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Thread: Powder coating

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Powder coating

    I read that only black airsoft bb's will work when shaking bullets, bb's and powder coat. Hardware store here only had a funny looking green/gray and they did not work. They did not work vibrating in my small Midway vibrating tumbler. Before I order any Black Airsoft BB's is there any brand and size that is better to use for powder coating?
    My 1st batch had an extremely thin brown coat, so I swirled them in the PC while still warm, not sure how warm, but good and warm. It coated with nice coverage, but a little heavy in the gascheck area. Hoping I can still gascheck them, but waiting for .411 sizing die kit from Lee.
    The powder coat is not known, it is from a factory that powder coats store shelves. I ordered some from Eastwood.
    Now looking for 180 grain mold for .357 Max either in the RCBS 180 gr design or a semi spitzer. Any good suggestions?

  2. #2
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    Smoke4320's Avatar
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    I would gas check before coating then size again after coating.
    This way assures no issues getting check on and coating after assures check stays on
    [SIZE=4][B]Selling Hi Quality Powdercoating Powder

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  3. #3
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    My green work as good as black, some use none..Guess it is more in the container and powder than anything else..

  4. #4
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    BBTD is a lot of style/work than science! I have found the black ones work best for me. But that is ME..........not YOU. What ever works for your style/bowl/method.

    A lot depends on the relative humidity at your location.

    This BBDT method is a lot of "how you hold your mouth".

    ESPC (gun application) works better and is more repeatable and reliable that BBDT.

    I use both, but the humidity here in the desert SW is always very low & works every single `time.

    Good luck!

    Bangerjim

  5. #5
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    Living in Hawaii, I am always concerned about the humidity when PC boolits. Last Monday I "cooked" some H&G 503's under an umbrella in the rain. I used Smoke's Carolina blue and experienced no problems coating boolits with and without the BB's.
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

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  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    High humidity low static buildup.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

    jcren's Avatar
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    Check out Smoke 4320 in the vendor section. Excellent products proven to work for us at reasonable prices. Pick up a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 sample pack and bb's and by the time you need more you will have it all sorted out.
    "In God we trust, in all others, check the manual!"

  8. #8
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    Get the black BB's from smoke, he sells them for the same price you can buy them for (If you buy 5,000 of them) and his work. Not all black ASBB's work. I found some black BB's on sale and thought I'd save a little money -- they didn't work so I made a shooting sock with them not a total loss, now I have a washable shooting sock.

    ** I always try to get ALL the excess powder off my boolits before baking, on some firearms with some boolits, a little extra powder can give you chambering/ going into battery issues.**

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    I am in Iowa and it is currently -11 degrees very little humidity, lots of static if we don't run a humidifier in the house. I am PCing in a heated building away from the house and there is no humidifier so it is very dry air.
    I was told this morning that the PC that the company uses for coating store shelves is meant for spray on applications only, so it could be the PC. My new Eastwood PC should be here mid week.
    I can try seating gas checks on 7 mm, 45-70,and .41 bullets, but casting will have to wait until spring.
    Is it recommended to wash bullets in acetone, let dry, then PC them? The bullets I tried PCing have been sitting in plastic Speer boxes for several years, prior to 1996 at least.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by odette View Post
    I am in Iowa and it is currently -11 degrees very little humidity, lots of static if we don't run a humidifier in the house. I am PCing in a heated building away from the house and there is no humidifier so it is very dry air.
    I was told this morning that the PC that the company uses for coating store shelves is meant for spray on applications only, so it could be the PC. My new Eastwood PC should be here mid week.
    I can try seating gas checks on 7 mm, 45-70,and .41 bullets, but casting will have to wait until spring.
    Is it recommended to wash bullets in acetone, let dry, then PC them? The bullets I tried PCing have been sitting in plastic Speer boxes for several years, prior to 1996 at least.
    I only wash mine if I think they came in contact with an oil of some type. Say like I needed to lube them to size them..

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    I couldn't find the .25g black BB's when I first started either. I used white .20g they worked ok but then got .25g black and noticed a little improvement. Some people don't use BB's at all. I think your problem, like you stated, is probably your powder.

    I have also put gas checks on both before and after PC but like Smoke said sometimes the extra diameter the PC adds will make fit a problem. It's something you'll need to experiment with. Personally I like checking after PC.

    I have also tried coating pre-heated bullets. For me the temperature was too hard to control. Just a little too warm and the coating was way too thick.

    Motor

  12. #12
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    Walter Laich's Avatar
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    After swirling you really have to shake the container HARD!

    When I get lazy I find my coating can be thin--back to a more aggressive approach
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  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    You might heat them a little to drive off moisture before DT. Any moisture on them will get transferred to the PC and PC is hard to dry out. I don't know the grade of PC we use but S-W has an architectural grade for coating panels - so coat some, shoot and test to see if it is any good. All of the PCs will DT OK.
    Whatever!

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    I used the black bb's from smoke and some squirrel gray eastwood pc with great results. I will try the clear pc from smoke on the next batch. Thank you smoke, gas checking and sizing prior to pc then sizing again after 24 hrs is the way to go, no fighting the gas checks

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check