🐔 Mesh trays led me to change PC method

[308Jeff]

I noticed that elvis ammo dumps his trays straight from the oven into a bucket filled with water...he said that it breaks them apart and only a few remain stuck together.

I did this over the weekend. There were much less that were stuck together, and the ones that were I could easily separate with my fingers.

[Walter Laich]

Ahh, that was most likely my mistake, I thought the coating needed to cool before handling so I let the tray sit and cool down for a bit. Will give this another try when I get back next weekend. The dump and bake benefits of hitek is the main reason I switched over to it, and I bought just way too much powder catalyst.

yep, I did the same thing on the first batch I did. Learned quickly after that.

now working on a 'dumping tray' where I'll put the hot bullets from the cooking tray before I transfer to cookie sheet--mostly it's playing with wood on my part

[Grmps]

For dumping into water, I use a large metal colander (I got at goodwill) that fits into a 3 gal bucket, that makes it easier to retrieve the dumped boolits

[igolfat8]

Those of you who are water quenching, have you noticed any brittleness in the paint or paint flaking off during sizing? I would think the water quench is rapidly hardening the paint and could make it crystallize and prone to failure by losing some of its elasticity.

[308Jeff]

Those of you who are water quenching, have you noticed any brittleness in the paint or paint flaking off during sizing? I would think the water quench is rapidly hardening the paint and could make it crystallize and prone to failure by losing some of its elasticity.

In the videos I've seen on Youtube by those using this method, I've also seen them do smash tests to verify the coating is sound.

[2011redrider]

I use the 5 gal paint strainer nets that I used to use for collecting the pins from wet tumbling before i got the RCBS spinner/Sorter. it Fits right over the 5 gal bucket, found them at Lowes for 5 bucks/2 pack. Looks like they are 3.78 now

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-2...Gallon/1008387

[Rick Hodges]

It sounds like one of the old metal minnow buckets would be ideal for this....with the inner basket to pull up the boolits. Hmmmmm, seems like I remember seeing one of those up in the garage.

Does the water quench harden the boolits like if you drop them after casting? Does it harden them at all?

[TMenezes]

Yes it does harden them. I don't care for that, but I still do it so I can handle them right away without getting burned.

[Walter Laich]

water quenching will harden them but makes them a bit harder to size. PC does a great job stopping leading so I don't WQ as a rule.

...though I do agree you can handle them right after--but this isn't a problem for me

[DerekP Houston]

water quenching will harden them but makes them a bit harder to size. PC does a great job stopping leading so I don't WQ as a rule.

...though I do agree you can handle them right after--but this isn't a problem for me

Same as went tumbling brass, i may be able to handle them right after but then I gotta wait for em to dry again....kinda a wash. I don't waterdrop anything anymore. If I were to try it again I might WQ my 9mm rounds so I can attempt hitek coating them and see if it makes a difference.

[Crash_Corrigan]

That is the exact color of the WWII German uniform.

[retread]

That was going to be my question as well, thanks for the link.

Got the same ones on amazon. Much cheaper I think.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Grmps]

I noticed that elvis ammo dumps his trays straight from the oven into a bucket filled with water...he said that it breaks them apart and only a few remain stuck together.

You will also notice that Elvis shakes off ALL the excess powder, this also helps limit/prevent sticking together.

Here is my PCing setup. Plastic colander and pans from goodwill $.99 ea.



My trays are made from Office mesh organizers bought at Goodwill for $3.00, I cut them apart, bent 1 long side to fit in my oven and riveted a couple pieces of aluminum angle on the ends They will easilly hold > 8# of boolits

[MikeD7]

Does this leave lines on the in the powder coat? Does it go away when you size them?

[Crash_Corrigan]

I wonder if I can powder coat my wife's Charter Arms Patriot 327 Fed? She is mad for that color and she would be so proud of her own purple gun!

[Grmps]

no lines




I dump them in the collander, sift out the bb's and shake off the escess, then dump them on the screen and shake them level.

bake for 15 min @ 400°


no lines and none stuck together

[Walter Laich]

agree, lines don't form--not sure why they don't--just happy that they don't

[HABCAN]

Grmps, if that IS a 40 lb. box of 'silver', all the werewolf hunters will be beating a path to your door begging some! Any for sale?

[Grmps]

Copco 8-Inch by 12-Inch Mesh Bin Organizer

Used - Very Good $7.43 Eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime.

[rondog]

Amazes me all the different ways we all powdercoat bullets!

I use old steel cookie/baking sheets, covered with non-stick Reynolds Alum. Foil. I then stand up my bullets on their bases, and spray coat them with my Harbor Freight pc gun. From there right into an old Kenmore electric kitchen oven, the full-size kind. Out of the oven I dump the whole tray of bullets right into a big plastic tub full of water on the garage floor. I use several old baking sheets, so I can coat and bake hundreds at a time - all the same, or different colors, different calibers, different bullet types, etc.

I don't like to do it often, so I go for max production when I do.