novice questions - POWDER COATING

[oldpapps]

Boosted98gsx,

I'm just beginning to learn.
It is my opinion that the shake method is the simpler way to go. However, for my desire to make 'soft' point coated bullets, I think I will have to try the solvent mix method.

Where I live, I have not seen any wild pig, yet. BUT, I have seen sign of them. I do like pork and I think a powder coated cast lead bullet with an un-coated nose from my M4 in 300 Blackout is just what is called for I can see me drag'n in some porker behind the four-wheeler from the wash coming down from the east ridge or the creek over at the orchard. Here piggy, piggy, I want to shoot you.

Good luck with your suppressor. I don't have one or readily want one.

OSOK

[oldpapps]

Day two, test two in the beginning of a process.

And my ‘Powder Coating’ tests continue.

Today I took everything out side. No complaints about smells that way. Only two more experimenting days till more snow shows up. This old man doesn't play in the snow.

Earlier today I had to go to Wal-Mart, this gave me a chance to pick up an ‘Oven thermometer’. I'm glad that I did. My little toaster oven has temps marked off and the required 375 degrees are on the dial at about 300 degrees. Yea ‘oven thermometer’.

Next, the powder in a plastic tub (Dream Whip) followed by bullets and shake. Works very well and fast.

I put aluminum foil, shinny side up, on the oven tray. After meticulously setting each of my 20 test bullets on the tray, butts down, I found that I am unable to move the tray without knocking over large numbers of bullets After several false starts, I gave up and let them fall.

After the allotted cure time, I pulled the tray. A few of the bullets had stuck to the aluminum foil. I guess I will have to invest in the more expensive ‘non-stick’ foil. None the less, the foil peeled off, mostly.

In a comparison of yesterday's test and today’s test bullets, I can’t tell one from the other.

In my next test I want to line, if that is the correct way of saying it, the toaster ovens wire rack, to provide a ‘no roll’ surface. But that will have to be on hold until I can get some ‘non-stick’ foil. I’ve thought of maybe some type of ‘non-stick’ something, but I haven’t came up with anything yet. Can’t use a petroleum product that could get on the bullet and block a coating. Graphite, I don’t know. I’m leaning toward going back to my brass casing rack. Only tests and comparisons will tell.

Enjoy,

OSOK

[yondering]

I still think that coating only the sides and butt, leaving the nose as raw lead is desirable. I will make an effort to accomplish just that for the selected bullets for hunting use.

It's always good to experiment, but I don't think powder coating the nose affects terminal performance much, if at all. Check out the expanded 9mm HP in the bottom right of this pic; it's the same bullet as the one standing in the center, with the hollow point powder coated. Performance was about the same as non-coated.

I don't have pics, but have shot a number of the Lee 155gr 7.62 bullets with pure lead noses, powdercoated, from my 9" 300 Blackout AR pistol, and they definitely expand, maybe a bit more than I want for hunting. The top center bullet in this pic is one of those.

[oldpapps]

yondering,

I have yet to seat a single 'PC' bullet into a case. I'm unsure just how stiff or soft my final bullets will be and the 'PC' only adds to my unknowns.

The test bullets I am using, I cast the summer before my daughter was born in 1981. They were formulated to be very hard (I was working loads to feed an M1A in the range of 22 to 2300 FPS.) and are rather hard. As I only have 150 or so of them to play with, I'm trying to get the 'PC' worked out. If all works well, I intend to obtain a more suitable bullet shape/weight for my use, 180ish grain round nose are not my ideal for the Black.

I am also working all options. Feral hog are some 20 miles to my SE and are moving my way (the Interstate appears to be a barrier but that won't last). Thus my concerns about both penetration and expansion. I just don't know and will need to test several samples in many configuration before I am please.

Your photos are very telling. Yet, the alloy/bullet shape/weight and coating mix has yet to come together. I haven't found a coating process that I am happy with, yet. I can see this taking me all year

Thanks for the info and support.

OSOK

[Magnum Mike]

Try thinner, its a bit messy BUT its provides a fairly decent coating (single application) and gets the job done...

[gds]

yondering,

I have yet to seat a single 'PC' bullet into a case. I'm unsure just how stiff or soft my final bullets will be and the 'PC' only adds to my unknowns.

The test bullets I am using, I cast the summer before my daughter was born in 1981. They were formulated to be very hard (I was working loads to feed an M1A in the range of 22 to 2300 FPS.) and are rather hard. As I only have 150 or so of them to play with, I'm trying to get the 'PC' worked out. If all works well, I intend to obtain a more suitable bullet shape/weight for my use, 180ish grain round nose are not my ideal for the Black.

I am also working all options. Feral hog are some 20 miles to my SE and are moving my way (the Interstate appears to be a barrier but that won't last). Thus my concerns about both penetration and expansion. I just don't know and will need to test several samples in many configuration before I am please.

Your photos are very telling. Yet, the alloy/bullet shape/weight and coating mix has yet to come together. I haven't found a coating process that I am happy with, yet. I can see this taking me all year

Thanks for the info and support.

OSOK

I tried the different process myself and had less then stellar results. I do not think it was a fault of the process so much as me. I got a 20% coupon and bought the harbor freight powder coat gun,and have never been happier.

You describe what I have done for my heavy grain subs. I secured several 9mm cases to a piece of thicker sheet metal and stuck the boolits in point down. powder coated them, baked em and have been very happy with them. I did the same with some 155 gr rounds. taking some aluminum foil and sticking it in the bottoms of the 9mm cases so that the shorter round does not sit so low for powder coating. Also works well.

there has been a lot of discussion over on castboolits.com about the curing process changing the hardness of the boolit. I do not know if or how much, but it would appear that many more knowledgeable then me says it makes the bullets softer.

[oldpapps]

gds,

Thanks for the info.

Yesterday I was going to do 'Day Three - Test Three'. But, the wind was a constant 18 to 20 MPH with gusts over 35 MPH. As my daughter has band me from baking in the house, I am on hold till better weather (rain/freezing rain/snow to begin this afternoon , so nothing till I don't know when). I don't think my little toaster oven would be able to keep up with that much wind (OK, I wouldn't be able to keep warm, old people are that way).

I don't have a single empty 300 case, so that's out. I think I will load up some of my single coated lead in .308 Win and see what develops. So much to do, outside, and so little acceptable time to do it in. I've had a validation loading in .223 that I haven't been able to test. Loaded then when it was double digits below '0'.

Mean while, on hold.

Enjoy,

OSOK

[Dolomite_Supafly]

I tried the dry tumble version yesterday. I will say that it I the method I will stick with now. It is quick, easy and gives great results. They are not as pretty as when I use a gun but I also do not have to spend an hour doing prep work or fight the hoses and lines constantly.

Here is my method.
Step 1:
Put powder coating powder in the vibrating tumbler. Adding too much doesn't matter.
Step 2:
Add the bullets.
Step 3:
Turn on the tumbler.
Step 4:
Wait until all bullets look coated.
Step 5:
Turn off tumbler
Step 6:
Pour bullets into a screen type colander
Step 7:
Shake colander with bullets over the tumbler for about 30 seconds so excess powder falls back into tumbler
Step 8:
Pour coated bullets into a wire basket
Step 9:
Bake at 400 degree for 15 minutes
Step 10:
Remove from oven and allow to cool

I do not worry about the bullets sticking together. There will be some that do but this does not affect performance. My last batch last night was about 3 layers deep of bullets, probably 150, and they turned out fine. The basket was something I made using hardware cloth that fits my oven.

Something else I have started doing is spraying the coated bullets with my case lube. This helps with sizing as well as when seating them. I have found that sometimes the resistance is so great when seating that it sometimes deforms the nose of the bullet. This stops that without affecting performance.

[boost]

I tried the dry tumble version yesterday. I will say that it I the method I will stick with now. It is quick, easy and gives great results. They are not as pretty as when I use a gun but I also do not have to spend an hour doing prep work or fight the hoses and lines constantly.

Here is my method.
Step 1:
Put powder coating powder in the vibrating tumbler. Adding too much doesn't matter.
Step 2:
Add the bullets.
Step 3:
Turn on the tumbler.
Step 4:
Wait until all bullets look coated.
Step 5:
Turn off tumbler
Step 6:
Pour bullets into a screen type colander
Step 7:
Shake colander with bullets over the tumbler for about 30 seconds so excess powder falls back into tumbler
Step 8:
Pour coated bullets into a wire basket
Step 9:
Bake at 400 degree for 15 minutes
Step 10:
Remove from oven and allow to cool

I do not worry about the bullets sticking together. There will be some that do but this does not affect performance. My last batch last night was about 3 layers deep of bullets, probably 150, and they turned out fine. The basket was something I made using hardware cloth that fits my oven.

Something else I have started doing is spraying the coated bullets with my case lube. This helps with sizing as well as when seating them. I have found that sometimes the resistance is so great when seating that it sometimes deforms the nose of the bullet. This stops that without affecting performance.

Are you getting by with one coat on this method?

[Dolomite_Supafly]

Yes!