[myflatline]

Tried my hand at powder coating today. Something didn't go as planned. They are all blochy and lumpy, couldn't get a gas check on if I had too. Thinking about sizing and putting on the GC, then try a different color ( read where black doesn't do so good), do 2 coats and size again. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[farmboy]

Can`t help you with that, maybe someone here can, let us know how it works.

 

[roharmon]

I tried my hand at dry tumbling powder coat yesterday. I had good results with the HF red, but mixed results with the All Powder pink-for my wife. I think I will try less bullets in the bowl next time.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jim,

First off are you using Harbor Freight powder? 2nd I notice you live in Fl. how is the humidity? are you dry tumbling or are you using the electrostatic spray gun? If you are dry tumbling how are you picking them out of the bowl and are you tapping to get excess powder off?

Sorry for all of the questions but I need more info to try and help you out.

I dry tumble at the moment just because I am having fun with it. I use a "5" recycle cool-whip bowl with black airsoft BB's covering the bottom 2 deep with 1 big table spoon of powder. Depending on how big of boolits I put in it can range from 25 (my big 540gr) to 100 (my 120gr 9mm) I swirl for at least a minute and then shake the bejeezes out of it and then swirl again. I use needle nose tweezers to get the boolits out (I get them into the lube grooves to pick them out) then tap the tweezers on the side of the bowl to get the excess powder to fall off so I dont have clumps and set them on the baking pan covered with non-stick foil. If I notice some that are not covered well enough they stay in the bowl for another go around before being taken out.

The best coverage I have had was when I mixed 1/2 Red with 1/2 yellow and it turned out cool looking as well..
I have heard of people in the south having issues doing this while the humidity being very high.

I am looking for a video camera so I can do a video to try and help out those who want to give it a try

Keep at it and the results will come... and if you dont get good results on some you can remelt them if you cast your own.

Doc

 

[Doc Holliday]

Opps, I didnt answer some of your questions..

Harbor Freight matt black does not dry tumble at all but can be put on with the ES powder coating gun with great results.
I found it easier to size and GC before coating but I have done it both ways, it doesnt matter if the GC gets coated either
So far I have been doing 2 coats but I will start trying to 1 coat shake and bake.

Keep the questions coming and I will help out as much with words and pics until I get a video camera :biggrin:

Doc

 

[myflatline]

Thanks Doc, It was quite humid hear yesterday, and I was using the HF black, trying to tumble, even put them in my vibratory tumbler ( saw it on You Tube ) to see if it would help. I was picking them out with Hemostats but was only wiping off the bottoms, will try tapping off the excess.

I've followed where you have been learning on this and was hoping you would chime in. I haven't bought the ES gun yet, looks like it would be a PIA.

Fortunately all oops will get re-casted. Love the NOE mold, bought it on your recommendation.

Keep the pointers coming.

 

[wwmartin]

Doc was that 2 layers deep or 2 inches deep on the BBs . The best coverage I'm getting is about .003 after baking. I'm trying to bump up come 44s to fit a 1889 in 44-40 without altering the mold. My thoughts were to coat to .434 with soft lead and see if they would bump up to seal.WW

 

[Doc Holliday]

Doc was that 2 layers deep or 2 inches deep on the BBs . The best coverage I'm getting is about .003 after baking. I'm trying to bump up come 44s to fit a 1889 in 44-40 without altering the mold. My thoughts were to coat to .434 with soft lead and see if they would bump up to seal.WW

2 BB's deep works good for me, I have even used regular copper BB's and it has worked (some people say it works better because it pounds the powder coating into the lead but I didnt keep going with them so I dont know one way or another...)

wwmartin,

Here is the thing with powder coating and undersized boolits... unless the boolit will engage the rifling before the powder coating it most likely wont help out... Powder coating is still paint after all. If your trying to get some .430 boolits up to .434 to be able to shoot out of a Marlin 1894, it wont work....

I coated some boolits that came out of my mold undersized at .458 to .4585 but my barrel slugged at .4575 so I still had .0005 to .001 that would engage the rifleing and is why I started with the powder coating... Well that and I really tired of pan lubing! LOL

My advice if this is the case.. modify the mold to drop bigger boolits! I have a .430 steal mold and I need to do the same.

Myflatline,
Did you get the one with or without gas check?

Doc

 

[myflatline]

Gas check, They are awful pretty. It's a learning experience on both the casting and the powder coating. As you can tell , I'm not afraid to ask for help.

I think I'm going to size and CG the nest batch, try a different color and see where we end up. It'll be a few days before that happens so if you have some advice , please pass it on.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Doc Holliday]

If you want some neet looking boolits before the powder really starts to blend in... Try mixing 50/50 red and yellow from Harbor Freight.
1/2 heaping table spoon each and swirl and shake... they come out looking pretty cool

Here are some I have coated so far

And the new 9mm 120gr TC boolits.... 3/4 white 1/4 black

Doc

 

[myflatline]

Looks good Doc. My local HF was out of red Sunday, I'll check later this week to see if any came in.

 

[myflatline]

Learned something today, if you rinse your bullets in lacquer thinner first they take the powder much better. Must be my finger oils keeping it from sticking.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yup! I try not to touch boolits from the mold until they are done PC if that is what Im going to do with them. lacquer thinner, turpentine etc work great to get the oils off the boolits. Harbor Freight sells the the gloves (not rubber but something else I cant remember right now... memmory is going!)


Doc

 

[BloodGroove4570]

If you want some neet looking boolits before the powder really starts to blend in... Try mixing 50/50 red and yellow from Harbor Freight.
1/2 heaping table spoon each and swirl and shake... they come out looking pretty cool

Here are some I have coated so far
View attachment 106445 View attachment 106446

And the new 9mm 120gr TC boolits.... 3/4 white 1/4 black
View attachment 106447


Doc

Those look Awesome Doc! I Especially like the Yellow Fatty! HAHAHAAA
Is that your 265gr 44?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Nope, thats a 200gr 452 for the 45acp...

I have not powder coated the 44 stuff yet.


Doc

 

[Soless]

Doc, is the accuracy with the powder coated bullets the same, better or worse than your traditional cast and lubed bullets?

 

[myflatline]

Soless, so far in my 35's its the same or a tough better. I'm not shooting super long range either. Have had some clover leafs at 50yds if that helps.