Three times is not a charm....can't get powder coat to stick

[Vern Humphrey]

I just finished my first batch -- with Harbor Freight Red. I used a plastic container, shook it about as long as I would if using Liquid Alox, and it turned out beautifully.

[Advil]

I hear you but if you are threatening to torch a few to see if they cured that suggests that you suspect your oven temp is wrong or you have no idea what it is really set at.

There's not much chance to re-cure or to quick cure powder coat with a torch. It has to be done right the whole way. The right temp, for the right amount of time. It has to go from powder to flow to cured. It spends quite a bit of time in the soft flowout stage and it needs the proper time at that temp.

The HF red, when baked for 15-20 mins at 400 degrees should, after the first few minutes in the oven, have the powder start to go from dull powder look to more glossy flow appearance. You then let it bake for the full time without opening the door or messing with it.

I've never grossly overbaked a batch just to see what happens but have heard that if you really leave them in way too long they'll start to discolor and darken a little. They should still more or less work though.

I can't tell if the spots of powder are pronouced from the multiple bakes in your pic, of if the bullets were that wrinkled from casting. If those bullets started off glassy smooth cast then yeah something's real wrong. Any gloss powder match whatever finish is already there on the bullet, and it should be a fairly smooth glossy red. In one coat and one bake. Not two or three.

Maybe snap a pic of your bullets after you dump them in your tray so we can see the coverage, and a pic of one coat after they come out of the oven?

I still think the oven is off. It's always the oven.

[Alan Bycroft]

"when I immediately quench after casting"

This will leave a film on your boolits and the powder will not stick.
Drop them onto a towel and they will stay clean.
Harbor Freight red will work OK, but Smoke's powder is a lot better.

Lafaun

I live in Sacramento area, so not real dry in the winter...humidity is 50% on average. I only use range scrap and water quench every boolit. I started using HF, then Eastwood and Smoke's powders. I shake and bake only using a Cool Whip container (BB's present or not makes no difference). I have never had a problem with powder not coating uniformly. So...for me personally....water quenching has no negative effects. I've made probably 2k boolits of various calibers.

[Handloader109]

One​ thing i have noticed about coating in a container is not to put too much pc in the container. Take your Cool whip container, put enough Boolits to cover the bottom completely. Put in about two good tablespoons of powder. Swirl for a couple of minutes. I've found having on table gets a bit more static into them. Dont shake hard, bit necessary. Just a bit to help move the Boolits around, but swirl. Better powder gives better results.

[Tripplebeards]

Smokes powder is the bomb! My first tumble and bake I had too much powder so the second batch I dropped each one in a separate empty tuperware container and bounced them a few times...wala!!!! THANKS SMOKE!!!!!

Attachment 194344Attachment 194345

[Tripplebeards]

Attachment 194346

This was my first test batch I didn't bounce the extra powder off...ill still shoot them. Needless to say the HF powder got thrown out.

[OS OK]

Outstanding! I think that is one of the most popular colors for coverage.

What size did they come out? Do you need to size them?

[Tripplebeards]

Don't know yet I'm still running batches through the oven in my house.lol
I did run uncoated ones through my lee .430 sizer die and they got quished down. Ill measure one...give me a minute

[Tripplebeards]

I measured the top rib of my lube groove several times. The lowest reading was .433 and the largest was .438. Definitely need to run them through my sizer since my rifle slugged at .429. I called smoke and had him pick three of the best colors he's had luck with hand tumbling. I also got baccon grease and a yellowgreen. This looks like FORD blue to me.

[Tripplebeards]

From what I've read its better to give them a day before sizing to make sure the paint stays on? Irs ok ro spray rhem with wd40 so they don't get marred up....correct?

[OS OK]

I measured the top rib of my lube groove several times. The lowest reading was .433 and the largest was .438. Definitely need to run them through my sizer since my rifle slugged at .429. I called smoke and had him pick three of the best colors he's had luck with hand tumbling. I also got baccon grease and a yellowgreen. This looks like FORD blue to me.

I had a boat I was spiffing up to sell...I got down below deck with a quart of 'Ford Blue' to paint some of the engine parts, it was tight quarters...I ended up kicking over the dang paint can and ended up painting the bilges that color too...whatta mess and did I cuss like a sailor over that.
Now when I see that color...it is 'Bilge Blue!'

edit...just saw your question...I do things in a hurry for pistol rounds, cast, size, PC & size again all in the same day. They always hammer test. As long as your die is polished a bit, they won't marr...they will look like a mirror finish on the drive bands.

[Tripplebeards]

Attachment 194351

My last handful is in the oven. This was was my bag of 299 grainers (299.0-299.9). Getting sized and GC'd tomorrow and will sit for a few weeks to stiffen up before I load them.

[Tripplebeards]

Attachment 194376

Yellowgreen...took two coats

[Tripplebeards]

Attachment 194395

I sprayed wd40 before I ran through my sizer. I had lazik a couple days ago and my eyes are healing so I didn't see the scuff marks on the bullets till I looked at the pic. Ill have to spray them a little more next time. From buying my first mold a couple weeks ago, slugging my barrel,to making pan lube, and now powder coating. I think its time to load a few and let them fly!

[Advil]

Attachment 194395

I sprayed wd40 before I ran through my sizer. I had lazik a couple days ago and my eyes are healing so I didn't see the scuff marks on the bullets till I looked at the pic. Ill have to spray them a little more next time. From buying my first mold a couple weeks ago, slugging my barrel,to making pan lube, and now powder coating. I think its time to load a few and let them fly!

Nice. Those are looking good.

We quench them right out of the PC oven to help them separate, toss them all on a towel on the table, dry them, then just get on with sizing them. No waiting.

OS OK pretty much does it the same way we do. For pistol bullets we quench them right out of the oven to help them separate, toss them on a towel, dry them then immediately size them.

[Tripplebeards]

They were immediately quenched. I'm glad I stood them up being the bottoms had some little marks from where they sat on the tray and being my first time around I wanted them to look nice. I quenched immediately after the initial casting and then after painting as well. If they softened up from the first time around (they were extremely hard,I couldn't make a fingernail mark on them) I might get some expansion for hunting.

[Tripplebeards]

Drum roll.....da da da daaaaa!!! Smokes bacon grease...
Attachment 194503

[daloper]

Those are looking really good. I think that we have another believer in Smokes powder. Now time to load and shoot.

[Tripplebeards]

Attachment 194517Attachment 194520

I have my gallon ziplock bag of green to GC and size and then I'm ready to load. Its becoming an obsession!!!!

[OS OK]

"We endeavor to persevere...then we find success...How Sweet it is!"