You need this and don't know it

[.36Rooster]

A light coat of oil seems to ward of the moisture trouble for me...

 

[Woody Morgan]

A light coat of oil seems to ward of the moisture trouble for me...

Does S. Dakota even have any humidity?

wm

 

[smoothshooter]

I'm brand new to black powder hobby.

Wouldn't a fire melt a small hole in a plastic container most BP are contained in, causing a pressure vessel of sorts? If one cooks off I would imagine the blast would cook off other ones. Its not so much as fear of explosion as much as fear of a exacerbating a fire. Imagine telling a fire fighter that I have 30-40lb of black powder in my house. They'll watch that house from a safe distance burn I'm sure haha.

That’s why I do not store all mine in the same place.
Still, most houses, shops, and garages have an assortment of flammables that are as hazardous or more-so than BP.

 

[Woody Morgan]

BP is classed as an explosive while most fuels are flammables. Either KB under the right conditions.
It's psychological.

wm

 

[.36Rooster]

Does S. Dakota even have any humidity?

wm

No, but southern Indiana did, beyond belief...and I kept and still have guns that had been there for almost 20 years.

 

[Mark Herman]

For what its worth. I have a friend whose house burned a number of years ago who had BP in cans and horns. When we were able to get in we found some of the horns were melted on the side facing the flames with the powder burned and/ or caked in them, no explosions. The cans of powder survived the fired but were obviously scorched, no explosions. bP burns but does not explode unless in a tightly confined space like the breech of a rifle or other arm.

 

[MSW]

I've been running a dehumidifier in my (southeastern Vermont) basement for many years ... no problem with rust at all ... can't envision a household without one

 

[Boston Bill]

I read post after post about how to store powder, caps,filled horns,loaded weapons
I read about how quick our BP shooters will decay if not cleaned properly and done so in a timely fashion...
Get a dehumidifier ..it is so simple..
A good one ..one that will do 2000sqft ..has a big tank or if a drain is available ..one you can run a short garden hose from dehumidifier to drain ..
Set it on 50% and protect all metals, munitions, leathers, clothing,woods( gunstocks) etc etc
IT is a no Brainer ..an insurance policy ..spend $250 on a good humidifier to protect literally thousands upon thousands of dollars of assets

Just saying
Bear

lol, have 2 running in my basement that I empty every night during spring, summer and fall and I can still get rust on a gun or 2 even with keeping humidity under 30%. From SE MA

 

[Osseon]

For what its worth. I have a friend whose house burned a number of years ago who had BP in cans and horns. When we were able to get in we found some of the horns were melted on the side facing the flames with the powder burned and/ or caked in them, no explosions. The cans of powder survived the fired but were obviously scorched, no explosions. bP burns but does not explode unless in a tightly confined space like the breech of a rifle or other arm.

Puts my mind at ease. Thanks.

 

[Doc]

A well imagine there are many that can not afford a good gun safe or a new extra tall one for a new trade gun. An inexpensive alternative would be a non working tall stand up freezer. Being basically air tight, a great way to store large amounts of powder, ammo, etc.
Doc,

 

[Josephg]

I wore out three dehumidifiers in 22 years at my old place in Western Warshington. I don't need one here in Southern Idaho.
The garden hose going outside worked good.
I have experienced high humidity in Eastern South Dakota.

 

[SOLANCO]

Ive been running a dehumidifier in my gun room/basement shop, since i bought the house in 2006. I keep it at 60% and 65°f year round.

House was built 1950 so it came with a big fallout shelter down a flight of 6 steps from the basement. Keep my powder, wine, and misc other items in there. Concrete construction. Definitely wants the dehumidifier I run on 55%.

 

[flntlokr]

Black powder does not explode in a fire unless it is tightly and firmly confined. The gasoline in the tank of your car is more dangerous. Am always puzzled that so few people know this, especially shooters.
As relating to humidity, it cannot penetrate the factory containers.

This is true. A friend's house burned down several years back. He had about15 lb, of powder in metal cans stored inside o0n a closet floor. Several of the cans were scorched enough that the lacquer labels were burned off of the top half of the can. Only two cans burst and the contents burned. (solder melted out and flame introduced?) I suspect that the new plastic cans would not have fared as well, and the firefighters may have detected the excess energy emitted thereby.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

In the high desert if I want to dehumidify the house I just turn off the swamp cooler then open the doors and windows.........

Yep, here in the Sonoran Desert very little has a chance to rust.

 

[Bergmann]

Tennessee can be quite humid at times. But I just keep my guns clean and oiled and my powder containers tightly sealed! Never had any problems with humidity unless _I_ scru'd up! I have more issues with them in low humidity. So much so that I use a humidifier in the Winter! The AC in my shop keeps the humidity between 60 and 70%.

 

[smoothshooter]

I'm brand new to black powder hobby.

Wouldn't a fire melt a small hole in a plastic container most BP are contained in, causing a pressure vessel of sorts? If one cooks off I would imagine the blast would cook off other ones. Its not so much as fear of explosion as much as fear of a exacerbating a fire. Imagine telling a fire fighter that I have 30-40lb of black powder in my house. They'll watch that house from a safe distance burn I'm sure haha.

I don’t think the hole is what makes something a pressure vessel.

 

[Woody Morgan]

I don’t think the hole is what makes something a pressure vessel.

Indeed.

wm

 

[Eric Bye]

I've been running a dehumidifier in my (southeastern Vermont) basement for many years ... no problem with rust at all ... can't envision a household without one

I live in SE Vermont too - do we know each other? If not, maybe we should...
Eric Bye

 

[Cvkotvkse]

As a Floridian whose family was here when the Spanish landed, and a a traditional Creek bowyer, I totally agree with you. In Central Florida where I grew up, running the AC all the time may lower the RH below the 85-100% it would otherwise be, but it would require, I suspect, a totally sealed room, to get to and maintain an average of 50. Especially true if one has tile, terrazzo, or other ceramic flooring. My mother has ceramic tile, and even with AC AND a dehumidifier running 24-7, the level of humidity and condensation feels like a tour of the Florida Caverns... Thankfully, we do have a dehumidifier strip in the gun safe... All it took was a week without power going to it after a hurricane, and it became a sealed science experiment.that took a LOT of cleaning of wood, leather, and metal.
Swamp Life has its challenges...

 

[Bergmann]

I don’t think the hole is what makes something a pressure vessel.

The powder would "cook off" just as easily in a sealed metal can; Possibly even quicker and probably with more explosive effect.