simple Hi-Tek coating

[Ausglock]

Don't sweat it. Zombie Green works just as good as the others.

[Grmps]

Trevor, You still use a heat fan when it's 40 degree C there?
Would a regular fan not work? Or does it just cure / bake better preheated to 50*C
Just my 2 cents, I like Kryptonite green better than Zombie green it has metallic flakes in it and can withstand Higher heat like for rifles.

[Ausglock]

When its hot and low humidity, No heat needed other than resting the next tray to bake on top of the oven.
Even if it is hot but Humidity is high, I will use the heater.

[Ausglock]

Pre-heat setup when using a wall oven.


Wall ovens are very well insulated, thus there is little heat coming off the top of the oven to pre-heat the trays prior to baking.
So, I use a Cheap fan heater to pre-heat the trays. I bake 2 trays at once, So 2 trays are getting warmed up on the top shelf of the rack.
Once they are in the oven, the trays on the lower shelves get moved up one, and fresh coated trays of bullets go on the bottom shelf. This allows constant baking/coating with no waiting.
Notice the stainless trays on the top shelf have turned brown? I put this down to the out gassing of the coating. Acetone will not bring it off. Baking trays are for baking only. Other trays are kept for coating/drying only.

Notice that the 2 trays in the oven have only been in there for 1 1/2 minutes (7 1/2 minute bake time) and the oven is already back to set temp of 200Deg C.

Just for everyone's information.

[ioon44]

My wall oven has a vent tube in the top of the oven and it gets plugged up with material from the out gassing of the coating and I have to keep cleaning it out. This comes out like yellow snow when the convection fan is running.
Does every one have this issue with there ovens?

[Ausglock]

Yep. There is a vent between the top of the door and the control panel plate. Yellow snow is right. I suck it out with the shop vac when it gets too much.

[Scorpius]

So what's the ratio for say a small batch of 150-300 bullets? I'd like to test it one some casting I did last week


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[marky123]

1ml per 400g/1lb

[wlkjr]

So what's the ratio for say a small batch of 150-300 bullets? I'd like to test it one some casting I did last week


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For me it is 1 level measuring tablespoon to 55 ml of acetone for a small batch. Then apply per amount of bullets. A little goes a long way.

[Grmps]

For me it is 1 level measuring tablespoon to 55 ml of acetone for a small batch. Then apply per amount of bullets. A little goes a long way.

If you measure instead of weigh your powder you could be looking for problems. the powder is different densities for different colors, it also settles so your end result will vary.
best to go 10 grams = .353oz.to 50 milliliter = 1.69 fl oz weigh 1.384 oz ACETONE for small batches of coating solution


+1 1ml mixed solution per 400g/1lb of bullets

"So what's the ratio for say a small batch of 150-300 bullets? I'd like to test it one some casting I did last week"

You didn't state the weight of the bullets. Hi-tek is based on weight of coated bullets. 1ml mixed solution per 400g/1lb of bullets
ALWAYS AGITATE THE MIXED SOLUTION WELL JUST BEFORE MEASURING AND COATING
1) don't go heavy on the solution! a lighter, thin coat (will look terrible on first coat is what you want for good adhesion, second coat makes them purdy)
2) don't swirls to long, 10 -15 seconds ( OK to dump wet, swirling till dry can make them grainy)
3) make sure they are completely dry before baking use a fan to blow under and over the bullets (it helps to put the bullets on top of you oven for 10 min to warm before baking)
4) it's safer to over bake than under bake (they just get darker), start at 12 min on table top convection oven

[wlkjr]

My methods and mixtures work for me so no need to change them. They may not work for anyone else.

[Gremlin460]

if you are going to coat a smaller batch, mix 20/100 as per normal. The mix lasts for months. it dosent care if you take a little out, or a lot.
Mixing smaller batches "MOSTLY", always ends in tragedy. If you only want to coat 100 or 150 still mix at 20/100. The mix will store well in a cool dark place.
I personally have use 8 month old mix that had turned BLACK in the bottle... but the colour came out fine. Dunno how that worked, maybe Joe can tell us why.

[HI-TEK]

[QUOTE=Gremlin460; The mix will store well in a cool dark place.
I personally have use 8 month old mix that had turned BLACK in the bottle... but the colour came out fine. Dunno how that worked, maybe Joe can tell us why.[/QUOTE]

Well, .... Gremlin, it has to do with the Drop Bear extract I use lol.... it does not take kindly to exposure after it has been re-liquefied.

I have tried to explain, that the coatings do darken in solution with aging. The cooler it is kept, out of Sunlight the longer mixtures will last. Viscosity may increase, but further solvent dilution will take care of that.

UV light and heat, will start to darken product. Hardening/curing is achieved with heat setting of dried coated films as with baking process.
Until coatings are baked, they can be used, but as you found, colour may suffer but performance should not.

[Ausglock]

I left a jar of mixed coating sitting the the shed for a week with the lid let off by mistake.
It had evaporated about 2 inches down in volume. I just added more Acetone back up to the high tide line in the jar and shook it for awhile. It works just as good as fresh mixed coating. colour was perfect.
I think Grem's went black due to QLD not having Daylight saving.

[Warhead]

Just wanted to say I have coated and shot almost 1000 200gn H&G 68s with the Black K-15, and the coating has been nothing but a absolute pleasure to use!
It's covers great in two coats, and baking is super easy, I don't need to worry about the color being wrong if I over bake it a little. Right now I just coated up some 375H&H's to see how they do!

[Ausglock]

I use the Black K15 for covering all the horrible sample colours HItek Joe sends to test.
It is very forgiving.

[TonyN]

Iv been trying hitek for a while and no matter what I do My coating flakes. I'm using Bronz 500. I try the wipe test and it will show lead if pressed firmly. I'm baking at 375 For 15 min.. I'm really lost on what I'm doing wrong. Even at 400 degrees it won't work. I have a extra large convection oven and I moniture it with a oven thermometer. If someone knows what is going on I would love to know. Iv called Donny a lot of times and can't get it right.

[HI-TEK]

Iv been trying hitek for a while and no matter what I do My coating flakes. I'm using Bronz 500. I try the wipe test and it will show lead if pressed firmly. I'm baking at 375 For 15 min.. I'm really lost on what I'm doing wrong. Even at 400 degrees it won't work. I have a extra large convection oven and I moniture it with a oven thermometer. If someone knows what is going on I would love to know. Iv called Donny a lot of times and can't get it right.

TonyN,

First, I did receive your PM today.

My comments on your post is as follows;
1. You will get no adhesion if you coat too thick with first coat, then not dry it adequately. Unfortunately, many think that these coatings must be applied very thickly or use much too much mixture and tumble too long when coating. This idea/process is totally incorrect.
2. First coat must be applied very quickly (10-15 seconds) with shake coating, just enough to barely coat. Then dump onto drying mesh. (Use 6mls of 20g/100 mix to 250 bullets)
3. Thoroughly dry first coat, (warm air dry, if there is humid or wet or cold conditions).
4. After you think they are dry, take a only a few , bake these at 200C for 10 minutes. Take them out, cool them and examine and test.
After this is done, please provide a detailed report of your results findings, and if possible post picture of the few that were baked.
5. Don't bake the rest until we first examine the few you cooked first. Storing balance of unbaked coated projectiles will not cause problems later on.

MOST IMPORTANT. The fact that you cook the coatings at your set temperature, the cooking, does not fix problems associated with inadequate drying or over application of coatings. The cooking simply will expose any preparation inadequacy as the coating will simply heat set but it wont be bonded. Applying a second coat, after baking first coat, which failed, will not fix first coat adhesion problems. You have to ensure that first coat is bonded well first, and is OK after baking. If not, you need to examine why first coat failed.

[Ausglock]

TonyN.
Do this.... Don't think... Just bloody do this.....It works......Read this a few times. Print it out... But Follow it to the Letter!!!!


1. Weigh out 20 grams of HITEK powder.
2. Measure 100mls of acetone or MEK. (NOT bloody nail polish remover or anything like that. It MUST BE Pure Acetone.)Diggers brand is fine. Stay away from Septone.
3. Get glass or plastic jar
4. Add the powder to the jar and then add the 100mls of Acetone.
5. Put lid on the mixture and shake the schit out of it for 2 minutes. You will feel it get warm as it reacts. LEAVE IT FOR 1/2 HOUR BEFORE YOU USE IT TO COAT!!!!!!!
6. Add about 200 to 250 bullets(about 2Kgs to 2.5Kgs) to the plastic bucket. lid is NOT needed.
7. Shake the coating. Suck up 6mls of coating and squirt it back into the jar. Now suckup another 6mls and Immediately add it to the bullets in the bucket.
8. Shake the bucket of bullets and coating. Remember... you have to have the bullets and coating mixing around just like a cement mixer does. The bottom of the bucket should be wet with coating.
9. Keep shaking, swirling until the rattle of the bullets changes to a dull thumping. you will hear the change really easy.
10. dump the coated bullets onto your drying tray and shake the tray side to side until the bullets have leveled out on the tray. don't worry about them touching. it doesn't matter.
11. If you think there isn't enough colour on the bullet, then you have the coating just right. Leave them alone for at least 10 minutes. then warm them with a hair dryer or Fan Heater.
12. turn on your oven and pre-heat to 200deg C. While the oven is heating up, place the tray of Bullets on top of the oven to pre-warm them.
13. place tray in the oven.
14. set the oven timer for 12 minutes. not 6 or 8. But a full 12 minutes.
15. when the oven turns off, remove the tray of bullets and let them cool. do not touch them until cool.use a fan to speed up the cooling
16. when cool. take 1 bullet. lay it in it's side on a steel base and smash it with a hammer. the coating should not flake off.
17. Take another bullet and get some acetone on a white cloth and wipe the coated bullet for 30 seconds and see if the colour comes off. if it does. place back into oven and bake for another 5 minutes. ( I have found 12 minutes per bake is enough).
18. When the bullets are cool, place back in the bucket and repeat steps 6 to 17.
19. when 2nd coat has cooled and has tested OK, Size and shoot.

This is really easy to do. the biggest mistake is not shaking immediately before coating or not baking long enough or at a too low temperature.

If your coating passes the wipe test but smashes off, You have used too much coating. remember... it is a stain, not a paint. a little goes a long way.

Do not try to process small lots of 10 or 20 bullets. you are only wasting your time and you WILL get the schittz cause it will not work.

OK. Now See what you get after following this TO THE LETTER!!!!
Thanks.

Where are you located???? Bit bloody hard to call if you are anywhere but OZ

[Marvin]

i haven't been doing it for very long and i had the same problems as you. but once i read the instructions and followed them i made great bullets, it's hard not to add more coating for that first batch as the first coating looks to thin to work but after the second coating it look good and shoots better