a trick for tumble powder coating

[Shotgundrums]

Yeah they smash flat as a quarter. It just seems so easy, no gun, no waisted powder, MEK is cheap. Production time was just above that of HiTek, which I usually do, and as copious. I'll report back as soon as I get range time.

[bangerjim]

Smashing flat as a quarter is not the hammer test.

Smashing to about 1/2" cube IS an excellent test......if all the powder sticks and does not separate. The lead beneath can split and so will the PC over it, but it will not come off or flake.

[Maximumbob54]

If MEK is the super toxic stuff that I remember then I wouldn't mess with it just for that. If I'm thinking of something else then ignore me.

[snuffy]

MEK, Methyl Eythel Ketone is a very low vapor pressure solvent present in most enamel paints. There, that's the sum of my knowledge about it. It's one of the key components in lacquer solvent along with methyl alcohol and a couple others. I used it in my short career in the paint booth at a truck plant under the supervision of the head painter.

As far as I know, it's not all that dangerous, but constant exposure is not good for you. The warning about use with plenty of circulation,, IE not in an enclosed place, is pretty standard for any paints. I used some as a kid with my dad to paint a wood/fiberglass boat with epoxy paint. I found out real quick that you didn't use MEK to clean a nylon brush, it dissolved it into a useless blob! MEK will also dissolve cured epoxy, like most of the stock bedding compounds.

HEY harbor freight powder coat is epoxy based! No wonder it worked to slush up the HF red powder, then deposit a layer on the boolits. I have some HF red laying around, I can get some MEK from the fleet farm store, may give this a try. Always good to have more than one method to powder coat boolits.

[bangerjim]

MEK is extremely hazardous! That is why it has been banned in many industries. Linked to cancer......as has most things we breath, eat, drink, and to today! Back in the olde daze, they used to wash jet airplane engines down with it and it just ran down the drain. Today companies are spending millions to remove it from ground water!!!!!!!! Very difficult.

Before all the info came out about it, I used it as my standard degreaser for antique clocks and parts. Bought it in 5 gal drums for just a few dollars. I think you can still find it in quarts at Home Depot and Lowe's, depending on your state and local regs.

I would avoid MEK all together..........except where absolutely needed.

Acetone is the common and main component of laq thinner. Every brand of laq thinner is a specific mixture of many VOC's determined by that manufacturer. MEK is mainly used in the vinyl industry as it is THE solvent for it.

MEK, benzene, toluene are in that "not so good for you" hazardous category. If you absolutely insist on using any of those, do it outside with good air circulation and AWAY from any flames!

I would highly recommend sticking to the method used by most on here.....BBDT. Forget the old solvent method.

banger

[Maximumbob54]

I would highly recommend sticking to the method used by most on here.....BBDT. Forget the old solvent method.

banger

I highly second this. I started out with the wet tumble method and you couldn't get me to go back to it. I don't even bother with Klass Kote anymore and I paid more than I should admit for two kits of the stuff.

[Redwoode]

What's the best way to get 556/223 DT casts into the oven upright for curing?
Thankso

[bangerjim]

You don't! Unless you are using ESPC with NSAF and fender washer method (which works great for me).

BBDT them and dump them on 1/4" hardware cloth.

You will get lay marks, but I get a 97% good rate! Just remelt the bad ones.

You can coat and dump a bunch.

Or put NSAF over the hardware cloth and pick-n-lay the lil' guys in the grooves you make by running your fingers along the wires of the cloth. Slower but ever better than dumping! Minimal lay marks.

This has been discussed many times on the various threads on PC'ing.

banger

[Schrag4]

It's been mentioned in many threads but I think it bears repeating that 100% coverage isn't necessary. At first I was pretty picky about only loading projectiles that had a near-perfect coat, except on the nose of course - that's where I grab them to stand them up. Lately I've been loading just about anything that has splotchy coverage and I haven't noticed a difference in any aspect of performance, including barrel cleanliness. They have to look pretty rough before I'll set them aside for re-casting. I'm talking about 9mm.

[Shotgundrums]

Respirator I wear works pretty good to nix the vapor exposure.

[bangerjim]

If you rely on a respirator for your life, check this reference out B4 breathing deeply!

http://www2.lbl.gov/ehs/chsp/html/Od...ctionGuide.pdf

Only specialized units will work to mitigate VOC's and many have only a certain unit that will work. And you need to change the cartridges frequently at a significant expense.

A standard paint/dust/particulate respirator is no good for VOC's!

Best advice........avoid using hazardous VOC's whenever possible. And work out side!

banger

[Shotgundrums]

Ok thx for the tip

[Gunslinger1911]

What's the best way to get 556/223 DT casts into the oven upright for curing?
Thankso

Here you go Redwoode.
Deprime, crimp case mouth so gas check groove just fits, drill out flash hole, drill scrap steel, self tapping screws.

Ok, so I was board the other day.

[snuffy]

MEK is extremely hazardous! That is why it has been banned in many industries. Linked to cancer......as has most things we breath, eat, drink, and to today! Back in the olde daze, they used to wash jet airplane engines down with it and it just ran down the drain. Today companies are spending millions to remove it from ground water!!!!!!!! Very difficult.

Before all the info came out about it, I used it as my standard degreaser for antique clocks and parts. Bought it in 5 gal drums for just a few dollars. I think you can still find it in quarts at Home Depot and Lowe's, depending on your state and local regs.

I would avoid MEK all together..........except where absolutely needed.

Acetone is the common and main component of laq thinner. Every brand of laq thinner is a specific mixture of many VOC's determined by that manufacturer. MEK is mainly used in the vinyl industry as it is THE solvent for it.

MEK, benzene, toluene are in that "not so good for you" hazardous category. If you absolutely insist on using any of those, do it outside with good air circulation and AWAY from any flames!

I would highly recommend sticking to the method used by most on here.....BBDT. Forget the old solvent method.

banger

Thanks Jim for the ejamacation. I knew somebody here would know more than I do about MEK. Like you said, the old daze, nobody was all that worried about ill effects cause by strong solvents. Knowledge is power to avoid what we don't need. Although another method that I may investigate to serve as a last ditch back-up.

[bangerjim]

Just the fact, jack! I only point out potential hazards and in no way am telling someone what to do and not to do.

I know a 94 year old woman that has smoked a cigar a day since she was 10. Still going strong with that stogy a day! And another 85 year old guy who has drank a fifth of whiskey over a couple days since he was 18.......still kicking. Everybody's body is different.

It's your health and just watch out for it. Things like VOC's, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals and chemicals can and do build up in living organisms over time.

Just be careful. If nobody watches out for you but you......who will?

Eat right, exercise, live clean, believe in the Lord............and you still die!

Live long and prosper!!

banger

[RP]

Everyone knows the government watches out for us they keep us safe and tell us what is right and wrong they even tell us what to think and I believe in climate change which use to be globule warming

[Redwoode]

Made my first couple batches of HF red this weekend and have a four color sampler on the way from Ghost. The humidity was high 50's low 60's and maybe limited the available static charge and amount of powder held on the casts. What do you experienced BBDT folks use as acceptable and also ideal humidity guidelines for coating your casts?

[62chevy]

Made my first couple batches of HF red this weekend and have a four color sampler on the way from Ghost. The humidity was high 50's low 60's and maybe limited the available static charge and amount of powder held on the casts. What do you experienced BBDT folks use as acceptable and also ideal humidity guidelines for coating your casts?

I no longer believe humidity plays a part in dry tumble but what does is shaking the living daylights out of the container. Swirl for a couple of seconds then up and down as hard as you can, check, repeat if needed.

[bangerjim]

Humidity does seem to make a difference.

Most of you guys have never seen DP's in the single digits or teens! And have nothing that low to compare the process with. We have them that low all the time. And this time of year we have DP's in the mid 50's to upper 60's. Even at 60, the RH is still not nearly as high as you guns on the gulf or east coasts.

I definitely see a decrease in the efficiency of BBDT when the DP's are up there. Same methods, same powders, same equipment, different results. Powders are tightly stored in my back workshop which is AC'd when I am out there. RH recorder says 30-40%. That is why I rely on ESPC in damp times to get the coats I want.

I would highly recommend those in very damp climates store their powder containers in ZipLok bags with cat litter desiccant in the bags. Might help.

The standard swirling is a start, as originally developed. But the hard up & down that I came up with early on does definitely do the trick. No mechanical tumblers or vibrators can do an equivalent job that your two arms can do! And mechanical methods tend to grind off lead in the process and darken your powder coat and should be avoided.

Use whatever process meets your needs. I get almost perfect coats (for BBDT) every time using the standard methods (manual swirl/shake) as outlined in many places and used by most in the threads on this forum.

banger

[62chevy]

Humidity does seem to make a difference.

Most of you guys have never seen DP's in the single digits or teens! And have nothing that low to compare the process with. We have them that low all the time. And this time of year we have DP's in the mid 50's to upper 60's. Even at 60, the RH is still not nearly as high as you guns on the gulf or east coasts.

I definitely see a decrease in the efficiency of BBDT when the DP's are up there. Same methods, same powders, same equipment, different results. Powders are tightly stored in my back workshop which is AC'd when I am out there. RH recorder says 30-40%. That is why I rely on ESPC in damp times to get the coats I want.

I would highly recommend those in very damp climates store their powder containers in ZipLok bags with cat litter desiccant in the bags. Might help.

The standard swirling is a start, as originally developed. But the hard up & down that I came up with early on does definitely do the trick. No mechanical tumblers or vibrators can do an equivalent job that your two arms can do! And mechanical methods tend to grind off lead in the process and darken your powder coat and should be avoided.

Use whatever process meets your needs. I get almost perfect coats (for BBDT) every time using the standard methods (manual swirl/shake) as outlined in many places and used by most in the threads on this forum.

banger

I've had poor coverage at 30% humidity and great coverage at 70% humidity. I find it all comes down to how hard you shack it. Light shacking is OK at lower humidity but not higher. I don't have a device to measure humidity and rely on the Airport about 5 miles away.