In case of FIRE !

[RetiredMedic]

Slamfire,,,,,,
Don't know how many fire you been on, and what test have shown..

If you have enough ammo and powder in sealed cans and there is a fire thats hot enough.
The cans act like bombs.....

That is why some towns and citys have rules on how much you can have stored and one time.
It's also the reason many of gunshops are not selling real BP, because of the way they have to limit and store their stock....

 

[paulvallandigham]

Here's a tip from the fire codes. Dry wall is fire rated, based on how thick it is. You can take an ammo can, and simply hot glue, or epoxy glue on dry wall on the sides, top and bottom, to give the can more insulation from fire. Glue a 1/2 in layer of styrofoam on top of the first layer of drywall, and then a second layer of drywall, making more than an inch of material between the fire and the ammo box, and its very likely that the fire will be put out before anything inside the can gets hot enough to ignite. Go ahead and use joint tape and compound to seal the corners and edges of the drywall. Its good practice for doing repair work at home. Make allowances for the hinges, or change how the can is opened. That thermal mass of sheet rock( dry wall) and styrofoam, will also act as a heat sink in case something falls and pierces the dry wall, taking the heat away from the contents of the can. You can even glue aluminum foil over the first layer of sheet rock, and under the styrofoam to provide insulation and a better heat sink. heat sink.

I recommend using a styrofoam plastic picnic cooler, because they are inexpensive, insulated, and come in a large enough size that you can easily pack many pounds of powder and other supplies, along with descicants to keep them dry. The old Coleman coolers were trimmed in metal, and often came with locks, or hasps. They can be easily pad locked, and make great storage containers for powder. Going up in size, you can use an old refrigerator. Again they are insulated, well, and you can add insulation as I have described, to the outside. To protect the contents from even intense heat. A call to your fire department will get the fire ratings for various thickness of dry wall. Old Refrigerators, being metal, are easy to padlock. The motor and refrigerant don't actually have to be operational to keep your powder dry and cool. where you put your powder supplies will depend on whether you can remove them in the case of an actual fire. You will have to decide that based on your floor plans, and a balance between the need to secure the powder from thieves, and the need to be able to remove it in case of a fire. An old root cellar under the house has its appeal, too.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I keep mine in a fire-retardant metal filing cabinet, so that it's away from any of the centerfire stuff.

I guess if the worst happens, I carry-out the Wedding Album, my Goex and a bottle of wiskey...the Goex and the wiskey are flammable, but I wouldn't want to hear my Wife say "You ran in and saved your powder and left our Wedding album to burn up in the flames". That's when the wiskey would come in awfull handy :rotf: . Dave

 

[50cal.cliff]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Never thought about the cooler idea might just work.
And to Dave, "I heared that"! :rotf: :rotf: Can't forget that Wedding album and whatever might be laying next to it!

 

[kayja]

Fireproofing of Construction Materials

In construction, heavy wood timbers have a relatively high fire resistance, because fire tends to burn very slowly inward from the surface, leaving enough sound timber in the center to prevent collapse. Wood framing can also be impregnated with ammonium phosphate solution or covered with special mastics. Stucco or other incombustible facing also gives a wood frame some protection from fire.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You are correct, but dry wall tends to be cheaper. They even use dry wall around steel I beams to improve their fire rating. It was the absense of this kind of treatment to the World Trade Center that contributed to the collapse of the two towers, in 2001.

 

[Slamfire]

Slamfire,,,,,,
Don't know how many fire you been on, and what test have shown..

If you have enough ammo and powder in sealed cans and there is a fire thats hot enough.
The cans act like bombs.....

That is why some towns and citys have rules on how much you can have stored and one time.
It's also the reason many of gunshops are not selling real BP, because of the way they have to limit and store their stock....

I'm not the one who advocated sealed cans. :nono:

 

[RedFeather]

I've only got a couple of pounds at a time. Keep them in a cheap six-pack cooler with a separate lid, not hinged, held on by a bungee cord. If there is a fire and I can get to it, I would just through it through a window. If not, it's not strong enough to make a bomb like a steel chest.

Writing in Hatcher's Notebook, Gen. Julian Hatcher tells of putting a rifle round in a vise and heating it with a torch. I went off, but the bullet had very little velocity. I think he also took cans of powder, stacked them and set the whole thing on fire to see if they would blow up. They only burned. (Might have been modern powder.) I've heard that Pyrodex does the same thing.

 

[50cal.cliff]

Well I can see I stired up something here. :surrender:
I think my solution to this problem for myself is going to be this. I am going to take the recently purchased boxes for powder storage and put them in an old refrigerator, line refrigerator with sheetrock, lock with paddlelock and bury under the dog house!! :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
Seriousily I do appreciate the advice from everyone. I can also see there is no one answer this problem. I seriosly think tht if I put BP in the gernade boxes, but do not pack it full the box will at very least reduce any blast should it occur. The fact that the explosion would have room to expand before it reaches container, its like not packing the ball tight on a load. Now seriously, if I take the afore mentioned box and put it in an old refigerator box or cooler this should allow for another cushion to any explosion. This process would also allow me to store in my shed and not in my house!! I could then mark shed with a fire hazard and eplosive sticker. This should alert any resonding fireman to a danger if no one is home.

However I am still interested in any knowledge anyone has in the effect of heat and humidty would have on powder sealed in this manner. It would give virtually triple protection against humidty as I see it. But would still expose the powder to high heat in my shed!! Does exposure to high heat hurt powder if it is sealed?

 

[kayja]

the real safe thing to do is store it the way your state or Fed laws want it stored, take a couple pictures and give one to your FD and keep one, then if anything happends, you know that you were in complience to the best of your knowledge.

it will olny blow if it is compressed, if flame hits it, you will see a quick flash, but unlike gas, it will not reach out to the flame.
put a half spoon on a piece of steel and lay a match next to it, the flash is fast, but the smoke will be what bothers you the most, do it out side.

 

[50cal.cliff]

OK time to put this one to bed! Greybrd's post got me to thinking. I just looked this up, in my state of Florida. Storage of Black Powder regs read as follows:
(1)BP shall be stored in ICC approved containers(meaning the container it came in, had to be ICC approved to be shipped in that container)
(2) BP stored in a secured building in quantities not to exceed 50 lbs. (that's me) shall be kept in a wood box or cabinet having walls at least one inch nominal thickness. Said boxes or cabinets shall be kept securely locked, except when necessarily opened for use by authorized persons. Such boxes shall be provided with substancial handles to facilitate easy removal from building in event of an emergency, and shall be painted Red and shall bear lettring in white on all sides and top, Explosives-Keep Fire Away .
Guess I will be putting those boxes on Ebay when they get here. Ah who knows I might decide when I see them they are keepers! :rotf:
So I guess this put this one to bed for me!
Good night!! :surrender: :surrender:

 

[Geraldo]

A few random thoughts on the subject. In my years as a firefighter I didn't worry about ammo and powder, because it's very rare that they are a major problem (or even a minor one). I've seen ammo cook off and it's not a big deal. Smokeless powder also isn't much of a concern because it's a flammable solid.

As for a fridge as a locker, they're not as durable as one might think, and I recall seeing a few completely cooked in kitchen fires.

While I applaud those concerned with firefighter safety in regard to how they store ammo and powder, don't get so concerned about the issue that you neglect far more common causes of fire. For those who took powder with them, that's great, but I wouldn't recommend trying to hard to take it, or anything else (other than family) out with you. Better to not be a victim and let the boys decide how to handle the fire.