ASBBDT rocks!

[ebner glocken]

Hemostats, but others have had good luck using rubber gloves with powdered fingers. Sorry that part got edited out, didn't figure anyone wanted to watch me pick up boolets for 3 minutes.

Ebner

[500MAG]

For me this whole powder coat thing has changed cast boolits back towards the easier hobby of reloading jacketed or plated bullets. There is a ton of variables with cast such as alloy composition, lube, size, and base deformation. This seems to make some of those variables less of an issue, or gets rid of some of them all together such as lube. Not that there is still a learning curve to get up to speed on, but I see it as less of an issue to start this way. This, I believe has brought more people into our world of cast boolits than any other advancement since Richard Lee, and Lee precision molds did by providing cheap equipment to get started with.

I'm not saying I will never use traditional lube again and I'm not running off and selling my lyman 450, but I have not used traditional lube in at least a year now.

[bangerjim]

If you've got a lube machine, by all means keep it! Unless you are in need of funds. If I had one , I would not sell it.

Yes the best way to shake-n-pick is hemostats. I can pick them up faster that way than with my fingers! The serrated jaws and the loop handles help really get ahold of the boolits at different lay angles yet does not disturb the powder. I have tried the glove thing with no success....other than sweaty hands and some boolits that are not coated as well as I would like. Some use it with success it sounds like.

banger

[el34]

What I'm finding is that as I put them on the foil I can roll them between my fingers to cover small bald spots. Might still be able to do that after using hemostats if needed.

[bangerjim]

Remember, the gloss powders flow when they bake, usually covering small divots in the powder. Only large gaping silver spots ON THE TOPS of the grease grooves are important to watch for. With hemos, I see a tiny bit of silver occasionally where they grab, but you ALWAYS grab by the nose which is not important to have a complete coating.

banger

[rsrocket1]

This is how it spreads evenly with powder dusted gloves. I use Nitrile gloves. They should be snug fitting over the finger tips. You don't need to spend so much time as I show on this boolit. Just one twirl and a few seconds is enough. By doing it this way, I can place 150 40 cal bullets on a single toaster oven sheet in about 10 minutes.

[el34]

This is how it spreads evenly with powder dusted gloves. I use Nitrile gloves. They should be snug fitting over the finger tips. You don't need to spend so much time as I show on this boolit. Just one twirl and a few seconds is enough. By doing it this way, I can place 150 40 cal bullets on a single toaster oven sheet in about 10 minutes.

Agree. In my case it was just my powdered fingers. Do the gloves do anything significant?

[prs]

I have used the hemostats and the nitrile gloves, both powdered. I am quicker with the gloves due to better precision in placing the boolits in neat close rows on the foil coated tray. It even worked with the humidity up.

I got a second wire rack and tray today and I am going to soon find out if my oven will let me do a double decker.

prs

[rsrocket1]

Agree. In my case it was just my powdered fingers. Do the gloves do anything significant?

No, other than I sweat a lot in the 105 degree afternoon heat and my fingers might get oily or sweaty which may clump up the powder. I've never tried bare fingers dusted with powder. It may actually work fine. I got the idea of another member here who referenced dusting a table with powder before rolling out dough.

[Markbo]

How do ya'll de-lube any boolits that are already lubed? Boiling?

[hanleyfan]

I have boiled them which worked, and I have used mineral spirits, put them in a bucket and pour some mineral spirit just enough to cover all the boolits and let set for a couple of hours and than pour off the mineral spirits.

[bangerjim]

How do ya'll de-lube any boolits that are already lubed? Boiling?

This has been covered many MANY times in the PC threads.

I have degreased thousands of boolits using this method 100% successfully:

Put greasy boolits in glass or plastic container and cover with lacquer thinner (not paint thinner or mineral spirits)
Let sit overnight. Swirl if convenient several times.
Swirl well and pour out thinner.
Pour in smaller amount of clean thinner to rinse
Swirl
Pour out and save for next batch
Add VERY HOT water with Simple Green (key ingredient to cut grease! Not Dawn.)
Swirl very well
Pour out
Rinse in VERY hot water
Dump to dry
PC away!

This works every time. I cannot recommend any other method, as that grease is sometimes very difficult to remove from everywhere. Laq thinner will cut any grease no matter how old/dirty or what type.

Good luck degreasing your boolits!

bangerjim

[fcvan]

Today, I finally did it. I've been using a Harbor Freight ESPC gun with flat black for over a year and my Lyman 450 is feeling neglected. PCd boolts shoot so darned good I haven't loaded a greaser for 16 months. I've been wanting to try dry tumbling but only had HF flat black.

Yesterday, I received 2 pounds of Fools Penny (copper) from Prismatic Powders. Today, I cast a bunch of boolits and broke out the cool whip container. I didn't have any black airsoft BBs but I do have neon green. I poured in some BBs, added a teaspoon of powder, and 50 boolits. Holy Moly, the powder stuck like nobody's business! A teaspoon was way too much powder as the boolits were thickly coated. I used hemostats to set the boolits upright on non-stick aluminum foil. I was worried that the humidity (foggy on the CA North Coast today) but that wasn't an issue. I thought if I bumped the boolt to much the powder would fall off like HF flat black but that didn't happen. Baked up, the boolits were shiny and very slick.

I ended up running 3 loads through the oven before I felt like I needed more powder. The fools penny is a clear top coat and didn't really show color well. Even on the thinnest 3rd run I had complete PC coverage and no residual marks from using hemostats. I did dip the tips of into powder when I first started and didn't have to re-dip them at any time as the PC powder stuck to them as well.

The powder stuck so well I ended up dumping the BBs and boolits onto a cookie sheet to retrieve and place onto the foil. Even with that rough action the powder stayed put on the boolits and the BBs. Pouring the BBs back into the bowl and tumbling another batch was quick work as the excess powder stayed in the cool whip tub.

I'm disappointed with the color but ecstatic about the coverage. I will likely play with adding different colors to it as I have Tecate Green, Passion Pink, and Ink Black on order which hopefully will get here soon. The tumble coating business worked so much better than I could have imagined as I've seen some lumpy coated boolits. These were so even and consistent, as good as ESPC with added benefit of coating the base. I know, the base doesn't need coating but it makes the unloaded boolits look cool. I will likely start doing all of my pistol boolits by tumble but continue to ESPC my rifle boolits as they get gas checks.

[Markbo]

Any pics?

[fcvan]

I didn't take any as I was busy trying to get some boolits to go shoot and test. The next time I set up and tumble/handle/bake etc., I will take step by step pics. I'm hoping to do this soon with more than the one color. Dang, this tumble stuff worked really well! I have a buddy who is waiting one me to get the process down to where I can do a tutorial for him to follow. He's a novice caster but not a novice reloader. At the moment, he is using 50/50 Alox/Minerals Spirits for his handgun boolits because that is working for him. That and it's what I showed him how to do. When He can start doing colors (especially the colors his wife likes) it will be on like dawn!

[bangerjim]

HF red is the standard powder avaialble just about everywhere in the US. I have numerous HF's within several miles of my house. One is 1.5 miles!

Stop by and get a bottle of red.....avaialble and cheap to play with. It is the standard powder we started with and still is very applicable for beginners and old hands as well.

Once you get the technique down, then order those expensive multi-coat metal powders. I personally will not use a powder that will not coat (ESPC or BBDT) in one coat. If it won't, I use a different powder! All those powders that require a top coat powder are a waste of time and money.

But is is your time and you money. Remember......they ALL end up as "splat" at the end of the range!

bangerjim

[Markbo]

I have already learned a few things. 1. I need a smaller funnel. 2. I should have gotten the larger can of lacquer thinner! For all the complaints about store bought bullets lube melting, not lasting, etc it sure was a chore to get clean! And these particular bullets it was white so a little hard to seen if there was still a little left. Now I have a couple large handfuls to PC. Still have about 500 Aloxed and will probably leave them be and just shoot them up. 200gr SWC that none of my .45 Colt would shoot great so I was going to try them in some 1911s anyway.

Now if I only knew how much PC and how much pellets to use....

[Beagle333]

Now if I only knew how much PC and how much pellets to use....

It's all up to you. I use a lot (1/3 to 1/2 the container)... Banger just uses a few covering the bottom. Find what works.


Here's a neat video of it!
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-airsoft-video

[bangerjim]

Yes.......this is NOT a finite science! My method that covers the bottom of the container completely (~110%) works great for me. But you need to mess around with it to see what works with you humidity/temp/bowl/boolits/technique/powder. As you see, there can be a lot of variables. But it is VERY easy and fast! Just do not be afraid to mess around. You will not ruin anything.

Have fun!

banger

[Alferd Packer]

I was wondering about accelerated wear to the gun barrel by the powder coating.
Has anyone looked into this?

Just asking.
I'd like to be sure before I try this?