Powder coating questions

[AJ]

I strongly recommend you head over to the Cast Boolits forum and get your powder from user Smoke4320 and then follow the shake and bake method perfected there. Its almost fool proof. I've read of problems with the HF powder.

What problems with the HF powder coating? Been using the supply that I have had for a couple of years with no problems.

 

[AlHunt]

What problems with the HF powder coating? Been using the supply that I have had for a couple of years with no problems.

Are you spraying the PC, I wonder?

Not all powder coats are formulated the same, even different colors of the same brand can vary in success with the shake and bake method. The products Smoke4320 sell have been tested to work.

Specifically the red HF powder coat seems to generate a lot of complaints that it doesn't cover or adhere well with the shake and bake process.

I've seen people try PC for the first time and give up because it won't cover/stick whatever. Almost invariably, they're not following the proven process/product.

Certainly other brands and processes work. I just think a first timer should maximize their chance of success. Master the process that works, then tinker with it if one is inclined.

 

[AJ]

Are you spraying the PC, I wonder?

Not all powder coats are formulated the same, even different colors of the same brand can vary in success with the shake and bake method. The products Smoke4320 sell have been tested to work.

Specifically the red HF powder coat seems to generate a lot of complaints that it doesn't cover or adhere well with the shake and bake process.

I've seen people try PC for the first time and give up because it won't cover/stick whatever. Almost invariably, they're not following the proven process/product.

Certainly other brands and processes work. I just think a first timer should maximize their chance of success. Master the process that works, then tinker with it if one is inclined.

No, I do not spray it. I do the shake and bake process, I do this for five minutes then remove the bullets. All are coated well. I got my process from a magazine article from several years ago. Also a friend showed me how he did it.

My powder coat came from Harbor Freight, when I first started this process. I bough the red powder coat they sold at the time and it works very well. I tried their black and it did not work as well. They stopped carrying that powder coat for a while. Noticed they had some new powder coating in the store, but the packaging is different. Maybe the formula has changed??

 

[oddshooter]

I use the plastic container with "triangle 5" on the bottom and plastic beads to generate static electricity. I swirl them for a couple of minutes and it always seems to work with Smoke's powder.

I even do a second coat sometimes with a different color to give a flamed streak look.

CUTE bullets.

PC also leaves a shiny bore and no leading because it's a better lubricant than wax. I've never noticed a smell. What's not to like?

To me, Powder Coating is the first paradigm shift for handloading since smokeless powder.

Prescut

 

[BC38]

I'm afraid the stink of burned plastic puts me off the powdercoated projectiles.
It *might* be better for me than vaporized lead.
I wonder what's in the powder, is this going to abrade a bore over time. I know the overall mixture is soft but whatever allows it to be statically charged might be abrasive? I guess really looking at the ingredients would be prudent.

Different people have different sensitivity and reaction to the "burnt electrical insulation" smell of PC bullets, I get that.

But abrasion isn't anything to worry about. Powder coat is also known as POLY coat because the powder coating is just finely ground up plastic (a.k.a. poly, short for polymer). I guarantee it is less abrasive than copper jacket material.

As for what generates the static, it isn't anything special added to the powder. It is the nature of the powder itself. Just like when you drag your feet across a nylon (plastic-fiber) carpet it generates static, if you get the powder coat plastic particles rubbing against each other they naturally generate static. This is accomplished either through the "shake" part of the "shake and bake" process, or through spraying it with a gun, but in either case that friction between the particles is what generates the static. It isn't due to any kind of additive.

I want to give laser printer toner powder a try, just for giggles. The black toner powder for laser printers is a form of powdercoat, and the laser printing process uses static to deposit it onto the paper where it gets "baked" on.

 

[gnappi]

Luvsmiths, Are you shooting PC bullets as cast and coated? If they're sized right, color should be of no significance. I have PC'd every color in the rainbow and a few more, and the base as well as the tip are the only areas that may be "thicker" by color.

Kiwi,

With ANY new bullet you should reduce charges a bit and go from there. As far as PC goes, if they're sized right, sufficiently hard (I quench them out of the oven) and pass the smash test (whack them with a hammer to see if the PC adheres without flaking off) I treat them as plated bullets for load data.

So far I'm pc'ing for .38 super and .357 sig (139 and 150gn) .40 (170 and 185gn) and .45 (200gn.) All are equal to or better than TMJ/plated or jacketed bullets in feed reliability, accuracy, and bore cleanliness.

I no longer shoot IPSC/USPSA so I don't need or care to get major caliber velocity info.

 

[luvsmiths]

Luvsmiths, Are you shooting PC bullets as cast and coated? If they're sized right, color should be of no significance. I have PC'd every color in the rainbow and a few more, and the base as well as the tip are the only areas that may be "thicker" by color.

Seriously?

Oh boy.....

Well, it honestly depends on where in the sky the moon is....

 

[gnappi]

Seriously?

Oh boy.....

Well, it honestly depends on where in the sky the moon is....

Yes, seriously. Once sized please explain how color "thickness" of the PC makes a hoot of difference. Unless we're in one of those moon phases where you are busy out there howling at it.

Now if you want to say the "material" of the color of a particular BRAND of PC "may" make a difference, maybe I'll think about it, but there's no science on PC material to support a color being a condition that would affect anything.

Oh, and green M&M's REALLY do not taste different than any of the others.

 

[Kiwi cop]

Thanks everyone.

I have 300-500 PC 124 9mm rounds I recently found in a cupboard I will load up shortly. I have around 200 unlubed 200gn lead truncated cone projectiles a friend just cast for me (and several hundred more to come) plus ordered in some PC powder today.

And I have found a source of both 124 gn 9mm and 200 gn TC powder coated bullets at around 2/3 the cost of jacketed projectiles, so I guess I will be shooting PC bullets for the rest of the year.