so I have to ask

[Dragonheart]

For Gas Checks I drilled/reamed some scrap sheetmetal with holes the size of the gas check shank. The holes keep the bullets upright and in place while being sprayed and protect the shank from the powder. Once sprayed I transfer the bullets to my silicone covered cooking mats. The only difference from this old photo is I now use SS cooling racks to help hold the bullets upright while being transferred to the oven. If your spraying conditions are clean the powder overspray can be swept up with a paint brush and reused.I only have two calibers, 30 & 7 mm that require gas checks. After I seat the checks I do a second coat using shake & bake coat of clear, which increased the PC thickness and bonds the check into a one piece bullet.

[remy3424]

Don't quit on S&B yet, it sounds like you are furgal with the powder, S&B should make you happy. With your general location given, it maybe be the humidity that is fightin you. I am in NW IA, so maybe not quite as humid (guessing you're eastern IA or MN ish) here. Get a hygrometer, Amazon has 4 paks ($14) of the little digital ones, so you can PC on days with lower humidity. If you have a Dollar General in your area, they have awesome containers ($1) 29 oz, a lid with a seal and 4 snap-down tabs to keep it closed, these work great, I have very little powder left after a batch, I just leave the black BBs and any powder in them until my net session. Just aggressively swirl, don't shake, that will just crack the container and isn't needed. Buy several, one for each color. I use Smokes powder, I would try black or red wine (most solid colors seem to work)WITH the White Aluminum (silver), try using 3 or 4 to 1 (solid color to the silver), I think the results will amaze you. Last thing, keep the powder sealed-up, it comes double sealed in ziplock bags. I store all my double bagged colors in a large ziplock bag and in a sealed ammo can. I don't have a decade of experience, but this works well, the coverage and performance of these PCed boolits is great. I too have a HF gun, new in the box, I would sell cheap to anyone who wants to try it. PM me with you want more details or pics of what I use, I think you can get the results you want with S&B. Don't give-up yet!

A qualifying statement: I have only been PCing for handgun calibers, no rifle boolits "yet", so not sure if my current powder and methods will perform as well with the higher velocities and barrel lengths...but I hope to find out sometime in the not so distant future.

[remy3424]

Dragon, that set-up looks to work great and to be very effiicient with the powder. Maybe that is what the OP needs if the S&B method isn't in the cards for him. I am guessing we do have S&B sucess in the upper midwest, so he must be close, might just be one thing that needs to be tweaked.

[white eagle]

I am in Wisconsin
the problem I have with S/B is coverage
when I coat I want it to coat not come out looking speckled
some colors do S/B well some don't with a gun they all do

[popper]

Spraying big FN bullets nose down gets the base & bands coated good. Then pick up and place on baking mat to cook. I drilled holes in a sheet of steel for 30 cal noses, sprayed and flipped over onto another (NSAF covered) plate for cooking. Worked fine but rather slow process. I GC before coating.

[Dragonheart]

Humidity, doesn't get much worse than where I live on the Texas Gulf Coast. Humidity can be 100% and not raining. so what to do if I shake & bake powder coat?

First and foremost, Keep Your Powder Dry! I seal my powder in glass containers that are stored in my garage freezer at zero.

Second, make sure you are using a powder that will fully coat with the shake method. All powders will spray, but not all powders will coat by shaking.

Third, make sure your bullets are not contaminated; if you water drop that is one of the best ways to contaminate your bullets causing spotty coverage or no coverage. I air dry and as soon as they are cool to the touch they go into airtight storage containers. All of this is basic, but the basics will kill the process.

As far as coating in the summer I can turn on the AC in my garage, which will drop the air moisture level considerably in about an hour; that usually makes it better.

But the sure way is preheat your bullets to 120-150 degrees F. Don't go over 150 or at least not by much because if you get them too hot the powder will start to flow on contact and you end up with a lead ball. Maybe it's Ok if you have a cannon, but a mess if you want individual bullets. You will not be able to do this reliably without a quick reading accurate thermometer in your oven. I recommend the Glass Taylor Oven Guide Thermometer about $12.

Since I use a modified tumbler I typically heat 6#'s of bullets and drop them into the running tumbler containing powder and BB's. The heat along with the static charge causes the powder to stick and coat quickly. You will also notice the powder is better set less likely to be damaged when transfering the bullets to the cooking racks.

When the tumbler has done its job, I dump the load in a #5 plastic dishpan and pick out the bullets with self locking tweezers. if I drop a bullet and damage the coating I can drop it back in the pan give it a shake and repair the coating. When finished I dump the powder and BB's back into the tumbler, which is now ready for the next batch.

If you do these basic things then I cannot see any reason not to get excellent shake powder coverage

[RP]

I get old no parking signs and handicap signs placed some pegboard over them and marked the pattern spacing seems to be great for 45 cal bullets. I took a 1/8 drill bit in my drill press and drilled all the marks two at a time and came out with 181 holes each. I used Zip screws you can get them from a heating and air supply store I had number 8 by a inch and ran out could not find anymore had to go with 3/4 they work I just like the 1 inch better.
I used tinfoil and parchment paper tamping it down with a brush. I loaded the trays up about 5 times each and sprayed they worked very well.
Afterwards I went to remove the tinfoil I used on one tray and paper on the other 3 to find out all the holes allowed PC to bond to the base of the screws and the screw as well so it did not come off as planned. I am thinking of trying some pam or something like that as a release agent.
On the other hand I was using nails shot threw a thin sheet of metal wood and another sheet of metal for a few years never covered it with anything and the PC was about 1/8 thick and started to bubble when I baked. I placed them in the oven got them hot and bubbles forming then ran a screwdriver under it to remove the PC. They cleaned up ok but I went ahead and made the new trays which holds more and store better.
Thinking if nothing works I just run them until the build up was to much remove the screws heat them up and scrape like I did my other trays.

[fredj338]

One reason I dont bother spraying. It is more time consuming & wastes a ton of powder.

[TjB101]

Timing ... seems if I coat within a few days of casting the SB coating is better than bullets that have sat around for a few months. Not sure what this is the case. Also don’t handle any freshly cast rounds with your bare fingers. Any oils on your fingers will prevent powder from sticking.