Powder coating color

[technojock]

Before I buy a pound of powder, does one color work better than another or are they all about the same. I'd rather not have my loaded rounds look like tubes of lipstick so I'm thinking of something in the gray to black range if it's all the same otherwise...

Tony
AKA Geezerbiker

[Net]

Look in the vendor section for smokes powder. He lists some information about what colors work best depending on the method.

[oley55]

you might also want to consider buying Smoke4320’s sampler pak. my suggestion would be clear, gloss black and traffic white. those three will give you a nice granite looking gray boolits and some darkened natural colored boolits. I don’t recall if the samplers are 1/4 or 1/3 pound. also buy some plastic airsoft bullets from him incase your climate needs the pellets help.

[charlie b]

When starting use Smoke's Carolina Blue or Eastwood Ford Light Blue. They are proven to be the easiest to get good coverage when using the shake and bake method. Once you have a method that works well, then pick a color you like.

Smoke offers a sample deal of three colors that is a good way to start.

Most of mine now are done in clear. The powder is white so you can see if you have decent coverage before you bake. When done you can still inspect bullets for any flaws you might have missed before.

I still bake some in Red or Purple to denote different loads for the .45acp.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...or-sale/page30

[jcren]

Smoke's clear all the way. Goes on like powdered sugar, bakes clear, slick and shiny making the bullets look like fresh cast. Very smooth with no pigment to clump or spot and a slightly thinner coating, which makes sizing a breeze.

[cwlongshot]

Just buy Smokes.

#1 he is here and one of us

#2 he knows what we are doing and knows his powders work REGARDLESS OF COLOR.

#3 he is a good guy.

CW

[KenH]

I like the clear powder - bullets still look like lead bullets when finished. and Smoke's powders for sure.

[technojock]

Thanx guys. I'll try some clear once I get the rest of the stuff I need. This has been a back burner project for me for way too long...

Tony
AKA Geezerbiker

[Misery-Whip]

Another vote for smokes powder. As of a week ago his silver was out of stock. Black tumbles very well on lower humidity days. That is one of the biggest tricks to getting flawless coverage. Air conditioned works too.

I havent tried clear yet, but its on its way...

If you dont have a cyber wallet, he has (in the past) taken a credit card over the phone.

[Rapier]

I prefer Eastwod chrome black. You should store the black in an air tight container, in a low humidity environment, AC, etc. I use the shake and bake, two coat, nose down, no gas check, process.

[Tripplebeards]

Smokes clear is my goto powder. Bakes on perfectly even.
Especially happy with it in high humidity when all colors for me don't cover even. Clear still goes on easy and even every time.

[Mandoair]

Hi. About airsoft bbs. ❓. I found some locally airsoft black 25gm wondering if this is the good stuff❓ Thanks.

[Tripplebeards]

I’m sure any air soft BBS will work for tumbling. I use to buy some from smoke for $2. I was at the thrift store buying pewter last Friday and found a third or quarter container full of air soft BBS for $1.99 so I snagged them. If your a first time tumbler Smokes clear will be your friend. For colors the easiest color for me is Smokes traffic blue to get to coat. If you get spotty cover coverage there is still clear PC that covers the boolit…it just downt look as pretty to me. I like mixing colors so the boolits come out speckled.

All smokes powders I tumble coated. If I don’t tumble in the winter when it’s cold and dry clear is my fiend. It will coat year around for me.

Purple, black, and blue…



Green and purple…



Clear…




Bunch of mixed colors and then bounced in another container with another color…



Red…



Forgot what color this is…



More purple in different light…



Some fishing sinkers I did with mixing his powder…






I think I made brown from red, green, and??? Don’t remember but like it. When I don’t get even coverage I start dumping powders together. It seems to coat nice and even funky looking new colors for me when I do.




All Smokes powders.

[Mandoair]

Thanks. Looks good. Yup first go. Waiting for powder to arrive Carolina Blue Flame Red OD Green waiting for nose first sizer. Got a small toaster oven for $2. And looking forward to some color in my life.

[technojock]

Do you still need gas checks with power coated bullets? I was hoping to not have to use them any more...

Tony
AKA Geezerbiker

[Tripplebeards]

Depends on how fast you are pushing them. CWlongshot I believe was pushing his 450BM to 1850 fps without GCs. I use GCs for all my rifles. Pistols normally not accept for my 44 mags. Imo GCs helps with long range accuracy. IMO twenty five yard pistol shooting its not needed. I believe users here have tried without them to 1850fps with great accuracy and no leading.

[technojock]

My cast loads tend to be on the mild side so I'm thinking I will be able to do away with the gas checks. I hope so anyway...

BTW, what's the reasoning behind powder coating fishing sinkers? I've always left mine plain.

Tony

[Tripplebeards]

Went to Florida this past winter and read orange looks like sand flea eggs. Painted them orangish yellow for a color attractant. I’m sure the divers there are having a fun time finding all the ones I lost on corral. I also figured it beats touching lead and leaving oxidation in my tackle box. Seen many boxes over the years with lead staining.

[JCSC]

Eastwood blue was my first and best try.

Smokes pink and green worked Soso and the purple was great.

I don’t have the air soft bbs in my #5 plastic container

[Tripplebeards]

The air soft BB’s help build static to get PC to stick.