"Blaster" powder measure stirring device

[Tech Ninja]

I'm a big fan of Unique powder. But I do find it measures inconsistently in my Lee Pro Auto-Disk measure.

I read the post about using a fish tank pump on the side of the measure to shake the powder. I don't want to buy anything and so I built my own solution with parts I found around the shop.

Using only the most modern materials and sophisticated assembly techniques I built the Tech Ninja "Blaster" powder measure stirring device.

It goes on the measure like this:

A view of the top:

An inside look:

The stirring rod goes in like this:

The rod does prevent closing the measure so the mixer has to be removed to close it.

That's a 3 rpm motor from an old space heater, a cap from a can of PB Blaster, a power cord from an old lamp and a piece of welding rod.

So how well does it work? I have only used it twice to load a hundred rounds. It seems to help but I think a little more testing is in order.

 

[sellersm]

Now that's good old-fashioned ingenuity at its finest! Let us know how it works after further testing!

 

[GT1]

Wow, that is awesome.

Good idea.

 

[Drail]

I think it would be much more effective if you vibrated the powder measure rather than the powder. Or maybe I am not seeing exactly how you are working this. Is the vibration just from the rod sticking in the powder? I have used Unique for many years and I simply tap the measure's hopper with my knuckles to settle the powder down. Every time you add more powder you'll have to shake it down again.

 

[Tech Ninja]

I think it would be much more effective if you vibrated the powder measure rather than the powder. Or maybe I am not seeing exactly how you are working this. Is the vibration just from the rod sticking in the powder? I have used Unique for many years and I simply tap the measure's hopper with my knuckles to settle the powder down. Every time you add more powder you'll have to shake it down again.

The little paddle at the end of the rod stirs the power where it flows out to the measuring disk. Possibly breaking up any bridged powder. I might make a larger paddle.

 

[sellersm]

I guess you could do both - 'stir' the powder, and 'shake/knock' the measure sides. It would take a really 'bent' rod, enough to just 'hit' the sides of the measure, then straighten out towards the bottom to 'stir'...