
Comments
You can smell the powder as a further check. If it has no smell or smells like solvent (acetone, alcohol, etc) it should be OK.
If it smells like vinegar or something acidic, it's bad.
A word of WARNING: Do NOT snif, snort of inhale from the mouth of the can! Instead, hold the can about 9-12 inches in front of your chin and 'waft' the air toward you nose with your other hand. (learned that from a chemist)
Thank you very much!!!!
Note The save draft feature didn't work for me.
If a powder has a vinegar smell or has a reddish color or no smell I get suspect of the powder.
Vinegar smell is a heads up notice.
I keep my gun powders inside where temp don't change very much and cannister sealed good and have experienced some powders aging faster than others.