Powder Coating 101 - Electrostatic Method

[cstrickland]

I have and continue to do both as needed and in my application have seen no accuracy differences . My low volume say less than 50 get S&B . The outcome is a usable bullet but the look is rough and sometimes, the rough build causes plunk test issues. I typically overcome that by seating a little deeper

My high volume ( 9mm I do 1000+ each bake ) I spray and bake in a large curing oven. the bullets are uniform in coating and perfect every time. I also like to use flat black which to my knowledge there is no flat black that will work with S&B

to each his own !

[dikman]

I just made my own pc gun and power supply. I didn't make it for coating boolits as I'm happy with Hi-Tek but I thought it might be an alternative to painting smallish items when I make things. Total cost, excluding the powder, was around $20 for the buck converter and high voltage module. Now that I understand the principles I might try and make a better gun.

[Tazza]

Awesome job, from what i saw on the internet, they don't look hard to make, but interesting to see how different guns perform.

One concern i have with powder, how bad is it to your health if you breathe it in?

[dikman]

Don't know, but I suspect it's not something you would want to breathe in if you can help it.

[Tazza]

A quick google search said it's not actually super nasty like i thought, it can be an irritant though:

The vast majority of powder materials are non-toxic to humans, but the dust particles have sharp edges and they can cause irritation to the breathing passage or eyes. The minimum requirement is a National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety-approved dust mask and safety glasses

Still, i'd avoid breathing it if at all possible, not sure how safety glasses would help your eyes, as the powder just floats, unless they are scuba goggles.

[dikman]

I guess the best thing is to either have a small booth of some sort with an exhaust fan or a gentle breeze wafting from behind.

[iMigraine]

Any thoughts on Eastwood powder coat guns? I had a Harbor Freight gun but it was cr@p! Worked alright for a couple of sessions then just go worse till I didn't want to fiddle with it anymore. Curious of Eastwood guns where any better. Looking to use it for rifle boolits exclusively since shake and bake works fine for my pistol boolits.

[Vettepilot]

I've been considering the Harbor Freight setup. What's wrong with them, and wouldn't it be easier to modify/fix it than build one from scratch??

Thanks,
Vettepilot

[iMigraine]

I've been considering the Harbor Freight setup. What's wrong with them, and wouldn't it be easier to modify/fix it than build one from scratch??

Thanks,
Vettepilot

I did the recommended mods on the HF but it would never spray evenly no matter what I did to fix it. I've done plenty to make it work right and just gave up after. Check out this thread, Popper has been around working with PC boolits for years. I trust his opinions on PC boolits.

[Ford SD]

I just bought a eastwood pc gun

I have been S&B but with rifle bullets 311299 the nose is too large except in one rifle with a worn throat

311299 in silicone ice cube tray work but want to flop over and touch the one next to it, anly way it works is to put 40 or so bullets leaving 2 spaces around each one

I had a idea of screwing down 300 BO cases to a pan/ plate and inserting the 311299 nose first pc and baking

do you think the bullets will stick in cases after baking?

Thanks

also bought it to do some garage projects

[BC17A]

For those that have the Eastwood gun, here are a few mods I did to mine. First and the easiest was to add a gasket between the gun and cup. Next was to make a small diffuser for the tip, and add some copper wire to give the powder the best charge possible. The copper wire idea wasn't mine but something I saw on the web somewhere. Last, and probably the most helpful, was to make an extension for the dip tube that directs the air (4 places) across the very bottom of the cup. This one allows for lower air pressure use, a lot less powder needed in the cup, and you won't have to shake the gun any longer to get a continuous flow of powder. All together these mods make for much less overspray in the work area, a more even coat of powder on the boolits, and less waste.

[Vettepilot]

So, I'm looking at the Eastwood powder coat guns in anticipation of possibly adding one to my "wish list" and starting saving my pennies.

Use would be primarily boolits, with an occasional small car or gun part thrown in, but nothing big such as car wheels; strictly small stuff. So with those parameters and use in mind, is there any reason to spend the extra 30 bucks and spring for the "Dual Voltage" model? Cost/budget is an issue on this for me, though I'd rather not be "kicking myself" later for buying the lesser model. What uses prefer which voltage?

???

Vettepilot