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Posted: 3/10/2017 5:28:42 AM EDT
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I live in Wisconsin. I am going to setup my reloading equipment in my garage. It's a fully insulated and attached garage, but no heat. I am going to get a portable heater to use during winter for when I need to do work out there. However, temps can fluctuate a lot in Wisconsin during the winter months.
Is this okay? Can I just keep the powder indoors but the equipment would be fine w/ the temp swings? |
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Quoted:
I'm probably just paranoid but I don't reload during the winter season in my garage due to static electricity If someone is gonna shock you it's me https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Anti-Static-Components-RTK-002-Yellow/dp/B004N8ZQKY?tag=vglnk-c102-20 |
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I reloaded for years in an unheated shed. Kept my primers and powder in the house. I had a 1500 watt electric heater I'd use to warm the place up.
I had to keep an eye out for rust on the press and dies due to Indiana summer humidity. Other than that and my hands getting cold in the winter, no problems. |
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Keep your powder, primers and dies in the house. Only bring out enough to do the batch. Fill the powder hopper then return the container inside.
You'll need to keep an eye out for rust. Wipe down metal with an oily cloth. If you park a car in there that's been driven recently you will have a salt air environment which needs to be watched more closely. When I reloaded in my garage I brought as much of my equipment as I could into the house, even presses. When I wanted to load a batch I put everything into a large metal tool box and took it out there, unloaded it. Reloaded the batch, packed up, brought the box back in but left the lid open for a day so any condensation could dry up. Be very wary of condensation, you're using a heater but some things can still get cold enough for it to form when brought inside. |
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Unless your garage is air tight the dehumidifier will be running constantly, and pulling in more humid air from outside. It's not needed.
Humidity is a long term problem. If you subject powder to high humidity levels for long periods it will absorb water, even overnight is long enough to cause a problem when left in a hopper. Short term it's only a problem if the sweat is running down your nose and into the powder. I've reloaded when it was very humid and never had issues, just keep the exposure times down as much as possible. You can use a fan to cool things a little but don't have it blowing on your scale. |
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I have a nice dehumidifier for the garage that works very well. Would that solve the humidity issue or is it just a bad idea to reload in my garage? I reloaded in my garage for several years until moving it into my basement this year. No humidifier, just don't store your powder or primers out there all the time. Move them inside when you aren't reloading. Other than that, it's fine. Granted, I didn't reload in summer(mostly fall and winter), but I think you'll be fine. I also live in Wisconsin, so from a climate standpoint it's going to be the same. |
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I reloaded in my garage for several years until moving it into my basement this year. No humidifier, just don't store your powder or primers out there all the time. Move them inside when you aren't reloading. Other than that, it's fine. Granted, I didn't reload in summer(mostly fall and winter), but I think you'll be fine. I also live in Wisconsin, so from a climate standpoint it's going to be the same. Thanks brother. Where in WI are you? I am in Appleton. |
| I reload all year long in an attached unheated garage. If it is really cold out there I bring the powder inside and do the measuring and case filling in the kitchen. Then back out to the cold to press the bullets into the cases. I keep all my shit out there and have not had any problems from doing so. I do think about bringing the powder and primers inside but I don't have a good place for them here so until I can come up with one they will stay out in the garage. |
| I reloaded in an unheated garage for years while living in Alaska. Never had a problem. I would put a portable heater under my loading desk just to help keep my feet and hands warm during the colder months, which is most of the year. I finally got my basement finished and moved every thing indoors. |
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The inside of a die is a precision hole in the die.
Even surface rust will affect operation when it is present and polishing it out will alter die size. VpCI 'chips' (often nothing more than a small square of cardboard with the corrosion inhibitor absorbed in them) will protect dies in a closed container. I put a new batch of chips in all my die boxes once a year. |
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Quoted:
just don't store your powder or primers out there all the time. Move them inside when you aren't reloading. Other than that, it's fine. +1. I reload in an uninsulated detached garage. I skip reloading on the coldest/hotest/humid WI days, maybe a range of 20-85F. No issues so far in nearly a decade. |
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