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Thread: Rangefinder's PC Tumbler Method

  1. #21
    Boolit Master Garyshome's Avatar
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    rhadamanthos how many boolits? Great Rangefinder! Way to cut down on prep time, Do you have more than 1 tumbler? Will try out this method. I tumble boolits after casting, then swish in acetone than piglet'em [shake & bake]. Will try your method, seems you are getting some good results!

  2. #22
    Boolit Man rhadamanthos12's Avatar
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    anywhere from 100-200 garyshome.

    I came across another problem with softer alloys, I'm losing size due to shot peening on my larger softer bullets (400gr+). My guess if you are going to try this is that you will need a harder alloy (as my harder alloys turn out fine) with large bullets

  3. #23
    Boolit Mold
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    do you all think this method would require a dedicated tumbler? or would cleaning with acetone/LT be enough to go back to tumbling brass?

  4. #24
    Boolit Man rhadamanthos12's Avatar
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    I think you could get away with using one tumbler, the only place I have remaining powder is at the top of the bowl from splashing.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master Rangefinder's Avatar
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    Should be just fine with one tumbler. BUT, you'll want to make sure it's cleaned very well between each change of use. As said, there's next to no PC paint left to be found after tumbling boolits, but I'd not want to get the polishing media dust from my brass tumbling mixed into the PC from tumbling brass. Nothing appealing about fire-lapping with every shot--bore life might not be so good. A quick rinse couple good wipes with a shop towel out to get all the media dust out just fine.

    Just looked with a quick search and found a replacement bowl for my Lyman 1200 for $24--could probably find one cheaper if I tried. It's always an option, but not necessary.
    Guns have only two real enemies; Rust and Politicians...

    "Praying might get you to heaven, but trespassing will expedite the journey..."

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  6. #26
    Boolit Master Garyshome's Avatar
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    Might have to track down another tumbler!

  7. #27
    Boolit Man rhadamanthos12's Avatar
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    my shrinking diameter seems to come from narrow driving bands, I had 68gr 225 bullets shrink to .218 on me. I will have to check the hardness of my bullets to see if that is a determining factor as well

    rhad12

  8. #28
    Boolit Buddy
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    Good find Rangefinder.
    I can get an used oven toaster for $ 25, but powder coating paint costs $10-14 per 25GRAMS as compared to $5 a POUND (!!) at harbor freight.Wonder what gives? or are we being charged the usual cut throat 'Australia tax' for being down under...
    Would putting the coating mix and CB in say, a small coke bottle, and then the tumbler, help in avoiding tumbler contamination?Asking, I dont have a tumbler...
    Last edited by eljefeoz; 10-23-2013 at 07:58 PM.
    "...Some days its rocket science, and some days it just zinc..."

  9. #29
    Boolit Master Norbrat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by eljefeoz View Post
    Good find Rangefinder.
    I can get an used oven toaster for $ 25, but powder coating paint costs $10-14 per 25GRAMS as compared to $5 a POUND (!!) at harbor freight.Wonder what gives? or are we being charged the usual cut throat 'Australia tax' for being down under...
    Try asking at a local powder coaters for some powder; they'll probably be happy to give you a cup full for free.
    Last edited by Norbrat; 10-23-2013 at 11:42 PM.

  10. #30
    Boolit Buddy
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    Yup, just tracked one down.Thanks Norbrat
    "...Some days its rocket science, and some days it just zinc..."

  11. #31
    Boolit Master AlaskanGuy's Avatar
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    Rangefinder,

    Thanks for posting this... I am gunna try this as i have a spare tumbler.... And my wife would look so cute with her pink 9mm loaded with hot pink boolits....... They would go well, with her hot pink bow, hot pink arrows, and plus it would be cool to be able to actually find some of her boolits and see how the pink coating holds up..... I was thinking about using this stuff:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Neon-Pink-Po...item35cc798ebd

    Think this would work??

    Ag

  12. #32
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    I tried flashing the H-T coating, dumped on a grate over a pan. It does dry them faster and I can handle a few minutes after the flash but it doesn't cure the coating. They also don't stick to the grate. Still haven't gotten the HF white to go on thin enough, it bubbles ( outgassing the solvent) and cures but isn't shootable. Well they are shootable but would be very inaccurate as the grooves are lopsided filled.
    Whatever!

  13. #33
    Boolit Man rhadamanthos12's Avatar
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    So I modified the method for bullets that were getting blunted and shrinking size. I'm using A paint can that I cut the carry handle ears off of and my thumler tumbler, I poked a few holes in the lid so the lacquer thinner can evaporate and let it run till the bullets are dry to the touch (I hear that the bullets in the can get louder is usually when I go check). for the mix I'm using 1fl oz of lacquer thinner and 2.8cc of powder I added about 2 handfuls worth of bullets to the batch.

    This is the set up as it is running
    Click image for larger version. 

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    And here is a comparison between rolling and vibrating, the black is from the vibrating tumbler and the green is the paint can method


    As you can see the edges are rounded on the black bullet compared to the green. the size mic'd of the green is .3115-.312 where as the black mic'd out to .308 and .309.

  14. #34
    Boolit Master Rangefinder's Avatar
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    Alaskanguy>>man, that hot pink is something! Your wife is gonna be shooting no-burn tracers with that stuff! Glancing at the spec's listed, I'd say it ought to work great!

    popper>>that's about the same outcome I get with my matte black. Originally got it to color-code between my standard rifle loads and subsonic loads--still haven't found a solution to that one yet. It globs up and won't give a thin coverage--to get coverage it ends up too thick, fills the lube grooves, gases out into cured bubbles at all the grooves, and has an orange-peel texture everywhere else. I have a few ideas in mind to try, just haven't had time to play with it yet. First thing I want to try for that one is to preheat the boolits to about 250F, then run 'em in the tumbler dry while dusting with the PC powder. Have to see about that when time allows.

    rhadamanthos12>>great observation and solution to the problem you found! I haven't noticed any peining-down of size on mine as you did, but that could be because my PC paint seems to be working best with a very short run rather than running till dry--not running long enough to beat things up enough to notice. Nice innovation on the rock tumbler!
    Guns have only two real enemies; Rust and Politicians...

    "Praying might get you to heaven, but trespassing will expedite the journey..."

    Where might I be found when I'm not here? Try looking here:http://www.facebook.com/NSWE.Pagosa and here: www.rescueropes.org

  15. #35
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Different moulds? Bases look completely different.
    Whatever!

  16. #36
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Rangefinder - maybe heat them @ 100F or so before cooking to get the solvent to outgass SLOWLY? Appears to be a layer of solvent between the lead and coating that has to go.
    Whatever!

  17. #37
    Boolit Master Rangefinder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by popper View Post
    Rangefinder - maybe heat them @ 100F or so before cooking to get the solvent to outgass SLOWLY? Appears to be a layer of solvent between the lead and coating that has to go.
    That's certainly something worth trying. I don't mind a thicker coating as long as it finishes uniform--something that isn't happening with the bubbling from out-gasing while baking. Even a slightly rough texture on handgun or subsonic rifle boolits aren't going to cause noticeable harm to accuracy within their effective range so long as it finishes uniformly enough so as not to unbalance rotation. The conundrum continues...
    Guns have only two real enemies; Rust and Politicians...

    "Praying might get you to heaven, but trespassing will expedite the journey..."

    Where might I be found when I'm not here? Try looking here:http://www.facebook.com/NSWE.Pagosa and here: www.rescueropes.org

  18. #38
    Boolit Man rhadamanthos12's Avatar
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    popper that is from the same mould, NOE311-165

  19. #39
    Boolit Master freebullet's Avatar
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    I'm curious what thickness is being achieved with these various methods.

  20. #40
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by strahd_zarovich View Post
    Well I gave this a try today with HF Matte Black.

    I do not think things look right and I am not getting a coating in the lube grooves (not that it matters).

    Well just got my sizer and the PC came off the drive bands. I guess I need to turn the heat up some. HFPC was bakes for 20 minutes at 400 in a toaster.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
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