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Getting Grounded...


IGOTGLOCKED

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How do you ground your press or reloading area? I searched and the discussions found became a debate on US vs: UK voltage - blah, blah ,blah. No idea where that was going..

My 650 is mounted on a wooden bench, concrete floor, HVAC controlled environment, LED lighting if that makes any difference and I also have the LED lighting kit on my press

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

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You've got a ground wire in every duplex outlet (or should).  I would just bring a ground out of that box if you feel it necessary.  Or you could cut a hole in the concrete and drive in a DIY ground rod.

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^^^^ Yes, for a true earth ground, but you don't actually have to. All that is needed is to lower the potential that has built up on you before letting the primers drop in the magazine by touching the press. Static electricity discharge can cause primers to detonate

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Interesting. I’ve never thought twice about grounding my setup but I do suppose it is possible. That static is a B.... maybe it’s time I start wearing my esd shoes from work to load :)

 

For the Op if it’s becoming an issue maybe you can get an ESD wrist strap from the electronics store clipped to the press and yourself. Keep yourself and your press at the same potential and it shouldn’t be an issue. 

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2 hours ago, CamboSoup22 said:

For the Op if it’s becoming an issue maybe you can get an ESD wrist strap from the electronics store clipped to the press and yourself. Keep yourself and your press at the same potential and it shouldn’t be an issue. 

That is what I do during the hard Florida winters when loading.

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5 hours ago, CamboSoup22 said:

Interesting. I’ve never thought twice about grounding my setup but I do suppose it is possible. That static is a B.... maybe it’s time I start wearing my esd shoes from work to load :)

 

For the Op if it’s becoming an issue maybe you can get an ESD wrist strap from the electronics store clipped to the press and yourself. Keep yourself and your press at the same potential and it shouldn’t be an issue. 

Thanks however that would be too restricting as much as I move around. What about a mat?

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On 12/20/2017 at 6:49 PM, RickT said:

You've got a ground wire in every duplex outlet (or should).  I would just bring a ground out of that box if you feel it necessary.  Or you could cut a hole in the concrete and drive in a DIY ground rod.

Attach it too the press or just to something to touch prior to touching the press?

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On 12/22/2017 at 10:35 AM, 9x45 said:

^^^^ Yes, for a true earth ground, but you don't actually have to. All that is needed is to lower the potential that has built up on you before letting the primers drop in the magazine by touching the press. Static electricity discharge can cause primers to detonate

But the press isn't grounded..?

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6 hours ago, IGOTGLOCKED said:

Attach it too the press or just to something to touch prior to touching the press?

Attach it to the press. Even if the press is floating it will make the potential of you and the press the same. Thus your interaction with the press should not have any static discharge.

 

Otherwise you would have to derive an earth ground in one of the ways suggested and then ground your press. Then you would still want to touch the ground or connect yourself with an esd strap to that ground plane to prevent any static discharge. 

 

Maybe start with the first part and if it is still an issue then work on a better ground scheme. 

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A couple other options that could possibly help is using something like an esd mat for you to stand on. Something like this maybe https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EQBNG1Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1514191675&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=esd+floor+mat&dpPl=1&dpID=61s9eX4oNBL&ref=plSrch

 

Or you could apply an esd wax/finish to your concrete to help dissipate static. We have to have our floors at work periodically refinished with that stuff. Not sure how much it costs though or where we even buy it from. 

 

 

 

 

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FYI, if you can feel a static shock, it is at least 30,000 volts. Being in an electronics field of work, I have to take ESD training on a yearly basis. I don't know how much of a static shock it would take to set off primers, but it only takes 100 volts of static charge to damage a $50k circuit pack. 

 

Grounding the press will do little good if you yourself are not grounded. What causes the arc is the difference of potential between objects. With a press grounded, but the operator not grounded, there is still a difference of potential between the press and the operator. Either completely isolate the press and operator from all grounds, or ground both. 

 

 

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14 minutes ago, GrumpyOne said:

FYI, if you can feel a static shock, it is at least 30,000 volts. Being in an electronics field of work, I have to take ESD training on a yearly basis. I don't know how much of a static shock it would take to set off primers, but it only takes 100 volts of static charge to damage a $50k circuit pack. 

 

Grounding the press will do little good if you yourself are not grounded. What causes the arc is the difference of potential between objects. With a press grounded, but the operator not grounded, there is still a difference of potential between the press and the operator. Either completely isolate the press and operator from all grounds, or ground both. 

 

 

30,000 volts!? That's very shocking information! :surprise:

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I highly doubt static discharge will set off a primer.  According to the MSDS for primer material, LEAD STYPHNATE, it takes a temperature of 626 egrees F. to combust.  While a static discharge is hotter, it is for such a short duration that there isn't enough energy to set it off.  If there were, you would get a skin burn every time you got a static shock. 

 

A lot of reloaders out there that have been doing it for a very, very long time, we would have heard about it.  The primer detonation you are reading about is most likely the Dillon 650 kaboom due to the feed system.

 

Only way to tell for certain is to test in a lab, but I do not believe it is possible  due to a typical static discharge.

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On 12/25/2017 at 10:07 AM, GrumpyOne said:

Grounding the press will do little good if you yourself are not grounded. What causes the arc is the difference of potential between objects.

Stand on a rubber mat that should run along your loading bench.

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36 minutes ago, 191138sc said:

Stand on a rubber mat that should run along your loading bench.

Only if it is a static mat. Static electricuty can form on the outside of rubber mats as well and be transferred to the person standing on them. The mats we use at work are grounded as well. Seems weird to have to ground something made of rubber, but...

 

https://m.uline.com/h5/r/www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-895/Anti-Static-Mats/Anti-Static-Mat-with-Cord-3-x-5?pricode=WA9150&gadtype=pla&id=H-895&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4dfDsums2AIV3LrACh1XUwBoEAQYASABEgKW5vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

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17 minutes ago, GBertolet said:

I have heard of people washing out their primer tubes with dishwashing detergent. This cleans out any primer dust, and supposedly is an anti static treatment.

The first anti static plastic bags for circuit pack storage were plain plastic bags that had been washed with soap, but never rinsed. The soap film does not allow a static charge to build up.

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Spray Static Guard on the floor. I use soft anti-fatigue work mats at my reloading bench. When

the humidity drops I start experiencing static shocks. I then clean the mats and hose them down

with Static Guard. That seems to solve the problem for a month or two.  When the static shocks

reoccur I just spay the mats again.

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