Powder box

[uno676]

Does anybody have plans for a Blackpowder storage box? Or does anybody have other options.

 

[Cruzatte]

I use a .50 caliber US army surplus ammunition can. Mine will hold about 5 or 6 1 lb cans of Goex. Will that suit you?

 

[hawkeye2]

Same here. It is claimed that a tightly sealed can like these will create a bomb in a fire. I guess that's possible. I have 3 .50 cans with black powder in them and the powder has the benefit of double protection from moisture when stored in cans in the .50 cans. Some of the powder is many years old and still as good as new.

 

[hanshi]

I've used .50 ammo cans for storage in the past but for a long while, now, I keep it in a couple of coolers that aren't used for any other purpose.

 

[hawkeye2]

The coolers are a good idea. It might be good to throw a couple of bags of silica gel in there too.

 

[uno676]

I had read about keeping it in a container that didn't have a strong lock because it could become a bomb. I keep it in a metal cabinet right now in my basement. I live in Colorado so moisture isn't a big issue. I was looking for a safer way to store it. In case of fire.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

If you're not an apartment dweller and have a fenced in yard, as well as dealing with draconian storage laws, or if concerned with fire safety, you could use an MTM "Survivor" Ammo Can which will hold 6 1-pound metal cans of Black Powder in the ground in the yard, and seals with an o-ring to prevent water from entering.

If you live in an apartment with a balcony, you could always place it in a very large planter on that balcony with plants growing over top to conceal it.

LD

 

[ZUG]

I have a wooden box that measures 2-1/2' X 2' X 1' tall made of 3/4" plywood. It does have a hasp on it for a lock to keep unwanted people out. I store this in a 10' X 12' wood shed in the yard. I have been using this method since 1975 without issues.

 

[Billnpatti]

I have several pounds of Goex stored in my shed behind my house. Several years back, I was at Friendship and bought several cans of Goex. They gave me one of the cardboard boxes that the powder comes in. That is what I store my unopened cans of Goex in. I bought a heat shrink tube from Radio Shack quite some time ago. It is about 1 inch in diameter and was intended to bundle wires together and then use a hair drier to shrink the bundle of wires into a nice neat bundle. I cut pieces off the tube to form heat shrink rings to go around the caps of my unopened cans of Goex. I slipped them over the caps and shrunk them onto the caps with a hair drier. Sealed them up like a vault. I don't know if you can still find the heat shrink tubing since Radio Shack has essentially gone out of business. I haven't gone into one since they changed but I think all they have now are cell phones and cell phone service. But, if you were interested, you might give them a try. If they don't have it, they may be able to tell you where to find it.

 

[Treestalker]

To do it right (I don't) one should build a box of steel with a completely removeable lid with two locks and rollers on the bottom of the box to facilitate easy removal from the building. The removeable box lid is supposed to blow off in case of ignition, letting the force burn out the top instead of blowing up the box by detonation. Dixie gun works sells such a box or you can fabricate your own. This should satisfy Federal law if you keep the primers and cannon fuse separate. Hope this helps, George.

 

[uno676]

So what I'm gathering is most keep it outside of the living quarters. In a dry area. I don't have a shed and my garage is attached. I was trying to think of a safer containment method. I guess my metal cabinet is about as safe as anything.

 

[Black Hand]

So what I'm gathering is most keep it outside of the living quarters.

Why not store it in the house? Warm and dry with low moisture. It will not spontaneously combust or explode.

The flash point of Black powder is 801”“867 °F - if you have these temperatures inside the house, you have a far greater problem to worry about...

 

[necchi]

If your thinking about fire,,
Then build a box using 2x wood,,2x4-2x6-2x8-etc,,
keep the joints tight and have a lid that's 2x also.
Here's the gig,, fire needs oxygen to burn, a tight box doesn't allow oxygen and/or fire to consume the entire thing, the outside will char and the lack of air moving through said box will keep flame from the interior. Unless a house is fully engulfed and destroyed,, using the burnt side of standing/remaining structural lumber is how they find the "source" while investigating cause,, much of a house fires structural lumber remains un-burnt.
I talked to our local Fire Chief about powder storage and what they do as firemen,, his answer was they don't worry about it,, powder in jugs doesn't "explode",, it burns off in a "poof".
The fact is if BP is exposed to high heat without an ignition source the sulfur component changes and powder looses much of it's "explosive" properties.
During that conversation with the Fire Chief I mentioned I'm using GI ammo cans, he smiled and said "Well you can't beat old reliable"

 

[MountainRanger]

I use a .50 Army Ammunition can also. Works fine and it holds 5 pound cans of Goex, either in the cans or the newer plastic containers (which really stink).

 

[Zonie]

I think those ammo cans were made out of thin sheet metal with a wire clasp to hold the lid shut specifically to prevent them from building up too much pressure in case of a fire.

Likewise, a thin sheet metal tool box will blow apart before any seriously dangerous pressures can build up inside.

The place some problems can come up is when people store their powder in stout containers like safe's and the like.

If a pound or two of black powder explodes inside a small safe it would do some really serious damage.

 

[uno676]

Thanks for the info I really appreciate all the feedback

 

[fleener]

I store my powder in a file cabinet in my shop. It has 2 padlocks on it.

The cabinet is not that tight to build up pressure, and it gives me a some security from a neighbor kid that might get into the powder.

Fleener

 

[Rifleman1776]

So many complexcated answers.
Since the beginning of time, mine has been stored on a shelf. Sometimes in an out building, sometimes on a shelf in the house and for about the last 30+ years in my basement shop/garage. I once tried building a bomb to get rid of a yellowjacket nest. Stuff just went 'foosh', no 'bang'. You probably have worse stuff in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I find it interesting that so many people worry about black powder. But don't even think about paint thinners stored in so many work shops, or gasoline cans in the garage. Black powder stays where you put it. Gasoline fumes and paint thinners move around whenever open to the air! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[stantdm]

I store unopened plastic and some old metal cans in an old kitchen cabinet in my detached shop. It is mounted on the wall. When I lived in a town I just kept it in one of those large ammo cans in my garage.