simple Hi-Tek coating

[Avenger442]

That is why I bought a LabRadar chrono.

I never owned a chrono before, with a little help and an "on sale", I bought my Lab Radar. They are $50 off and cheaper than when I bought mine now at Midsouth Shooters. Recommend the base sold separate unless you have a tripod.

I had looked at them many times. But I never owned one because I had seen others use them and asked myself the question "How much trouble and time do I want to spend at the range finding out the speed of my bullet?". They just seemed to waist too much time, were just too much trouble to use and slowed down everyone else using the range. With the Lab Radar on the bench next to my gun it, while still some effort, is worth the time messing with it. It also will give me speeds at five different distance out to 100 yards with the .308. And do any calculation I want.

[Ausglock]

Attachment 222678

Coated 50 kilograms 230 grainers in about 2 hours.
7,5 + kgs on each tray.
2. Time coating and sucsess all the way.

Could probably reduce baketime as the thermostat switched off at the 3 minute mark every tray.

Thanks for all the knowhow guys.
G

Nice.
Those bullets look like the ones I make using the 230gn Hardline hand mold.
Shame Hardline no longer exist. They made fantastic molds.

[Graakall]

Nice.
Those bullets look like the ones I make using the 230gn Hardline hand mold.
Shame Hardline no longer exist. They made fantastic molds.

Hardline yes.
Very nice but heavy.
Of ebay.
Do not need to size them.

Just bringing them to Elvira. (My loadmaster.) and go run & gun ipsc.

[glockfan]

hey guys!!

i'd like to recap a little ,from the experiences done here by some regulars of this thread.

specifically the question about the FIRST COAT.

do you all agree that the first coat should be diluted with acetone a tad more ?

i'm done with different experiences done in small batch,following the recipe religiously ,and sometimes my first coat doen't bond like it should probably because too thick ,and in the light of what your results are, i'm tempted by diluting the mix some more .

tomorrow i will go through out 50lbs of 9mm boolits,and i know that the first coat is crucial . if the 1st coat bond really well,then the 2nd is a breeze and we can apply a thicker coat.

the only thing i'm suspecting is, if i go thin on the 1st coat, i might have to add a 3rd one,which i don't find exciting at all.

i like the results obtained by 2 thick coats ; all pores are filled,and the boolit with 2 well bonded thick coats is a good insurance against leading . i'm just wondering if 1 thin and 1 thick coat will do the job, i react that,perhaps the coverage might be too thin?

is there a consensus on this question ?

[Tazza]

I'm interested in knowing too.

I need to get time to do some casting and i'll get my order into Joe for some and give it a go. Got a few family issues, so not sure when i'll get back into replenishing my stocks but then i'm going to really get into testing it to see if it will work for me as i feel it should.

[HI-TEK]

hey guys!!

i'd like to recap a little ,from the experiences done here by some regulars of this thread.

specifically the question about the FIRST COAT.

do you all agree that the first coat should be diluted with acetone a tad more ? It would not hurt at all if you applied a more diluted first coat. This allows quicker drying and less adhesion failures. Adhesion failure with first coat is by applying thick first coat, which forms a skin, and will not dry, especially in cool humid conditions. If you use standard coating mix, after applying it at normal rates, it is better to warm air dry at about 45-50C for half an hour or more. This will ensure that trapped absorbed moisture is dried from this firs coat. Then test bake only a few, cool and test as normal. If it fails adhesion, keep on drying bulk lot. Then at another 15 minutes or more, test bake a few more, and repeat this until you get a pass. Only then bake the bulk.

i'm done with different experiences done in small batch,following the recipe religiously ,and sometimes my first coat doen't bond like it should probably because too thick ,and in the light of what your results are, i'm tempted by diluting the mix some more .Dilution works. Until first coat is thoroughly dry, irrespective on applied thickness, it will fail adhesion test

tomorrow i will go through out 50lbs of 9mm boolits,and i know that the first coat is crucial . if the 1st coat bond really well,then the 2nd is a breeze and we can apply a thicker coat.That is correct. Don't worry about using standard coating mix for first coat. Simply warm air dry thoroughly before baking. All should be well afterwards

the only thing i'm suspecting is, if i go thin on the 1st coat, i might have to add a 3rd one,which i don't find exciting at all. Not necessarily. First coat is primer adhesion stage. Second coat will bond to first well bonded coating. That should be enough

i like the results obtained by 2 thick coats ; all pores are filled,and the boolit with 2 well bonded thick coats is a good insurance against leading . i'm just wondering if 1 thin and 1 thick coat will do the job, i react that,perhaps the coverage might be too thin?These coatings do not need thick applications, They normally apply about 1.5 to 2 thou onto alloys with two coats. That is plenty.

is there a consensus on this question ?

Glockfan, my replies will be in Red at each points you raised.
Hope I can answer all your concerns.
Thorough drying first coat is essential, irrespective of how much coating is applied.

[ioon44]

When I place my coated bullets out side in full sunshine the temperature of the bullets will reach 60 to 65 deg C in 30 min, I have never had a first coating failure using the standard 20/100 mix at these drying temperature's.

[Avenger442]

I realize that below may not directly apply to Glockfan's question on first thin coat. By the way, I have started using thin coats for all three of mine. But I close tumble.

I have single coated about 5 pounds of .308s in the hope that I could test Joe's comment a while back that a single coat well applied should work. (Note: Joe I'm not questioning your honesty here. But you know how I like a good question that I have personally tested so I can say "yeah it works".) Anyway, I have been trying to get them loaded up and to the range but it seems everything keeps getting in the way. If it's not family and other business it's the weather. And of course there was that eight day trip (I believe in Australia and England you call it Holiday) to Gulf Shores. Love the white sand beach there.

Plan to shoot about 30 rounds. That should be enough to answer the question. And I will report back one way or the other. If a well applied first coat will work in .308 at 2600 fps then the second coat is just insurance against possible error or just to beautify the bullet. I normally do three coats because when I first tried Hi Tek I wanted to do a jacket. And Joe told me over and over that "It's a lube!". I eventually got over the jacket thing but still kept using three coats. A single coat would really cut coating effort and make the coating even more economical. Even if a single coat doesn't work in rifle it may still work in pistol.

Well I said I would be back at it by the middle of June and we are almost at the end of June. Things are loosening up a bit. Now if the weather will just cooperate.

[dikman]

Avenger, you could always compromise and just use two coats.

[Avenger442]

Avenger, you could always compromise and just use two coats.

Your right and that may be where I go after I check to see if a single coat will work. But it would be great to know that I could coat once and then shoot. We will see.

[dansedgli]

I'll give it a go too. Less effort is my favourite thing.

I've got a master caster due to be delivered next week. No more hand mold casting for me.

Hopefully I can get a more consistent bullet. The plan is to go hard at it while my wife is away for a week with our kid and not cast again or buy bullets until 2020.

[Ausglock]

Dan... the more you make, the more you shoot.

I ran 300 through the STI TAC 5 on sunday, Just buggerizing around on the plate racks. And giving new members a few mags each to get them hooked. Gotta keep the sales up.. lol

[cityofthesouth]

hey guys!!

i'd like to recap a little ,from the experiences done here by some regulars of this thread.

specifically the question about the FIRST COAT.

do you all agree that the first coat should be diluted with acetone a tad more ?

i'm done with different experiences done in small batch,following the recipe religiously ,and sometimes my first coat doen't bond like it should probably because too thick ,and in the light of what your results are, i'm tempted by diluting the mix some more .

tomorrow i will go through out 50lbs of 9mm boolits,and i know that the first coat is crucial . if the 1st coat bond really well,then the 2nd is a breeze and we can apply a thicker coat.

the only thing i'm suspecting is, if i go thin on the 1st coat, i might have to add a 3rd one,which i don't find exciting at all.

i like the results obtained by 2 thick coats ; all pores are filled,and the boolit with 2 well bonded thick coats is a good insurance against leading . i'm just wondering if 1 thin and 1 thick coat will do the job, i react that,perhaps the coverage might be too thin?

is there a consensus on this question ?

I do the whole thing diluted compared to the recipe. My opinion - based on somewhere between 10K and 15K bullets without ever experiencing any coating failure, including recovery of many fired projectiles - is that the ratio is extremely forgiving. How you get the first coat, and every other coat right, is hitting the correct temp. I use a laser thermometer. The coating turns color and smokes, you did it right. Do not tumble hot bullets (I put them in front of a fan the instant they come out of the oven), try to "dry" the coating a little before you toss them in the oven (I use a heat gun for maybe 30 seconds because there is plenty of time while another tray is in the oven). Check your temps multiple times during the 10 minute cycle. If you don't hit them temp, the coating will come off during the next tumble. No big deal, just do it again. Temperature is the name of the game. Thin, smooth coats, IMO are the result of thin diluted solution rolled out just seconds before tacky. When you hear them begin to tack and stick, it will still work, but it won't be as smooth as if you roll them out a few seconds before that moment. I do 3 coats but honestly, I'm learning to care less about the looks and seriously considering 2 coats.

BlackCherry_HiTek by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

I've witnessed first hand, commercially cast bullets with Hi Tek coating that was flaking off as the shooter was filling magazines. That's a temperature problem. As many guys here have confirmed, you have a minimum temp to hit, but not really a maximum other than the lead melting. I'm sure there are temps that are too high, but the point is, if your bullets reach 400+ degrees and do a little extra smoking, the coating will be 100% good to go.

[Tazza]

Dan... the more you make, the more you shoot.

I ran 300 through the STI TAC 5 on sunday, Just buggerizing around on the plate racks. And giving new members a few mags each to get them hooked. Gotta keep the sales up.. lol

Trevor, I need to come shoot with you, i can come in, shoot your ammo and walk off

I have to agree, the more you cast, the more you shoot. Buying factory you are always watching costs, when you cast, you don't care as much, or at least i don't

[glockfan]

I do the whole thing diluted compared to the recipe. My opinion - based on somewhere between 10K and 15K bullets without ever experiencing any coating failure, including recovery of many fired projectiles - is that the ratio is extremely forgiving. How you get the first coat, and every other coat right, is hitting the correct temp. I use a laser thermometer. The coating turns color and smokes, you did it right. Do not tumble hot bullets (I put them in front of a fan the instant they come out of the oven), try to "dry" the coating a little before you toss them in the oven (I use a heat gun for maybe 30 seconds because there is plenty of time while another tray is in the oven). Check your temps multiple times during the 10 minute cycle. If you don't hit them temp, the coating will come off during the next tumble. No big deal, just do it again. Temperature is the name of the game. Thin, smooth coats, IMO are the result of thin diluted solution rolled out just seconds before tacky. When you hear them begin to tack and stick, it will still work, but it won't be as smooth as if you roll them out a few seconds before that moment. I do 3 coats but honestly, I'm learning to care less about the looks and seriously considering 2 coats.

BlackCherry_HiTek by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

I've witnessed first hand, commercially cast bullets with Hi Tek coating that was flaking off as the shooter was filling magazines. That's a temperature problem. As many guys here have confirmed, you have a minimum temp to hit, but not really a maximum other than the lead melting. I'm sure there are temps that are too high, but the point is, if your bullets reach 400+ degrees and do a little extra smoking, the coating will be 100% good to go.

i was exactly wondering this.

recipe say 20 grams of powder for 100 ML of acetone. does the defenition of ''diluted''' would mean more like 20 grams of powder for lets say 105 ml of acetone? ; is this would be diluted enough or would it be preferable to add more acetone for what we now call a ''thin coat'''??

also, i prefer having a fresh mix,so if i do 10 grams for 50ml acetone(well,probably more like 52ml acetone for a ''thin coat''' ) , does this still respect the ratio acetone-powder ?

[glockfan]

I'll give it a go too. Less effort is my favourite thing.

I've got a master caster due to be delivered next week. No more hand mold casting for me.

Hopefully I can get a more consistent bullet. The plan is to go hard at it while my wife is away for a week with our kid and not cast again or buy bullets until 2020.

same here man!! i like casting by hand,but i'm about to get myself 2 mastercaster fully automated. i'm retired,so only having to watch the machines do their thing correspond the idea of retirement LOL!!!

[dansedgli]

Awesome! You could almost start a business with 2. My plan was to automate it as well but I have to let my wife recover before I spend a chunk of money again with Hatch.

My shooting is reducing at the moment, wife has picked up another shift but it's on a weekend alternating days so that's knocked a day off while i look after our daughter.

[glockfan]

Awesome! You could almost start a business with 2. My plan was to automate it as well but I have to let my wife recover before I spend a chunk of money again with Hatch.

My shooting is reducing at the moment, wife has picked up another shift but it's on a weekend alternating days so that's knocked a day off while i look after our daughter.

that is the plan good sir!! a small start up.sounds good to me.

in my neck of the wood,only 1 bullet maker is offering hi tek'ed boolits for the whole country .

the good part in this for me,is that, they still don't get how to cook hi tek correctly , so their finished product isn't working as it should ; then shooters are reluctant to use hi tek'ed boolits ; this boolit maker ( X-METAL) is making a bad name to hi tek ; that is where i'm jumping on scene,i'm gonna rectify the bad perception people may have developped because the careless way hi tek is presented to shooters.

coating and PC's is a quite new concept here.i know it's goin on since decades in europe, but here we're in the early stages of developement of this lube-stain product ; lots of demands, not much offers . my production is gonna be a quality product,and i'm sure my start up will grow very fast .

as for family life,well yes, sometimes we may have to postpone certain things in favor of unexpected things life put on our path,quality time with the family is crucial,our toys are paid for and we can always catch up once things are settling smoothly over time.

cheers my friend!! hope the best to you,yours and your shooting-coating endeavors!!

[Ausglock]

Those 125gn RN Lee bullets... I have 3 or 4 of their 6vac molds I don't use anymore. I should sell them.
As well as a heap of other Lee 6 cav molds that no longer get used.

Might get a list together and see if anyone on OZ wants them...

[Tazza]

Not a bad idea. I have 2 lee 125rn 6 cavity ones that aren't being used