HF power coat

[krallstar]

Cooking up my first batch now. In convection oven. I read 20 minutes at 400. Can they be done sooner. what do i look for.

[vrh]

I cook mine at 350 deg. for 15 minutes. they come out really nice. Passes the hammer test easily. I do size mine before and after P.C.ing. Cull any rejects before I GC my rifle bullets.

[OS OK]

Watch them for about the first three minutes and you'll see them turn glossy when the PC has melted. Wait until all of them are glossy.
Now look at the timer...how long did this take?
Add that time to the 10 minute cure time and you'll have your minimum time set for that amount of casts that are in the oven.

I have found that for a full tray of casts, I need to set the timer to 15 minutes and walk away...it's good to go.

[krallstar]

Small batch, went for 20 min. Passed hammer test but some spots i still see lead. Base good and covered as is the parts that actually get sized. These are for indoor action shooting. So i don't think they need to be perfect yet.

[OS OK]

When you get done with that Harbor Freight goo...get some good PC from one of the venders here on the forum and you'll be pleasantly rewarded for your efforts!

[popper]

Yup, 10 min after gloss.

[krallstar]

My son heard i wanted to try to PC so he grabbed some HF red. Shake and bake. Just looking at the top of this forum and saw pics only. Lots of good looking boolits. Going to stand them the next time.

[stubshaft]

I never got to try HF powder coat. They won't ship to Hawaii? BUT, I have gotten ahold of some PC from Smoke 4320's site and have had excellent results.

[Eddie17]

I will second OS OK, vendors on this site have better and easier power to work with for PC.

[krallstar]

Have read good reviews on Smokes powder. Will be ordering some soon. Got another batch standing and in the oven now.

[bangerjim]

HF powders cook very well at 10 min after......AFTER......the powder turns shiny!!!! Cook for 10 min does it for me. No more needed.

I use HF red, yellow, and black as my standards......mix with other powders (Smoke) to get colors and interesting patterns. It is like a Picasso!!!!!!!!!! (YES...........Even YOU can be an arteeeeeest.)

Banger

[krallstar]

Cooked for twenty standing. Did cover better.

[runfiverun]

I do the full 20 after it wets up with HF red also.

[krallstar]

I did notice the bottom of the base ends up with a kind of built up chunk of PC. It's flat, like the base is concaved and it droops from the bottom. Is this going to cause a problem.

[bbogue1]

Size after PC will take care of the paint droop. Bullets are spread out single layer on a copper infused baking mat in a pan. I do a gentle shake before putting them in the oven to remove excess powder then into the oven for 10 min past going from fuzzy to gloss. I've tried from 250 to 400 degrees using my PID and under 300 seems to take longer to go glossy so I stick with 350. After baking they are immediately dumped into water. only the bullets. They rarely stick together and the coverage is sometimes mottled but smooth.

[Dragonheart]

The oven cycle time is comprised of the bring-up time plus the dwell time for a proper powder cure. The bring-up time is the time required to attain the desired substrate cure temperature of the part. The dwell time is the time required to hold the substrate at cure temperature. These times and temperatures are available from the cure schedule for the particular powder being used and supplied by the manufacturer, at least for US made powders. If you want good results don't try to outguess the manufacturer of the powder as they know more about polymers that all of us put together. Simply get the cure schedule from the seller of the powder and give your bullets the proper cure for the powder you are using. Depending on the polymer and the additives the times and temps can vary.

When I started PC in 2012 I spent a lot of time talking with professionals in the business. In discussing the cure, once the polymer has reached the proper cure time and temperature, adding more time achieves nothing, but it typically doesn't hurt. Increasing the temperature slightly over what is necessary also does not hurt, as there is some wiggle room, but at some point higher temp can damage the polymer.

I personally have tried HF powder and found it to be lacking in my high humidity environment. OS is right on about the quality of Smoke's powder and his powders are proven performers. I have been doing PC for a while now and on more things than just bullets. You can do PC without a major investment, but there are three things you need if you want consistent good results and they are a good oven, a good thermometer and good powder.

Glad to see your giving the PC process a try, but be warned PC can become an addiction.

[krallstar]

Went to the range with the 50 i loaded @ 3.5 bullseye powder. This normally works great with my cb But pc it seemed to be weak. Had soot on all cases. So upping the charge weight. And after 50rds barrel is clean as a whistle. No leading and accurate enough for action shooting.

[P Flados]

Set my PID for 390

I start timing when it reads 350

I turn off the power at 15 minutes.

I wait a few minutes to open the door.

This has done very well for me even when I close pack lots of booltis.


Attachment 208639

I did try cooking lower temps and shorter times & was not happy with the smash test. The above has some margin to the "unsat" efforts & I like it that way.

[D Crockett]

I am looking for someone that will teach me the right way to do this powder coating after Christmas anyone up for the job please pm me thank you D Crockett

[fredj338]

I use 13-14m total cook time in preheated oven @ 400. I am now using the empty ammo box holders to set bullets, way faster than standing them alone & I can get 100+ in each tray X 4 trays in my oven at a time.