Hi tek scraping off in sizing die

[40sand9s]

I am casting lee 356 124 tc and 401 tc and applying 2 coats hi tek just as the directions are saying and both pass smash and wipe test fine. Once I get to sizing I am using lee 357 and 401 push through to size on my lee turret and running into issues. Have any of you had issues with a good percentage scraping off to where you are worried that too much lead is showing. I have tried spraying with 1shot and it makes it easier and not as bad however I don't think after I spray them another coat of hitek will stick after baking. Ideally I'd use my calipers but of course the batterydied. Any help would be appreciated. I have only shot a few cast and am still working up loads but they are shot out of a glock19 and p2000 both with octagonal barrels. The alloy is range scrap water dropped out of the mold and again after the last bake.

[Sgtonory]

Have had similar issues. I solved this on my 40 by polishing the lee die. Seems the coating cant handle more than about .002 to .003 in sizing

[AbitNutz]

I'm not so sure there isn't something really wrong. I do pretty much the exact same thing and I size down quite a bit and I don't have that issue in any way shape or form. I think there must be something wrong in the process you're doing.

1. Preheat convection oven to between 385-400 degrees. Use thermometer
2. 300 ml of pure acetone
3. 20 grams of Bronze Hi-Tek powder
4. Mix the 20 grams of powder into a well sealable bottle of acetone and shake well.
5. Put exactly 4.5 pounds of bullets in a 5 quart bucket
6. Add exactly 6.5 ml of mix to bucket
7. Immediately shake/mix for exactly 20 seconds
8. Immediately spread out on a mesh tray where air can circulate all around them
9. Small fan blows on them to help dry
10. Let dry completely
11. Put in oven for 10:00 minutes
12. Remove from oven, put back on mesh and let air cool.
13. Repeat twice more for a total of three
14. After the last oven heat, water drop.

This is exactly the regimen that I use and I have had great luck. The coating has never scraped/wiped off in the Lee sizing die and I'm sizing them down from .455 to .451. They are 100% linotype so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. I wouldn't so.

[Ausglock]

Ummmm..... Its 20grams to 100 Mls Acetone..... NOT 300 Mls!!!!!
Polish your sizer die. Use HITEK AQUALUBE 5000 sizing lube.

If that picture is of Bronze 500, You have way away overbaked it. But it will still work.

[dikman]

My first thought also was to polish your sizing die. I've resized quite a few .38 and .44-40 (one is a home-made sizer) and I've never had any problems with the coating coming off - and some required a lot of force to get through!! As suggested, try a bit of lube on them before sizing.

[reddog81]

If that much is scraping off going through a sizing did I can't imagine how bad the leading is going to be in your barrel. I've never used HI Tek coating but have powder coated thousands of bullets and never experienced anything like that.

Do all the bullets look like that? I'd load up 20 to 50 and test for leading before loading up 100's of rounds with those bullets. Unfortunately If those bullets were mine I'd be planning on either recoating or melting them down.

[Half Dog]

I coat, size then 1 more coat.

[popper]

Let them AC from the mould.

[Sgtonory]

Let them AC from the mould.

Water dropping can cause this?

[AbitNutz]

Ummmm..... Its 20grams to 100 Mls Acetone..... NOT 300 Mls!!!!!
Polish your sizer die. Use HITEK AQUALUBE 5000 sizing lube.

If that picture is of Bronze 500, You have way away overbaked it. But it will still work.

Sorry...you're right. I must have typo'd it. It is 100 ml. The bake time is listed as from 8-12 minutes. I took the middle and chose 10 minutes.

[Rich22]

My guess is that is the black coating, if that is any other color then your oven is off by a massive amount. I do 1st coat 20gr/125ml acetone the second and third 20/100. Water dropping out of the mold is fine but I have had no luck water dropping after cooking the coating, led to failure all 3 times I tried it with bronze. 10 minutes is far on the low end of what I have ever had work, I got candy apple red to work at 10:15 in my oven but bronze takes 12 and black 14. Mic a few bullets and make sure your mold is not dropping large and check the size die for burrs.

[AbitNutz]

My guess is that is the black coating, if that is any other color then your oven is off by a massive amount. I do 1st coat 20gr/125ml acetone the second and third 20/100. Water dropping out of the mold is fine but I have had no luck water dropping after cooking the coating, led to failure all 3 times I tried it with bronze. 10 minutes is far on the low end of what I have ever had work, I got candy apple red to work at 10:15 in my oven but bronze takes 12 and black 14. Mic a few bullets and make sure your mold is not dropping large and check the size die for burrs.

I actually bought a brand new convection oven...top of the line Walmart Hamilton & Beach...$69.00 on sale. I put the bullets in when the oven thermometer reads at just under 400 degrees. Like I said, the directions say 8 to 12 minutes. I just picked the middle, 10 minutes. I've not had any problems yet.

How would you know if they're undercooked? Overcooked I would guess you would see something burned...not sure how to tell if undercooked. How did you determine that you needed to bake longer?

[40sand9s]

They are red copper and look a lot more red in person. I have a new oster convection set at 50 baked 12 minutes shook halfway through. I have shot a couple mags re coated after sizing with no leading but about 25 is hardly a test. I'll have to look into polishing the die to see if that helps. I let them dry for at least 30 minutes but sometimes over an hour depending on how many batches I have going.

[reddog81]

As long as they aren't leading and the accuracy is acceptable nothing else matters as for as I'm concerned...

[Ausglock]

if they are under cooked, the coating will wipe off.
$69 will not get you an oven with an accurate temp control.
I have 6 of them and none are accurate to the set temp.
the only way to get accurate temp control is with a PID.

[AbitNutz]

if they are under cooked, the coating will wipe off.
$69 will not get you an oven with an accurate temp control.
I have 6 of them and none are accurate to the set temp.
the only way to get accurate temp control is with a PID.

Well, I have a PID I could put on it but let me remind you that this fine convection oven was $69.00, marked down on sale from $119.00. I doubt there is a better made Chinese giant toaster made.

I have an oven thermometer, which I realize may be as inaccurate as the oven. However, to get a PID on this I would have to drill a hole in this fine appliance. That could potentially ruin its warranty...even if it did make it more accurate.

I may do it chitts and giggles. I think it would be hilarious. Drill a hole in the back somewhere and run the probe through it. I guess it would pickup the air temperature.

But...it still works fine. I'm getting better results than I could have hoped for. I'm pushing the bullets to about 1350 fps with no ill effects...and it sure doesn't wipe off.

[Ausglock]

Your warranty is stuffed anyway as you are using it for a non approved purpose.

[Rich22]

I drilled mine for a TC probe, no big deal except I realized how poorly insulated the thing is even for a 100 dollar unit. At least your using the oven therm and not reliant on the dial setting. Mine is off by only 20 degrees and that is easily the best of the 3 I have had, one was over 100 off.

[AbitNutz]

Your warranty is stuffed anyway as you are using it for a non approved purpose.

I should file a warranty claim saying it doesn't cook my bullets accurately.

[bfuller14]

AbitNutz,
Please let us know the outcome....