simple Hi-Tek coating

[HI-TEK]

Glad to hear your doing better Joe, I’m not quite ready to switch to garden furniture paint if something happened to the hi-tek supply I might have to put some lube holes in my star dies or worse yet use some of the allox that has been sitting on my shelf for years.

How are you doing?
even if I fall off the perch, the hi-tek will flow on regardless.
I have about 100 kilos of 100% Alox for making wax type cast lubricant, and about 200kgs of Aloxdraw as used for lubricating oils additive for Steel wire drawing Dies.
They have been in storage for about 15 years.
Aside from making coatings, I used to make a hard, high temp wax for the casts where ammo was located in high temperature areas, where normal waxes melted and contaminated every thing.
All those customers stopped using waxes and used the hi-tek coatings instead.

[Stephen Cohen]

The above does not surprise me Joe, I only know of one old fart who refuses to change over from wax lube even after seeing the improvement. I concede that in some cases wax lube may suit ones needs but the sticky stuff is more than I can handle. Regards Stephen

[Tazza]

I sell 125 con fp projectiles to a dood that shoots western action, they are hi-tek coated, yet he still lubes them. I have tile hi that it's really not needed, but he likes how they shoot and that the bore is clean, yet it is without the lube, but i'm not going to argue. It could even be the fact you get that extra bit of smoke from burning lube to feel more authentic.

I have a guy that also gets the same projectiles, he has asked if i can do silver coated ones so he can use silver coated cases and projectiles, just cause.... Come on Joe, get that grey matter working to give us a silver

[Stephen Cohen]

I sell 125 con fp projectiles to a dood that shoots western action, they are hi-tek coated, yet he still lubes them. I have tile hi that it's really not needed, but he likes how they shoot and that the bore is clean, yet it is without the lube, but i'm not going to argue. It could even be the fact you get that extra bit of smoke from burning lube to feel more authentic.

I have a guy that also gets the same projectiles, he has asked if i can do silver coated ones so he can use silver coated cases and projectiles, just cause.... Come on Joe, get that grey matter working to give us a silver

I think Joe will listen to you, I though it was you that originally begged him to make a pink. I think we should give him a week or two as he is just out of hospital. Regards Stephen

[Tazza]

I think Joe will listen to you, I though it was you that originally begged him to make a pink. I think we should give him a week or two as he is just out of hospital. Regards Stephen

Don't think it was me that asked about a pink, but i know someone that would like pink. She doesn't shoot enough to warrant me doing pink ones for her though.

After what he went through in hospital, i'm happy to give him longer than just a week to get on it Such a back log of orders too that will take priority, then to keep avoiding the covid19.

Stay safe everyone.

[Stephen Cohen]

I am happy to say I know no one who has caught the gift from China but at my age most of my friends have passed on and most of the young don't wish to know me, must be an age thing. To those who have friends and relatives suffering this horrid blight, you have my sympathy and thoughts. Regards Stephen

[Tazza]

I am happy to say I know no one who has caught the gift from China but at my age most of my friends have passed on and most of the young don't wish to know me, must be an age thing. To those who have friends and relatives suffering this horrid blight, you have my sympathy and thoughts. Regards Stephen

They must be afraid to "catch" the old person thing My wife's grandmother didn't want to go into an old persons home, her words were "i don't want to go there, it's full of old people" you're only as old as you feel. Keep your self busy and you won't get old, you just feel it. You stop and it's all over.

Thankfully i don't have any friends or family that have gotten it either.

The younger generation are probably too busy playing on their phones than to sit and chat.

[Avenger442]

Up until this week I didn't know anyone that had COVID19. Then a friend of ours son ended up in the hospital with it. The state that I live in is one of the hot spots in the US. Only about 2% of the population have tested positive with the virus. So it is not surprising that we know so few that have it. They are testing more people here than probably any place in the world and the level of cases overall has been under 2%. If my math is correct. (info from https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html)

[Tazza]

That's the scary thing, i have heard that there were so many symptoms you needed before they'd even test you in the early days of it. Over here, a sniffle and they stick a swab up your nose and send it away for testing.

[kevin c]

Given the the fact that this co-vid thing is popping up everywhere I'd say Joe is pretty lucky getting out of the hospital in one piece. Hospitals are a bad place for it, judging by the number of health care people who get it.
Stay safe, mate. And keep away from Victorians.

Fact: Hospitals are where the sick folks are.

Take it from a retired MD: COVID or not, it's best to not to stay in a hospital if you can help it, and, if you have to go, to get home ASAP.

Back on topic. I've only run test samples of the TruBlu at different baking times at proper internal thermocouple temp. Just a single coat right now, that I was a bit sloppy applying (tried twice the volume of coating at half the concentration, and dumped too soon, getting some slugs with the "light stain" look, and others much more heavily coated). There was greening of the color, but, interestingly, more on the thinly coated slugs. Even at longer bake times and rising internal temperature, the heavily coated slugs seem much bluer. Maybe there needs to be enough pigment in a coating to hide the yellowing of the resin? Got stuff I need to do, but I'll be investigating this further.

[Dsltech1]

New guy here, been following this post for awhile. Without it I think I’d still be on my first batch. This is the bluest I’ve managed so far. Which is a nice improvement over my first few batches. Still not as good as Ausglock though. This time I used 85ml acetone and 15ml denatured. I’m not sure if that helped or not.

[Tazza]

New guy here, been following this post for awhile. Without it I think I’d still be on my first batch. This is the bluest I’ve managed so far. Which is a nice improvement over my first few batches. Still not as good as Ausglock though. This time I used 85ml acetone and 15ml denatured. I’m not sure if that helped or not.

They look pretty good to me, i need to get hold of some to try to see if i can get blue too, others seem to have so many issues, Ausglock may just have access to fancier acetone than is available over the pond I have had no issues with the stuff from bunnings or AIM chemicals is Brisbane.

[Ausglock]

New guy here, been following this post for awhile. Without it I think I’d still be on my first batch. This is the bluest I’ve managed so far. Which is a nice improvement over my first few batches. Still not as good as Ausglock though. This time I used 85ml acetone and 15ml denatured. I’m not sure if that helped or not.

Outstanding!!!!!
Well done.

They are the same colour I get.
As for acetone, So long as it is UN1090, there is no problem.
Here on OZ, we have Digger brand from Bunnies. It is good stuff.
We buy Acetone in 20Litre drums as it is cheaper.
Next time I'll get a 205 litre drum.
Joe is sending a few test samples this week.
A tweak to the second blue to see if it will sparkle.
A metallic blue is the aim.

[Tazza]

Outstanding!!!!!
Well done.

They are the same colour I get.
As for acetone, So long as it is UN1090, there is no problem.
Here on OZ, we have Digger brand from Bunnies. It is good stuff.
We buy Acetone in 20Litre drums as it is cheaper.
Next time I'll get a 205 litre drum.
Joe is sending a few test samples this week.
A tweak to the second blue to see if it will sparkle.
A metallic blue is the aim.

Diggers is what i used too, mainly cause i wanted the bottles, i get 20l drums from AIM chemicals, they were far cheaper than 1l bunnies bottles.

Looking forward to seeing the metalic.

[Dsltech1]

Outstanding!!!!!
Well done.

They are the same colour I get.
As for acetone, So long as it is UN1090, there is no problem.
Here on OZ, we have Digger brand from Bunnies. It is good stuff.
We buy Acetone in 20Litre drums as it is cheaper.
Next time I'll get a 205 litre drum.
Joe is sending a few test samples this week.
A tweak to the second blue to see if it will sparkle.
A metallic blue is the aim.

Thanks!
The brand I started with was crown. Retailer has since switched to Jasco . I buy by the gallon. I wanted to try MEK but I couldn’t find that locally, just the substitute. Acetone was drying pretty fast at 90-100F
A metallic blue would be awesome

[Tazza]

Thanks!
The brand I started with was crown. Retailer has since switched to Jasco . I buy by the gallon. I wanted to try MEK but I couldn’t find that locally, just the substitute. Acetone was drying pretty fast at 90-100F
A metallic blue would be awesome

I found MEK was quite hard to find, i didn't think it was anything special or extra toxic vs Acetone. MEK smells far worse, stick with Acetone. I only have MEK for the coating i used to use

[Dsltech1]

I found MEK was quite hard to find, i didn't think it was anything special or extra toxic vs Acetone. MEK smells far worse, stick with Acetone. I only have MEK for the coating i used to use

I gotcha. I plan on sticking with the acetone/denatured mix until it cools off. I’m happy with how well it worked. Slowed the evaporation down quite a bit that’s all I was after.

[kevin c]

That's a great looking blue that you got there, Dsl!

Besides the use of the acetone/denatured alcohol mix, any other variations from the recommended coating, drying and baking protocol? What kind and how big of oven are you using?

[Dsltech1]

That's a great looking blue that you got there, Dsl!

Besides the use of the acetone/denatured alcohol mix, any other variations from the recommended coating, drying and baking protocol? What kind and how big of oven are you using?

Everything else was the same as the last few times when I was getting a blue-green color. Ambient in Oklahoma lately is 90+ 50-80% relative humidity. The denatured and acetone isn’t really a deviation from the recommended procedure. It allows for a 25% dilution with denatured. Oven is a Hamilton Beach convection toaster oven. 195C for about 10 minutes. I dry with a fan blowing up through the drying trays. Pre-warm on top of the oven for 5-10 minutes. I can fit 8lbs in my bake pans so the first coat was 6ml second coat 8ml.

[HI-TEK]

Brilliant Australian technology. (unfortunately it is not my idea)
Just sharing of new technology.

You can view video. Data on production appears to be far more cost efficient and streamlined.
Extremely even baking, fast and efficient. Small machine with high output.

https://youtu.be/uzh9IWl1b3U

Prototype Oven test run February 2019. 116 kg of 100 grain semi wadcutters,
First projectile in to first out is 6:00 min, conveyor speed increased, to around 5:30 min oven retention time.
.
The 116 kg, 1st in to last in, took 50 mins, and equals 139kg an hour with this run.
Oven is now averaging around 145 - 150 kg an hour and power usage around 19 kw per ton, not including warm up power usage. Oven 4600 watts at 240 Vac.

Footnote
This oven has no fans and heating elements like convectional ovens.
No energy is wasted in heating air.
Energy goes into coated cast directly.
No hotspots and uneven baking.