Increased size due to color type

[Gunslingerdoc]

Was noticing today that my darker blue (RAL 5002) tends to 'add' .002 when ESPC'd. The orange (a RAL color) 'adds' .004. I'm wondering if it's a powder difference (chemically) or do I just spray more of the Orange color since it takes more to cover the darker boolit...?

I'm using ES and while I spray the same pattern, I spray more for coverage than 'X' number of passes in specific directions.

what are you guys seeing?

Does a darker color= a thinner coat? Lighter colors = thicker coat?

[Beagle333]

I have not noticed this, but I have not checked for it. The ones that I have measured had .002" added to them when ESPC'd. And besides the other benefits of PC, this has resurrected some of my older steel molds that I wouldn't cast with anymore, due to them requiring exactly the perfect temp, cadence and alloy to even match the designed diameter. I'll have to measure a few different colors now. Maybe I should have been using the "thicker" colors on the smaller boolits all along.

[prs]

So, if you sprayed clear, your boolits would be so nice'a an'a fat.

I had a bad initial ES experience and have avoided it since, even though I bought a new gun and got the problem with the old gun corrected. I have been using the black air soft BBs in #5 containers. On humid days, the coatings were thin and even had to do some twice (no more of that for me). Lately, I have been waiting for dry days and 2 thousands is the rule. Yesterday, I used the same method, but in the HDPE container of a case vibrator/tumbler and the post baked sizes were 3 plus thousands with same powder. Now, the thinnest coat I have had was with PBP Super Durable Gold. Even two coats were under 2 thousandths and that was on a dry day with #5 container.

prs

[Gunslingerdoc]

Just something I noticed when sizing 2 different color boolits. I have no idea if it's something different in the colors or me. I suspect it's me though.

[bangerjim]

From what I have experiences with colors, dark ones go on "heavier" in pigment and there for you will probably sparay less on. The denser darker pigments cover better.

With white and yellow I have used, I tend to spray until I see no lead showing thru and end up with thicker coats.

But.......the sizing die brings EVERYTHING back to what the die is supposed to be. Are you sizing AFTER PC? Everybody does, unless you are trying to increase an undersized boolit by a few thou.

bangerjim

[twc1964]

I have noticed that when pc'ing boolits , i get more thickness by far using solid colors. I size before and after coating and when using candy colors i barely have any resistance upon sizing on the second pass. When using solids, ie, black, green, i have more resistance. Ymmv

[Gunslingerdoc]

From what I have experiences with colors, dark ones go on "heavier" in pigment and there for you will probably sparay less on. The denser darker pigments cover better.

With white and yellow I have used, I tend to spray until I see no lead showing thru and end up with thicker coats.

But.......the sizing die brings EVERYTHING back to what the die is supposed to be. Are you sizing AFTER PC? Everybody does, unless you are trying to increase an undersized boolit by a few thou.

bangerjim

yes after except for 45's which I'm currently sizing before as my .452 lee PT sizer sizes to .4505 and I'm not buying a $30+ reamer to fix a $20 die (I have another on order)

[Beagle333]

There's nothing to honing out a Lee PT die. They are soft and a little bit of spinning of a slotted dowel with some sandpaper will change the size easily. There are other methods, but starting out with some 220 grit and lap it a little bit til you get it sorta close, then moving to some 400 grit to get it really just about .001+ under size and finishing up mirror smooth with some 600 or even 800 will make a nice shiny perfectly sized die. I have modified about a dozen of them. Just start slow and check your work often, because as you know, you can't put it back. The biggest mistake is getting to the final size before you put the final mirror polishing on it.

Here are a lot more threads on it....
Honing lee dies

[Gunslingerdoc]

Thanks beagle. I thought about honing it out and I probably will since I really don't want to run boolits thru the rcbs lube sizer. I'm just irritated at Lee for making products that are 90-95% done! I get tired of doing that last bit - it's like having to cut 1 more piece of tile or trim after you've already put your tools away! I spent about 2 hours last weekend supervising my boys thru drilling taping and making set screws for about 15 lee molds last weekend. It was funny when one of the boys asked what we would have done if we'd run out of brass to make anymore screws and I told him we'd just have to use a store bought screw (of which we had probably 50 in our bolt bin)! He was annoyed, but he learned something.

[JD74]

I was having the same issue with my lee PT 452 being under sized on my casts. When I tried some harder bullets I purchased before they sized to a perfect 452 so I was thinking it was my lead causing the under sizing.