First attempt, powder coating.

[dahermit]

Today was my first attempt at powder coating bullets. It was a success...well, not so much.
I will start at the beginning. My first attempt is for my .30 M1 Carbine and an RCBS gas check design. I got a 3/16 thick plate of aluminum, spaced holes every 3/4 inch. Drilled 1/8 pilot holes and followed-up with an "L" size drill bit, drilling through.

The fixture will hold 70 bullets, placed in the holes base-first. The gas check fit in the hole, the driving band stops them from dropping through.
I covered the fixture with non-stick aluminum foil, but used "Great Value" which is a Walmart store brand. I pushed the base of the bullets through the aluminum foil into the fixture.
I set-up my new Harbor Freight powder coating machine and dusted the bullets. I put the fixture with the powder coated bullets into my new toaster oven and baked them at 400 degrees for twenty minutes. As they were baking, I noticed that I had not gotten full coverage near the bases of the bullets, so then they came out of the oven, I re-powder coated them and baked them again...I got complete coverage that time, but when I cooled them and tried to remove them from the aluminum foil, non-stick was not non-stick. Removing them resulted in a "flash" of hardened powder coating left on the bullets and aluminum foil stuck in the same area also. I don't know if it was an aluminum foil failure or if it was the two coats, two bakes that caused the problem.

I got the "pretty" bullets I was looking for, but with the time it will take to remove the flash and bits of aluminum foil from the bullets, it does not seem worth the effort. I am not finished experimenting though...I will tumble coat some plain base .45 ACP's (will set on parchment paper for those), and see if that goes better.

 

[Mike / Tx]

Usually when you put the check on and shove them through the sizing die the flashing is removed.

I tumble coat mine, bake, then add the GC and shove them through a Lee die or run them through my 4500 with the GC tool attached. So far everything I have done has come out great except when I tried using the aluminum checks I had purchased a while back. They still don't like either one of the methods and I have about given up on them for good. No issues what so ever with the Gators.

 

[dahermit]

Usually when you put the check on and shove them through the sizing die the flashing is removed.

The biggest problem is that the bullets were baked to ("glued") the aluminum foil. After I got them off, I used nippers to reduce the flash and most of the aluminum foil stuck to the bullets. But, I have no intention of doing that again...way too slow and too much work. I have to find a way to keep the aluminum foil and excess paint from sticking to the bullets. I also think I used way too much powder for too few bullets.

I don't think I want to tumble lube the small .30 caliber 120 grain bullets...the lube grooves are too small to get forceps into without disturbing the powder on the driving bands, so I think I am stuck with using the Harbor Freight electro static gun...for them at least.

 

[Vance]

Was the non stick foil shiny side up? Or dull side up? The dull side is the non stick side. The other side is plain aluminum.

 

[dahermit]

Was the non stick foil shiny side up? Or dull side up? The dull side is the non stick side. The other side is plain aluminum.

The dull side. After watching a video on how to do it, I think that maybe I did not remove the bullets before I cooled (poured water on them) them. The guy in the video I watch, took them out of the fixture while the were still pretty warm and he mentioned that the powder coat was still soft, so I will try that next.

 

[dahermit]

I tumble coat mine, bake, then add the GC ...

Are you using bullets with a rebated area for the gas check, or are you putting gas checks on plain based bullets. I was concerned that if I tumbled the bullets and baked, I would not be able to get the gas checks to fit.

 

[res45]

I

tried using the aluminum checks I had purchased a while back. They still don't like either one of the methods and I have about given up on them for good. No issues what so ever with the Gators.

Mike / TX,have you tried annealing the aluminum checks to see if it will make them work better. I've read that the aluminum checks tend to spring back more than the copper checks due to the hardness of the material,annealing them should soften them up so the compress into the shank better and give a better grip on the bullet.

Try placing them in your toaster over at 500 degrees for about an hour and let them air cool and see if they stay on better. I has some issues getting the Hornady check to seat on the bullets shank on some coated bullets easily but the gator checks go on much easier. I'm going to anneal some 30 cal. aluminum checks this weekend and see how they do compared to the non annealed ones.

dahermit,I powder coat as well,I tumble lube mine in a rock tumbler with about a spoon full of powder and some plastic BB's. I pick mine out with a larger pair of tweezers which I don't mind doing anyways because i can coat and set up the next tray of bullets while the first batch is baking.

I just place them on non-stick foil and after they cool I knock them all over and dump them into a container for sizing. I don't get any flashing with the TL method but I did with the sprayer.

Here are a few example of my TL coated bullets,as you can see no flashing an the bottoms are coated as well.

 

[dahermit]

res45, my concern is getting my gas checks to fit onto the bottom of the bullets. I use Hornady crimp on checks. Does the extra thickness of powder coat on the gas check shank prohibit the application of a gas check?

 

[res45]

res45, my concern is getting my gas checks to fit onto the bottom of the bullets. I use Hornady crimp on checks. Does the extra thickness of powder coat on the gas check shank prohibit the application of a gas check?

No but the Hornady checks are a snug fit on some of my coated bullets that use checks and I have to give them a couple tap on the table top to get them seated mainly the Lee molds in 30 cal. the Gator checks go much easier. I believe that is due to the cups being beveled out a bit more than the Hornady checks.

If you need to open up the Hornady checks a bit you can use a small rounded lag head bolt that just fits the check,place it on the check and give it a couple taps to open it up some so it fits on the shank better.

 

[dahermit]

If you need to open up the Hornady checks a bit you can use a small rounded lag head bolt that just fits the check,place it on the check and give it a couple taps to open it up some so it fits on the shank better.

Yup, done that. I also anneal all my Hornady gas checks...it makes them easier to apply.
Because Hornady checks fit my RCBS cast bullets so tightly without powder coating as it is, I am concerned that I could end up with a bunch of bullets that I cannot get the gas checks on. Nevertheless, I will test the fit on two or three before I risk an entire lot, and see how they go.

 

[Vance]

If the hornady gas checks fit your uncoated bullets tight enough that they would not come off during coating, then there is not a problem with your gas check being coated. I believe Beagle has done that.

 

[res45]

If the hornady gas checks fit your uncoated bullets tight enough that they would not come off during coating, then there is not a problem with your gas check being coated. I believe Beagle has done that.

I haven't tried that myself but no reason it want work. I also leave the check off some bullets in both handgun and rifle bullets that I use for plinker loads where velocity and pressure are not an issue. I only use checks where there required and leaving them off doesn't seem to effect accuracy at velocities under 1400 fps. that I can tell.

 

[dahermit]

If the hornady gas checks fit your uncoated bullets tight enough that they would not come off during coating, then there is not a problem with your gas check being coated.

I have considered doing that, but then I would end up having to run the bullets through the sizing die twice. Once when I apply the check (they are crimp-on), and again after powder coating to bring them down to .309 (one thousandths over nominal diameter, the size I prefer for .30 caliber rifles).

Addendum: It just occurred to me that you might have meant to put the gas checks on but do not crimp them. They may work for applying the powder with a powder coating gun, but I don't think that the checks would stay on during tumbling...I'm going to use my wife's abandoned rock tumbler to tumble-coat them.

 

[dahermit]

I only use checks where there required and leaving them off doesn't seem to effect accuracy at velocities under 1400 fps.

I am loading for a .30 Carbine. My load is 11.0 grains of Accurate #9, 121 grain cast bullet @1645 fps. I do not want to drop down any slower inasmuch as I want to keep it near to G.I. velocity specs as I can. So, I am going to stick with a gas check.