simple Hi-Tek coating

[Ausglock]

the green is actually the easiest of the coatings to use.

How are you measuring the 3 parts?
Do get a thermometer. These small oven thermostats can be way way off.

[Shotgundrums]

the green is actually the easiest of the coatings to use.

How are you measuring the 3 parts?
Do get a thermometer. These small oven thermostats can be way way off.

Lol great... What kind of thermometer? Perhaps I'll go to the hardware store and see if they've got one. I measure using little measuring spoons. I'm pretty exacting with the color and hardener. Then just add the parts acetone the same way. Little shakes before applying. Coat. Dry to tough. Bake...,pissed off lol

[Ausglock]

I use a digital thermometer from Ebay.
When you mix, to you add the 3 ingredients to the coating container to coat the bullets or do you mix enough in a holding bottle to do a few containers worth of bullets?
Adding the ingredients directly to the bullets in the shake container is not a good way of doing it.
Dry to touch....not good enough.
Leave them for at least 10 minutes. I leave for 1/2 hour after coating and then Bake them

[Shotgundrums]

I measure out the 3 ingredients, put them in a bottle, then apply it from that bottle. I try to make only enough solution for what I'll use at the time. I toss some bullets in the plastic bucket, squirt some of the mixed ingredients onto the bullets from the bottle, tumble and swirl until they start sounding sticky, poor em and spread out on mesh...Makes sense about waiting longer before cooking though.

[gunoil]

oven temp gage, & let dry 30 mins / first coating like A said. I just ordered some green. Pre-heat oven/pre-heat oven, It will drop a lil' when you put boolits in. My gage is just setting there in view and i might crank it up a lil' and then back down to stay close to 375. Can you bake a box cake? hehehehe.

[Love Life]

I dump them before they get stick and the sound changes. I get a much better coating that way. Once the sound changes, the bullets stick together, and end up all splotchy.

[leadman]

If your coating is rough looking then they were not dry enough before cooking. Also try not to handle the boolits before coating as oils from your hands can affect the coating sticking.
Also lube the boolits with case lube before sizing, especially of there is any resistance when sizing.
A temperature gauge is essential for use with these small ovens. I use an oven temperature gauge set on the rack so I can see it thru the window. If the coating is overcooked it becomes brittle and darker and will chip off easily. If your sizing die is dirty it also makes it harder to size the boolits.
And shake the containers vigorously before each use, including the one with the mixed ingredients in it. The ingredients seperate in just a minute of setting.

[Shotgundrums]

Rogger all the advise! I'll get an oven thermometer and let the bullets dry more. It's gotta be that. My only concern now is the thermometers integrity.

[high standard 40]

Concerning thermometers. I bought an Oster oven for this purpose (digital controls) and an oven thermometer (bi-metal type).
The oven dial reads one temperature and the thermometer reads another. On a whim, I placed a casting thermometer in the oven alongside the "oven thermometer" so that I could read both from through the window. You guessed it, two different readings and neither matched the oven dial. Given the fact that the "oven thermometer" was a rather cheap item, I have decided to use the casting thermometer because I tend to trust it more. Most of us already have one, why not use it.

[Shotgundrums]

Is it ok to just toss the whole lead thermometer in the oven? Wouldn't the prong touching metal potentially cause issues?

[dverna]

Had another miserable fail last night... Following directions to the letter. I even bought a nice Oster oven. Is there something about the green that makes it such a bastard child to use? Are the others (red copper, gold, black etc) any better? The only option I have left is to get a temp thermometer and see if my oven is lying.
Just spent the last 3 hours casting 250 slugs and coating. No release agents on bullets. Real close to throwing this green dogs**t in the trash...please help

I thought this was "simple"? LOL

Just yanking your chain. It must be a bitch thinking you are doing everything right and results are poor. I suspect your oven temperature may not be correct. The mixing and coating seem hard to screw up. Good luck!!

Don Verna

[Shotgundrums]

I thought this was "simple"? LOL

Just yanking your chain. It must be a bitch thinking you are doing everything right and results are poor. I suspect your oven temperature may not be correct. The mixing and coating seem hard to screw up. Good luck!!

Don Verna

Exactamundo! Gotta be dry time and oven. I've nearly perfected the epoxy method of coating with impeccable results and exponential durability. I was starting to doubt this hitek stuff. But, ill keep trying. I guess I'll order a lead thermometer soon.

[prickett]

Its interesting how so many people doing the same thing can have so many different results. I nailed HI-TEK on the first attempt, but have yet to get Klass Kote to work.

I'd bet one or both of these things are the problem:

Your temp is wrong (a thermometer will fix your problem). My oven temp was about 25 degrees cooler than the setting
You are trying to cook more than your oven can handle. Too many and the oven can't get up to a hot enough temp. Limit to around 100 9mm's or 75 .45's and see if that works.

[Shotgundrums]

Its interesting how so many people doing the same thing can have so many different results. I nailed HI-TEK on the first attempt, but have yet to get Klass Kote to work.

I'd bet one or both of these things are the problem:

Your temp is wrong (a thermometer will fix your problem). My oven temp was about 25 degrees cooler than the setting
You are trying to cook more than your oven can handle. Too many and the oven can't get up to a hot enough temp. Limit to around 100 9mm's or 75 .45's and see if that works.

Touché! I was putting 200+ 158gr bullets (boolits lol) into the oven at once. Perhaps I'll reduce it to what you suggest.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advise!

[Shotgundrums]

Alrighty..... I ordered a thermometer from rotometals. For those that use their lead thermo should I suspend the thermometer inside the oven somehow so the prong doesn't touch anything???

[Thompsoncustom]

If you have a wire basket you could just throw the thermometer is it with the bullets as long as you can still read it.

Ya I had a ton of problems with this coating but I think most of mine was the powder I was using as it seems to fail pretty hard with fast powders. But I have tired all kinds of things in the process of getting it to work.

Now when I'm casting bullets I run them as hot as I can to get them frosty with the idea that the uneven surface will help the hi tek coating stick to the bullets. Is there coating packed into your lube grooves? It seems to me that to much coating it the groove seems to cause a weak point or at least the bullets are more likely to chip when fired this way this he been my personal experience.

Try some different ratio's 5-1-10 works good for most but 5-1-5 seems to work better for me so far and vary the amount you add say 5mls of mixed coating for 250 bullets and if that's not enough try 8 or 10 etc.

I'm sure you'll get it just can be frustrating as hell trying to get it to work.

[Hi-Performance Bullet Coatings]

Cleaned the 30-30 tonite. First 4 patches were absolutely black. Saw a few tiny speckles of silver. Chore boy'd a few strokes and more black patches. ~ 20 rnds GC 165, 20 no GC 165, 40 PB RD311s, plinker loads. Didn't get the gunk ring at the muzzle as I did with full loads. Accuracy isn't any better than undersized lasercast factory CBs at the same powder load. The dark green coating doesn't cut it for me in rifle. I can shoot 100 hot loads in 308 PCd with better accuracy and a clean bbl. Back to powder coating. Guess I was just wishing for too much. Nothing else to add to this thread so have fun.

Popper,
Sorry to hear your having problems. What concerns me is the "gunk" you report patching from your bbl. As it would seem to indicate that possibly we have a curing problem with the coating.
If you wish call me as it may be easier to discuss via phone, or pm me your number and a good time to call you.
Thanks
Donnie
225 324 4501

[Shotgundrums]

If you have a wire basket you could just throw the thermometer is it with the bullets as long as you can still read it.

Ya I had a ton of problems with this coating but I think most of mine was the powder I was using as it seems to fail pretty hard with fast powders. But I have tired all kinds of things in the process of getting it to work.

Now when I'm casting bullets I run them as hot as I can to get them frosty with the idea that the uneven surface will help the hi tek coating stick to the bullets. Is there coating packed into your lube grooves? It seems to me that to much coating it the groove seems to cause a weak point or at least the bullets are more likely to chip when fired this way this he been my personal experience.

Try some different ratio's 5-1-10 works good for most but 5-1-5 seems to work better for me so far and vary the amount you add say 5mls of mixed coating for 250 bullets and if that's not enough try 8 or 10 etc.

I'm sure you'll get it just can be frustrating as hell trying to get it to work.

Roger that
Thanks!!

[gunoil]

here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWf4...feature=relmfu

[Mike Hughes]

here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWf4...feature=relmfu

Hey gunoil, are those Hi Tek coated? Did you also use Lee alox? Lots of smoke!