Making powder coat stick to boolits

[Agarbers]

I am using Eastwood powders in Coolwhip bowls. Shake rattle and roll for a few seconds and I am very pleased. I have black BBs ordered but of course, they are taking the long way from Colorado to Arizona. I don't use a lot of powder and sometimes I do need to add a little more for good coverage when shaking. But, I get shocked all the time getting in and out of cars so I may be a natural static-causing guy. My wife laughs at me because sometimes the arc is big enough that she can hear it.

[AndyC]

Attachment 275421

Coated but still on the ugly side.

You need to shake off the excess powder before baking.

[Drifty4]

Well so far it has been an interesting experiment. I will keep at it.

If humidity is a problem I have been doing this during a blizzard if that means anything. Rain yesterday and real wet snow today.

[Conditor22]

I have PC'd with the garage door open while it's raining outside.

IF you have cast nice-looking boolits, there will be no contamination from the mold.

IF you have a vibrating brass cleaner try that, it even does a good job with not so good powders. I've put boolits and powder in a container or doubled up plastic zipper bags and got good results both ways

[popper]

Doesn't appear to flow very well, try 250f for a while, then up to 400 for 15. Try some cotton gloves when shaking. Swirl a lot to get static and up/down to 'float' the powder. Tap off excess. Try thicker #5, thicker elec insulation works better.

[Lloyd Smale]

ill side with the smokes powder guys. That said your first bullet will work fine. As long as you see at least a clear coat over the entire bullet the rest is just for show. the color doesnt do a thing. If you see dull bare lead then you have a problem.

[Drifty4]

Fired off 6 rounds of the ones that look half coated, no leading that I can see.

The load that I used showed leading before powder coating. Will try some more to see if it holds up.

If they work they work. I can keep trying on the appearances as I go.

[Petander]

Try some cotton gloves when shaking.

This makes sense,thank you.

I noticed a certain yoghurt container works much better than my usual #5 kitchen bowl. With easy (read: Smoke's) powders they both work but you have to experience a good static adhesion to understand the difference.

Gotta try different gloves / socks / shoes next.

[Drifty4]

Tried a #2 coffee container (with gloves) and had better coating than I had with the #5. Still won't get me the nice smooth finish that I am looking for. (you guys make this look so easy) lol

[Schreck5]

I have used ping pong balls in place of the black BB,s. If I am having problems with not enough static, a ping pall balls sometimes makes everything work. More surface area=more static? I don,t know why it works, just that it does.

[Agent1187]

I'm in the same boat as you. Just starting to dabble with PC and only getting acceptable results at best.

I think it's just a matter of changing a variable at a time until we get it right.

Too bad I water quenched my entire test batch of 452-200 SWCs from the mold, which is apparently a no-no. I'm off to a rougher start than necessary. Oh well, live and learn!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[white eagle]

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.

Attachment 275348

That is why I went to a gun
never have that problem again
don't need to worry about what powder to get

[bangerjim]

That is why I went to a gun
never have that problem again
don't need to worry about what powder to get

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


banger

[wrinkles]

I water quench my bullet and I have no issues with ford light blue sticking. Doesn't take more than 30 seconds of shaking no heating up the bullets first. I live in the desert of the big bend area so no problems with humidity. Try a McDs plastic cup, those suckers generate lot's of static.

[cwlongshot]

Stop speculating.

Banger Jim gave you the answers. (Along withball the "fixes" from everyone else)



BOTTOM LINE: NOT ALL POWDERS WORK FOR THIS PROCESS!!

POWDER COATING WAS DESIGNED FOR USE WITH A POWDER GUN!

So, Choosing colors suggester here OR buying for sellers who KNOW AND TEST powders for what we do LIKE SMOKES. Is the beat way to retain all tour hair.

Good luck and God Bless

CW

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Shoot the ugly bullets. Then post photos of the target, the cleaning patches, and clean reloading dies - that's where the beauty lies!

I tried the ol' Harbor Freight Red using shake-n-bake methods. Batch-to-batch consistency of appearance was not very good. But they made wonderfully good bullets to shoot regardless of the beauty of the paint-job. I loved that they didn't foul up my reloading dies with gooey wax. And the coated lead stores without oxidation. This was enough to sell me on powder coating.

I eventually called Smoke's and ordered a sampler pack. He asked me what colors I wanted, I told him that I was going to powder coat with a #5 container & airsoft BBs, in the humid midwest. I let him pick the three colors based on what HIS experience was. So far the bacon-grease color has been the only one I tried (saving up #5 tubs to have dedicated set for each color).

The bacon grease is easier to get a nice, even, paint coat. But if I shot a group of Harbor Freight Red bullets on one target, and a group of Smoke's Bacon Grease on another target - you couldn't tell the difference.

[Petander]

But if I shot a group of Harbor Freight Red bullets on one target, and a group of Smoke's Bacon Grease on another target - you couldn't tell the difference.

Distance? Target?

Here is my 10 meter target from yesterday. Tanfoglio p90.

Two shooters,four 9 mm pistols, six differently coated ammo, four factory fmj ammo. We were able to tell lots of differences @ 10 meters.

Nothing universal to prove but now we know better what each gun likes.

[fredj338]

I dont warm bullets & have no issues getting powders to stick S&B using asbb. I use #5 containers, 1tsp of powder does about 300 bullets, 40-50 at a time. Smokes or eastwood or powder by the #.

[fredj338]

That is why I went to a gun
never have that problem again
don't need to worry about what powder to get

You guys using a gun, dont you find it a time suck to stand all the bullets up for spraying & then how much powder do you use for say 300 bullets?

[white eagle]

standing boolits up aint no thing
don't really have any idea how much powder I use
just throw some in the spray container and spray
clean up and pour back into powder container,then bake
I don't do large quantity of booits mostly large cal's
from 44 up to .512 so standing them up is easy