Powdercoating rifle bullets. My attempt.

[Beagle333]

Today I wanted to try out something I had read about... using fender washers. I had previously tried using some 5/16 nuts under non-stick foil, and that was a complete failure. So today, I got a box of fender washers from HD and tried a new method.

I lined the washers up on my piece of aluminum. (Which is just the bottom, cut out of a cookie sheet):

A closer look:

Then covered it with non-stick foil and pressed it down:

Inserted the bullets, "popping" them down through the foil. I am using the MiHec .308 hunting bullet today. One nice thing about using washers vs just sitting bullets on nuts.... they don't fall over when bumped or during moving.

Sprayed it down with powder. This is Candy Apple Red.
I was intending to use HF red, but I can't tell the difference when it is in powder form. I was surprised later, when it started curing.

 

[Beagle333]

I got the little B&D toaster up to 400 (see casting thermometer inside.... it was all I had to use as an indicator) Dial on toaster reads 480 at this point. Obviously wrong.

And here they are! Not HF, but a nice Candy Apple.... oh well.
I do not know why the candy colors migrate away from the bullet on the foil when curing.... my plain base pistol bullets do that with candy colors as well, when just sitting on the foil.

Ready for gas checks!

(Note: this color shouldn't bake at 400, so as soon as I noticed it was not HF red, I turned it down to 350 and shortened baking time to 13 minutes.)

I will stop here. I figure you know how to install gas checks.

Happy Shooting!

 

[Jim Watson]

Ah, gas checks.

Good, because I would have thought you should coat the base instead of the nose... if shooting plain base bullets.

 

[Beagle333]

Very true, Jim.

This makes a good candidate for such a coating, because this long nose is a bore rider, nearly all the way to the end, so a coat on the nose really helps this profile.


And I know some are wondering how much the additional nose size will make me set the bullet back. On this one, it won't, because I resize the nose.
Here's a link to how I do it.... (I don't wanna recreate the whole thread here but this example is using the actual same bullet...)
See post #9 for pics and details.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?220104-Bore-riding-and-coatings&p=2489203&highlight=nose+sizer#post2489203

 

[skizzums]

http://s998.photobucket.com/user/nw...rt=3&o=0&_suid=138811954269209342971187597204

i slaved over a hot pot and mold all day for these few bullets, then worked my butt off on the coating

i thought i would show off my artistic capabilities

im sure if you look closely, most of you all will recognize the ACTUAL artist s signature, i couldnt cast a fishing sinker

but i am going to put these things to some highpressure testing and see how all this powdercaoting talk really holds up

that candy red paint looks sick though

 

[Beagle333]

I'm gonna try some pressure testing this weekend too.
Carnauba Red vs Zombie bullets!

 

[Vance]

skizzums
http://s998.photobucket.com/user/nwa...42971187597204

i slaved over a hot pot and mold all day for these few bullets, then worked my butt off on the coating

i thought i would show off my artistic capabilities

im sure if you look closely, most of you all will recognize the ACTUAL artist s signature, i couldnt cast a fishing sinker

but i am going to put these things to some highpressure testing and see how all this powdercaoting talk really holds up

that candy red paint looks sick though

Nothing wrong with those skizzums.

 

[skizzums]

im was only joking, those bullets i posted are legally trademarked from *Beagles Bullets LLC*, i will only take credit for them on forums where beagle is not a member

 

[Beagle333]

ha ha

 

[Vance]

OK. I thought they looked familiar. Beagle does like to do the speckle pattern.

 

[Rangefinder]

im was only joking, those bullets i posted are legally trademarked from *Beagles Bullets LLC*, i will only take credit for them on forums where beagle is not a member

Have to do better than that... Even if I didn't recognize the rest of 'em, those dark cherry TURTLE BUSTERS are a dead give-away. It's one bullet I happen to know there aren't many of floating around. We're sneaky like that! LOL

 

[skizzums]

if it ever stops raining here for more than 5 hours i would love to shoot a few of them, i went out a couple weeks ago and shot about 100 of the soft swaged wadcutters, my pistol looked like i dipped it in lead, literally looked like i dripped molten lead on the hinge where the wheel closes, they shoot great and soft, but never again

so i went and bout the 158gr hard cast round nose, no more lead everywhere, but they were so hard they were bouncing all over the place and i was finding whole bullets all over the ground, dangerous

soooo, i like the idea of shooting softer lead that wont fudge up my gat

 

[A pause for the COZ]

Thanks for the ideas. I am going to come up with a way similar to powder coat some 223 bullets for my AR.

I was thinking of drilling some holes in an aluminum sheet the diameter of the gas check shank, but I did not think of the non stick aluminum foil.
Might just work.

Ewww I just checked for 1/1/14 they have 25% off coupon.
Code 56060818.
http://www.harborfreight.com/10-30-psi-powder-coating-system-94244.html

Mine is on the way!

 

[skizzums]

sure the answer is yes, but do i need a compressor for these guns right?

 

[Beagle333]

Well, .... yes. Technically, you could do one tray at a time using a portable air tank, but you'd have to run to the gas station a lot if you were trying to make a Saturday of it.

I pump up my little compressor, then steal the extension cord for spraying the tray and it will do a whole tray easy without pumping it up again..... but it wouldn't do two whole trays.

 

[skizzums]

Cool, i had a nice compressors, just1 dont remember who borrowed it. Think my bro about 10 yrs ago, ill have to check and see if it still exsists, doubt it

 

[Beagle333]

If you start coating.... you'll like it. It does all shapes, weights and sizes, and it makes em all waaaay slicker and less messy than conventional lube.

(I still use my lubesizers though.... because it's cheaper than building a garage so I can powdercoat when it's wet out.)

 

[skizzums]

i dont have a scale that weighs over 100gr, so i cant load these up yet, unless you know off-hand the weights of the ones i got

you got a link to a cheap scale thatll weigh these things, i like my little lee scale, just not big enough for bullets

 

[Beagle333]

pm sent on that.

 

[A pause for the COZ]

Ok you guys got me all pumped up for this. Still waiting for my gun to show up, but that wont stop me from getting ready.
Want to coat for use with gas checks.
1st I need a tray:
Since I have quite a few old computers taking up space in the basement. Might as well use one of those to make a pan.
Angle grinder to the rescue!!

Cut it out to the size of my oven and bent the end to make a raised pan.

Drilled a whole bunch of holes for the Gas check base. 7/32 drill bit worked perfectly.

Holds them securely. I will use the nonstick stuff on production.

Using Acetone to pre clean the bullets. Stole a mason jar from the wife's stash.

Drained and air dried the boolits. I did not steal the wife's bleach pitcher.
I would not likely survive that move.
All ready just waiting for my Machine.