where is the best "powder coating 101" tutorial?

[dammitman]

where is the best place to find in one post or location the right way to powder coat bullets? i see its on every post here but its all over the place and i am tired of trying to read every post and every little tidbit on how to do it. i cast bullets and figure to use the lee 230 grain with the plan to use a gas check. i only want to cast to use for subsonic so i really dont know if i need to use a gas check and powder coat. so point me to the right place to get tutored on powder coating in one place if it exists.

PS,,,i have a harbor freight right near me,,,,,,,,is this the right place to buy all the tools and powder?

[oldpapps]

I don't think there is 'one' 'it' place to look. Everything is evolving so quickly, it just changes over night.

There are three 'basic' processes that are more or less main stream.

'Electrostatic' - an electronic device creates and holds a static charge on metal parts (the bullets) and an opposite charge is placed on the powder and the powder is puffed a the bullets. This uses just about ever powder well and makes for some nice looking coverage. Equipment from various vendors and costs can get high. A large (to me) loss of powder with over spray. Some what tedious mounting of each bullet to provide the electrical connection. End results is/are powder coated. See curing below.

Liquid mix - the powder is mixed with various fluid carriers and the past/paint is applied to the bullets. End results is/are powder coated bullets. Any 'mix' not used has a limited shelf life. See curing below.

Many names, I call it 'shake-n-bake' - the dry powder is 'dusted' on the bullet. End results is/are powder coated. In a Number 5 plastic bowl (the number is on the bottom of the bowl and is for re-cycling use - tells the type of plastic. Dream whip bowl with domed bottom works very well.) with a lid has bullets and dry powder put in, the lid put on and shake and shake and shake. Some get better results with 'Airsoft BBs' mixed in. The plastic of the bowl builds up some static electricity (maybe) and holds the powder on the lead. Hot bullets will also hold more powder.

Preparation. The bullets must be clean, no grease.

Curing. In the oven, the 'powder' is heated to the point that is turns to a liquid state and flows over the surface of the bullet, the heat remains until the curing is complete. The time and temperature is determined by the powder being used. Most is 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minuets but longer isn't that much of a problem.

Hardware needed for curing is a dedicated oven. Shake-n-bake or liquid mix, standing or laying on NON-STICK aluminum foil is suggested. If the bullets are held in a spray rack of some sore, that will be needed.

Chinamart sells cheap ovens, $20 or less. Get an oven thermometer. Do your curing outside, vapors come off of the curing powder and I wouldn't want to eat anything cooked in the oven or smell the stink. Where you cast with ventilation, is fine.

The bullets will need to be sized. I size all of mine both before and after coating. This is because one of my pistol molds drops fat bullets and after coating, the sizing tears the lead. So I size before and after and this process has just carried over for others.

Getting the powdered bullets out of the powder has been addressed in several ways, tweezers, pliers or as I do it, latex glove that has powder build up on the fingers. What ever works for the person is best.

Harbor Freight RED is a very good option. It covers well (I think a little thick) and is cheap. Some don't have much luck with some of the other colors from HF. I have only used the red. Many places sell the powder. I like Powder By The Pound. They have any color there is. But there are several sellers.

Some report that gas checked bullets with out the gas checks are not accurate. I don't want to get in this discussion. Others report that gas checks are a must. I shoot flat based powder coated bullets out of a 1903A3, 30-06, at 2650 FPS, no gas checks and the bases are doing fine. As for accuracy, the jury is still out in my head.

I hope this has helped, a little.

Enjoy,

OSOK

P.S.
It will all change by tomorrow.

[dammitman]

thanks for the overview. it pretty well summs it up. i think that the presizing is a goodidea. i also think that the gas checks are a good idea. not necessary but no good reason not to. i like the shake and bake idea as well. now just need to cast some and find the powder i want.

[popper]

Cast boolits site has a thread on it, even a video.

[Dolomite_Supafly]

No need to size before coating and baking. Also, if you are putting them on a flat surface the bullets will have flat spots after baking and that can't be good for accuracy. I pour all my bullets in a basket and bake. The bullets only touch a couple of spots where they touch the other spots so you don't end up with a flat spot. You might have a bare spot or two but it does not affect performance at all.

I have tried every single way of coating bullets using powder coating. The dry tumble method is by far the easiest and quickest way to get useable bullets. Now using a electrostatic gun results in a much nicer looking bullet but it doesn't work any better than the dry tumble method. The electrostatic method also takes forever because you have to hang them or build a jig. The worst is the solvent method.

How I remove the bullets from the powder is just to dump them out. I either pour them into a sieve and give it a shake to remove the excess or what I do most times now, because I am doing hundreds at a time, is I dump them directly into the baking basket and then shake off the excess. I bake them at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes to ensure the bullets in the middle of the basket get hot enough to get properly coated. Then once cold I just drop the basket full of bullets to break them apart.

As far as powders go Harbor Freight is about the most finicky powder I have tried. I have tried it with every single method and the only way that gave me nice results is using a electrostatic gun. I have also used Powder Buy The Pound and it is a great powder. I recently started using the DMC2 powder from Ebay as well. Now PBTP coats well without going on too heavy while DMC2 works just as great, for a lot cheaper, but it can go on a little thick. With PBTP you can dump the bullets in the bucket, shake then shake off the excess and the bullets will come out about perfect. With DMC2 you add powder a little bit at a time until the bullets are coated then dump and bake. As far as actual performance I cannot see a difference, the only difference is ease of use. I would have a hard time deciding whether I like DMC2 or PBTP better.

If you want I can give you my number and we can talk. Or if you have any questions you are more than welcome to call.

[yondering]

thanks for the overview. it pretty well summs it up. i think that the presizing is a goodidea. i also think that the gas checks are a good idea. not necessary but no good reason not to. i like the shake and bake idea as well. now just need to cast some and find the powder i want.

Gas checks are a good idea (for supersonic loads), pre-sizing is not. You do need to size after powdercoating, and there's no good reason to size before coating as well.

[oldpapps]

Boy do I feel good! My feeble attempt to explain 'coating' got a pass from Mr. Supafly.

The only point touched on was the need to pre-size and I agree that with normal sized bullets only one sizing operation is needed. Special needs for oversize bullets, require special steps.

Second point, sort of, gas checks. One of my molds is plain flat based and I push the coated lead bullets to higher velocities. So, I know gas checks are not mandatory. This is not addressing any accuracy tests.

I still got something right...

Enjoy,

OSOK

[Dolomite_Supafly]

Talking about durability. I have pushed powder coated bullets past 3,200 fps in a 223 bolt gun without any leading. I am unsure about the accuracy as that test was just to check the viability of using powder coating to prevent leading.

[cboger]

Talking about durability. I have pushed powder coated bullets past 3,200 fps in a 223 bolt gun without any leading. I am unsure about the accuracy as that test was just to check the viability of using powder coating to prevent leading.

with gas checks?

[yondering]

The only point touched on was the need to pre-size and I agree that with normal sized bullets only one sizing operation is needed. Special needs for oversize bullets, require special steps.

Even grossly oversized bullets shouldn't need to be pre-sized. If you're having problems with that, the issue is your sizer, not the bullets. Lee push-through sizer dies must be polished out, including the taper leading into the die. Lyman/RCBS lube-sizer dies often don't have enough taper leading into them for oversized bullets