HFPC Boolits..Piglet Method

[dverna]

This is a simple question.
Do any of the people using this process have a Star?

If yes, second question.
Why are you doing this?

I am a big believer is KISS. Cost is less of a concern than productivity or improved performance. Thanks for any insight you can share. I am trying to understand.

Don Verna

[passgas55]

Good idea. I'll give teflon a try.

I'm not understanding how folks are able to use water bottles and condiment dispensers without the acetone eating through them. My first attempt used a plastic nut container whose bottom dropped out after the third use. Typically, acetone safe containers are use a different type of plastic than most consumer containers are made of.

I bet the type of plastic was a very clear hard plastic your nut container was. I prefer glass myself. I am going to use some stainless tubing cut about 6" and with one open end going into my glass container and I will use my thumb on other end to "hold" the mixture in place. Once over my shake container I release my thumb and the mixture will fall out. I will cut a piece of 3/8 and also try a 1/2 piece.

[prickett]

This is a simple question.
Do any of the people using this process have a Star?

If yes, second question.
Why are you doing this?

I am a big believer is KISS. Cost is less of a concern than productivity or improved performance. Thanks for any insight you can share. I am trying to understand.

Don Verna

Hi Don,
I don't have a Star, so I can't answer that part of the question, but I'm interested in this method for the following reasons:

1) You seem to be able to push boolits faster w/o leading using Piglet/Hi Tek/Powder Coating/Klass Kote
2) I am hoping I can shoot softer lead than using conventional lubing (pure lead failed this test, but hopefully softer alloys will not)
3) Post shooting cleanup is far faster. There is no lube/carbon sludge build up, and the barrel is almost spotless
4) No smoke like you get from firing lead
5) I don't have a Star, I have an RCBS LAM 2, and this process is faster
6) The overall equipment cost for this is less than buying a lubrisizer.

And the number 7 reason is... black bullets sitting on top of shiny brass really looks cool!

[passgas55]

My stainless steel tubing idea did not work as for as using it for dropping the liquid mix. Other than that I do find using a 4/1 mix works good.
At first I was hand tumbling till all most dry but the finish was rough. Now I tumble till it barley starts to stick and then dump it on the hardware cloth only moving the bullets to keep from touching each other. Wait two minutes and into the oven at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove and move bullets after it cools just a little to keep from sticking . I find the less you move your bullets in any stage of process the smoother the finish. 2 coats is all I need. I need to go to HF to get the other 3 colors.

[passgas55]

Got the other 3 colors from HF. The red does not want to mix in with the acetone. It just wants to cling to the bottom or walls of the mixing container, gunk. How ever I was abale to make some pink bullets by doing a white mixture on the bullets and while swirling the bullets around I sprinkle in some red powder coat and then swirled in a little more white mixture. I baked it and did only one coat because it was on thick. The next time I repeated what i did before but went a little lighter on the powder coating mixture and a little less red.. I coatedand baked twice. The last test batch I did the first coat in white and baked. Then I added the white bullets to the mixing bullet bowl with the darker pink residue and added a little white liquid mixture which gave me a nice light pink. I will post pics when I get a chance.

[passgas55]

The bullet on the left is one coat thick. The one in the middle is 2 light coats with less red powder and the one to the right is one white coat then pink residue from bowl mix in some white liquid mixture. You can still see some red streaks in it. To get rid of that you have to work it wetter.

[TES]

Nice Job

[bigfelipe]

Once baked, I don't believe the acetone should have any effect on previous coats.

Then I must be doing something wrong. Can you over bake them?

[passgas55]

Then I must be doing something wrong. Can you over bake them?

At what temperature and how long are you baking?

[prickett]

The bullet on the left is one coat thick. The one in the middle is 2 light coats with less red powder and the one to the right is one white coat then pink residue from bowl mix in some white liquid mixture. You can still see some red streaks in it. To get rid of that you have to work it wetter.

Those look very smooth for HF paint. Nice job!

[bigfelipe]

At what temperature and how long are you baking?

400 for 20 mins

[xyankeeworkshop]

I have not had a chance to actually Pigletcoat anything yet, but I too am noticing that the HF red powder I've had setting 1:4 in a jar of acetone for days will not even remotely go into solution - just clearish liquid on top of a clumpy red sludge. It'll suspend for a few minutes when you shake it up though.

Is this mainly a problem with the red HF pigment? Will HF black do a better job?

[piglet]

This is a simple question.
Do any of the people using this process have a Star?

If yes, second question.
Why are you doing this?

Don Verna

I have three Star-lubrisizers, two Lyman-lubrisizers and one Herters lubrisizer. And many Lee push-through sizers.

I am doing this because when using these bullets I have a clean gun, clean dies, clean bullet feeders and nice looking bullets.

These bullets are extremely easy to size, do not leak anything and since there is no oil they can not ruin the primer.
Although my homemade Felix never ruined primers either.

Earlier I had problems with my bullet feeders. They did not like Felix but these PC-bullets work beautifully.

[xyankeeworkshop]

passgas55,

I am willing to shoot speckled pink boolits in every caliber I own for the rest of my life if I can get them to look that good. Nice job!

[passgas55]

passgas55,

I am willing to shoot speckled pink boolits in every caliber I own for the rest of my life if I can get them to look that good. Nice job!

Pink it's my new obsession
Pink it's not even a question,
Pink on the lips of your lover, 'cause
Pink is the love you discover ........

you know the rest of the song

[passgas55]

400 for 20 mins

That should be good to go. Check your oven temperature.

[olaf455]

Oops.

[olaf455]

I have not had a chance to actually Pigletcoat anything yet, but I too am noticing that the HF red powder I've had setting 1:4 in a jar of acetone for days will not even remotely go into solution - just clearish liquid on top of a clumpy red sludge. It'll suspend for a few minutes when you shake it up though.

Is this mainly a problem with the red HF pigment? Will HF black do a better job?

I get the same results from powder by the pound Burgundy polyester TGIC.
I have noticed that the clear liquid on top is thicker than acetone, I assume some of the powder coat dissolves however the pigment does not.
I just shake really well immediately prior to pouring over the boolits, and all is well.

[passgas55]

My next batch instead of mixing the actone and powder toether in a jar, I will add acetone to the bullets and dust them with a salt shaker the color I want. that way I can control how dark or thick the coating will turn out. be easier to mix colors. I kind of doing this now when I do pink.

[HDS]

This is a simple question.
Do any of the people using this process have a Star?

If yes, second question.
Why are you doing this?

I am a big believer is KISS. Cost is less of a concern than productivity or improved performance. Thanks for any insight you can share. I am trying to understand.

Don Verna

I have a Star and thats why I won't be applying this process to any of my pistol bullets. Soley interested in the potential of making something sorta like a jacketed rifle bullet at home.

But the results I've had so far with my lino-type ish 223 bullets out of my AR, just using lube and gas checks, has been very encouraging so this whole coating business is on the back burner for now.

What would be interesting is a cast rifle bullet pre-made for these coatings, lacking lube grooves for higher weight to length ratio. I wonder if you could get something like 80gr from a bullet then and still be short enough to work in a 1:9 barrel. The velocities an 80gr jacketed 223 bullet would travel at would not be that stressing on a CB either.