Handloaders sometimes ask how to find out if some powder has turned bad, and I have become acquainted with some answers.
Following a suspicious smell, I found out that some surplus powder I had, Nobel Type 83 lot 2975, was the culprit.
It was delivered to me in a plastic bag packed in a regular cardboard box, which conforms to local regulations.
The box was falling apart, along with the bigger box they were in (glue and cardboard), and the rubber bands tying the bags, The bag is fine, The top of the powder was covered by a red “dust", They were signs of moisture (drops) in the bag, The whole thing has a strong smell similar to my current bleach's, which I found unusual itself.
Note that the red dust and color seem to be a mist, as it comes out and evaporates after a while; so we cannot rely on it.
My next problem is to find out if the 700-X which was stored with it was affected. So far it seems to be O.K.
