Tumble powder coating instructions

[Dolomite_Supafly]

400 degree Polyester TGIC is what I use.

[Twinsen]

How important is lead hardness if I PC and size? I have access to a large amount of an unknown lead alloy.

[felixXJ]

I have to agree that the poly PBTP powder is the way to go. They had Mirror Black one sale for about $10 a pound. I've gone from methods of spraying which do waste a lot of powder but give a smooth finish to this tumble method now I have the decent powder. Two super light coats, curing in between, seem to give a smoother finish. It takes a bit longer but I set them base down with long tweezers, not touching each other, on no stick foil at least until I get some screen to lay them on. These are the RCBS 130's BTW. Nice mold. I wish they made a 6 cavity in this design. One could probably have Lee make one like this. I suppose i I were to spend that kind of money I'd work out a design and weight closer the Barnes 300 Blackout design with this powder coating method in mind. Tumble lube grooves perhaps. Perhaps someone here much more familiar with this process and the design skills could come up with a design to submit for a group buy.

Off Topic: Silicone 2 part molds are not hard to make and do seem to stand up to lead casting, though I can't speak to the durability. I wonder if one could take one of the now infamous Barnes blacktips and use it for a mold impression just for an afternoon project and end up with something shootable. The heat distortion in the silicone might do some odd things dimensionally.

[felixXJ]

One thing I've tried today. I drilled 3 small holes in an old medicine bottle and put a few CC of the PBTP powder in it. I then put some bullets and lacquer thinner in a good thick ziplock bag, and then gradually worked the bullets around in the bag, visually noting those with splotchy coverage and gently sprinkled the powder in bit by bit while working the bullets around in the bag with my fingers until all were covered nice and evenly. The smooth bag and the fact the bullets are banging around into each other far less gave a smoother finish and even consistent coverage for each one in only one session with the need for multiple thin coats. Mind you, this was an experiment and was of course a small batch of 25 of the 130'. Just be sure a keep a little thinner in the bag and the coating, being soft still, one can roll individual bullets between the fingers letting the pressure on the smooth plastic bag smooth them over and spread and press the coating on each to fill any voids and holes in their coverage. Just a few small sprinkles in the bag here and there was all the powder needed. I'll make some pictures once I get this refined, and some more plastic bags.

I wonder if this is a way to get the much cheaper, but far less user friendly, HF powder to work better.

[Dolphin_Shooter]

How important is lead hardness if I PC and size? I have access to a large amount of an unknown lead alloy.

I wondered the same thing I've been melting down lead out of the range backstop and hardening with lead free sodier. I'm wondering if I could cheapen the process further by just casting soft lead then Powder coating?

[Dolomite_Supafly]

I have shot pure lead using the powder coating without an issue. Normally the pure lead bullets would smear the bore with lead but not so with the powder coating. With the powder coating you can use whatever alloy, soft or hard, you want without leading. At least not below 3,200 fps from my testing.

[Dolphin_Shooter]

While sizing my bullets I noticed some of the powder coat came off after sizing. Still good to shoot? I baked these bullets at 400 degrees for ten minutes was that enough bake time?

[IdahoFireman]

My powder coat that I have states on the jug, bake for 15 mins after the powder has melted. Basicallt 20 mins for me. Some may say different.

[boost]

While sizing my bullets I noticed some of the powder coat came off after sizing. Still good to shoot? I baked these bullets at 400 degrees for ten minutes was that enough bake time?

For me,the only time when the tumbled PC comes off after sizing is when the boolit is oversized(my fault for not completely closing the mold before the cast).

Do you prep the boolits before you tumble? My boolits gets a splash of laquer thinner or washed with Dawn prior to tumbling.

[Dolphin_Shooter]

While sizing my bullets I noticed some of the powder coat came off after sizing. Still good to shoot? I baked these bullets at 400 degrees for ten minutes was that enough bake time?

For me,the only time when the tumbled PC comes off after sizing is when the boolit is oversized(my fault for not completely closing the mold before the cast).

Do you prep the boolits before you tumble? My boolits gets a splash of laquer thinner or washed with Dawn prior to tumbling.

Ill try that and bake longer see how that works out