lead bullets coated with polymer paint

[ScorpioMk]

Still in for group buy of aussie paint if someone wants to set it up. Interested to see how it compares to other stuff you guys are trying.

[Silver-Silver]

Still in for group buy of aussie paint if someone wants to set it up. Interested to see how it compares to other stuff you guys are trying.

I think it is a little more than a group buy we are waiting on. The problem is the exporting of chemicals from one country to another. However whenever this is figured out, count me in also.

-Wildcat

[ScorpioMk]

Bump, anyone try anything else or have any more success?

[Shooter6]

Looking at this thread and going to try pro-tec. Has any one tried and shot. I have been trying to get a lead slug to shoot out of my 1187 20 gauge rem. It seems the long throat is a problem that causes leading. After about a doz. shots the accuracy is gone and I have to delead the barrel. I have a custom mold but after measuring the bullet it is 1 1/4" before the slug contacts the rifling, so even with a 3" shell this is a long jump. If the pro-tec would add about .007 to the .620 sized slug this would work to solve both problems. leading and the long jump. My idea is to coat the bottom and
sides and leave the top bare.

[Silver-Silver]

Bump, anyone try anything else or have any more success?

Well I have shot a couple hundred rounds of the 9mm coated in Sandstorm and I don't have any leading in the barrel, I still haven't been able to recover one, but after the "hammer test" I am confident it would still be covered. This is shaping up to be a nice way to use a progressive press with cast boolits not gumming up a Kiss Bulletfeeder. A large batch of 45 is next up. I just need to put an order for a sizing die from Lathesmith.

Looking at this thread and going to try pro-tec

Good, I am glad someone else is sepping in and trying this out.

-Wildcat

[FLDad]

Thanks for continuing to report, Wildcat. Been following this thread for a while and your results suggest that you are on the right track. No leading plus less barrel wear plus cast boolit cost with no lube issues sounds like the Holy Grail! Sizing dies may need to be custom but certainly do-able. Very exciting work!

[parrott1969]

I just finished coating my second batch of "black bullets". The process is pretty simple. I heated the bullets slightly, maybe 100 degree's and then dropped them into a container and then threw them into the tumbler for 1/2 hour. Then it was off to the oven for a 10 minute bake. I am going to size them next weekend. Hopefully, I will have a range report also.

[ScorpioMk]

Pictures! Post pics of anything that you've coated.

[Silver-Silver]

Sizing dies may need to be custom but certainly do-able. Very exciting work!

I am using the same sizing die as I do for normal lubed boolits. The diameter of my barrel didn't change, so I wanted the new boolit to fit the same.

[parrott1969]

OK, here are my pics. Maybe not. it will not let me post says that they are too big.

[Silver-Silver]

OK, here are my pics. Maybe not. it will not let me post says that they are too big.

I got so excited to see someone elses work, and then very dissapointed.

If you e-mail them to me I can size them down and post them. You have my e-mail address from the purchase I made from you.

By the way, I like your method of painting better than my method of put them in the tumbler and add paint until it is coated. Next batch I am going to try your way.

[Silver-Silver]

Parrott sent these to me... and I must say, his look to have a more even coat than the ones I did.

Parrott can you post up all the details, because I am definitely going to try this your way. Also some of your pictures were blurry so I didn't post them.

[parrott1969]

It was really simple. I place the bullets on a metal tray and quickly warmed them with my torch. They might have been 100 degrees. I had a small plastic jar that I had poured a small amount of powder coat into so I dropped them into it. Swirled them around for a couple of seconds and then dropped them into my jumbo tumbler for about a half hour. While they were doing their thing I lined the metal pan with wax paper. When I took them out of the tumbler, I used a set of industrial tweezers and lightly tapped off the excess. Then placed them on the wax paper. After that it was into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. If you look at the picks you will see a brownish looking substance. That is burnt wax paper. The powder coat fused to it. It doesnt seem to hurt anything and it kept the bullets
from sticking to the pan. Be warned that for the first 5 minutes it smokes like a son of a gun.
In the future I plan on increasing the number of bullets in the container from 42 to 150. My wife and I both seem to think that this will give a more even coating.

I noticed that you paid a handsome sum for your powder coat. I paid $14 delivered (1 pound) for what I used. It claims a chip point of 1/16th of an inch which should be more than enough for what we are doing. Also, in the first batch some of the bullets were not covered in black but they did have a coating on them. This substance is really hard as I had to have a knife to remove a little of it.

[parrott1969]

Steve, how are you sizing your bullets? I am thinking of using a Lee push thru, opinions?

[Silver-Silver]

Parrott
we are using different coatings. I am using a liquid moly based "paint" are you are using a powder. I really want to start doing this in large batches and that is why I went away from the powder process. I thought you were doing the sandstorm method.

I have a question for the way you do it though.
Do you think it is necessary to tumble? Could you heat to around 100 deg F and then place directly in powder, tap of the extra and place on wax paper? You would skip the tumbling process I have never powder coated so I am just asking. Or how about this, add powder to a tumbler but don't turn on, heat all your boolits and then pour into the tumbler, place the lid on and tumble for 10 minutes. I am thinking the slightly elevated boolit temperature would make the powder adhere to the surface so when you remove the boolit to bake, it has the correct thickness evenly coated.

This does it, I am buying a Lb of Powder I have too many theories and want to experiment a bit.

[Silver-Silver]

Steve, how are you sizing your bullets? I am thinking of using a Lee push thru, opinions?

I use a Star Lube sizer with the Lube mechanism dis-connected which basicly turns it into a lee push through sizer. I have a boolit feeder on the star so it is much faster than loading 1 at a time. It is soooo easy to push the handle because of the reduced friction of the coating.

[parrott1969]

Wildcat, how are you applying you "paint"?
Yes you could heat and the tap but that takes way too much time. I am of the mind set that by using the powder I can quickly heat with a torch ( one or two quick passes) tumble for an extended time and let the powder impact plate the bullets. Then dump them onto a screen and give it a few shakes to remove the excess. Just have to figure out if I can cure the coating with the bullets laying down.
The 42 I did last night took up about 4-5 full minutes of my time. A batch of 150 would be about the same.

[Silver-Silver]

Wildcat, how are you applying you "paint"?

I have a rotary tumbler I made to do cleaning of brass. I just poured in the bullets and poured in some liquid paint. I had to add a bit more paint once I saw they werent all covered, but I think I added a bit to much so they came out a bit thicker than they should. The paint smells so I had to move the tumbler out of the shop. It really smells. I let the tumbler run and run until they were dry to the touch I dumped them on a sheet and let them dry for another 24 hours. I sized the next day.

Besides the tumbling time and sizing I have very little time invested. But for the person trying to save time this doesn't work because I still had to size, which takes the same amount of time as lube sizing in a star. I have never used a Lee push through sizer so I can't comment on how well it would work, but from what I understand it should work just fine.

[Silver-Silver]

Just have to figure out if I can cure the coating with the bullets laying down.

If this works then it would really be a time saver. No need to stand them up. Just pour into the tumbler, then onto a screen, from there to a cookie sheet and bake. Another benefit to doing this is they would be fully coated, and cheaper than any commericially available coating for bullets. I think you would be around the same cost as DIY boolit lube.

-Wildcat

[Shooter6]

I am thinking that if you coated a sheet of alum. for the second heating and placed them on for baking in the oven that might stop the sticking to the wax paper??