Powder Coating Boolits

[popper]

Evidently there is also a technique of blowing the powder on through a long teflon tube. The teflon generates static charge. A turkey baster?

[wwboolitmaker]

Ok, crazy idea. Take a piece of sheet metal and put proper size holes in it for the nose to sit at desired depth. Preheat the bullets slightly to insure a good coat. Lay the sheel metal flush with a water bed of mineral water. Ground the metal sheet and spray the tail of the boolits. Carefully lift the boolits from the water bed and transfer them into the oven. The water should catch and suspend the overspray and when you lift them out of the water you shouldnt have the notorious "fillet". Does this sound like it could work?

[popper]

Re-read what you said - I get the idea - metal below the water, suck the powder off if it floats. I think it would eliminate the fillet but PC the plate. Maybe just rinse the powder off the plate with slow flowing water? Unless the metal is thick, the CBs will tilt and maybe fall over.

[olaf455]

Quite possible.
Another idea would be spray them nose down as we have beeen discussing, then line the baking tray with parchment paper. invert the lined baking tray, place on base of bullets, and then right side up the whole thing. carefully remove the jig from the top of the boolits and bake. the partment paper should peal off of the boolits very easily, then I would run them through a nose first sizer, this should take care of the fillet.

Sent from a cold damp basement near you.

[xyankeeworkshop]

Does the fillet shear off to expose the lead below after running it thru a sizing die or does it merely flatten out to blend in with the rest of the powdercoat?

[lavenatti]

I spray all mine nose up. I don't really worry about the fillets with plain base boolits, they are ugly but sizing takes care of them..

For gas check bullets:
I size them and clean them.
I drilled a grid of holes in a piece of pine that fits in my toaster oven, the holes are just the right size to push the base of the gas-check type boolits into the hole snugly up to the driving band.
Cover the board with foil, run your fingertip over the foil to outline the holes.
Insert boolits (without gas checks) into the holes all the way to the first driving band.
Powder coat and bake.

They are still a pain in the neck to get the foil off of but the gas checks are no harder to put on, the fillet around the base goes away when sizing again and they don't fall over when moving them around.

With one small (reusable) board I can do 100 .223 boolits at a time. Just watch your spacing and drill the holes all the way through the board - the insertion of the boolits into the holes cuts out little circles of aluminum foil and they get stuck into holes. Easy to push them through, difficult to pick out.

[xyankeeworkshop]

I'm leaning toward trying out a method where I use a piece of welded wire mesh (1/2" hardware cloth) with every other intersection snipped out with dykes to make dozens of little 4-pronged holders to support the boolit noses so I can coat with the base up. Think engagement ring mounting prongs. Dozens of them.

The mesh would have to set on a foil-lined carrier tray because it'll be pretty flimsy when loaded with boolits. My question is about what will happen to the hardware cloth after multiple coatings. After the first coating, will subsequent coatings want to stick to the point where it becomes a brick or will any new powder want to shed off? Maybe press a sheet of parchment paper over the prongs to catch overspray?

[popper]

Well it is a good day. Took 10# of brass & primers to the recylers (1.70/#) got a $10 gift card for the party Sunday, lady in front of me at HF gave me a coupon so I got $1 off the jug of PC. Still have $5 in my pocket. Play time tomorrow. xyankeeworkshop - I think if you use the grid for support and rest the noses on foil (grounded) you won't care about the grid wire. Replace the foil for the next shot. That is my reasoning for the MDF, it drills clean & easily, takes the heat and provides support. Load it, heat it, spray it, cook it.

[Jailer]

Christmas boolits all loaded and ready for the range.

[RED333]

I am buying a PC kit from HF this weekend and doing this.

[popper]

lavenatti - you are saying that GC are still needed for HV rifle? Because the base is not covered or the coating isn't strong enough? I presently don't have trouble with leading or accuracy even in AR, but would like to replace the 3 cent GC with a 1/2 cent coating, if it will work.

[ryokox3]

Jailer, Those look so nice. Really like the Christmas theme

[lavenatti]

popper - I guess I'm still using the gas checks out of habit. I need to try without or get some more PB molds.

[olaf455]

popper - I guess I'm still using the gas checks out of habit. I need to try without or get some more PB molds.

I use gc boolits with no gas checks, as long a the gc recess has coating in it. No leading.

Sent from a cold damp basement in the frozen wasteland of northwestern Wisconsin...

[Bad Water Bill]

This is an interesting subject BUT what if you do not have an air compressor?

Did I miss that suggestion somewhere?

[olaf455]

Sears all in one unit perhaps. I have tried the liquid powder application method from powder by the pound, it does not seem to work very well.

Sent from my kitchen table, amidst the chaos...

[xyankeeworkshop]

Bill,

The $40 Craftsman unit sold thru Amazon does not need a compressor. It's essentially a hairdryer that shoots powder. The reviews say it works great as long as you aren't the type to abuse tools.

I decided to order one of those instead of the HF unit.

[Ken73]

The ~$30 Craftsman unit works just fine. I have the HF unit as well but didn't want to deal with an air compressor in my office where I cast/coat so I got the Sears unit off Amazon. Summit Racing carries extra powder cups for colors you use often for $10 each. There's a few tips I put up on Amazon for the unit, too.

[xyankeeworkshop]

I'm getting ahead of myself as I don't even have my PC kit yet, but what are you guys doing about powder recovery and reuse?

I was thinking about knocking together a melamine box in which to shoot powder and contain the loose stuff so it doesn't get all over and wasted. If you pre-heat a tray of boolits and coat them, can you lightly blow any overspray off the tray and collect it or is that to be considered lost?

[Bad Water Bill]

Just ordered my Craftsman. Now to get an EXTRA cartridge or 2.

In the misc videos they state that any powders will work and you can salvage and RE USE your over spray.