internal cleaning of powder measure

JonF

JonF

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I have a Hornady manual powder dispenser that has a buildup of powder that is sticking to the painted interior of the body. Brushing of any kind does not remove the accumulated powder.

I am going to switch over to 700-x and don't want to have a combination powder load that by all indications would spell big trouble.

Suggestions backed by experience are much appreciated.

JonF.
 
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You have a chemical reaction between the powder and the inside surface of the measure.
That should not happen.
I would contact Honady's Tech staff.
 
JonF said:
I have a Hornady manual powder dispenser that has a buildup of powder that is sticking to the painted interior of the body. Brushing of any kind does not remove the accumulated powder.

I am going to switch over to 700-x and don't want to have a combination powder load that by all indications would spell big trouble.

Suggestions backed by experience are much appreciated.

JonF.
Click to expand...
How long do you leave the powder in the dispenser hopper? Most recommendations are that it be emptied after the loading session is done. I don't do that because I load every day (200-300). If I go on a trip or something takes me away from the press for more than a few days I'll empty mine. The chemical reaction happens when the powder stays in contact with a certain spot over a period of time. If you keep the powder moving every couple of days it doesn't happen.
 
I use break free powder blast. When its clean and dry I use a spray dry lube. Hornady makes one but I use liquid wrench dry lubricant which contains cerflon (after using both I think the same except LW is cheaper for more). Both are available at Walmart. One in guns and one in automotive. If you want hornady its one shot gun cleaner and dry lube. If you call hornady they will recommend the one shot and to not leave powder in the tube. I drain mine if I'm not using for a while but don't clean everytime. Leaving powder in will also melt the hornady powder tube as I discovered.
 
I can confirm that Hornady OneShot Cleaner is easily used to clean the innards of a Hornady PM. The lube/residue is dry and helps, not hurts, pwder flow.

Will it remove your powder build-up? Can't say, but I suspect it will.
 
I have a Redding 3BR that I clean periodically. I can tell it needs cleaning when the charge lever starts to bind. I disassemble and start cleaning the insides with a die cleaner (in this case RCBS). When I've gone as far as possible I take a patch of Birchwood Casey Lead Remover polishing cloth (or equivalent) and scrub it down. It's interesting how much residue that removes. When that's done I follow by rubbing a patch sprayed in Hornady One Shot Dry Lube and let dry. I then wipe it down with a clean dry cloth and reassemble. Shines like a mirror, works like a charm.
 
RCBS recommends you empty the hopper after each session. (I almost never do.) But it does get nasty sometimes. So RCBS recommends cleaning it out with a rag soaked in a bit of rubbing alcohol.
 
I would never put any "lube" in my powder measure. Dry graphite would be fine but sounds like maybe it's just static cling or is the pwoder actually embeded in the measure? I have never seen anythign painted inside a measure either. Alcohol & a brush to remove it if it's stuck. If it's just clinging, a drier sheet will help that. FWIW, I rarely empty after every use. I let it get down to the 1" or so from the bottom & leave it for the next session. Some powders have a more violent reaction to the plastic hopper than others.
 
residue

Thanks so far everyone.
I do empty the measure back into the powder container (bottle) when finished. The accumulation is from bullseye and no other powder, and is ONLY on the painted portion of the measure.
 
I'm thinkin' exactly like Fred.

I've never seen a painted interior of a powder measure.

DRY Graphite powder, like the pinewood derby dads use, is what I use in my powder hopper (and primer trays/feeders, all parts of the press near the ammo).

I think(?) the graphite helps to dissapate static. I also rub the outside of my plastic hopper with a slightly damp finger. Water dissapates static electricity.

I've never used any of the other dry lubes like OneShot or similar. Perhaps they would work just as well. Obviously something with any kind of petroleum base would be a no-no for use in hoppers.


Sgt Lumpy
 
SgtLumpy said:
I'm thinkin' exactly like Fred.

I've never seen a painted interior of a powder measure.. . .
Click to expand...
My Hornady is, of course, painted red metal. Suspect the RCBS PM is also painted because it's the same PM in green. My Redding powder trickler is green painted metal.

The only PMs I have that are (almost) not painted are the Lees . . . they are colored plastic, bare metal, and some castings that appear to be painted metal but those may or may not actually touch powder.

There may be better or cheaper cleaners, but the Hornady One Shot Cleaner *does* work extremely well removing shipping/factory oil and normal powder buildups from use. And it leaves a synthetic dry lube residue functionally much like graphite.
 
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Twoboxer said:
My Hornady is, of course, painted red metal. Suspect the RCBS PM is also painted because it's the same PM in green. My Redding powder trickler is green painted metal.

The only PMs I have that are (almost) not painted are the Lees . . . they are colored plastic, bare metal, and some castings that appear to be painted metal but those may or may not actually touch powder.

There may be better or cheaper cleaners, but the Hornady One Shot Cleaner *does* work extremely well removing shipping/factory oil and normal powder buildups from use. And it leaves a synthetic dry lube residue functionally much like graphite.
Click to expand...
The measure body may be painted, but my two RCBS rotors are NOT painted. SO I just don't see where a painted surface comes into contact with the powder. The hopper is clear plastic. My Dillon measures are unpainted alum body. If the interior of the Hornady is painted, I would sand the paint off & go bare metal.
 
When needed, I like to disassemble and clean with rubbing alcohol, then reassemble and cycle some powdered graphite through it. Open for business again...Reload away.
 
fredj338 said:
The measure body may be painted, but my two RCBS rotors are NOT painted. SO I just don't see where a painted surface comes into contact with the powder. The hopper is clear plastic. My Dillon measures are unpainted alum body. If the interior of the Hornady is painted, I would sand the paint off & go bare metal.
Click to expand...
Sorry I missed this earlier on the original go-round.

My rotors are unpainted, just like yours. But the inside of your powder chamber is painted, just like mine, isn't it? It's the same PM painted green or red.

Think about how your PM works and you will see how powder touches your interior painted surface.

Better get out that sandpaper :)
 
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Solvents in the powder will react with the plastic hopper if left in them for an extended time period. There is no reason to believe that the same solvents would not react with paint.

I'd wipe it down with alcohol, lube it with graphite, wipe the hopper with a dryer sheet, and continue loading. If you can't remove it manually, it certainly is not going to come out and get in your other cartridges.
 
I've learned the hard way to always empty the hoppers on my Hornady LnL powder measures. They sure get cruddy if you use active powders and don't empty them. Since I live in a very dry environment and sparks are always a problem from static, I decided it would be a good idea to ground my presses. I ran a grounding braid through both press mounting bolts to the electrical conduit and checked with an ohmmeter to make sure there was no resistance present. Well, with my good ground I suddenly noticed that my powder wasn't sticking to the hopper or the inside of the measure, at all. When I was done loading, just dumped the powder back into the bottle and nothing stayed in the measure. Before the ground strap it was a pain to try and get all the powder out of the measure and that seems to have gone away.
Stu
 
I cut CLEAR PLASTIC SHEET PROTECTORS to fit inside my powder tubes.

The tubes stay CLEAR that way as the powder does not touch them.

I don't seem to have STATIC problems as those who live in really DRY AREAS.
 
Ive had a uniflow (plastic hopper) for around 30 years and I'm sure the directions said to empty the hopper at the end of a reloading session.It still looks new (ish)
 
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