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Thread: Making powder coat stick to boolits

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub

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    Making powder coat stick to boolits

    Thought I would try my hand at this. Bought Eastwood Dark Green powder. Used a number 5 container, shook and swirled it till my arm hurts. Couldn't get it to adhere to the boolits.

    Warmed them up and tried it again it did a little but not much. ran them through the oven, and then while still warm tried it again. Got a little better but not what I was looking for.

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    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

  2. #2
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    HOTCOAT POWDER COAT DARK GREEN

    Color: Dark Green
    Gloss Level: Gloss 85+
    Cure Temperature: 400 Degrees
    Cure Time: 20 Minutes after flowout
    Powder Type: Polyester TGIC
    Finish: Smooth
    RAL Number: 6005

    cure at a temperature of 400 degrees F at 20 minutes after flow out.

    Looks like a good powder.

    did you quench the boolits first? -- That can put a film on the boolit and cause bad adhesion could the boolits have gotten dirty somehow?
    some powders need a little help to build up static like Airsoft BB's or poly pellets.

  3. #3
    Boolit Bub

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    Boolits are straight from the mold, no quench. Some were handled, some never touched by my hands. They all look alike. I just can't seem to make the powder stick in the tub before putting it in the oven. You should be able to get it to cover better than this.
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Before you shake: heat your bullets up with a hair drier ( tossing them around ) until the are just too hot to handle! Then dump into the powder and BeeBe container and swirl and tumble for 45 seconds by the clock remove and shake off excess and place in your tray....You will be surprised as to how well they will be coated!
    " Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation: for it is better to be alone than in bad company. " George Washington

  5. #5
    Boolit Master

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    Get some of Smoke's powder coat. I have never had any problems what so ever with his products. Works for me every time.
    Maker of Silver Boolits for Werewolf hunting

  6. #6
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    we can figure this out!

    how many boolits and how much powder?

    to few boolits or too much powder and you'll have trouble building up static.

    Yes, if it's really humid warm/dry out the boolits [don't exceed 150° or you'll get a gummy mess]

    IF you can't touch the boolits barehanded they are TOO HOT

    Some powder work great without BB's or poly pellets, BUT some need a little help.

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub

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    I was only using a few at a time trying it out. I can try a larger amount and see if that works.
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

  8. #8
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    try 15-20 with 1-2 teaspoons of powder

  9. #9
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Conditor22 View Post
    we can figure this out!

    how many boolits and how much powder?

    to few boolits or too much powder and you'll have trouble building up static.

    Yes, if it's really humid warm/dry out the boolits [don't exceed 150° or you'll get a gummy mess]

    IF you can't touch the boolits barehanded they are TOO HOT

    Some powder work great without BB's or poly pellets, BUT some need a little help.
    And that my friends is why I love this forum!!!
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  10. #10
    Boolit Master


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    I've powder coated thousands of boolits with many different powders. I've never had to warm the boolits up.

    Some powders just aren't going to work. Also the humidity can affect the outcome.

    I've also found that the heavy black airsoft bb's help a lot.
    NRA Benefactor.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy Doubles Shooter's Avatar
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    I use Smoke's powder along with the Ziploc 2 cup containers he recommends. Black ASBB's. I add 2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons of powder. I add 40- 60 .45 boolits. Swirl vigorously for 15-20 seconds followed by shaking up and down 10 seconds or so, followed by more swirling. Been 100% successful on a couple thousand boolits so far.
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  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Switch to another powder from Smoke. I can't believe why people do not use powders that are known to work. He has tested his powders B4 offering them for shake-n-bake.

    As said, some powders (especially ones with metal powder/flake content and flatte/matte agents) just will not work well. They work just fine with an ESPC gun - the way they are engineered to be applied. That is why I only use my two ESPC guns for coating these days. Threw away all the coolwhip containers and black BB's several years ago.

    Again - NOT ALL POWDERS FROM ALL SOURCES WILL WORK FOR WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO. I HAVE BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT - since 2013.

    There are a LOT of variables in getting a good shake-n-bake coating (I call it voo-doo magic coating).

    Keep trying. You will figure out what works for your climate, powders, needs, shake-time, phase of the moon, mouth position to give you acceptable coatings. This is not a one-and-done operation!!!!!!!

    Good luck.

    banger

  13. #13
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    I could never get powder to stick well, even in a #5 container with BBs.

    Then I just decided to put the boolits cold into a #5 container (without the BBs) and ran the container for 5-10 minutes in my vibratory case-tumbler - and the powder (both Eastwood and Smoke's powder) sticks like magic; no more issues:



    Some .300 Blk I did yesterday using that method:



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    Last edited by AndyC; 01-30-2021 at 02:02 AM.
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  14. #14
    Boolit Master

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    I have problems with even Smoke's powders. Some colors, by themselves, just do not cover well. I have trouble with white, black, sometimes wine red and blue. But mixed... white and black are perfect every time along with white and wine red. These 2 mixes are my goto for anything that I want a perfect, smooth and uniform coat on.

  15. #15
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    I'll echo using Smoke's powders. They're proven, tried and true.

    Post 11 above recaps the process perfectly. Do that, with Smoke's powders. Then if it doesn't work, you've got tons of people here who have had success. It'll be a lot easier to try and diagnose what went wrong without the variables.

    Good luck with it.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master
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    White and yellow of most any powder with BBDT I have tried does not cover well. Remember the clear coat is there (check it out!), just not the pigment....unless you've got a serious oil/grease contamination going on with your boolits.

    The main object of PC'ing is barrel protection, not a technicolor extravaganza orgazamatron showcase of colors in the paint pallet. I used to shoot coated boolits (back in my tumbling daze) that looked like complete carp because of lack of pigment fill-in, but they worked 100%. No leading at all because the clear poly coat was intact on the boolit.

    Coat 'em, load 'em, and shoot 'em. Let Maybelline worry about the cosmetics.

    banger

  17. #17
    Boolit Bub

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    Well I warmed them up and tried it again.

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    Tried it again second coat.

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    Coated but still on the ugly side. I will have to try cleaning my mold to be sure there isn't any lube or anything getting on the boolits.
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    If you get past the possibility of contaminated bullets then the next step is the powder.

    I have never used Eastwood Powder, but I can tell you this, if you spray that powder it will likely look great. Can you imagine the expression of Powder Coating Professionals I spoke with back in 2012 when I was asked them questions about shaking powder and bullets in a Cool Whip container? The reason for the look of disbelief and"huh" I received, was all these powders are designed and intended to be sprayed, most were amazed that enough static was generated by the plastic to get a coverage. I realized back then what we are doing is a very off the wall PC application and only certain powders will shake & bake.

    I would suggest writing your powder up as an experiment that just didn't work; set it aside and use it for spray if you ever get a gun. Then place an order with Smoke, or if you want some powder from Prismatic Powder; the PC Company i first started with I can give some colors that have worked well for me. I also have some of those spray only powders I bought that didn't work, but they all looked great when sprayed. Don't give up, you are almost there.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy AlHunt's Avatar
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    Your coverage is really uneven, thin in spots, lumpy in others. If you have access to the black Airsoft BBs, it might help to generate static. How's the humidity where you're working? I know people have reported high humidity being a factor (which I think is the point behind the advice to preheat your bullets).

    Have others had success with that color of Eastwood powder using the shake and bake method?

    Smoke's Signal Blue has been very consistent, coats well without BBs and in 95% humidity. Translucent Copper, too but I think that one is discontinued.

    I do not think your bullets are contaminated, by the way. If they were, nothing would stick to them.

  20. #20
    Boolit Mold
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    I had herd from people that have said that they put them in something like a small butter tub and pour their powder coating over them and then remove them from the tub and let them dry complety and then bake them. good luck and i hope that this might work for you

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