HI-TEK do's and don'ts

[Grmps]

NO, when you bake the boolits, the cure/hardening cycle starts over.

[Uncle Dave]

Here is my first try with Hi Tek. It’s 3 coats of Red Copper. Passes all tests but not very red. Any opinions of why. I read every ones directions several times and am sure it’s coated well.
Thanks
Uncle Dave

[HI-TEK]

Here is my first try with Hi Tek. It’s 3 coats of Red Copper. Passes all tests but not very red. Any opinions of why. I read every ones directions several times and am sure it’s coated well.
Thanks
Uncle Dave

Not a bad effort at all.
Just a couple of observations/comments.
1. Why 3 coats? If you bake each coat, say at 200C for 10-12 minutes, then you can get a Tanning effect due darkening of resins system, especially if it is over cooked. (over cooking is not a problem only colour darkens towards Tan)
2. Your finished coats, do have a Tan colour and seems low in the metallic content, which also provides the redness you are seeking. I can be wrong, but it seems that you may have not coated with a representative quantity of your coating mixture where all ingredients were all evenly suspended.
3. The fact that you have 3 coats, applied and baked, the Lead is still visible (not a problem) but this also suggests that the "metallics" were not adequately mixed into the mixture that was used to coat.
Attached is picture of Red Copper with two coats.

[Ausglock]

Red copper is not red. It is copper bronze. Looks fine. But 3 coats are no needed.

[HI-TEK]

Red copper is not red. It is copper bronze. Looks fine. But 3 coats are no needed.

May be, if there is a need to get a more of a Red Copper, the Blush Red Copper may fit the need.
Attached is picture of Blush Copper.

[Avenger442]

I appreciate booolits can be coated as soon as room temp and dry, sorry, let me be specific this time. Is there any advantage to letting the lead cure weeks or months before coating?
Not looking for a specific BHN, just to improve on an existing alloy of 50%COWW and 50% lead used for subsonic 300 BO. These bullets shoot fine as they are, just curious about a post coating water drop. What percentage tin are you adding?

As another said no benefit in letting them age before coating. Start your cure clock after coating.

98% COWW with 2% tin. Actually started adding tin not for hardness but to help fill out the mold. It does add some BHN to COWW.
It works great in all my pistols (357 44 mag). And works good in my rifle (.308) with gas check. Most of mine are moving 2400-2600 fps out of rifle. In fact I have shot some of my tightest groups with that alloy.

I would think that if you are shooting subsonic in a rifle, something I have very little experience with so don't take this as gospel, you would not need the tin for hardness. We can still get lead alloyed COWW here so I'm using very little of my pure lead for now. But the Hi Tek works great on pure lead in black powder cartridge, too. Just have to put a dab of greasy kid stuff on the butt end of the bullet to make powder fouling soft.

[Grmps]

I think What Joe (the mad scientist creator of Hi-Tek) is saying is you need to swirl/mix your Hi-Tek liquid solution well right before you mix it with the boolits. The metallic particles go out of solution rapidly and this could explain the color differance . we normally add acouple of boolits to the solution to help with the mixing process.
I mix the solution well then use a 20 mil syringe, extract 20 mils, squirt it back into the solution then extract another 20 mils. Squirt back what I'm not going to use then squirt the remaining desired amount onto the boolits.

Hi-Tek is more like a stain, The first coat penetrates the leads surface, this is why you shouldn't size before the first coat.
Generally, only 1 coat is needed but we like pretty and insurance that we did a good enough 1st coat --- so we go 2 coats.

[Uncle Dave]

May be, if there is a need to get a more of a Red Copper, the Blush Red Copper may fit the need.
Attached is picture of Blush Copper.

Thanks gentlemen!
The answer is - I was expecting a different color in my mind based off of the color of Missouri Bullets “reddish/copper” color on bullets purchased. I purchased the Hi Tek from them and assumed it would match theirs. It actually looks closer the next day. I really don’t care about the color but I used the color it to gauge my work. Now I know.
Thanks so much for the adjustments to my expectations. Awesome product!!
Uncle Dave

[Stephen Cohen]

As said by Ausglock above, 3 coats are not needed but if you are casting for the 458 win mag I would suggest you try 3 coats. I have been doing so since I found that accuracy has improved out of sight. I am getting 3 shots groups of 30 mm or under at 100 metres. I have 5 moulds in this calibre, 4 of which have been lapped to .460 and all like 3 coats especially the 400grain RCBS which casts at .457 and will not group at all with less than 3 coats. I have a 357 maximum built on a Martini action which loves the Lee 158 gr plain base coated twice and driven at 2400 fps for 40mm groups at 100 metres. I have driven the Lee 125 gr at 2700fps by the chronograph with no grouping at all but the coating did not fail. This coating is the greatest invention since sliced bread and I have converted so many from the messy lubes we all used years ago. Regards to all.

[benellinut]

As said by Ausglock above, 3 coats are not needed but if you are casting for the 458 win mag I would suggest you try 3 coats. I have been doing so since I found that accuracy has improved out of sight. I am getting 3 shots groups of 30 mm or under at 100 metres. I have 5 moulds in this calibre, 4 of which have been lapped to .460 and all like 3 coats especially the 400grain RCBS which casts at .457 and will not group at all with less than 3 coats. I have a 357 maximum built on a Martini action which loves the Lee 158 gr plain base coated twice and driven at 2400 fps for 40mm groups at 100 metres. I have driven the Lee 125 gr at 2700fps by the chronograph with no grouping at all but the coating did not fail. This coating is the greatest invention since sliced bread and I have converted so many from the messy lubes we all used years ago. Regards to all.

That's interesting, now the wheels are turning so out of pure curiosity I have to ask, using the same loads have you compared the old lubes to hi-tek on the crony?

[Stephen Cohen]

I have not done a velocity check between the two, but a good friend has and his findings were interesting seems his Crony would not pick up the gold coated cast I sent him. I have however did tests with cast and coating and cast with LBT Blue lube, all else being equal and found accuracy to be considerably better with coating. You have got my interest now and I will have to try a velocity check between the two. Regards Stephen.

That's interesting, now the wheels are turning so out of pure curiosity I have to ask, using the same loads have you compared the old lubes to hi-tek on the crony?

[Avenger442]

Just based on what I have read, would expect Hi Tek to be a tad faster than conventional lubes.
I wonder if it is faster than powder coat.

[Cleatus]

My 1st attempt with Hi Tek was epic fail. Pretty sure it wasn't the powder to acetone ratio...thinking it was the oven temp. Oven was set to 400 and cooked for 10 minutes, but bullets turned from gold to more of a brown and finish was flaky after smash test and scraped off during resizing. Plan to just melt them down and start from scratch tomorrow.

[Grmps]

Grainy/rough finish usually means you swirled it to long 15-20 seconds is enough, OK to dump them damp
if the sound changes when swirling you have swirled to long
flaky - not letting the coating dry completely I use a fan and after they are completely dry I warm them on top of the oven for 10 min
gold to brown - darkening boolits - too hot or too long you need to check you're ovens temperature with a


set in the middle of the shelf you bake on ($4) then adjust your oven temp until the thermometer reaches 400°

almost all countertop ovens are off (up to 100+°)

If they don't pass the smash and rub test on the first coat (which should be less than 1 mil solution to 1# boolits (mixed immediately before adding the the bullets) toss them in the smelter and start over.

[Ausglock]

What He said...

[Cleatus]

Have to wait until I get my furnace fixed before I have some bullets to attempt the hi-tek again, but as Grmps advised, I picked up an oven thermometer and did some testing with my Black+Decker toaster oven. It reached 475F when set to 400F and I need to set it around 340F for it stay at 400F.

Never knew these accuracy of these things were off by so much...explains a lot of burnt pizza over the years.

[Grmps]

or unchewable roo meat

The design and placement of the thermostats on countertop ovens is really dumb

[Cleatus]

Used my culled bullets to practice my Hi-Tek process. Had more success with the oven thermometer, and bullets past the smash test after each coat. Did 3 coats, but thinking 2 is all I need when I do my good bullets...these are all remelts

[dikman]

By George, I think he's got it!

[nh7792]

Lack of consistency seems to be the biggest issue people run into with Hi-Tek. Inconsistent mixing, varied weight/amount of bullets being coated at a time (same amount of applied coating to different amounts of bullets) and the biggest is oven temp. Once you get oven temp set, do not touch it.
I've been using brick red for the last 18 months for my business, and other than a heating element going out in the oven, every batch/tray comes out perfectly.

Keep notes that detail your mix, (whether it's powder or liquid Hi-Tek) your bake temp and times, keep the bullet amounts or weight of amount being coated the same, and the two biggest "MUST DO" with Hi-tek is following the instructions, and allowing it to dry/flash completely before baking.
(Helpful tip. If your bullets are a bit warmer than the outside temp, the coating sticks a little better and flash/dry time is lowered a bit)