What Causes This?

[N.Y. Yankee]

I have several Cylindrical brass powder flasks with the spring loaded valve on one end and a cap on the other. I loaded one with black powder and it stayed in my shooting box for a few months. When I went to empty it, the powder had stuck to the walls of the cylinder like it was glued on. The rest of the powder was fine but the coating on the brass was fused. It took a Heafy wire brush to remove it, even after soaking in detergent. This was a few years ago and I do not store the flasks full anymore. I have a copper pistol flask that that has never happened and I have stored that one full through hunting season. I'm wondering the cause and if it can be prevented (other than emptying it)?

 

[Henry Miles]

Moisture maybe? Are you storing inside, conditioned space?

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Forgot to say, the powder was good and dry and stored properly in the house.

 

[Henry Miles]

Brass typically doesn't have any ferrous metal content to react with the ingredients in BP. There must have been some coating applied to the flask in manuf process. I have 4 solid brass ones that have never had a problem. Good question...

 

[bore_butter]

way back in the mid 70's i had my bp revolver and flask in my canoe going down a local stream. don't know exactly how it happened but i accidently dropped my flask in the water and caught it immediately and noticed the powder attacking the brass on the end of the flask . had to do a stream water flush the best i could.

 

[deerstalkert]

Real Black Powder or wanna be powder? i have one of those CVA cylinder flasks and it has had BP in it for decades. only problem i ever had with it was fine powder packing behind the valve spring.
i would bet that now that the walls have been "seasoned" you won't have any more problems.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Curious. I have that type of flask and have not observed this problem. Thinking out loud here, but many times brass objects are sprayed with a coating to inhibit tarnish from forming. Perhaps this one one got coated inside.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Curious. I have that type of flask and have not observed this problem. Thinking out loud here, but many times brass objects are sprayed with a coating to inhibit tarnish from forming. Perhaps this one one got coated inside.

I'm thinking it was some kind of coating on the brass that reacted with the (real) black powder. IDK

 

[deerstalkert]

was the flask really new when you filled it? if so they may have coated the inside of the flask with something that hadn't cured before you filled it

 

[hanshi]

Very puzzling. I have a copper flask I bought in the 1960s and it stays full year after year with no problems.

 

[Versanaut]

My CVA brass flask does the same. I stopped storing powder in it. Got an el-cheapo powder horn and never looked back.

That said, I still use it to load the cylinders on my C&B cylinders as the spout is 'tuned' to 20 grains. I just dump the powder back into the can after I'm done for the day.

As to why it does this.. I suspect it's a release agent, Working lube, or varnish they put on the brass to protect it during manufacture or to stay shiny while in the sales packaging.

 

[dave951]

I'm thinking moisture condensation.

 

[Rod Man]

^ I don’t think so. I just checked mine and sure enough it’s like the individual grains are stuck to the wall of the flask. I’ve had this thing for over 30 years and it’s not bad, but it’s there. I keep that flask filled and wrapped up in a ziplock. I would have never known.

RM

 

[deerstalkert]

going to look at mine now! haven't used it in a while . replaced it in use with horns.

 

[cynthialee]

just looked at mine and it had a few small granules stuck to the side with one larger piece almost fused as you described, but that was it

I suspect it is a case of atmospheric humidity interacting with stuff.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Perhaps static.

 

[jimhallam]

One potential problem if you load directly from such a flask -(especially the tubular brass "priming flasks") is that most of them do NOT have double shutters -- i.e., are "flashproof".
Stuck grains of powder -- -especially in the SPOUT -- are a hazard. One International ML Pistol-shooter lost part of a hand when priming a pan. The brass container became a grenade. IF you use one of these, drill the base cap and fit a wine-bottle cork *** which will blow out first.

*** I know that you will have to drink a bottle of wine to get the cork, but we do have to suffer in the interests of our sport ;-)))

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

was the flask really new when you filled it? if so they may have coated the inside of the flask with something that hadn't cured before you filled it

No, not "new".

My CVA brass flask does the same. I stopped storing powder in it. Got an el-cheapo powder horn and never looked back.

That said, I still use it to load the cylinders on my C&B cylinders as the spout is 'tuned' to 20 grains. I just dump the powder back into the can after I'm done for the day.

As to why it does this.. I suspect it's a release agent, Working lube, or varnish they put on the brass to protect it during manufacture or to stay shiny while in the sales packaging.

Yah, it could have been a CVA, I have several different ones.