How is the best way to powder coat bullets?
Printable View
How is the best way to powder coat bullets?
Many ways to do it. Look at Elvis Ammo on you tube he has many videos on the subject.
I'll do that. Thanks
I personally use the "shake and bake" method. I use an old kool whip container, add bullets and powder. Shake like hell. Dump thru a mesh screen, and onto a tray wrapped in non-stick foil. Then I bake in an old convection oven in my garage.
I tried the spray gun since I already had one for motorcycle and boat parts. It's too much work for what I get out of it.
Some guys tumble in a dedicated bowl for their brass tumbler. I don't do that either because shaking by hand works fine for me.
You're going to have to experiment and find out what works best for you. Weather/humidity is a huge variable for what works for some but not others.
I happen to live in S. Florida. In theory, some of what works for me shouldn't because of the humidity. But somehow it's working.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2wheelDuke
Thank's. I live in central North Carolina. Probably not quite as much humidity but not far off from you.
i tried the cool whip container and shake it method, I didn't get the results that others have. I got the HF powder gun and it does a fine job. my method is kinda tedious but I like the results so far. I'm only doing 300 BO now, i might move on to other calibers later on.
Attachment 461
I use acetone to mix with powder and thin it accordingly and just drop bullets in and then use medical tweezers to put on non stick foil and then bake,,,,,tedious but I dont powder coat a lot of lead bullets since Wes has plated so cheap.:biggthumpup:
I've been reading up on it. Hitek powder coating has all the instructions on their site. I'm gonna try it. I'm wondering though if regular powder coat will work just as good. I found some I'd love to try. It's called super chrome. I think it'd look badass.
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
Played with some new powder tonight. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...943381a509.jpg
Looks good. I just got my powder in day before yesterday. I'll be trying it out this weekend. Who'd you get your powder from?
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
I highly recommend smoke4320 who is a distributor for powder coating and he is a vendor/sponsor(?) here on Wes forums.
Cool. Good to know.
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
I know lots of people like to shoot coated lead bullets, I started coating my own bullets a few years ago an once I got my process figured out I can coat an cure a couple hundred bullets and hour on a lazy weekend afternoon.
This is how I do it.
Tools:
Convention toaster oven for curing your bullets.
I prefer the convection oven because it heats more evenly. You can pick one up at a resale store on the cheap or just buy a new one for around $30 to $40 depending on what you like. ONLY use the oven for curing powder coated bullets or heat treating bullets from that point on NEVER use it to cook food in afterwards. If the oven is not digital and controlled by an internal PID get yourself an oven baking thermometer (WallyWorld for $7) to set your temperature dial as close as possible, most toaster ovens heat much hotter than the dial indicates. Set your oven to keep a constant temperature at around 400 degrees, if the temp runs +/- 25 degrees it wants hurt anything you just don't want it to get to high or to cool.
https://i.imgur.com/c1eAi88.jpg
Plastic container for tumbling bullets in.
You will need one or more #5 plastic containers and lids depending on if you want to do more than one color, screw on types are the best but snap on lid types like I use work fine to. I use these two types of #5 container I recycle from home along with multi color plastic pony beads I get at WallyWorld for $1.50 per pack, they are large enough that they want get stuck in my big 45 ACP HP's. The combination has worked well for me to generate lots of static electricity to attract the powder to the bullets. One thing of note is that LOW HUMIDITY is your friend as it will make generating static electricity easy, I like it to be 40% or lower. At times, I've had to coat my bullets in the house and take them out to my reloading shed to cure.
#5 container from local restaurants.
https://i.imgur.com/UIOcZfm.jpg?2
Great Value Yogurt container.
https://i.imgur.com/Irr6lUn.jpg?1
Pony Beads.
https://i.imgur.com/xG3GprZ.jpg?1
In the small container I place enough beads to fill the bottom about 1" deep, in the larger container I add enough to fill it between 1" an 2" but no more than that. I add about 1/2 TSP of powder to the container with the beads and shake it up for about 30 sec. notice how it already starts to stick to the beads and sides of the container. I always start out with 1/2 TSP if you need to add more powder to get the desired coat only add another 1/4 TSP to the mix as too much powders will clump on the bullets and you will have to tap it off before placing them on the baking tray. It's easy to add a little more powder to get a fine coating than having too much to start with.
https://i.imgur.com/QhiBSUa.jpg?1
Lee .312" 185 gr. RN Smokes Carolina Blue & Aluminum checks
https://i.imgur.com/TtYlOVP.jpg?2
Next I add the bullets. Make sure they are clean of any dirt, oil or lube or any contaminates that might be on your hands as the powder will not stick. You can wash your bullets in 100% Acetone and wear nitrile groves when handling bullets if you think they are or might get contaminated during the handling process. I generally add around 50 to 75 bullets to the container depending on caliber and weight close the lid and shake in all directions for around 30 seconds. I used black air soft BB's that I had with the clear powder coat, and they work great with clear, not so much with some other colors I've used but the pony beads will work with all colors.
Lee 185 gr. .312" RN coated in Smokes clear PC
https://i.imgur.com/sfYw960.jpg?1
Accurate 215 gr. .314" FP coated in Smokes clear PC
https://i.imgur.com/6aws8XO.jpg
After about 30 seconds of shaking I tap the lid to knock any powder off the inside and look at my bullets to see how they are coated. If they pass my inspection they should look like this or the ones in the white clear coat above.
NOE 220 gr. 45 ACP HP Smokes Yellow Green PC
https://i.imgur.com/nQsqNOb.jpg?1
Arsenal .311" 170 gr. FP Ranch Dog clone, Smokes Carolina Blue
https://i.imgur.com/eW3tsYB.jpg?1
NOE 45 ACP HP local OD Green PC.
https://i.imgur.com/Z88JPUT.jpg
Next I take my baking sheet and line it with a piece of Reynolds Non-Stick aluminum foil, non-stick side up, there are cheaper brands of that type foil but I think the Reynolds works best and I get around 7 to 10 uses out of a sheet before I toss it, other like silicone baking mats but powder residue tends to build up over time on those, so I just use the foil. I take a pair of long tweezers and place all my bullets base first onto the foil, it takes some time to do it this way but I can easily have the next tray of bullets ready to cure by the time the first batch is done. Many just dump the bullets into a screen tray, shake off the excess powder and dump them on the foil and bake, but I like the results I get standing them up individually and the powder flow and migrates evenly with no lumps or flat spots. Then I pop them in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 min. Then I size and gas check as needed.
Powders I like to use.
Smokes Yellow / Green, Super Durable Clear or Carolina or Signal Blue are all excellent powders to coat with. Smoke will sell you a pound of powder divided into 3 1/3rd lb. of any of his colors if you like but these are the colors I like and that have worked for me the best with no fuss.
VS - Hi quality Powder for DT or Spraying bullets
Eastwood powders I like.
Hotcoat Powder Coat Lime Green
Hotcoat Powder Coat Ford LIght Blue
Hotcoat Powder Coat Maroon
Hotcoat Powder Coat Medium Green
A few notes on cast bullet air cooled or quenched from the mold and how the curing process will anneal the cast lead bullets using an alloy that responds to water quenching or heat treating. Your results may vary depending on the original alloy used and the as cast BHN and at the time the bullets BHN is tested.
1. If you air cool your bullets when cast then PC them an allow them to air cool again the second time there is no change in the as cast BHN of the bullet.
2. If you air cool your bullets when cast then PC them and quench them right out of the toaster oven they will gain a hardness of about 75% over the as cast BHN.
3. If you quench your bullets out of the mold to begin with then PC them and allow them to air cool they will soften around 50% from the original first quenching BHN.
4. If you quench your bullets out of the mold to begin with then PC them and quench them right out of the toaster oven a second time you only loose around 15% hardness from the first quenching.
Some good videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqD8CcnzBOA
https://youtu.be/ehvOtKHQ204
https://youtu.be/1-JELVcNNCo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb2zzAG0cJc
A few other ones I've done lately.
NOE clone of the Lyman 358156
https://i.imgur.com/WOVOFd2.jpg
NOE 124 gr. TC for the 9mm
https://i.imgur.com/jtnbI9J.jpg?2
Some of the Lee .312" 185 gr. RN I did in Copper coat, it's a pain to get to stick to the bullets well, lots of extra shaking required.
https://i.imgur.com/PhaIKUm.jpg?1
Tried my powder out last Saturday. It didn't go well. It was my fault. I'm gonna try it again this weekend. What did coat but was looking nasty as far as being blotchy looked good for color. The black is gonna look good when i get it right i think.
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Finally tried the powder coat again. Prismatic isn't going to work. My last ones I thought just needed more color to be right and use a more watered down mix. Nope. This is after 5 coats. I've brought the bullet from .451 to .454. I'll try the hytec next. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...052774ff83.jpg
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
They're still rough to.
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
EUDE75,if you give a brief description of your coating process maybe we can figure out what going wrong, some powders just don't coat well no matter how hard you try. Also are you using store bought bullets lubed or non lubed or casting them yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by EUDE75
Im following the instructions from HyTec powder coatings. The powder is from Prismatic powder. I knew that some powders won't cost well but i tried them to see if theirs would. It was just a trial. I wanted to use theirs because they have a huge selection of colors.
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Excellent how to, thanks for taking the time to share!Quote:
Originally Posted by Reloader762
That’s why I like forums better than Facebook
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Definitely better. I truly appreciate Wes starting this. Thanks again Wes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Muddydawg75
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
A recent batch. I had run a batch of blue and decided to add what little red I had left. Came out with a funky purplish color. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3b023b6e33.jpg
Some green from the same mould. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5aeeb7cde7.jpg
I have a collection of lead with lube. Is removing the lube required. Am I past the point of no return such that I should just shoot them? tx
Naw. If libeled is what you like, rock it out. If you plan on pc’ing, I’d suggest recasting them to make sure all the lube is removed. It’s just my limited opinion though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffm004
Definitely don’t try to pc over the lube if that’s what you are asking.
Yes you'll need to remove the lube. Because you cook the bullets at 400 degrees. It'll make a big mess if you don't and the powdercoat won't stick where the lube was.
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Removing lube is easy. Just put bullets in boiling water for about 15Min, all the lube will float, bullets not so much.
i also boiled and skimmed lube off and just to make sure gave them a acetone bath then pc worked fine
I love chrome, probably have close to a hundred different colors now. The # 5 cup and airsoft(optional) work fine for me. Ive got a gun, but the shake and bake method has little to no waste compared to spraying. Eastwood has some of the best powders, but they're are other companies with just as good. It's easy easier and looks so much better than my hi tek experiences. Lol Hit up local powder coating business, guy he in town gave me 26 different colors, over 40 pounds. 5 pounds of one of my favorites which is Kawasaki green. Good luck. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...98c504e747.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ecee03f8b3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c987b12d7d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...84acc5f460.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by EUDE75
Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk
I'd say someone got happy powder coating. Lol. I tried the black from another company. Their coating doesn't work well with the shake and bake method. The rep I talked to before I ordered said he believed the chrome wouldn't do well at all. So I'll try a known brand that works next time.
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
Looks really good btw. I need to do that to my tools for the shop. It'd definitely help us keep my tools from getting lost or finding their way into someone else's toolbox.
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
Was the chrome Eastwood? I really like that.
I like the looks of most of the colors, especially the chrome. Although it seems to me like traditional lubing would take less time and make less mess. I’m really tempted to try it though, if for than nothing more than adding another aspect to this hobby.
Lubing is faster. The main benefit to powder coating is it pretty much eleminates the need for a gas check and it stops barrel leading. Plus it does look cool. Lol
Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk
Yessir got a few other brand chrome's il try also.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iron369
Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk