Powdercoat testing.....

B

Beagle333

New member
The HF red came out perfectly on the .357 bullets. I have them sitting on small machine nuts under the foil. I managed to coat a sandwich baggie full of them and only had two fall off the little nuts. It is quite a game of careful balancing though, from the spray table into the toaster. ;)

The nuts are not JB-Welded to the tray (as some I have seen), I just placed them in rows, put the foil over them and pressed it into shape. The foil keeps the nuts from moving until I get the bullets set on em. I didn't know what spacing I was going to need, so I didn't want to permanently fix the nuts to the tray until I had that figured out but I am now thinking I don't have to glue em down at all.

The previous coatings I have done using the tumble method worked great but did not make a nice smooth coat like this. But the tumble coating worked perfectly with soft lead, so I shall load these up now and see if they do as well. These are 90% pure lead. (both pictures are baked and dry, they just look wet because the red is glossy)
HF011_zpsc1da476d.jpg

HF017_zpseff35e38.jpg
 
Now they got shoes and I can see just how fast they can go! :)
The coating makes them .362 and I sized em back down to .358, then put the checks on and sized again to seat the checks. So they been through the die twice after coating and still look good.
HF022_zps8858d813.jpg
 
MAN, those turned out sharp! You're gonna make me go get an ion gun yet, aren't you! Show-off... :p Love the color choice, too!
 
I'm going to do a bunch of different styles while the weather is nice.

HF025_zps3395dd5e.jpg



My casting station also doubles as my powdercoating station, so it is highly dependent upon cooperating weather. ;)
setup_zps5187f2e3.jpg
 
The NOE WFN coated nicely. I think this one is going to be a winner.
HF029_zps4c2dffc7.jpg


The candy coating looks pretty, but I'm doubtful about its lube ability. I'll find out soon.
HF_zpsa683d8fb.jpg


Things I've learned today:
1. My HF gun works best at 30 psi using the gauge at the gun. Less, and it tends to let powder build up in the tube and spits out clumps occasionally. This stopped completely when I left it on 30#. Keep in mind though, I don't know how accurate a $6 gauge really is.

2. My coatings added around .002-.0035 to the diameter, depending on color. This was not a problem, as they slid right through the sizing die so easily that I had to look to be sure it was the right one.

3. Do not attempt to cheat and use regular foil. :o That batch will get melted down and repoured. I was getting 2 batches per non-stick sheet. I got flashing on the 3rd, so started replacing it after 2. This will probably depend on how heavily you coat and how much overspray you have.

4. Changing colors is NOT an easy thing. It's about as easy to change the alloy in your pot, and about as time consuming. I think I'll stay with the HF red. It worked really great. (although many prefer the matte black, but I didn't have any black here.)

5. Now that I have figured out my spacing, I'm going to JB-Weld my nuts to the pan. ;) It is a pain to line em up again after every changing of the foil.
 
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Because preliminary testing shows that a medium hardness cast bullet can be shot like jacketed, and soft or pure lead cast bullets can be shot harder and faster than with tumble or conventional lubes.

In short, it seems to be allowing tighter groups at higher velocities, with no barrel leading. :D
 
OK, cool.
I didn't know if there was a practical reason or if it was just a exercise.

Could you place the bullets nose down, that way the base would be covered and the nose would be open like a soft point bullet?
 
Yes, that guy is surely getting some great results from his technique. I had seen that video. I might give it a shot after I ride this trick as far as it'll go.
Keep us updated on your progress?

I could coat the bottoms of nearly all of my bullets if I just stuck them over some roofing nails before spraying, since 95% of my molds are hollow points. But I got all these empty aluminum cans and nothin' to do with em!!!! ;):D
Could you place the bullets nose down, that way the base would be covered and the nose would be open like a soft point bullet?
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And with a wide meplat, like the first pics..... yes, you are right, it would be easy.
 
Very nice.

I've been looking at picking up the gear for powder coating, when I get into a house (no point right now) ... primarily for coating my .444 Marlin bullets. It's too tempting not to try.


Could you place the bullets nose down, that way the base would be covered and the nose would be open like a soft point bullet?
Click to expand...

Wide meplat bullets work.
Also... hollow points can be lined up on nails, screws, etc, to let the base get coated.
 
Beautiful! It is good to see pictures! I just got my HF gun on Saturday. Need to find a cheap toaster oven yet, then I will be ready to go! One question, why do you doubt the lube ability of the candy colors? Is it not as tough as the others? And where is a good source to get powder?
 
I could coat the bottoms of nearly all of my bullets if I just stuck them over some roofing nails before spraying, since 95% of my molds are hollow points. But I got all these empty aluminum cans and nothin' to do with em!!!!
Click to expand...

Your checks appear to have a nice corner to them. I was curious as to what your using to punch your checks. I ordered some from a member on cast boolits and his punched aluminum checks seem to have a more rounded corner then the copper checks I ordered (Hornady).

I've been watching your thread and I've been interested in powder coating. I just ordered a used RCBS lubesizer so I hate to start down the road with more equipment at this time. Main thing I wonder about is how do the 2 compare speed wise in producing bullets? Accuracy is a big importance also and I'd consider switching eventually if PC can do the trick.
 
why do you doubt the lube ability of the candy colors? Is it not as tough as the others? And where is a good source to get powder?
Click to expand...

It just doesn't look and feel like the other coatings. It feels like a plastic coating, even though it went on as powder. But it just feels softer. I haven't shot any of them, but I do know the other powder "paints" work very well as lubes. Most feel very slippery. I shall find out about the candy color soon. But whatever I find may not be true for all candy colors..... there are many different compositions of powders out there.
I get my powder from HarborFreight and Ebay. There's a bazillion folks selling it on Ebay. Some people are getting theirs from PowderByThePound, but I have no experience with them. I only got my HF gun Saturday, so I have no results yet from any of this.
I have used powdercoating (mixed with lacquer thinner and shake, then dry and bake) with great success, but it doesn't produce a uniform coverage like spraying. I have been tumbling and baking some wadcutters that are 90% pure lead and shooting them pretty fast (over 1300fps) in my .357 and so I am hoping that the spraying method works even better. :)

I got my little toaster oven from Kroger. They had Black & Decker models for $14.99, but it will only do about 45-60 bullets at a time. I'd like a medium sized convection toaster oven one day, if this works out.

@CS86(pm sent on the gas checks)
I just ordered a used RCBS lubesizer so I hate to start down the road with more equipment at this time. Main thing I wonder about is how do the 2 compare speed wise in producing bullets?
Click to expand...
I have no idea. I have never owned a lubesizer. :)
 
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Bear in mind, that even if I didn't turn em upside down, the bottom looks like this:
HF019_zps65e361fe.jpg

Which is fine for shooting. The sides are what is going to protect the rifling. The coating even extends around the side of the base a little.

I just gas check em, because I've got a LOT of plain base checks.:D
HF035_zps0b74ec81.jpg
 
Have you had a chance to shoot them yet to see if there is a difference between checking the base or leaving it plain?
 
Not yet. I coated em last weekend, I'm loading them at night this week, and I'll drag out the chrony and the jugs this weekend and see what happens.:)

(working two jobs really crimps my shooting time!)
 
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