lead bullets coated with polymer paint

[abqcaster]

I used HF PC too in acetone. The pigment didn't go into solution, but he polymer did and I just had to keep tumbling (sloshing) in a plastic dish. It coated very evenly but I let it get too thick/dry before spreading them out on the mesh to dry before curing, so they ended up uneven. I figure next time I'll use lighter coating and not tumble as long before setting them on the mesh. Seems like it's just a matter of practice....

[TES]

OK I'm starting a new thread on PC coating....Tired of waiting and seeing mixed content.

[abqcaster]

Like this, TES? http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...oating-Boolits

[TES]

No about the Piglet method specifically.

[Skip62]

piglet-I used HF PC, worked fine using your process.

+1, I'm quite satisfied. It's the thin coat's that works, and mixing it really well. 2 to 1 PC. I found This which helped mixing. I mixed last Saturday, and it's still liquid in the can today. Last batch I did I ended up with 4 coats, cuz I put it on so thin. That seems like a lot, but only takes about 2 minutes of effort. I am only running pistol bullets though.

[Skip62]

I used HF PC too in acetone. The pigment didn't go into solution, but he polymer did and I just had to keep tumbling (sloshing) in a plastic dish. It coated very evenly but I let it get too thick/dry before spreading them out on the mesh to dry before curing, so they ended up uneven. I figure next time I'll use lighter coating and not tumble as long before setting them on the mesh. Seems like it's just a matter of practice....

Yes, practice it was it took for me. I don't tumble long at all. I don't wait till they start sticking. As soon they have a fairly even coat, I toss on the wire mesh, and start spreading them out. They are dry a few seconds on the mesh. If that helps any.

[SpotHound]

Ausglock

Spill the beans on the topscore tips !

[Ausglock]

Ausglock

Spill the beans on the topscore tips !

When I have verified it by doing it myself.
Needless to say... The reject shop has fan heaters on sale for $15. gunna go get a couple today.

[bmiller]

Yes, practice it was it took for me. I don't tumble long at all. I don't wait till they start sticking. As soon they have a fairly even coat, I toss on the wire mesh, and start spreading them out. They are dry a few seconds on the mesh. If that helps any.

Have you done any large batches? Do you just pour them out randomly on the mesh? Does the mesh imprint on the bullets in the oven?

Thanks

[TES]

Have you done any large batches? Do you just pour them out randomly on the mesh? Does the mesh imprint on the bullets in the oven?

Thanks

The wire mesh did leave some clumping on mine. When I made the mixture thinner it coated better but was still rough. I had to coat and heat 3 times and was still not totally satisfied.

[leadman]

I think the pc or Hi-Tek coating systems allow for softer alloys even at increased velocities. I shot 8BHN in my 30-06, 180gr boolit with GC, to 1,950fps with excellent accuracy with the HT coating. No leading at all. I can't remember for sure but I think I hit 1,700 fps with the HF pc.
I am gonig to change powders and try for 2,600 or more in the 30-06. Also when time allows I am going to try out the 22 K-Hornet or 223 with a 45gr RN Lyman boolit. I have pushed this to 3K fps with no leading, but finer accuracy is at 2,700 fps.
The 22 will be Lino, while the 30-06 will be an alloy around 18 BHN.
I found that the baking annealed the water quenched alloy back to air cooled BHN. Has anyone checked a hard alloy to see if it is annealed after baking?

[Skip62]

Have you done any large batches? Do you just pour them out randomly on the mesh? Does the mesh imprint on the bullets in the oven?

Thanks

I do around 200 at a time. I use a 2 1/2 quart paint mixing container. I just sprinkle them onto the mesh, shake the mesh to get them to separate some, and flash off any MEK that's left, then separate them by hand to make sure none are touching. A few will be stuck to the mesh after baking, but it doesn't hurt anything. I don't have any clumping, if you do, it's because you didn't mix the solution enough. This is KEY! I believe some are expecting a perfectly smooth coat, and your not going to get that with PC and this method, you can with the Klass Kote epoxy paint, but it leaves a paint in the barrel, which comes right out with a couple passes with a plastic brush. Even the HI-TEK coated bullets I get from Bayou aren't perfectly smooth, but the shine makes them look like it. The PC is still rougher, but I don't believe it's a problem at pistol speeds, I don't load for rifle....yet.

[Ausglock]

G'day.
Here are a few photos of smashed bullets I coated this afternoon and one of 3 commercial coated bullets.
The PC Piglet thread shows a bullet with the HI-TEK coating flaking off. The only way this can happen is if the first coat was not cured correctly.
When I do the first coat, I use a very thin coat so that the bullets are only just showing a light hint of colour. This is enough. you do not have to drown them in coating.
The youtube video says to leave the first coat to dry for 10 minutes. This is OK in Summer. But not in the other seasons. In OZ we are now in winter, and I am leaving my first coat for 30 minutes to cure. I am even now using a small fan heater to blow warm (not Hot) air over the coated bullets for 5 minutes before curing just to ensure that the first coat is dry and there is no moisture trapped between the lead and the coating. This moisture WILL cause the coating not to bond to the lead.

I have coated and loaded more 40S&W rounds for firing tomorrow in the Glock 35. I will keep you posted.

I have also loaded 50 rounds of Lee 150gr RN coated with HI-TEK coating for firing in a Desert Eagle 357Magnum.

Commercial Topscore Projectiles have been used in Desert Eagles here in OZ for years. Even the manufacturers of the Desert Eagle state do not use lead bullets as it will block the gas port. This is no problem for HI-TEK Supercoated bullets. My Buddy has put thousands of 357 mag full power loads through his Desert Eagle. He is keen to try my coated bullets tomorrow.

[kweidner]

Wanted to update on cost of HT. I just bought some from Donnie in black one liter is $68 now as he is buying in much larger volume. 5 teaspoons double coated 600 bullets of various calibers and weights twice. (45acp to 9mm). 202 teaspoons in a liter. 40 5 teaspoon batches per liter. so it will coat 24000 bullets per liter. That is .002833333 cents per bullet. How does one say that this is expensive? Granted 5.00 HF is cheaper but HT is proven by a much larger audience. I will continue to buy the hi tech and play with powder coat for different colors. just wanted to put it in prespective for you guys under the impression this stuff is super expensive. At a penny per 33 bullets roughly expensive it IS NOT!

[Ausglock]

Yep. not expensive at all considering the number of bullets that can be coated per litre.
And a far superior coating that is being field tested every week by thousands of users for over 20 years.
You can't get a better recommendation than that.

HI-TEK Supercoat. Wrap your lead in it.

[bmiller]

Maybe everyone else already knew this, but this what I discovered. I shot a steel match last weekend, 300 plates. By the end of the match I am noticing some leading and quite a bit of smoke. I just switched from 124 grain lee tumble lube bullets to 135 grain NOE bullets. Both using the hi-tek coating. After I got home I decided to pull a few left over rounds and I discovered the reason, I was stripping off the coating on the front grease ring. I use lee dies. I put more bell in the case, then adjusted the seating die the whole way in and set the bullet depth with the die body. I have a lee final size die, I use it to crimp the round next. I used a very light crimp. As you can see in the picture, the problem is solved. No leading, little smoke.

[HI-TEK]

Wanted to update on cost of HT. I just bought some from Donnie in black one liter is $68 now as he is buying in much larger volume. 5 teaspoons double coated 600 bullets of various calibers and weights twice. (45acp to 9mm). 202 teaspoons in a liter. 40 5 teaspoon batches per liter. so it will coat 24000 bullets per liter. That is .002833333 cents per bullet. How does one say that this is expensive? Granted 5.00 HF is cheaper but HT is proven by a much larger audience. I will continue to buy the hi tech and play with powder coat for different colors. just wanted to put it in prespective for you guys under the impression this stuff is super expensive. At a penny per 33 bullets roughly expensive it IS NOT!

Thanks for your detailed cost analysis.
It certainly puts things into perspective.
Just another cost saving idea is, as you get more experienced with coating techniques, you should easily coat 35,000 per litre if not more.
The coating really does not requite thick coatings at each stage. First coat being applied, can be a diluted, to produce almost a stain and wet out, and to just barely cover alloy surfaces.
This can be achieved by simple dilution of the coating, and using this diluted mixture to coat.
All the solvent dilution will do, is allow coating to be spread over as many projectiles as possible with minimum coating use.
Then, this first film of coating, needs to allowed to dry thoroughly, and baked to desired cure.
Smash test and sizing test on first coat will tell you if you had done things right.
If first coating does not fail with severe tests, only then, apply second coat.
If it fails at first coat impact and sizing tests, check why it failed and do not even try to put on a second coat, as it wont work, and second coat wont fix the adhesion failure of first coat.
If first coat is found as being no good (no adhesion), you are wasting materials and time coating a second time.
In majority, multiple coats are used to improve appearance, and provide better imperfection coverage, to maximize alloy and barrel separation.
As posted previously, a single coat was used successfully with various guns without gas checks and they all worked.
A single coat does not look pretty but for majority of applications it will work just fine with getting more confidence with experience.
I hope to get more updates from you on your experimentation, to see just how far you can make a litre go with your project.
Thanks much for your input.

[HI-TEK]

Maybe everyone else already knew this, but this what I discovered. I shot a steel match last weekend, 300 plates. By the end of the match I am noticing some leading and quite a bit of smoke. I just switched from 124 grain lee tumble lube bullets to 135 grain NOE bullets. Both using the hi-tek coating. After I got home I decided to pull a few left over rounds and I discovered the reason, I was stripping off the coating on the front grease ring. I use lee dies. I put more bell in the case, then adjusted the seating die the whole way in and set the bullet depth with the die body. I have a lee final size die, I use it to crimp the round next. I used a very light crimp. As you can see in the picture, the problem is solved. No leading, little smoke.

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.
You are correct with every thing you have done. Well done.
It must be highlighted, that the HT is only a dry film coating/lubricant.
It can be shaved off adhering to Lead, with sharp edges and is not an armor plating on the alloy.
Once it is stuck on alloy well, it server the purpose of separating alloy and barrel, and should survive the firing process.
If coating integrity is damaged with the way it is loaded, then the coating cannot further separate metals as required.
Please continue your updates to help others become experienced with use of the coating.

[olaf455]

I can't recommend enough the use of the appropriate Lyman "M" die.
It will basically eliminate any shaving of the coating if used properly.
I have one for each calibre that I load cast boolits for, and I would not have it any other way. Well worth the investment.

[prickett]

Wanted to update on cost of HT. I just bought some from Donnie in black one liter is $68 now as he is buying in much larger volume. 5 teaspoons double coated 600 bullets of various calibers and weights twice. (45acp to 9mm). 202 teaspoons in a liter. 40 5 teaspoon batches per liter. so it will coat 24000 bullets per liter. That is .002833333 cents per bullet. How does one say that this is expensive? Granted 5.00 HF is cheaper but HT is proven by a much larger audience. I will continue to buy the hi tech and play with powder coat for different colors. just wanted to put it in prespective for you guys under the impression this stuff is super expensive. At a penny per 33 bullets roughly expensive it IS NOT!

Great news!

Hopefully, we can give Donnie enough business that he can order larger quantities and lower the price even more, PLUS have a steady supply on hand.

Thanks for passing on the savings Donnie!