simple Hi-Tek coating

[Tazza]

Good ideas, i was getting a few buckets from Boost juice, but they have been closed down.... I may need to see if i can find another local one that is still open.

[ioon44]

How does Bronze 500 compare to Old Gold for high vel and pressure, I have always used Bronze 500 for magnum loads with out any problems.

[Avenger442]

Was it silicone or teflon lubes that Joe cautioned using because it could migrate and cause adhesion problems? I guess you need to be careful to not get any lube on bullets before coating no matter what it is unless you use the sizing lube sold by Joe. Not sure if that applies to the home made sizing lubes made with lanolin.

I use large peanut butter jars and other smaller and larger plastic jars for holding my coated. But I probably don't coat the numbers that Trevor or some of the rest of you that distribute do. But they are easy to handle. When I go to the range I rarely shoot more than 100 rounds. I did run out of coated bullets in the jars for the .38 and .45 when I decided to load up all of my brass in those calibers. Will be low on .308s when i load all of them. Casting time I guess.

ioon44
I have some of the Bronze 500 but have not run test comparing it with Old Gold as far as accuracy. I haven't noticed any difference in accuracy in Bronze 500 and the 1035 Gold that I have shot a bunch. Both Bronze 500 and the gold are metallic which is supposed to give them some additional heat reflection. Nether one, if properly applied, will leave lead in your barrel even with max loads. You will have to use gas checks, as you do with any lube, on max loaded magnum and rifle loads.

I have not noticed much difference between the colors, or even metallic or non, and accuracy in handguns. But have not run any testing comparing colors in the rifle. My accuracy problems usually have something to do with things other than the coating. I tried some neck turning on the .308s recently. Was a total disaster as far as accuracy. I didn't get all of the lube used in the neck turning off of the brass during sonic cleaning and it really messed up the groups. Went from typical 1 1/2" in unprepped brass to 5-6" at 100 yards with the neck turned. Been trying to remove that 1/2" from my typical groups for a long time. As you guys know consistency is the key to tight groups in handloading after you find the load. I've found that that applies to coating too.

[Ausglock]

Silicone is a huge NO NO..

[Stephen Cohen]

How does Bronze 500 compare to Old Gold for high vel and pressure, I have always used Bronze 500 for magnum loads with out any problems.

Old Bronze is fine for full power rifle loads and any pistol loads. Regards Stephen

[wlkjr]

I was getting low on my lead ingots of wheel weights. A friend of mine saw an ad for some range scrap ingots. I struck a deal for 500 pounds at $1.25 a pound. That probably won't mean anything to y'all from down under, but that will cut cost at least in half and maybe more. My main colors are K15 Black and Black Cherry. I color code my loads for my wife 's loads and mine. I tried once to sneak some of my loads in for her and her gun kept stovepiping. Had to reload all her mags with a slightly hotter load for her weaker grip.
As for the Aqualube, I put about 200-300 in a gallon plastic ziploc bag and spritz about 2 pumps from the sprayer and then zip the bag and roll them around. So far this has worked great for me.
I try to keep about 2000 pieces of each color (black and red) in 9mm and .45acp on hand. I also try to have some uncoated on hand. I've been coasting on my supply since I haven't been shooting so much lately.

[dikman]

I reckon that price is pretty good, given that it's already been smelted down! All the hard work's been done.

[Tazza]

Coming from someone that has had the pleasure of smelting range scrap, depending on how it was gathered up, that is a fine price. I used to get scrap from my local range, i got to mine the berm. My brother and I spent about 6 hrs at Christmas time (our summer) on a closed range day. We got around 600kg of rocks/dirt and lead loaded on the truck. I then spent about 2 days melting this lovely mix into about 400kg of clean ingots.

6 or so hrs mining, followed by 2 days of about 8 hrs each melting and cleaning the scrap, it was not at all a fun process, but at the time, i had no other sources of lead.

I got 2 buckets of wheel weights donated to me about 6 moths ago, i melted them down for a mad mate that is casting 12gauge slugs, so if there was zinc in the mix, it didn't matter as much. I use range scrap and linotype for my cast, no issues with hi-tek bonding, and no leading.

[Gremlin460]

Good ideas, i was getting a few buckets from Boost juice, but they have been closed down.... I may need to see if i can find another local one that is still open.

Try "People in Plastic" on the north side, I bought 2000 4L square tubs and lids of them a few years back..
Still have 1200 left and they good quality.

[dikman]

I'm still doing it, Tazza, but it's a lot of work and it's really only something you do if you've got a lot of time! It doesn't matter how much you clean the scrap first it's amazing how much crud comes off. I've still got about 300kg (I think) to do, might start tomorrow.

[Ausglock]

Bugger that... New 2,6,92 for me.
The only smelting I do now is reclaiming the dross from the pots. About every 2 years.

[dikman]

It's not something you would do if making boolits commercially. Too time consuming and a lot of messing around!!

[Tazza]

Try "People in Plastic" on the north side, I bought 2000 4L square tubs and lids of them a few years back..
Still have 1200 left and they good quality.

I should come for a drive and liberate a few from you :P

dikman - Very true, i managed to find the time to do it, not a job i enjoy, but had to be done so i could start casting again. Once you got the pot hot, it does go faster with the puddle of molten lead to heat what you drop in next. The worst part of it is when the bloody coppers shoot near the berm and flick any 40 cals they drop onto it. I sure find them, thankfully haven't been burnt yet, but it's been close with the POP and a puff of dross.

Very true, for commercial, it's really not an option. I cast enough for me and others at my club, if i was commercial, i'd need to buy the real stuff to save time and also for consistency. I do get variation between batches, it may not be a lot, but it's still there.

[dikman]

Yesterday's batch, 175 kg. It's exciting when you drop the next load of scrap into the "puddle" and it's got moisture in it!!!!

[Tazza]

Yesterday's batch, 175 kg. It's exciting when you drop the next load of scrap into the "puddle" and it's got moisture in it!!!!

Awesome job there, they look exactly like mine

Ooh yeah, it sure wakes you up. I few years back i had a bucket i got off a mate that had been sitting out at his joint, but i kept it under cover, i thought it was dry, the top sure was, but it had a nice wet bottom, i found this out as i dropped the entire bucket in and it erupted tinsel.... Up the side of my shed, up the tree and a little on my clothes. I only got a few tiny burns on uncovered areas, i was very lucky and learned to drill a hole at the bottom just to be sure....

Now, any wet or suspect buckets go in first or get added slowly so they float and evaporate instead of being just dropped and fall to the bottom and go BOOM.

[dikman]

Just finished off the last of my range scrap, Tazza, another 126 kg! A fairly dirty job. I've now got around 600 kg. smelted, guess I might have to do a bit more casting and coating.

[Ausglock]

G'day everyone.

I heard that people were having issues with the colour of the TRUBLU. It was going green or brown etc etc..

I asked Joe for a sample of the batch that he sent to the US.
Finally got around to testing the sample today.
Data:
20gms to 100mls Acetone
Coated 6mls to 2.3kg of 135gn RN 9mm bullets.
Both coats baked at 195Deg C for 7:30mins.
Wipe and smash test pass with flying colours.. (flying colours......coloured bullets....pew pew pew.......get it??? LOL)

All my baking irrespective of sample colours is done at 195Deg C for 7:30mins, So nothing special was done for the TRUBLU test.
So. People, Check your temps and bake times.
TRUBLU works as intended.
Have a look.




P.S. They look bloody brilliant out in the daylight... Put a horn on a Jellyfish..

[Tazza]

Just finished off the last of my range scrap, Tazza, another 126 kg! A fairly dirty job. I've now got around 600 kg. smelted, guess I might have to do a bit more casting and coating.

That sure is a nice haul, should keep you busy for a while, till we are allowed to shoot again that is, then send a heap of it down range! I plan on a heap of shooting when we finally can have trigger time.

[Ausglock]

TruBlu in the daylight with Kryptonite Green for refference.
Previous photos were inside the shed under fluro lighting.


My fan heater drying rack.


The 2 layer cooling rack with fan. Because I bake 2 trays at once, this setup cools them to room temp in about 3 minutes.

[RydForLyf]

TruBlu in the daylight with Kryptonite Green for refference.
Previous photos were inside the shed under fluro lighting.

Those colors are amazing. I consistently get a blue-green but it’s still a nice blue-green.