Powder Coating 101

[sixshot]

There seems to be quite a few questions still floating around out there about powder coating cast bullets, even after 5-6 years of doing it. here's something I tried today just as an experiment. We had just finished a one quart Mayonnaise jar & I wanted to give it a test drive so I washed it out & dried it. It has the little triangle on the bottom but not the "mandatory" five. I put about 75 of the 135 gr 32 HP's inside along with several 260 gr Keith 45 slugs, added about 1/2 tsp Harbor Freight Red, the powder that many complain about & shaked it for about 45 seconds with a few bounces up & down. Unscrewing the lid they looked just fine so I dumped them into my colander & shook them for 6-7 seconds & then dumped them onto the non stick aluminum foil on my toaster oven tray & popped them into the 400 degree toaster oven for 12 minutes & Bingo! They turned out great!
I've sent 2 batches of these to to a couple of central Texas gunsmiths & they are having great success with them, especially in a problem 44 that a client sent them. I still say, & they said that they Harbor Freight Red is getting better coverage, not that the more expensive black is bad, it's very good but the Red is doing better. Always has done better for me.
No air soft pellets, no acetone, just get those babies coated, cooled down & sized, it's country simple, very fast & soooo much cleaner. You seldom need a gas check either. I ran some 32 magnums through a Buckeye yesterday that were very accurate & very, very fast. Plain base 100 gr bullets that were touching at 25 yds.

Dick

 

[contender]

I agree with sixshot.
Powder coating is easy & once I tried it years ago,, I've never went back to traditional lubing.

I have gotten more involved in my PCing,, in that I use vibrating tumblers,, and different colors for different calibers.

But the simple HF red,, a heavy duty plastic container,, a cheap toaster over, and you can be in business.
So simple,, even a cave man can do it.

 

[RUFFBIRD]

Any problems with sticking together or a buildup of the coating on the underside of your bullets?
I always stand them up, but it consumes gun fondling time... :lol:

 

[grobin]

Weird I did a search and I only got black and white! Is Red discontinued?

 

[contender]

Excess powder is shaken off prior to baking. (I use a cheap plastic colander). You may get a few to stick to each other,, but they are easily separated unless you have an excess of powder.

Red is still available in the stores as far as I know.

 

[daveg.inkc]

Those look good! Like store bought! I would like to add, that when I toured Missouri Bullets, they baked at 425 degrees, twice. I watched batch being treated. Red cast bullets are dumped on a tray and put in oven. Very slick finish. And I watched a man hammer a coated bullet. Finish will not flake off.

 

[mikld]

Great info sixshot. PCing is very easy to get started with HF red and a few items found around the house (other HF colors have been reported to be harder to get smooth, complete coverage). One place to find a bunch of info, almost every possible question about home PCing, Hi-Tec coating, etc., has been addressed; http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?184-Coatings-and-Alternatives

 

[sixshot]

No need to stand the bullets up or use air soft pellets, just dump them in a colander & shake for a few seconds then on to the non stick foil & into your pre heated toaster oven for 10-12 minutes & bingo, they are done. Let them cool & they are ready to size which is best done soon after sizing, it's easier that way.
I've stated this warning many times, if you are using a Star machine it's a very good idea to spray them with Hornady One Shot Case Lube before running them through your sizer, if you don't you have a good chance of getting one stuck & bending or breaking your handle.

Dick

 

[RUFFBIRD]

Thanks for your feedback gents! I will try the colander method...

 

[gramps]

Thanks for sharing sixshot. I had been lubing with JPW, but this method is less messy! I need an toaster oven, HF Red, and a colander, and I will be in business!
gramps

 

[onehandgunner]

Some years back I bought some bullets that seem to be coated with Alox. I have read that I can remove the lube and then powder coat. Do the bullets need to be sized again or are they good to go after coating ?

 

[contender]

Yes,, you can remove the Alox & PC bullets. it's kinda a PIA. But as for sizing,, the PCing adds a thin amount of thickness to things,, (.0001 approx.) but most likely you shouldn't have to resize.

 

[onehandgunner]

Hey Contender, thanks for the info. I don't mind the PIA, I have been using MBC HiTek bullets for a couple of years now and don't want to switch back. So much cleaner in all respects. I see where some people like HiTek coatings and others are content with P/C, I'll have time to choose. This is something I will not do till later, tooo much green stuff growing and need to rock and insulate the garage. Thanks, Jerry