simple Hi-Tek coating

[HI-TEK]

Sticky. Good stuff, Mate.

This is all un-charted territory, and your findings will be interesting.

Need Moonman or leadman to try some Bronze 500 with long bake times with water drop to see how it compares to their previous results.
Might have to con HI-TEK Joe into sending some test samples at no charge.....

Well, the wait may not be so long with US supply of Bronze 500.
There are bulk stocks nearly under way.
Shipping and clearing will be the delaying factors.

Samples at no charge????? Good try, but no Christmas box today....lol...lol

Parcel post for small amount of samples is expensive, and, at minimum takes about 2-3 weeks to arrive, and will depend on Customs clearing delays.

[Ausglock]

Did a bit of testing last night. I applied a coat of red copper and baked it.
then applied some Aqualube 5000 sizing lube and sized the bullets.
Then applied a second coat of black over the first red copper coat and baked it.
Tried to get the second coat to smash off the first. Didn't happen.
The 2 coats were bonded fine.
The thinking was that the sizing lube would stop the second coat from sticking.
But this seems to not be the case.
I have another batch of red 254 with 2nd coat of black ready to bake and test tonight.

I'm casting more 44 pills and will try this test with the superhard Bronze 500 and the Bronze 530 to see if they behave the same.

If this works, it will make sizing after the first coat so much easier.

[ioon44]

I had lathsmith make me a long punch for my Star sizer so it will push one boolit all the way through the long wax die.

I have some Aqualube 5000 on order looking forward to using it.

I don't know if it is just me but does the Red Copper get harder to size after they have been baked for a week?

[HI-TEK]

I had lathsmith make me a long punch for my Star sizer so it will push one boolit all the way through the long wax die.

I have some Aqualube 5000 on order looking forward to using it.

I don't know if it is just me but does the Red Copper get harder to size after they have been baked for a week?

Good question ioon.
It is possible that baking for a week, may harden coating. How much??? is not known, as it has not been done previously.
It stands to reason, that extra baking should increase cross linking density, so, hardness may also increase.
What was pleasing to learn is, that the over baked coating actually performed well.
Totally unexpected.
With Aqualube 5000, please use diluted and very sparingly. You dont need much for it to work well.
You may get a pleasant surprise at significant load reduction on your sizer.

[ioon44]

Good question ioon.
It is possible that baking for a week, may harden coating. How much??? is not known, as it has not been done previously.
It stands to reason, that extra baking should increase cross linking density, so, hardness may also increase.
What was pleasing to learn is, that the over baked coating actually performed well.
Totally unexpected.
With Aqualube 5000, please use diluted and very sparingly. You dont need much for it to work well.
You may get a pleasant surprise at significant load reduction on your sizer.

Thanks for the reply
I didn't mean to imply that I had baked them for a week, I just waited a week before sizing, they were baked for 12 min.

[popper]

Sticky - If you re-bake sized boolits to W.D. check the final size. I re-baked (1 hr @400F) some PC'd, they seem to have lost 0.0005". Don't know if the coating shrank or what. I generally size after final coating and W.D., this was for a test. Just so you don't get a surprise.

[gunoil]

Diggin gas chexs now over hitech. Tonite l sprayed dillon case lube on hitech boolits before seating gas chexs, Wow they are slick. I shoot alot straighter. Rite now just doing 380/9. Incredible and super clean, barrels and all.

[Ausglock]

Hey, Gunslick, Where did you get the check maker thingy from?

[Sticky]

Sticky - If you re-bake sized boolits to W.D. check the final size. I re-baked (1 hr @400F) some PC'd, they seem to have lost 0.0005". Don't know if the coating shrank or what. I generally size after final coating and W.D., this was for a test. Just so you don't get a surprise.

Thanks popper, I'll keep an eye on that for sure. I haven't done any pc'd that way yet, but with the HT coatings, I think I will use Aus's method of coat once, size, then recoat and bake for an hour. Should have my hardness tester today, I hope!

I did let a batch of heat treated HT coated boolits sit for a few days before resizing them.. I should know better.. they were tough! lol (looks like I need to get some Aqualube next time I order.. )

[Sticky]

I had lathsmith make me a long punch for my Star sizer so it will push one boolit all the way through the long wax die.

I have some Aqualube 5000 on order looking forward to using it.

I don't know if it is just me but does the Red Copper get harder to size after they have been baked for a week?

It is very likely that your alloy had increased in hardness over that time. I always try to resize just after coating, so the alloy doesn't harden too much before I size them. Heat treating, water dropping, heck.. perhaps even just curing the coatings in the oven will likely increase the hardness, depending on your alloy.

[kryogen]

bullets with gas checks shoot better than proper fitting bullets with hi tek only?

[gunoil]

Yep Ausglock, not barefoot anymore, my boolits have shoes now and dont smell, no lube, just hi-tech-supercoat from aussie-land dwn under.

I buy mine from member/vendor here, sageoutdoors.com. First batch of gc's came to me as gift and learning curve from member here on site. He got me educated and started. Dang l shoot much straighter. +P or even lil' lighter go straight, no fliers off the paper. I have lee boolit size die in .356. Use flat nose ausglock. Leave one flat nose boolit in die at all times to set the next one on. I have 5 gallon bucket with cut t-shirt & huge rubberband to hold tshirt, they fall softly. Iam trying dillon case lube (lite spray over hitech) before seating gc's.



I also have a lee 338 winchester collet (FCD for rifle) to seat hornadays copper gaschecks (a special expensive copper, according to sage) on seaco boolit but can find any to buy.



Also use my arbor press (53$) to swage case bases on 9/45 with the swivel of the lee 5 hole dieplate. I machine size die shank off & toss it. Then l can have 3 or 4 dies in die-plate to swivel around to punch.



800lb steel table bolted to concrete garage floor, 1 ton arbor press from harborfreight. Seating gc's and swaging brass needs to be solid IMO. Notice how my long lever arm is hanging down to protect my old shoulder, l just push forward setting down effortlessly.
------------------------------------------
misspelling&brevity rampant

[ioon44]

It is very likely that your alloy had increased in hardness over that time. I always try to resize just after coating, so the alloy doesn't harden too much before I size them. Heat treating, water dropping, heck.. perhaps even just curing the coatings in the oven will likely increase the hardness, depending on your alloy.

Yes, I am sure the alloy hardened some after a week. I think I need to regard baked boolits about the same as fresh cast and let them cure 3 to 5 days to size to the diameter I want.


I just don't know if the coating changes hardness from fresh baked to setting for a week as to the sizing process.

[kryogen]

can you put alum GCs on bullets that have no GC groove? I just bought a lee 358 105 SWC and I really dont feel like buying another mould

[Moonman]

kryogen,

I think you need A GAS CHECK MOLD.

[bstone5]

Gas checks made from cola can material or .006 thick roof flashing go on plain base bullet using an up side down Lee Size die.
The pictures below are of some plain base bullets with cola can gas checks and the second picture is of some 38 caliber wad cutter bullets with the gas checks, the Lee size die upside down on a Harbor Freight hand press and the gas check maker.

I apply the cola can gas checks to a lot of powder coated bullets. Most do not put the gas checks on powder coated bullets but I do to give a very good seal and to remove all possibilities of lead in the barrel.

I used cola can material in the past but went to the .006 thick roof flashing to avoid the time required to cut up the cans.
A cheap paper cutter from Harbor freight is used to cut the roof flashing into strips for use with the gas check maker.
I also make the gas check makers with my shop equipment.

[robertbank]

can you put alum GCs on bullets that have no GC groove? I just bought a lee 358 105 SWC and I really dont feel like buying another mould

You can buy a PB Gas Check Maker from Pat Marlin. He makes good stuff and ships to Canada. You then use pop can aluminum as a source.

Take Care

Bob

[gunoil]

Mr. stone just answered your ? He got me started.

[robertbank]

Why would you heat a bullet for an hour before dropping into water? Seems excessive to me. Once the bullet gets to a temperature of 400 degrees it isn't going to get any hotter. I water drop my 9MM into water out of the mold and harden them to B22+. What am I missing?

Take Care

Bob

[gunoil]

Sounds like your missing nothing. l dont know much!