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Thread: Powder coat cloudiness or failure?

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    56

    Powder coat cloudiness or failure?

    Has anyone experienced this with their powder coat? Almost looks like a cloud or fog within the coating. It doesn’t scratch off so that’s a good thing. My only thought is maybe the pigment separated from the resin. I did smash a few and the powder stays on so I can definitely rule that out.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_8711.jpg  

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Western Oregon
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    2,734
    Did you accidently and unknowingly get some type of contamination on the boolits before coating them. Sweaty hands, oil, hold the boolits in a container that had some type of contaminant??? Ya never know
    If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.

  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    56
    Nope when I handle cold lead either in I got form or post cast in boolit form I wear nitrile gloves. I will admit I use a little acetone to “clean” the boolits prior to powder coating. My process after cleaning is to preheat them then tumble them in the containers with the powder coat. I have maybe 5k coated and sized boolits. As I was going to load last night I noticed a small amount with the discoloration.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master



    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    The Lowcountry
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    1,210
    Load a few, shoot and try to recover the boolets and see what they look like.
    I mostly use clear so haven't "seen" this before, but that means absolutely nothing.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy Pablo 5959's Avatar
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    Dec 2013
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    Nor Cal
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    If it was me, I would just carry on, load and shoot them. Maybe the next batch will come out better. I have gotten to the point where I just use glossy black. The fancy colors got used long ago.
    Paul

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    Oct 2012
    Location
    Las Cruces, NM
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    Since they smash OK I'd probably just shoot them too. The worst that can happen is you get some leading in the barrel.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Western Oregon
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    Well that eliminates the contamination possibility. You just may have invented a new type of different lookin powdercoat.
    If they shoot, shoot'um.
    If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy 1eyedjack's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    too close to Walmart Corporate
    Posts
    125
    Sometimes I get 2 to 5 boolits that end up with hardly any powder on them but rest are coated completely. Finally came to the conclusion to just throw them into the cull pile and melt them down! The lightly coated ones were treated the same as the rest and can only be explained by planets being out of alignment or those few boolits wanted to be a different color? Whatever it is it's not worth concerning myself over!
    Before you break into my house stand outside and get right with Jesus tell him you're on your way!!

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Central Iowa
    Posts
    1,454
    I dump all my bullets, powder, bb's into a colander and then pick out the bullets. The colander usually has powder residue from the last batch (or last 100 batches...) and the bullets pick up smudges of other colors and kind of look like that. I wouldn't worry about it.

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Posts
    47
    I had a similar problem with clear powder coat. I don't know what caused it. If you ever find out please post it so others can avoid it.

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    56
    A little update, I loaded up about 50 rounds with the cloudy bullets and they loaded up fine. Before loading them up I put the edge of an exacto knife on the side that was cloudy and lightly rubbed that section of coating. Nothing came off so that’s a good sign. Next I’m going to try shoot them to see if there’s any residue left behind in the barrel.

    I decided to check as many as I could while the baby was napping. So I poured all 6k bullets on a towel spreading them out. It looks like out of all the bullets there’s maybe 300 that have this cloudiness in the coat. I’m wondering if it is due to using the last of the powder I had remaining for the blue and purple and maybe that last bit was lacking pigment or other chemical


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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check