Powder Storage

That would be a good idea, a lot of aspirin and vitamin bottles have the small desiccant containers in them that would be ideal for that sort of use.
 
I have read that it is NOT a good idea to add desiccants, since moisture is part of the formulation. Removing it can alter the burn rate. Maybe someone could clarify if there is any truth to this?
 
roadcarver said:
What about the Home Depot empty paint cans that they sell? Should be air tight?

Doing quick Google search, some folks suggested using those Chlorine bottles as they were opaque.

What about those water containers used for camping - the blue ones?
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NOTHING METALLIC. SPARKS AND POWER BAD. PRESSURE AND HEAT BAD. Moisture bad but a more long term issue.

Any soft plastic container that will melt if heated. Preferably one that will seal but I notice my powder containers don't generally reseal that well after opening so only an issue if it will sit for some time.
 
I use empty motor oil bottles, well washed out with brake cleaner and then dish soap for smaller quantities. Some even have labels that peel off clean and easy in one piece. Larger quantities I use liquid laundry detergent bottles. They have built in pour spouts and a neat funnel type opening that makes pouring the powder back in very easy as it redirects it around the pour spout and back in the bottle. Obviously I save as many empty 1 lb bottles as I can as well. I just make sure any plastic container I use for powder is very clean and is made out of the same kind of plastic as factory powder bottles. I believe it's a #2 in the recycle triangle thing on the bottom. I figure it's the safest bet as some powders smell very strong and will melt plastic powder dispenser hoppers if left in them too long.
 
Purple shoulder said:
Powder used to all come in metal containers with screwed on lids. Plastic is much more likely to generate a spark than metal.
Proper labeling would be my #1 concern
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I admit sparking depends on the metal but pressure not as much. There is a reason we no longer use metal containers obviously one is cost but the more important one is it resists heat better than the plastics used for powder containers and thus you can get more pressure buildup in metal containers. Also not all plastics are the same. Some plastics resist heat well and some do not. The plastics used for powder storage are low temperature melt plastics. Anything that can allow pressure buildup is bad. Pressure is the biggest problem as pressure changes powder from a flammable solid to an explosive, sort of. In reality it probably doesn't matter a lot as you need to maintain a lot of pressure for powder to really do damage. Any clean, dry, non sparking, non pressurizable container is probably OK. Personally I keep a few of my old powder containers for mixing purposes etc.
 
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