Opening Stuck Powder Can Lid

C

ChasHam

New member
Got a one pound steel can of 3F black powder that's about full and in good condition. It's been sitting untouched in the garage for about 35 years and the lid is too tight to screw off by hand.

Wondering if it's OK to use slip joint pliers to loosen it...and if any special precautions are necessary.
 
D

dahermit

New member
ChasHam said:
Got a one pound steel can of 3F black powder that's about full and in good condition. It's been sitting untouched in the garage for about 35 years and the lid is too tight to screw off by hand.

Wondering if it's OK to use slip joint pliers to loosen it...and if any special precautions are necessary.
Click to expand...
Anytime you mess with real Black powder, you are taking a risk. An experienced gun smith here in Michigan shot himself through the hand with using a bullet puller on a ball in a Muzzle loading rifle.

If you decide to throw caution to the wind, a pipe wrench may also work...but if the lid is "glued" on due to rust, you may find that you have twisted the top of the can with the screw threads off before the threaded lid turns.

But in all, you should ask yourself, is a 35 year-old can of powder that has sat out in the garage for 35 years worth what you are willing to risk?
 
P

Pahoo

New member
Choices

Wondering if it's OK to use slip joint pliers to loosen it...and if any special precautions are necessary.
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken, The cap, on this "vintage" can is about 1" in diameter. I would have no problem with your approach. I would cover the top of the can/cap with a damp wash cloth. .......:)

Your call
Be Safe !!!
 
D

dahermit

New member
Pahoo said:
If I'm not mistaken, The cap, on this "vintage" can is about 1" in diameter. I would have no problem with your approach. I would cover the top of the can/cap with a damp wash cloth. .......:)

Your call
Be Safe !!!
Click to expand...
That would work if you could get the damp washcloth up between the corroded threads on the can/cap and the Black powder. Turning the ferrous metal cap against the rust on the threads may result in a spark...just as did the bullet-puller incident I mentioned.

One must ask one's self, what is that can of old black powder worth...an eye, a finger?
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
Turning the ferrous metal cap against the rust on the threads may result in a...
Click to expand...

You are assuming what it holding the lid tight is rust. It may not be rust.

Black powder is more "age stable" than smokeless as it doesn't chemically break down over time the way smokeless does.

Black powder can keep its full strength and ability (including it sensitivity) for well over a century (and who knows how much longer?) if it is properly stored.

SO assume the powder is full strength and possibly even "grouchier" than when new. Spark, open flame, COMPRESSION and IMPACT have been known to set off black powder. STATIC ELECTRICITY has done it. And, powder has also detonated for no known reason.

35+ years in a garage, it might be rust in the threads, or it might be something else. What other chemical vapors might the can have been exposed to during those years? Some chemical vapors will leave crystalline deposits. Sometimes those deposits are unstable and can themselves detonate. All depends on exact chemicals and conditions.

My experience with model paint jars and stuck lids is that metal tools (pliers) on the metal caps seldom have the grip required. The jaws "slip". Using a thin piece of soft rubber gives the jaws a better grip.

HEAT often works well, to loosen the caps, applying it using HOT WATER, NOT any kind of flame, OR heat gun or anything like that

Pouring very hot water over the cap (slowly), or soaking just the cap in hot water could cause it to expand just enough to break the bond sealing it, and allow it to be unscrewed.

If it is just rust, inverting the can and using a penetrating oil such as Liquid Wrench or Kroil and allowing it some time to soak the threads might do the trick, as well.

Or you can just write the whole thing off as an unnecessary risk and call the professionals (Fire Dept, usually) on how to safely dispose of the hazardous (explosive) content. You might also check with the Police Bomb Squad for their input. The bomb squad tends to be very "reactive" so I'd talk to hazmat disposal people first. IF they say call the bomb squad, then do so.

And then be prepared for your entire city block to be evacuated and coverage on the nightly news....:rolleyes:

Good Luck!
 
A

Aguila Blanca

Staff
You may think the can is in good condition but, if it has sat in a garage (not climate controlled, I assume?) for 35 years, you have no idea what the inside of the can looks like or what condition the powder is in.
 
H

hounddawg

New member
Or you can just write the whole thing off as an unnecessary risk and call the professionals (Fire Dept, usually) on how to safely dispose of the hazardous (explosive) content. You might also check with the Police Bomb Squad for their input. The bomb squad tends to be very "reactive" so I'd talk to hazmat disposal people first. IF they say call the bomb squad, then do so.

And then be prepared for your entire city block to be evacuated and coverage on the nightly news....
Click to expand...

best suggestion in the thread, some things are just not worth the risk. This falls into that category. Alternatively if there are any civil war or revolutionary war reenactors in your area call them. They tend to be pretty familiar with that stuff. I come from a time and area where that stuff could be bought at the local hardware store and was used to blow stumps, I would not have it in my house or garage
 
S

Scorch

New member
HEAT often works well, to loosen the caps, applying it using HOT WATER,
Click to expand...
This is good advice. If I remember correctly, old ffg bp had a metal seal in the mouth of the jug of powder. Either way, get it warm not hot. This is probably not the time to fire up the torch.
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
If you are going to try a penetrant, just use mineral spirits so it will evaporate off the powder completely. If I were doing this, I'd go out in a field and trap the can in something (dirt, for example) and put a cheap plastic strap wrench on it and pull the handle with a long rope from prone position. Eye and hearing protection go without saying.
 
H

hounddawg

New member
if I were doing it I would take it to the middle of a field walk back 200 or 300 yards and use a 140 gn SMK wrench to open
 
P

Pahoo

New member
The little bell, is ringing

Wondering if it's OK to use slip joint pliers to loosen it...and if any special precautions are necessary.
Click to expand...
There are many times, in our lives when we encountered such situations. That's when that little bell goes off, in our heads that basically reminds us to question our actions. There are times when I have ignored that bell and most times, there are no bad consequences. Then again, there have been times when "it" wasn't such a good idea. ..... ;)

ChasHam
This is one of those times when that little bell is ringing and only you will decide what to do. I think by now, you already have. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
Good point. Someone doing this out in the middle of forest fire country is asking for a world of problems, including a conviction his life may never recover from.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
I think the point was to open the can and use the contents (assuming they are usable) NOT to just dispose of or destroy the powder.

IF I'm in error, I hope the OP corrects me.
 
C

ChasHam

New member
44 AMP said:
I think the point was to open the can and use the contents (assuming they are usable) NOT to just dispose of or destroy the powder.

IF I'm in error, I hope the OP corrects me.
Click to expand...
"Open and use" was my initial intent-- but after reading the thread, I'll probably switch to a disposal plan...
 
D

DaleA

New member
Disclaimer: Almost totally clueless about black powder but if the intent is to use it up I like the idea of using the beer can opener to "pry" a hole in the can...from what I've gathered "punching" a hole in the can might be problematic...and pour the powder into some other container for use and throw the original container away.

My black powder experience was shooting a Ruger Old Army a few times. It was definitely a hoot and I'd think about getting one but they are no longer made and the used ones sell for ridiculous prices and the owner of the Ruger told me you have to take care to clean them thoroughly after EVERY shooting or you'll have problems...they are a high maintenance gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top