Powder Coat Failing

[Gohon]

There is a fellow on another forum saying that several months ago he loaded some bullets he had bought from someone who had coated the bullets using powder bought from "Powderbuythepound". The loaded rounds were then stored in his garage and were subject to high heat. Powder he used was Lil'Gun. Not able to find his load data he pulled several rounds to measure the powder charge and when he did he discovered the base of the rounds were gooey and soft.

My question is, has anyone else discovered this problem? Does power react with the coating after long term storage?

[mdi]

Nope, properly cured (cooked) powder coating will not degrade/melt. I have tried to "burn" some PC off a bullet, but the lead melted before the PC burned. I haven't pulled any of my PCed bullets, but PCing is a semi-hard baked on coating....

[Gohon]

I've been powder coating for a couple years now and really like it so I'm aware of what the process and results are.....but I've never pulled any long term stored bullets. The question now which has popped up, is there a possible chemical reaction with some powders and a powder coated bullet?

[crackers]

Bullseye absolutely will soften HF red. I load a box bullet down but flip it upside-down for storage.

[dragonrider]

Understand first that I don't powder coat so please excuse my ignorance of it. I found two powder coated boolits in the berm recently and the powder coating had scrubed off anywhere it touched the barrel. Is this normal? they were lube groove boolits, don't know which mold it came from but I think it is a common mold.

[Love Life]

The powder coat should not be rubbed off by the rifling. With sharp rifling, you'll see cuts in the coating from the edges on the rifling, but not elsewhere on the bullet. Either a failed coating, sandpaper barrel, or sharp throat.

[xacex]

Probably another rumor started by a cast boolit manufacture seeing his profits and sales drop. I have pulled boolits that have been loaded in front of lil gun that were stored in a hot, to freezing garage for the same duration of time and there was not one boolit that showed degradation of the coating like you describe. I would not take anything heard from this guy, who heard it from this guy as anything but internet lore. Now, if you give information on how to contact the individual such as forum, and screen name I would listen.

[sparky45]

I believe the "guy" isn't a real caster/PC'r/shooter, cause those pills wouldn't last long enough to have an adverse reaction to powder. I PC most of my cast but I also use BLL and love both techniques. As a matter of fact, I now BLL some of my PC'd pills as well.

[Jupiter7]

Wonder if this another story in the long line of problems with Lil Gun?

It it is totally possible that the chemical make-up is detrimental to plastics. I've "burned" a pattern into a plastic powder hopper with powder left in the hopper over a weekend.

[Blackwater]

With what I've used PC for in coloring jig heads, I've found that CAN happen IF the temp on whatever stove you're using doesnt' get hot enough. A re-baking at proper temp should cure it, I'd think. PC is a one-way process, and IF the right temp is reached, I don't know of (though there might be some?) any way that chemical reaction can be reversed. The heat is the catalyst that's necessary for the reaction to take place fully and effectively. I've also found that a little TOO MUCH heat can make it brittle, and it may flake off if heated that far, so it's really important to get the right temps in doing PC in the curing/setting process. It's not rocket science, and there's a small range of temp variations that will work, but getting the heat right initially can be a bit tricky, at least initially. I have an old toaster oven I usually use and have made a scratch on the temp dial where it has proven to work best for me. Memory being a less than reliable thing, this really helps from session to session because I don't do that much PC on jigs, but that scratch is still there as my reminder of where to set that dial for good, reliable results.

[bangerjim]

I have pulled some rounds (just to check them) over 2 years old with HF (red/black/yellow) and other brands of PC stored NOSE DOWN with Green Dot, Trail Boss, TiteGroup, American Select, Clays, and other fast powders and have found ZERO degradation of the PC due to the powder.

Grease can possibly degrade the PC. Did this guy use a lube over the PC? That is a no-no.

But if it is baked per the specs (10 min @ 400F) of most powders, it is darned near indestructible.

I have no idea what LilGun is and have never even seen it on the shelves. Better switch powders.

banger

[Gohon]

I would not take anything heard from this guy, who heard it from this guy as anything but internet lore. Now, if you give information on how to contact the individual such as forum, and screen name I would listen.

Making assumptions based on lack of knowledge won't help any of us if there is something to this. The man is simply reporting something he discovered himself......not something he heard, and he himself is not sure what is taking place. You can check out the thread for yourself here.... http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/re...d-boolits.html

[chutesnreloads]

I'd be MUCH more concerned with what the "high heat" was doing to the powder and primers of my precious handloads.Storing in a hot garage can't be doing the ammo any good.

[MT Gianni]

If he has bullets left unloaded he has a very easy comparison. It seems like there are too many hands in his process now for him to be in control of his loads.

[Edward]

I very often lube while seating/sizing after PC ing and have not seen any bad reactions ,maybe just lucky!

[whisler]

There are both thermoset and themoplastic powder coatings and several different chemical forms including acrylic. Thermoplastic acrylic powder-coat would be most susceptible to any residual solvent in the powder. Since we don't know the type of powder-coat used or the chemical make up of Lil'gun it is all guess work.

[mongoose33]

I don't have any experience w/r/t powder reacting with PC, but Acetone can be used to clean up cured PC--so it's not out of the question that chemical outgassing or direct contact with powder could, theoretically, affect PC.

[bangerjim]

I don't have any experience w/r/t powder reacting with PC, but Acetone can be used to clean up cured PC--so it's not out of the question that chemical outgassing or direct contact with powder could, theoretically, affect PC.

VOC's can potentially soften PC. Acetone and MEK are two of the "hot" ones that show almost instant reaction. But others like the ones found in many lubes, over a period down in the brass case, could soften the PC. As with potential outgassing of some powders. I have not tried dissolving PC in nitroglycerine--------yet! In it's component state (glycerine and nitric acid) they should not react rapidly. But over time.......who knows. Inquiring minds want to know.

bangerjim

[gloob]

I was thinking solvents in the powder, as well. I have a can of Varget that smells flat out like acetone. I don't think it's always related to powder type. I understand this is not normal for Varget. Maybe it's just a little variation in quality control on my particular lot.

[303Guy]

Powder coat can and does soften with solvents. I did it just yesterday! As has already been pointed out, powder coats are not all made equal. Thermosetting ones first have to melt into a film then cure at the correct temperature. If uncured, all bets are off.