- Newer tin N62.jpeg (183.78 KiB) Viewed 4504 times
Just came across this thread when looking for some information on how old my stash of Nobel 60 is.
I have a couple of sealed 5LB tins that as far as I can tell were stored in good conditions before I acquired them about 15 years ago. They have since been stored in Southern Victoria in wooden cupboard inside a large tile roof garage. In other words I don't think they have been subject to very hot temperatures, very rarely above mid to high 20's. Other Nobel opened tins stored in the same way, but not quite as old (60 and 80 series) still smell original and have worked well recently.
An article in
https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editori ... life/83922 tells me that
"When properly stored, an unopened container of smokeless powder has an indefinite shelf life, but once it is opened, the stabilizers it contains begin to slowly but surely weaken. Even then it can still last for a very long time."And:
"You can tell if a can of powder is good or bad by giving its contents a sniff test. If the smell ranges from no detectable odor to resembling alcohol, ether or acetone (from its solvent content), it is okay. If you get a terribly unpleasant, acidic odor that fries your nasal passages, extreme deterioration has taken place. The odor is difficult to describe, but my nose says the experience is quite a bit like taking a strong whiff of the fumes produced by muriatic acid."So I feel pretty confident that they are good and safe to use.
But I do wonder how old the oldest tins are. As I said they are labeled as Net weight 5 Lbs, whereas later tins are labeled in Kgs.
If anyone knows when the labelling changed from Pounds to kilograms it would help to give a range.
They are the squarer tins with a paper label on the front and these older ones have a whiter label, where the later same shape tins have a Blueish shaded label.
The later tins again are taller and more rectangular. They appeard later with the 60 series but if I recall correctly, it was not long after that the 80 series appeared. It would be interesting if someone could pin down the approximate time the 80 series got the Australia too. And when they changed from ICI to IMI?
Some pictures showing the different tins. The 80 series and ADI tins are empty or close to it.
- some tins of old powder.jpeg (593.95 KiB) Viewed 4504 times
Here are the newer tins and an older newer style imprinted tin that held N62.
- Later mostly empty Nobel tins.jpeg (330.77 KiB) Viewed 4504 times
Here is a newer printed N62 empty tin.
- Newer tin N62.jpeg (183.78 KiB) Viewed 4504 times
Any insight in to the various ages of these tins would be most appreciated.