What temperature for powder coat?

[ThomR]

Thomr, you will probably be alright shooting the low temp bullets in pistol. Check out the other video where Elvis shoots the low temp bullet in rifle. It didn't work real well. I am not cutting Elvis down. He stated at the start of the video that he didn't know what to expect and that everybody including himself would see. That takes guts. He does a lot of experimenting and is not afraid of failure. One thing I really like about the guy is that he is not constantly asking for money like a lot of them. Sounds like a bunch of tv preachers.

That is what I had planned on using them for. 9mm and 380acp. The 380 rounds that I shot yesterday were accurate enough to hit a steel plate at 30 yards repeatedly and didn't leave any deposits in the barrel.

[bangerjim]

Are you able to determine any difference in BHN between those baked at 275° vs 400°?

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Hardness will not change if you do not rely on water dropping B4 PC. 400 will pretty much eliminate any hardness gained thru heat treating. So will lower temps.

Bottom line........mix your alloys for the hardness you want and d NOT rely on heat treating when using PC. That is what I do.....mix for 10-12.


I just do not worry about hardness anymore, what with PC and the facts on “softer is better”.

[ThomR]

Most of the time I cast with straight wheel weight lead.

[bangerjim]

Most of the time I cast with straight wheel weight lead.

That and PC will give you excellent results in most semi's and revolvers and long guns. That is NOT magnum loads or hi-power rifles, though!

banger

[ThomR]

Just got back from the range. I tested a couple different loads in some homemade ballistics gel. One of those being powder coated 380 bullets.
I cast and coated these yesterday. Coating is a mix of Eastwood bright pink and Smokes carolina blue. They were coated in a number 5 large cool whip container and baked for ~15 minutes at ~275 degrees. The bullet on the right did not tumble. I had the steel plate facing downwards at a 45 degree angle initially, then stood it up straight for follow up shots.

[Grmps]

A person can't argue with those results

[ThomR]

A person can't argue with those results

I'm pretty happy with the results.

[Leadmad]

Thanks for sharing your method and results ThomR, Im interested if you are putting all your pistol bullets in a basket piled together ? I do ( +/- 300) and get the sticking effect with some and corresponding bare patch's when I bust them up so like everyone want a better finish so may try if that's what your doing

Thanks

[ThomR]

Thanks for sharing your method and results ThomR, Im interested if you are putting all your pistol bullets in a basket piled together ? I do ( +/- 300) and get the sticking effect with some and corresponding bare patch's when I bust them up so like everyone want a better finish so may try if that's what your doing

Thanks

I just throw them in a pile after shaking off the excess powder. I bake them somewhere between 250 and 275. I don't usually water quench them after they come out of the oven. I just dump them in a bucket or box and keep shaking them around until they are cool enough to handle.

[CGT80]

I tried the batch method in a basket and had problems with boolits sticking together, so I abandoned the idea.

Thanks for sharing this info, if it worked for me, it would save a bunch of effort of standing he boolits on end with hemostats. Even if baked twice, it would be easier to stand them quickly with my fingers since the powder would not come off.

[ThomR]

I tried the batch method in a basket and had problems with boolits sticking together, so I abandoned the idea.

Thanks for sharing this info, if it worked for me, it would save a bunch of effort of standing he boolits on end with hemostats. Even if baked twice, it would be easier to stand them quickly with my fingers since the powder would not come off.

I might end up trying the double make method for 223 bullets, but that will not happen for quite some time as I have 1,000 55 grain fmj's to load first. For 9mm and other non-magnum calibers I think the low temp method works just fine. I have no experience with any magnum calibers so I can't comment on the effectiveness of low temp powder coating with those.

[cwlongshot]

Well count me as a believer.

I also watched the video, went out and bought baskets and tried it... I did use 300 instead of the 275 and all worked VERY well. They easily passed the smash and cube tests and look really goo !



CW

[Herb3]

What powder is that CW?

[cwlongshot]

What powder is that CW?

It is Gloss Purple from powder by the pound. It coats well for me.

CW

[Herb3]

It is Gloss Purple from powder by the pound. It coats well for me.

CW

Thanks! It looks good. My daughter has been wanting some in purple so I'll get a pound on my next order.

[asmith80]

I tried this today and didn't have great results. PbtP Super Durable Wet Black, tumbled, dumped into a basket and shook to get the excess off and baked ~250-275 for 20 min. First batch I tried breaking up by hand with a silicon glove right out of the oven, but some of the PC hadn't cured totally and I got some smears and goopy strings of half melted PC.

Second batch I dumped into water immediately and it solved the goopy PC problem, but I had a lot sticking together and bare spots after I broke them apart.

I'm going to try letting them air cool before I break them up and see if that's any different, or I might just not do so many in a batch so they're not touching so much. If I end up doing that, I'll probably just do it at 400 degrees since the whole point of doing it at 275 was to avoid sticking

[cwlongshot]

I have been baking allot here today between chores. I did two batches of red probably 200 314/120g bullets in each batch. They where a solid clump out of oven. Dumped them in water and they 95% broke apart aceptably. Yes if you look close you will see minor evidence of than sticking. But not so much that it effects anything even astetics unless yiur a eagle eye.
Yes there is some spots void of color. But that to me is a coating issue not a baking issue.

But even those lil voids truthfully wont effect anything. Try lil less time. I have been doing 280-295 for 15-18
The new hammered white I just received from GRMPS dosent stick AT ALL!! (Sticks to bullet FINE!) Right out of oven bullets roll around on basket!! Im water quenching everything.



Good luck!

[Walter Laich]

I just put a single layer of coated bullets on my trays.

when I pull them out I dump them into a wooden tray (I special-built it) with a cork covered bottom and shake and rolls tray to break bullets apart. that will get 99% of them broken apart.

Probably not as perfect as Bangerjim's but the target will never know it

[RedDogForge]

wonder if Elvis ever tried retesting rifle rounds? anyone else test em?

[ThomR]

I cast up a bunch of boolits today and coated them with Smokes carolina blue. After I baked them I did a smash test on a couple of them. It appears that Smokes carolina blue will not work with the low temp bake method. Have no fear though, since they were already coated I ended up standing them on their bases and baked them again at 400. Because they had already been baked and the powder had melted to the boolits I didn't get any powder on my hands. After baking them at 400 they passed the smash test with flying colors.
I had good adhesion when I used Eastwood powders, even with a little carolina blue mixed in.