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, very close, as when I use a powder coating gun but I also do not have to spend an hour doing prep work or fight the hoses and lines constantly. These will work as good as the powder coating gun bullets.
I use Powder By The Pound 400 degree TGIC polyester. You can get the PBTP powder in 2 ounce bags for little to nothing. I have been told that Harbor Freight powder doesn't not work well with this method.
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 strainer
Step 7:
Shake and tap the screen of 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 the bullets from oven and allow to cool
I do not try to separate the bullets before baking. I do not worry about the bullets sticking together. There will be some that do but this does not affect performance at all. My last batch 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. The basket itself is about 2" deep, 8" wide and 12" long. I normally fill it 1/2 to 3/4 full of bullets before baking.
Something else I have started doing is spraying the coated bullets with my case lube after they have cooled. This helps with sizing as well as when seating them. I have found that sometimes the resistance is so great when seating that it deforms the nose of the bullet. This stops that without affecting performance. As far as sizing goes I have been sizing my coated bullets to .309"-.310".
And with all the different ways of powder coating I have tried they have all performed equally well even though some look better than others. For me performance is my top priority, more so than looks, so I am looking for the quickest, easiest method and dry tumble lube is the best for me.
Here is a picture representing the evolution of the powder coating for me. Again, the performance was identical between them regardless of how they looked.
The green are ones that I did using the dry tumble method.
The blues were also done using the dry tumble but they were coated with pink using a gun first.
The small copper colored ones were done using the acetone powder coating method
The large copper colored were done using the lacquer thinner method
The loaded ammo uses bullets I coated using a powder coating gun.
I may make a video the next batch I do so people can see how easy it really is. Here is a video someone, not me, made using this method. The only thing I would do differently is to leave the bullets on the screen or in a basket for baking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr6oi3xJ7Bg
Powder coating the super, duper easy way
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Powder coating the super, duper easy way
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
Thanks for the How-To! Its pretty cool how this process has evolved.
Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
You just made me a bit upset.
After switching over to SS Media wet tumbling over 5 years ago, I hadn't touched my RCBS Vibe Tumbler.
I just gave it away to a friend of mine that is just starting out in hand loading a few months ago.
I sure would like to try your method for powder coating, but I don't wanna be "That Guy" and ask for my tumbler back...
After switching over to SS Media wet tumbling over 5 years ago, I hadn't touched my RCBS Vibe Tumbler.
I just gave it away to a friend of mine that is just starting out in hand loading a few months ago.
I sure would like to try your method for powder coating, but I don't wanna be "That Guy" and ask for my tumbler back...
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don't tell them where they know the fish."
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don't tell them where they know the fish."
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
DS, I know you've said you've run some of these over 2k without leading, I'm curious, are you water quenching when cast or just air cooling them?
I'm getting ready to try some different loads and am curious how soft I can run the bullets without leading.
BTW, I am now going to try dry tumbling, looks easiest!
Thanks,
I'm getting ready to try some different loads and am curious how soft I can run the bullets without leading.
BTW, I am now going to try dry tumbling, looks easiest!
Thanks,
michael
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
The 30 caliber bullets I cast were air cooled and I pushed them to 2,400+ fps without issue. My friend sent me some 223 bullets to try and they should be air cooled because I have never heard of him water dropping them. Those were pushed to 3,200+ fps without leading.Magnum Mike wrote:DS, I know you've said you've run some of these over 2k without leading, I'm curious, are you water quenching when cast or just air cooling them?
I'm getting ready to try some different loads and am curious how soft I can run the bullets without leading.
BTW, I am now going to try dry tumbling, looks easiest!
Thanks,
I have ran dead soft lead that was powder coated at subsonic velocities without issue. I suspect you can push them just as hard as the wheel weights because pure lead has a higher melting point.
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
That is an awesome way to get into powder coating cast bullets, looks easy enough that even I could do it.
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
Don't worry about the tumbler. I'm getting the same results (in less time) just shaking the bullets by hand in a plastic container. No need to wait while the tumbler runs. I'm only shaking them for 20-30 seconds.Dr.Phil wrote:You just made me a bit upset.
After switching over to SS Media wet tumbling over 5 years ago, I hadn't touched my RCBS Vibe Tumbler.
I just gave it away to a friend of mine that is just starting out in hand loading a few months ago.
I sure would like to try your method for powder coating, but I don't wanna be "That Guy" and ask for my tumbler back...
If you pour them out carefully on a screen (shake the container slightly as you pour), the excess powder stays in the plastic container. I found shaking the screen takes some powder off the bullets, not desirable IMO.
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
Well Dolomite was right again.
I had a little bit of PBTP powder left. not enough to work the powder gun, so I had mixed it with a few other colors that also were small amounts. So i figured I would give this a shot.
the ones with white at the tip were ones I was going to do 2 tone white and black, but figured I would see how they would work with this.
And just because I am hard headed. I figured i would try it with the flat black from harbor freight. it failed as Dolomite said it would.
Now I have 3 plus lbs of powder that I have to use up before I can justify ordering more from PBTP.
The gun dose make prettier boolits but the dry tumble with good powder is very very easy.
I had a little bit of PBTP powder left. not enough to work the powder gun, so I had mixed it with a few other colors that also were small amounts. So i figured I would give this a shot.
the ones with white at the tip were ones I was going to do 2 tone white and black, but figured I would see how they would work with this.
And just because I am hard headed. I figured i would try it with the flat black from harbor freight. it failed as Dolomite said it would.
Now I have 3 plus lbs of powder that I have to use up before I can justify ordering more from PBTP.
The gun dose make prettier boolits but the dry tumble with good powder is very very easy.
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
I would caution against using flat black HF powder. It is rumored to have abrasives in it. I know I will not be using it.
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Re: Powder coating the super, duper easy way
I know there was that one thread over on castboolits with the OP suggesting that his glock 19 lone wolf barrel was ruined because of the flat black powder coating. and a lot of guys arguing back and forth on the powder having or not having abrasives in it. frankly it got confusing. i am not a chemist so it was all greek to me.Dolomite_Supafly wrote:I would caution against using flat black HF powder. It is rumored to have abrasives in it. I know I will not be using it.
I would think that if the flat black were a problem then more people would have reported similar results.
By and large us quantity reloaders are cheap, I would figure that the flat black is probably the most used powder for using the powder coating gun. And I am sure that there are shooters who have put much more then 2000 rounds down their barrels. But so far this is the only report i have seen that is claiming the flat black is the culprit.
I have been watching my guns more carefully since that posting, but have not seen a degrading in accuracy in my rifles or any barrel wear in my pistols. only time will tell, and a shot out barrel.
Yes, I am a Baptist, and yes I carry a gun. You might think I carry a gun because I don't trust God. Well you would be wrong. I have complete faith in my Lord. It is mankind I have no trust in
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