Hi, All:
Does anyone know of a company that makes a brass, or aluminum powder hopper to fit the Lyman#55 measure, or the RCBS Powder measure, or the RCBS Little dandy powder measure, so that it would be safe to use with black powder?
I have all three measures mentioned, and a Lyman 24", two piece, aluminum Drop tube that fits a Lyman #55 powder measure, but can not use any of them because they all have plastic hopper tubes. I would think that some interpriseing company, or person would come up with brass or aluminum replacement hoppers. Anyone know of such a replacement?
Lyman has a powder measure that has a metal hopper, the #55 Classic, but naturally the hoppers are not interchangable.
Thanks.
Chubbo

No but a length of sink drain tubing should easily be adapted. CVA makes a real nice looking brass pistol flask with brass threaded end cap on it. Would not be much of a problem to make an adapter to make it fit proper. Other than that I would guess you can have one made at a local machine shop. Just bring them your plastic one along with the measure and have them make you an aluminum one, with cap.

Never thought of it before, but the PVC piping may be the way to go, if you can find the right size. Even if the BP does attack the PVC, would be cheap enough to discard and replace with another piece.

Not sure of the effects of the BP on the metal innards, though.

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure is fairly cheap to buy and is mostly nylon parts. Might want to consider using one of them in lieu of the Lyman or RBCS measures.

Never thought of it before, but the PVC piping may be the way to go, if you can find the right size. Even if the BP does attack the PVC, would be cheap enough to discard and replace with another piece.

Not sure of the effects of the BP on the metal innards, though.

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure is fairly cheap to buy and is mostly nylon parts. Might want to consider using one of them in lieu of the Lyman or RBCS measures.

Hi, kdub
The tubing Swany mentioned, would be the brass drain tubing, as the PVC pipe would be plastic, and therefore create static electricity that might trigger an explosion. The reason they don't recomend using standard powder measures with plastic hoppers. It would have to be brass or aluminum.
Thanks guys you have me thinking.
Chubbo

Here's an interesting article on static electricity and black powder.

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/mlexperiments/sparks/sparks.html

If you wipe the plastic with fabric softner sheets you eliminate the static electricty.

Wanting to go nonferrous metals - take a look at aluminum or copper piping. Again, you can get conduit and copper piping in various sizes.

Here's an interesting article on static electricity and black powder.

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/mlexperiments/sparks/sparks.html

Hi, Joe:
I have been very much concerned about using my three powder mesures, a Lyman 55, a RCBS Little Dandy, and anRCBS standard microadjustable powder measure. Both companys emphatically state that they are not to be used with black powder, and Lyman offers a #55clasic measure that has a metal powder hopper. I wonder if it is the matter of static electricity or some other factor? If so, why couldn't you use a grounding strap on the measures as they do when handling electronic componants? What are your thoughts on why they warn against using their measures?
Chubbo

I suspect they are concerned about a bit of sand in the powder creating a spark against the iron body of the measure. Lyman's black powder measure uses a brass sleeve inside the iron body, so it's the brass sleeve against the brass rotor and no chance of a spark. Lyman's been making measures for over a century, and I wonder what they were made of back when black powder was more common than that new flanged smokeless stuff.

Mic McPherson had an article in Precision Shooting Magazine some years back. He lit off several smokeless powders in a Lee measure. The measure survived, although I don't remember if it was operational or not. Bullseye powder made a spectacular fireball. The measure did not survive black powder. He did this test in the back yard, and one piece landed in the front yard.

The reservoir tube in a standard Lyman 55 is 2" O.D. so finding a copper tube that size shouldn't be a problem. Shotgun reloaders found that grounding their MECs and P-Ws improved metering consistency.

Bye
Jack

Do you have to be concerned about black powder residue corrosion when it comes into contact with ferrous metal parts in the powder measure? I know my copper black powder flask shows what appears to be corrosive stains even after wiping it down carefully after a days shooting.

It's the products of black powder combustion that corrode copper. The insides of my brass powder flasks aren't tarnished, even after a dozen years of continuously holding Goex black powder. They're not bright and shiny anymore, but they look better than the outsides do.

Bye
Jack

There are two reasons most manufacturers warn against using their measures for black powder. First is static electricity which is mostly a result of the plastic hopper. If you want a metal reservoir for your Lymen, call Lyman and ask since they make a black powder version of the #55 which has an aluminum reservior!

The second problem is the porosity of the cast iron body of most measures. The Potassium Nitrate (Saltpeter) in the powder is both very finely divided and hygroscopic. It will actually enter the pores of the iron and cause rusting in some measures. I destroyed a good Redding measure this way many years ago. If you find a measure at a gun show which shows rust between the rotor and frame there is s good chance it has been used with black powder and that is why it is being sold!

For safety sake, never use a plastic hopper or the Lee measure with black, the hazard is too great due to static. Have you noticed frequently, especially in dry weather, that powder sticks in the plastic reservoir of your measure? That is the result of static electricity.

There are two reasons most manufacturers warn against using their measures for black powder. First is static electricity which is mostly a result of the plastic hopper. If you want a metal reservoir for your Lymen, call Lyman and ask since they make a black powder version of the #55 which has an aluminum reservior!

The second problem is the porosity of the cast iron body of most measures. The Potassium Nitrate (Saltpeter) in the powder is both very finely divided and hygroscopic. It will actually enter the pores of the iron and cause rusting in some measures. I destroyed a good Redding measure this way many years ago. If you find a measure at a gun show which shows rust between the rotor and frame there is s good chance it has been used with black powder and that is why it is being sold!

For safety sake, never use a plastic hopper or the Lee measure with black, the hazard is too great due to static. Have you noticed frequently, especially in dry weather, that powder sticks in the plastic reservoir of your measure? That is the result of static electricity.
Hi, Alk:
Thanks for the info. The rusting is probably quite a factor in this matter. I don't know what Lyman used in their #55clasic's body, I wish I knew, it might be brass instead of iron. They have covered their tracks and made the metal hopper non interchangeable, so that stops you from updating their #55.
Chubbo

I bought my brass conversion for the old Lyman from Buffalo Arms in Ponderay Idaho. I don't usually leave powder in the measure, but will check it this time out of curiosity. All my muzzle loader accesories with brass parts have never corroded.

There is a firm that makes brass powder reservoirs for the Lyman powder measure. I think that they can be found in the Buffalo Arms catalogue.

The reason for the avoidance of blackpowder in plastic measures has more to do with lawyers than reality. Sure under a worst case situation you might be a detonation with plastic but, well... The companies are worried about being sued.

I lucked out a few years ago and found some thin walled brass tubing that was a snug fit in the base of my Lyman #55 measure. It's not threaded but the tube is held snuggly in place. You could also drill and tap the base for set screws to hold a tube that was a bit small. I recently got a black powder measure from a friend and the only difference I can see is the aliminum hopper and a wedge shaped diverter above the rotor. The old Ideal powder measures were cast iron and they were used for black powder, one was even a duplex measure. Emery