Powder Coating Boolits

[bangerjim]

FINALLY! After 88 pages plus tons of links to other threads, I have finished this thread and have not seen what I was wanting to ask discussed yet. (I didn't want to be one of those people who ask a question that had already been discussed only 50 pages previously)

I'm curious how this process could be automated somewhat so that there was a steady flow of PCed bullets coming out of the system. I'm thinking an oven that was long, but not very tall or wide where the was some sort of trolley going through it where the bullets on hooks could ride. Kind of like a conveyor belt type pizza oven where the cook time is set so that by the time the pizza has made it through the oven, the cook time has elapsed. So, basically we would need either a slow trolley speed or a long skinny oven. The hooks could be made from some cheap thin wire (e.g. MIG welding wire @ 0.030" diameter is about $0.01 per 10 ft and you could make a couple of hooks per ft, so even if you don't reuse it, it would be cheap).

I know y'all like to do things BIG in Texas. But mass producing PC boolits?

With my little oven and 4 racks I can do anywhere between 200 and 250 (depending on cal) at a time every 15 minutes. With spare racks you are spraying while a batch is baking. That is pretty fast thru-put for a home hobby.

What you are talking about is a commercial horizontal conveyor oven. Problem is you can't feed the sprayed boolits fast enough into it to gain the extreme expense involved.

I trust you are using the ES PC gun for quality boolits and not a liquid slopping method!

It is a tall order, but that is what is great about American...........we dream big. The liberal government just gets in the way all the time!!!

Let us know what you do!!!!!


banger

[Russel Nash]

FINALLY! After 88 pages plus tons of links to other threads, I have finished this thread and have not seen what I was wanting to ask discussed yet. (I didn't want to be one of those people who ask a question that had already been discussed only 50 pages previously)

I'm curious how this process could be automated somewhat so that there was a steady flow of PCed bullets coming out of the system. I'm thinking an oven that was long, but not very tall or wide where the was some sort of trolley going through it where the bullets on hooks could ride. Kind of like a conveyor belt type pizza oven where the cook time is set so that by the time the pizza has made it through the oven, the cook time has elapsed. So, basically we would need either a slow trolley speed or a long skinny oven. The hooks could be made from some cheap thin wire (e.g. MIG welding wire @ 0.030" diameter is about $0.01 per 10 ft and you could make a couple of hooks per ft, so even if you don't reuse it, it would be cheap).

Say what?!

You didn't see or read any of my posts then.

Right from the get-go, I was asking how to upscale powder coating bullets. I know I specifically mentioned fluidized beds and pizza ovens.


Supposedly, there is a new bullet company coming onto the scene that powder coats their bullets, in bulk.

I'd give ya'll their website address but it is still under construction.

[Magana559]

Hello guys, Im trying to find a cast Boolit that will work in my Ruger SR9c. So far I have tried a bunch of different alloys, lubes, Hi-tek, and now im interested in PC boolits.

only problem is I do not want to spend a bunch of money on a PC gun and supplies before I know it works. So I come here and ask if anybody is willing to send me 100 PC 124gr cast boolits .356 diameter cast out of a Lee 6 banger TL RN boolit mold with Harbor freight black coating.

I know it sounds like a lot to ask but that is what im going to buy and that's what I need. Ill be up for paying for the boolits and postage If anybody is willing to help I would be 100% thankful!

Thank you very much!

[MJohnston]

To get my sr9c to quit leading I had to size to .358 and use a expander plug for a 38 s&w die (not 38 special) in my lee 9mm die. Can't remeber the part number but it was less than 10 shipped from lee if you use lee dies. There was a thread a while back that I got the idea from. I still got a small amout of lead and the powder coating took care of that. I dont have rn boolits since mine feeds the tc better I stuck with them. If you want to try them just pay for a flat rate box and I'll send you some.

[Magana559]

I can pay you a flat rate box, do you take paypal?

[MJohnston]

Pm sent

[popper]

magana - the dry tumble seems to work good with all BUT the HF black. Saves the cost of compressor & ES gun. If you use Lyman plugs, get the 38P. Works fine in my XDs 9. PC solved the problem of leading in my PX4 40. You will have to watch the nose diameter, PC adds 1-2 thou and it may not chamber.

[slim1836]

Ok, I'm sold. Santa is going to bring me a HF gun along with red and black powder.

Got a toaster oven and tray dedicated to baking operations last week. Had an air compressor and will be looking for a lazy Susan to spin my tray while coating Boolits. Going to set my .45 boolits on nuts to get them off the non stick foil and hope to put my gas checked ends in washers (sprayed with a little Pam) for supporting my .308 and 7.62x54R and apply checks during sizing operations. Going to put the spray booth and oven on my workmate so they are close.

Planning on using cardboard box as coating booth, may install small fan and powder recovery system if needed. Got to experiment on this a little more before committing.

What should be the air pressure be going into the HF gun? Should I use the large tip, small tip, or no tip at all?

The thermostat on my oven does not match up with an oven thermometer I bought at Lowes which does not match my Tel-Tru thermometer. Did not put the Tel-Tru thermometer directly in the oven as I did not know if the clear face would melt or deform, but did stick in the side of the oven opening. Any suggestions? It looks like it's going to be by trial and error to find the sweet spot. The hammer test will be the deciding factor.

I will also be getting some free powder from a friend whose customer coats car lifts. Will try to find out more on this later.

Will not be coating till sometime after the new year, too much to do, can't wait to try.

Any tips or feedback is appreciated.

Slim

[bangerjim]

Slim......

Use about 12-16# on the gun. I use the little $6 HF reg/gauge unit the sell right off my 120# shop compressor.

Check out my pix on one of the PC threads that shows how I use 1/4" aquarium tubing in the split flex wire wray Radio Shack sells to contain the gun electrical coax AND the little air line. Works GREAT! I cannot imagine any one using the gun with a big heavy rubber air line AND the coax hanging off the gun!

Airflow (Not pressure) is adjustable with the brass know on the gun.

Get the powder to gently flow out, not pour out in great volumes. If your system is tuned properly and you are using the correct techniques, you will NOT need a vent fan, powder recovery system, or even a spray booth....unless you have lots of wind all the time where your are spraying. After spraying 8-10 batches of boolits, I probably have no more than 1/8 tsp of wasted powder around the spray area (workmate outside). Not worth trying to collect.

I use the small tip. Some use none at all and cut off the threaded rod. Your call.

Good luck........you WILL have it with this easy coating method!

Remember.......ONE spray coat.....ONE bake cycle......that does it!


And don't forget to attach the ground wire and step on the switch when spraying!!!! don't ask me how I know to mention that!!!!!!!!?!?!??!

Have a Merry Christmas and let us know you get along after the New Year.

banger

[Beagle333]

And don't forget to attach the ground wire and step on the switch when spraying!!!!
banger

'Soooooo easy to overlook that part, until one notices that the powder is just swirling around the boolits and settling on the foil.

[cbrcc]

After reading all 5k? pages related to PC here's my first attempt. Thanks to all those that went before me. Question...I made a wire cloth tray to apply PC and bake on. Do I need to grind off PC from wire periodically to maintain a good electrical ground?

[KYShooter73]

After reading all 5k? pages related to PC here's my first attempt. Thanks to all those that went before me. Question...I made a wire cloth tray to apply PC and bake on. Do I need to grind off PC from wire periodically to maintain a good electrical ground?

You need to get it off somehow, or line it with foil. You can get by several bakes just putting your boolits in the same spot. It is tough stuff to grind or wire wheel off. On my hollow point jig, after 20 or so layers, I take a torch to it and set the PC on fire, then run over it with a wire wheel.

-Slim...I used a male/male adapter and attached the HF regulator Banger was talking about directly on my gun, set at about 15-20psi. I don't use a diffuser at all. One thing I've learned in the last few coating sessions since it has been cold, it works wonders to pre-heat your boolits for a few minutes, take them directly out of the oven and spray.

[oldgeezershooter]

Say what?!

You didn't see or read any of my posts then.

Right from the get-go, I was asking how to upscale powder coating bullets. I know I specifically mentioned fluidized beds and pizza ovens.


Supposedly, there is a new bullet company coming onto the scene that powder coats their bullets, in bulk.

I'd give ya'll their website address but it is still under construction.

Try this.
http://www.snscasting.com/coated-bullets/

[Magana559]

Thanks to MJohnston. He is sending me some PC boolits so I can try em out.

I hope Something makes this darn thing shoot

[slim1836]

To all the others contributing to this thread, it has filled me with lots of info. Hope to get up and coating in January. Gonna be fun.
KYShooter73, Stayed in your town in the late 70's and Jamestown also. Was building an addition to the water treatment plant there (J'town) and a waste water treatment plant between Russell Springs and J'town. Still dry down there? Had to pay 4 bucks/6 pack back then from the bootleggers. Very nice area and had a lot of fun during my stay.

Slim

[KYShooter73]

Ya, I remember that project, back around 91-92 I think. It still dry as a bone here, but Somerset went wet last year, just 25 minutes up the parkway. At least they are getting some decent restaurants now. The lake has been lowered for a few years to reinforce Wolf Creek Dam, so that has hurt our tourist dollars quite a bit. All in all not that much has changed around here.

[Ken73]

Slim, did you already buy your HF gun? If not, consider this one instead; no air compressor needed:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Fully-El...item4615a12cdc

This is the one I use for coating boolits; a lot easier to use! Not much price difference between it and the HF unit, and a whole lot easier to use.

[slim1836]

Slim, did you already buy your HF gun? If not, consider this one instead; no air compressor needed:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Fully-El...item4615a12cdc

This is the one I use for coating boolits; a lot easier to use! Not much price difference between it and the HF unit, and a whole lot easier to use.

Have not bought one yet, however, I am going to get the one from HF, heard too much against the Sears gun in previous posts and I like the ability to regulate the air flow to my needs.

Slim

[bangerjim]

Slim........

Good choice to avoid the sears thing. They dropped it for a reason. I have had negative reports about it. Yea......you don't need a compressor. But I believe almost EVERYONE has a compressor today! Even the cheeepst of cheeeep at HF will do the job. And everybody need one to pump up tires on the car/truck/wagon/cart/etc around the place.

The control you have with the HF unit is pretty good. I have had excellent luck with it.

Let us know how it goes.

banger

[Ken73]

Interesting, I had not read any of the negatives of the Sears unit - anyone mind filling me in? I've been using mine without problems.. I have the HF unit as well, and two air compressors, but found the Sears unit easier to use.