H4831 Gone Bad

horseman2

horseman2

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d:h:d:h:d:h:Went looking for some H4831 and the tin lid was turning to rust.

When the lid was removed, the rust had some moisture in it so that my hand was stained.

With the can open, It appeared to be smokin', and when looking into the can with the aid of sunlight, some of the powder looked orange.

It was reduced to fertilizer.

Anyone else have a similar experience?
 
I have had a couple of cans go bad. One Nobel, one Alliant. Any powder can spoil, but powder spoilage is not normally a problem if it is stored in a cool dry place without a lot of temperature extremes. I have some H4831 powder that is more than 40 years old and it's still good to go.
 
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I`ve only had 2 cans of powder go bad and both were IMR4198. Not sure why one can will go bad and 20 others in the same cabinet don`t. Just bad juju i guess.
 
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H4831 said:
"H4831 Gone Bad"

Now what did I do?
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We've had enough of your wild ways, and I say as punishment we convert him to "Short Cut" and call him H4831SC. Sounds like a great title for a video as well. :p

As for the powder, I have some 70 years old and it's fine, but I had a can of H4198 from the 70's go bad a couple of weeks ago - my first. When I poured it, a fine red dust came out with the powder. No unusual smells, and at first I thought it was rust from within the can, but it was actually from the powder.
 
I suspect the problem has been solved with Hodgdon's purchase of IMR. No more metal cans, but they served us well over the years.
 
It was given to me in a metal can, and once I had an available H4831 plastic bottle it was transferred. Some was used when the rust was first noticed but the rusting continued until the other day it had a moisture content that would stain my hands.

Sorry H4831 . . . it was never intended as a slight. Unfortunatelysomeone picked up on it. He wasn't a friend of mind so perhaps you can say the same thing!!!!
 
Grinch said:
I suspect the problem has been solved with Hodgdon's purchase of IMR. No more metal cans, but they served us well over the years.
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Nothing to do with metal cans. It is deterioration of the nitrocellulose by the nitric acid used to make it. Occasionally the nitric acid isn't properly neutralized, or the mix of buffers in the powder mixture isn't quite right.

The metal cans simply rust because of the released acid. Plastic containers simply mean the powder is more recent manufacture....... the powder can still "gone bad" ..... :D
 
He has not gone bad, Bruce is still the great guy he always was, just some what beyond his "best before date," like me.

Now a pragmatic old farmacist would never suggest throwing out good medication, just because the date was past, at least for T3s and such and expensive antibiotic cream or ointment. You use what you have and hope that all is well.

As a matter of fact, I have powders 50 years old, that have not degraded.

There is very good advice in this thread and my levity in now way is meant to diminish it's importance.
 
Dissolve the powder in toluene. Line a cookie sheet with a double layer of waxed paper. Pour and let set while the toluene evapourates.

Score the dried sheet with a pizza wheel in 1x2 inch squares.

Keep in a sealed container.

Makes for a good camp fire starter.
 
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