simple Hi-Tek coating

[HI-TEK]

Please excuse double post.

Hello to Joe and Trevor. Haven’t talked with you for a while.

Hello Avenger
Glad you posted some stuff. Have not heard from you for a while. The site has been very quiet.
Hope you are well, and things are going OK.

[dannyd]

Getting ready to order some powdered HI-TEK from Missouri Bullets and give it a try.

[Avenger442]

You know we men don’t read all the instructions :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

Don’t do what I did at first and try to coat thick. It is not a jacket for your bullet. And thick coats don’t work well. I’ve actually been adding a little extra acetone to mine to make it thinner than directions. It really works well.

Directions are written for what I call an “open tumble”. I use a plastic bowl with a lid. Or “closed tumble” of the bullets. Either one works. I used open when I started.

Im not one overly crazy about getting the color right. I use it for its performance as a lube.

Last comment. Your going to love this stuff when you get it.

[Avenger442]

Have missed talking with you guys.

Have been basically well. A few medical issues but nothing serious. You know we just don’t work well physically when we get old. You can identify with that Joe.

[Gremlin460]

I got my hands on a Colt Python original series in 8" , should be more accurate now as the muzzle is 2" closer to the target. Also got a LeePro 1000 , buts siezed solid. I shoud have that back working in a day or two.

[Ausglock]

So... after 10 years of hitek coating many different alloys and bullet shapes. getting them fired in many different handguns of varying calibres and velocities. I can now say that leading is non existent when using Hitek coating. Even in the ports of compenators, there is no lead.

I have now been approached to journey overseas to setup a bullet manufacturing coating plant and train their staff in the correct practices for commercial use of HITEK coating. They have tried powdercoating and found it not to be suitable for high volume production. So, HITEK gets the nod.
Interesting times ahead. I hope they understand Australian lingo...lol

[ioon44]

I have doing Hi-Tek for about 10 years and have not had to clean any lead out of my barrels.

I know one local commercial bullet caster who tried to sell Hi-Tek coated bullets to a commercial reloader but the high-volume production beat the coating off the bullets.
The coating passed the smash test but the equipment was removing small amounts of lead with the coating, this was not the coating fault but the way it was handled. This was with the 6-2-92 alloy.

When I coach a reloader on loading Hi-Tek bullets I tell them to pull a loaded bullet and see if the coating in still intact, if it is and the bullet is still .002" over bore da then you are good to go.

[Avenger442]

Ausglock
I've been using it for about nine years in my hand guns and rifles. And I will ditto what you said about the lead in the barrel. The .308s have had thousands of loads shot in them at around 2600 fps with no lead. I don't shoot the .223 as much but at 3000+ fps no lead in it.

Welcome to the US when you get here. Hopefully will have the opportunity to shoot some of the guns they will not allow you to own in Australia.

I've been hunting some Alliant RL26 for a load in .300 PRC and just can't find any. I contacted the manufacturer and they said they were making all of their powders. So I decided to goose it from the other end. Contacted several of the companies I buy from. Only one replied, the one I deal with most. They said it had been on back order for a long time. So maybe they are not.

In this whole process of hunting the powder I ran into a guy working the counter at Shooter Warehouse , a store near me.. I go by there from time to time to look at what they have in stock. He also said they had not seen any RL26 in a long time. But he had an extra eight pound unopened at his house. Unfortunately I couldn't get him to sell it to me. During that conversation I discovered that he uses commercially coated Hi Tek bullets in his hand guns. I told him about coating myself and using it in my rifles. He seemed interested and may be the next one to try it.

[ddeck22]

I just started using Hi-Tek. The instructions are well written and I followed them and everything worked as expected. I think the key was having a PID on the toaster oven to make sure I had the right temp.

[ioon44]

For me the key is getting the 1st completely dry before baking and not getting the coating to thick. Good to hear it worked for you the first time.

[Avenger442]

Once you have been successful with it you got it. It is really a fairly simple process.

ddeck22
Was wondering what calibers you are using it in.

[Onty]

Finally got my brick red to come out nice. I used the standard recipe but splashed maybe 10ml of isopropyl alcohol over the 10lbs of bullets before I swirled. This extended the swirl time to well over a minute and helped making the color more glossy. This was 3 coats. The second coat was just as nice but a bullet here and there had a blemish so went ahead and added a third coat.

When did you added isopropyl alcohol, before coating media, or with coating media?

Any effect of isopropyl alcohol on quality of the coat?

Just to make sure I will do it right, thanks!

[ioon44]

Only in hot weather I all 10ml to my 100ml coating mix, this slows down the drying process so I can swirl the 6lb of bullets for a more even coat and I only need two coats.

[kevin c]

When did you added isopropyl alcohol, before coating media, or with coating media?

Any effect of isopropyl alcohol on quality of the coat?

Just to make sure I will do it right, thanks!

I tend to dilute my mix a bit more, especially in hot weather, and use more volume to get the same amount of HiTek per batch of bullets coated (e.g., twice the volume if half the concentration). I did try adding extra acetone into the container separate from the standard mix, but figure it’s easier and faster to measure and pour once and maybe it coats more evenly to boot.

[Thomas918]

When did you added isopropyl alcohol, before coating media, or with coating media?

Any effect of isopropyl alcohol on quality of the coat?

Just to make sure I will do it right, thanks!

I put the alcohol over the top of the bullets in the bucket. Then immediately put in the hitek mixture in the bucket and swirled. I only did it that way because I didn't want to make a special mix of acetone and alcohol with the hitek powder. If doing it again I would make a 70% acetone and 30% alcohol mix from the start. That was the last time I used Hitek though. I have now moved on to Bullet corp coating since it adheres to the lead alot better

[Michael J. Spangler]

I put the alcohol over the top of the bullets in the bucket. Then immediately put in the hitek mixture in the bucket and swirled. I only did it that way because I didn't want to make a special mix of acetone and alcohol with the hitek powder. If doing it again I would make a 70% acetone and 30% alcohol mix from the start. That was the last time I used Hitek though. I have now moved on to Bullet corp coating since it adheres to the lead alot better


If you’re having an issue with adhesion it’s probably from the alcohol.

[Thomas918]

If you’re having an issue with adhesion it’s probably from the alcohol.

I had those issues way before using alcohol as a solvent.

[ddeck22]

Once you have been successful with it you got it. It is really a fairly simple process.

ddeck22
Was wondering what calibers you are using it in.

Just 9 mm at the moment. I'm just getting started in casting. Luckily we have some good folks in my area who are master casters and have provided a lot of insight.

[Michael J. Spangler]

I had those issues way before using alcohol as a solvent.

Hmmm. I could wax on poetic about the ways to solve it but I’m sure you tore this thread apart working on that already.

[Thomas918]

Hmmm. I could wax on poetic about the ways to solve it but I’m sure you tore this thread apart working on that already.

I washed my bullets in acetone to make sure I had a clean surface. I have a huge commercial rack oven that I baked the coating in. I followed the recipes well. I used fresh acetone to make sure moisture was a non factor. The one thing that was recommended to me was to acid wash the bullets to rule out contaminated lead. I just never got around to it since I switched to another coating.

[ioon44]

I washed my bullets in acetone to make sure I had a clean surface. I have a huge commercial rack oven that I baked the coating in. I followed the recipes well. I used fresh acetone to make sure moisture was a non factor. The one thing that was recommended to me was to acid wash the bullets to rule out contaminated lead. I just never got around to it since I switched to another coating.

Getting the 1st coat completely dry can be a factor for problems with adhesion, to me this is the most important part of the process.

[Ausglock]

Pre-warming the coated bullet before entering the oven for the first bake will cure 90% of the adhesion issues.

mystery alloy is the other 10%. In hot weather, use 10% MEK with 90% Acetone. that slows down the flashoff time.

Remember..... mix your hitek 20gms of powder to 100mls of solvent. I use jars that hold the 60gm 300ml mix. I will mix a dozen jars at once and store them in the fridge until needed. Just finished a run of 120,000 124gn RN 9mm.. only check smash and wipe every 10,000.
Zero issues.

[Shotgundrums]

Pre-warming the coated bullet before entering the oven for the first bake will cure 90% of the adhesion issues.

mystery alloy is the other 10%. In hot weather, use 10% MEK with 90% Acetone. that slows down the flashoff time.


Hey Trev, hey candyboolit people! Happy holidays! I don’t post much, but I’m in here from time to time.

I can attest to this; especially, the “mystery” alloy part. I’ve been using muriatic acid on my abundant quantity of homemade alloy. It helped tremendously. Additionally, I’ve been utilizing a second convection oven for drying and warming only. I throw them in at around 65*C for around 15 or so minutes. If it hasn’t been emphasized enough, THIN THIN THIN first coat. It’s like a primer coat.

J

[Ausglock]

I like how this Mega thread has quietened down. Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out.

A mate in town tried powdercoating some of his hand cast bullets. He came around with his "bullets" to show me.

All I can say is that the "bullets" had more bumps on them than a WW2 sea mine. I run him through the HITEK process while he watched me process a few 1000. He came back the next day with a few 100 of his cast. I then let him coat/bake with my setup while under instruction.
Needless to say, he has thrown the powdercoat in the bin and is using some of the bronze sample Joe sent me a few years ago. He is now a happy HITEKer...

He couldn't believe how clean the HITEK process is.
He said he had powdercoat all over the place... floor, walls, bench, him, the dog, the cat, the kids, the car.....everywhere.....lol

[HI-TEK]

Right on the point..THIN THIN THIN.... You simply do not need thick coats of Hi-Tek especially with first coat. Two coats of Hi-Tek works out about 1.5 to 1.8 thou thick. That is all you need to separate alloy from bore in majority of cases. It is a mystery, why some try to make a thick jacket of coating.

[HI-TEK]

I like how this Mega thread has quietened down. Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out.

A mate in town tried powdercoating some of his hand cast bullets. He came around with his "bullets" to show me.

All I can say is that the "bullets" had more bumps on them than a WW2 sea mine. I run him through the HITEK process while he watched me process a few 1000. He came back the next day with a few 100 of his cast. I then let him coat/bake with my setup while under instruction.
Needless to say, he has thrown the powdercoat in the bin and is using some of the bronze sample Joe sent me a few years ago. He is now a happy HITEKer...

He couldn't believe how clean the HITEK process is.
He said he had powdercoat all over the place... floor, walls, bench, him, the dog, the cat, the kids, the car.....everywhere.....lol


I wonder if he is aware of ingredients in the powder coatings? Has any one considered that some powder coatings have abrasive components, and some contain Silica?

[ioon44]

Right on the point..THIN THIN THIN.... You simply do not need thick coats of Hi-Tek especially with first coat. Two coats of Hi-Tek works out about 1.5 to 1.8 thou thick. That is all you need to separate alloy from bore in majority of cases. It is a mystery, why some try to make a thick jacket of coating.

I am guilty of putting a thicker coat of Hi-Tek on my bullets (some stick together when baked) for cosmetic appearance, but I make sure the first coat is dry.

I have tested Hi-Tek with one coat with 200gr SWC .45ACP and it worked great, just not pretty.

The temperature here got up to 10 deg C yesterday and I coated some 230gr RN and let dry overnight in my drying cabinet after bringing them up to 120 deg F for about 30 minutes, everything is harder to do in cold weather.

"Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out." I would agree.

Seems like the only ones having problems with coating are the PC bunch.

[BrassMagnet]

I haven't gotten my HITEK process sorted out!
My PC are still better. My HITEK were all overheated because I couldn't control temperature well enough with my $10 thrift store roaster-toaster oven. They changed color from blue to green. A friend tested them at rifle velocities and the coating failed. He cleaned the coating off with acetone and PC'ed them.

Someday I well get settled in my new home and get my necessary projects completed well enough to do some more casting and coating. My wife got a new propane stove for our new home and I get her old electric stove with convection oven. I bet that will do the job! I might even see if I can pre-dry my Boolits first. It sure is humid here!

[ioon44]

"He cleaned the coating off with acetone."

If the coating is done correctly the coating cannot be removed with acetone. A convection oven is a must for the coating to work.

[HI-TEK]

"He cleaned the coating off with acetone."

If the coating is done correctly the coating cannot be removed with acetone. A convection oven is a must for the coating to work.

If the coating was or cant be removed with Acetone, it was not done correctly in the first place, and no wonder it failed with rifle velocities. Most recent report was using the Hi-Tek in rifle ammo at 1950ft/sec.

This is the report As I've probably mentioned before, my rifle fires a 75gn 25 caliber FN bullet. It's cast from wheel weight metal with a bit of tin added, is fitted with a gas check and of course is HiTek coated.
Velocity is 1950 fps.
This little load, which I use out to around 120 yards, is proving to be very effective - and of course, no barrel fouling.
I wouldn't be able to develop a load like this without the coating.

I would be interested in just how well powder coating survived this velocity and retained accuracy without Leading up the bore.

[DDriller]

I have soaked some coated bullets in acetone overnight just playing around and the coating would not come off. I love this stuff along with the mold release.

[Brassmonkey]

I like how this Mega thread has quietened down. Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out.

A mate in town tried powdercoating some of his hand cast bullets. He came around with his "bullets" to show me.

All I can say is that the "bullets" had more bumps on them than a WW2 sea mine. I run him through the HITEK process while he watched me process a few 1000. He came back the next day with a few 100 of his cast. I then let him coat/bake with my setup while under instruction.
Needless to say, he has thrown the powdercoat in the bin and is using some of the bronze sample Joe sent me a few years ago. He is now a happy HITEKer...

He couldn't believe how clean the HITEK process is.
He said he had powdercoat all over the place... floor, walls, bench, him, the dog, the cat, the kids, the car.....everywhere.....lol


Funny, I wanted to powder coat my bullets, as I didn’t want to mess with acetone but I couldn’t get the color I wanted in PC so high-tech it was. I’m very pleased with my results using kryptonite green.

[Ausglock]

K green is very good.

Brass Magnet..... Mate..... if you can remove the baked coating with acetone, you have not done it right.....no where near right.

[HI-TEK]

Funny, I wanted to powder coat my bullets, as I didn’t want to mess with acetone but I couldn’t get the color I wanted in PC so high-tech it was. I’m very pleased with my results using kryptonite green.

With powder coat, you have one chance to get it right if it is electrostatically applied.
It is also difficult to get smooth finishes and thin coats that actually work.
It is not possible to get Cammo type (two or 3 colours) finishes.
As far as I am aware, that can only be done using Hi-Tek.

[Gremlin460]

:redneck:

[Avenger442]

A few weeks ago I tested my first 300 PRC rounds in cast and coated three times with Hi TeK. Had problems with stabilizing the bullet and accuracy. But there was no lead in the barrel.

Joe mentioned earlier about the 1900 fps and Hi Tek. It will allow you to push them much faster than that. I've had my .308 up to 2700 fps (best accuracy is around 2600). This 300 PRC was up to 2700 fps with a 228 grain bullet. I have had my .223 (which I haven't shot much lately) up to 3000. This stuff is great on rifle cast.

A little input on PC vs. Hi Tek and accuracy. I don't do PC but have a friend who used to be on this thread that is very competent at it. A few years back Benny PC coated some .38 for me that I had cast. Good looking purple. I coated the same bullets with Hi Tek. Loaded both, same everything, and took them to the range. The revolver was mounted in a stand to take away shooter faults. Now I have to say that at 10 yards it was hard to see much difference. When we took it to 25 yards the Hi Tek had an edge on the PC. If I remember it shot average 1/8" better groups (may have been more). That was (again from memory) 4 groups of 5 for each at 10 yards and 4 groups of 5 each at 25 yards. That has been several years ago but it is posted somewhere in this massive thread. Now think about this. If you use that 1/8" at 25 and stretch it out to 100. That is 1/2 MOA. Which means that you would be shooting 1 1/2" groups instead of 1". My .308 will do groups at a 100 yards that you can cover with a quarter with a Hi Tek coated bullet. Now I have to do my due diligence in consistency in all of the loading process, but it will shoot accurate. I have run it out to 200 yards and it still is accurate.
323091
That's a Hi Tek Bullet five rounds at about 2600 fps at 100 yards. 4 shots in less than 1/2" and 1". overall.

[HI-TEK]

A few weeks ago I tested my first 300 PRC rounds in cast and coated three times with Hi TeK. Had problems with stabilizing the bullet and accuracy. But there was no lead in the barrel.

Joe mentioned earlier about the 1900 fps and Hi Tek. It will allow you to push them much faster than that. I've had my .308 up to 2700 fps (best accuracy is around 2600). This 300 PRC was up to 2700 fps with a 228 grain bullet. I have had my .223 (which I haven't shot much lately) up to 3000. This stuff is great on rifle cast.

A little input on PC vs. Hi Tek and accuracy. I don't do PC but have a friend who used to be on this thread that is very competent at it. A few years back Benny PC coated some .38 for me that I had cast. Good looking purple. I coated the same bullets with Hi Tek. Loaded both, same everything, and took them to the range. The revolver was mounted in a stand to take away shooter faults. Now I have to say that at 10 yards it was hard to see much difference. When we took it to 25 yards the Hi Tek had an edge on the PC. If I remember it shot average 1/8" better groups (may have been more). That was (again from memory) 4 groups of 5 for each at 10 yards and 4 groups of 5 each at 25 yards. That has been several years ago but it is posted somewhere in this massive thread. Now think about this. If you use that 1/8" at 25 and stretch it out to 100. That is 1/2 MOA. Which means that you would be shooting 1 1/2" groups instead of 1". My .308 will do groups at a 100 yards that you can cover with a quarter with a Hi Tek coated bullet. Now I have to do my due diligence in consistency in all of the loading process, but it will shoot accurate. I have run it out to 200 yards and it still is accurate.
323091
That's a Hi Tek Bullet five rounds at about 2600 fps at 100 yards. 4 shots in less than 1/2" and 1". overall.



WOW that is impressive. I cant recall such comparisons being made with Hi-Tek and powder coating. From your results, it seems that the Hi-Tek produces best accuracy and take such high velocities as well. Thank you for posting... much appreciated.

[Avenger442]

Joe

Satisfied customers sell products. And I have been one for ten years. And I have told many about the product. Ran into a guy the other day at a store that I frequent who shoots Hi Tek coated hand gun bullets from a seller here in the states. He was interested in the do it yourself use of Hi Tek coating. He may be contacting High Performance bullets.

As to the comparison Hi Tek vs PC, those post were back in 2017-2018. Remembering six years back is not very good when you get old like you and me. Guy helping with the PC went by Slide on this forum. He is a heck of a nice guy. But I've lost touch with him over the years. My fault, I'm not one of those stay in touch kind of guys. Even with family. If anything ever happens to my wife, Lord forbid, people would never know what is going on with us. She is a Facebook addict. Think I'll send Slide a PM.

Someone on here recently mentioned using a $15 dollar used oven. That is what I started with(someone once asked if I was Scottish). I couldn't control the heat very well with that oven so I had to bake them hot as it would go and long on time. Of course that didn't do much for the color. But I was mainly looking for performance anyway. My wife was asking me about her lipstick color one day last week. Told her it looked like what she always wore. She said it was the wrong shade. Who Knew???? I bake with a different oven now (still not expensive) that is PID controlled. Colors are better and more consistent due to air flow and heating control. It will handle 10 pounds of bullets at a time I know and still produce good results.

[Mortonspoint]

Almost 15k posts on this topic so excuse me if these questions have been asked. I'm new to this sport and don't want to waste time figuring it all out.

Questions... If you were going to buy an oven to cook the Hi-Teked bullets in what would you buy? I'm looking for a used garage sale model if possible to keep costs low. From what I've read it sounds like temp control is most important. You want consistent accurate temps. Right?
Second question... I have quite a few cast bullets that have the wax lube in the groves (I bought them this way). Should I just shoot them all off or does it make sense to melt off the lube and Hi-Teking them? Can that even be done successfully? or am I wasting my time?
Next questing... IF I need to size my cast bullets, do you size them before Hi-Teking or after the coating is applied?

Thanks!

[Ausglock]

G'day.
Any benchtop oven with convection fan will do. just remember that the thermostat on the oven will not be accurate. you will need a seperate thermometer to set the temp.

Shoot the wax lubed pills. you can not remove the lube and HITEK coat.

Coat and size after coating.

[Avenger442]

Ausglock is the pro on this. Follow his advice. And I'm not giving you the following to upstage him. He has years more experience with this coating and commercially produces for match shooters. He has nice quick answers. For those of you who don't mind the wordy answer read the following. :bigsmyl2:

I started with this oven

323249

Bought it for $15 at a yard sale. It would produce good results as far as performance of the coating. For me that was keeping lead out of my barrel. It was not so good with the color. Color was uneven across the tray. You see that oven thermometer on top in the bullet basket. That showed me that the temp setting on that ovens dial was 50 degrees low to cook the coating. I had to set the oven wide open and watch the thermometer through the window. These oven thermometers can vary some, too. I got lucky and got an accurate one. Think I paid about $1.50 for it years ago. So I had roughly $17 In my first baking setup.

The other thing with the oven is air circulation. A non convection oven will cook the bullets for performance (no leading). Just get the bullets in the middle of your oven to the temp you need to bake at and do the time. Then acetone test the lighter color bullets. If pass good. if not put back in oven. If your after a uniform precise color on your bullets you are going to need a convection oven to circulate the air for even temps. The more even the temp in the oven the more even the color.

Obviously more temp control and even heating will be best if you just got to have the color just right. I started with that cheap oven and got my performance (no leading). Later I moved on to a $120 oven with much better air circulation and later heater coils wired to a PID controller. PID is basically a cheap much closer electronic control of the temp. You can look them up on how to wire to your oven(I believe there is some info on the castboolits site). It's not difficult for someone with a little DIY skill.

On sizing, the thought is that sizing produces a smoother surface on the bullet that might interfere with adhesion. I am a person that doesn't always take peoples word for things if I can test it. I have tested this and yes it can as proved by smash test. But not always. If you have a lube sizer you are thinking about using. You better make dang sure it has no grease left on surfaces that can touch the bullet. It will impact adhesion. I would avoid it. I just bought a Lee sizing die. At that time I believe I paid $18 for it. I shoot mostly rifle bullets but have shot many handgun calibers including magnum with this coating. I coat one time then size and (depending on round) install gas check then apply either one or two more coats.

You want to go cheap and get the process down? You can get a coating that will not leave lead in your barrel. You want that particular color (especially blue) to be just right and even across the tray? Your going to need good heating control and good air circulation. And you can spend more money for that. I understand that this is true for other coating systems. But this is the only one I know that to be true with. I've never used anything else.

[Mortonspoint]

Thanks for the information. I shall proceed accordingly.

[Coopaloop86]

I've had a jar of hitek sitting around for several years now and resisted. PC worked for me and I didn't see any reason to deviate. Well, I'm OCD and I have to stand them up up to bake because even the tiniest bare spot makes my eye twitch. Recent set up a Dillon 550 for 9mm and standing up 1k 9mm at a time just wasn't for me. Then I finally tried the hitek and the game changed. Sure I have to do 3 coats but I'm cycling a pan every 10 minutes and I don't have to be nearly as careful. Just toss em in the oven and go about your routine. There's definitely a learning curve to get started but no more than trying to convince the overlords of static to visit your old cool whip bowls.

[Ausglock]

I've had a jar of hitek sitting around for several years now and resisted. PC worked for me and I didn't see any reason to deviate. Well, I'm OCD and I have to stand them up up to bake because even the tiniest bare spot makes my eye twitch. Recent set up a Dillon 550 for 9mm and standing up 1k 9mm at a time just wasn't for me. Then I finally tried the hitek and the game changed. Sure I have to do 3 coats but I'm cycling a pan every 10 minutes and I don't have to be nearly as careful. Just toss em in the oven and go about your routine. There's definitely a learning curve to get started but no more than trying to convince the overlords of static to visit your old cool whip bowls.

G'day. For 9mm etc you only need to coats. I run 250 135gn bullets to 6mls of coating mix. or 300 125gn bullets to 6mls of coating mix. the 2 coats at this ratio gives excellent coverage. I use Kryptonite Green exclusively here in Australia.

[Coopaloop86]

I did have to do some tweaking with the solvent ratio but it wasn't anything major. Ran the first coat as instructed to create a super light "primer" like base and then I added a few mils of extra acetone for the following coats to get better coverage. It was flashing off before I could get the best coverage. I also think my container was too big for the amount of bullets I was tumbling.

[HI-TEK]

Coopaloop
it is easy fix, simply add a couple of mls of Acetone to container and shake coat again, quickly, 10-15 seconds should be enough, then drop the lot whilst wet, and dont keep shake coating until it becomes sticky and dull sounding. Adding a little Acetone wont hurt the coating and should allow you to finish the job.

[Coopaloop86]

That’s exactly what I did and it worked out perfect. Also, acetone releases gas… I forgot that and mixed up a batch in an old glass screw top jar. Several hours later whilst mixing it up, I repainted part of my patio when it burst.

[HI-TEK]

That’s exactly what I did and it worked out perfect. Also, acetone releases gas… I forgot that and mixed up a batch in an old glass screw top jar. Several hours later whilst mixing it up, I repainted part of my patio when it burst.

Wow that would be not good at all. When the coating is mixed with Acetone, the mixture heats up causing pressure build up, so I suspect that this is what happened. Most people mix this up in plastic bottles or jars, but it has to be non reactive with Acetone. Poly Ethylene or Poly Propylene bottles are suitable, and I have heard that used Coke bottles seem to be OK. Once mixed, release pressure slowly, by slowly unscrewing cap, and keep unused product in tightly sealed bottle in a fridge. It will work for many weeks.

[Berdar]

Im about out of powder coat and plan on using Hi-Tex from here on. Which colors give the best finish or do the best job of coating?

[ioon44]

All of the colors will give a smooth finish when done correctly, I use a lot of Candy Apple Red & Kryptonite Green, another nice color is to mix Gold 1035 & Black half & half and get what is called Texas Tea.

[Berdar]

All of the colors will give a smooth finish when done correctly, I use a lot of Candy Apple Red & Kryptonite Green, another nice color is to mix Gold 1035 & Black half & half and get what is called Texas Tea.
Thank you!

[HI-TEK]

All of the colors will give a smooth finish when done correctly, I use a lot of Candy Apple Red & Kryptonite Green, another nice color is to mix Gold 1035 & Black half & half and get what is called Texas Tea.

Hello IOON44
that is a good mix, but which Black did you used, the Standard Black or the K-15 black? If possible, post a photo of finished product. Thank you

[HI-TEK]

Im about out of powder coat and plan on using Hi-Tex from here on. Which colors give the best finish or do the best job of coating?

All colors will give great results, but my favorite colors are Blush Red Copper and Old Gold. If you mix Black with Old Gold you get a Brownish glittery finish. Some put on a very thin black base coat, then overcoat with another very thin coat of another color. It produces some great looking finishes.

[ioon44]

Hello IOON44
that is a good mix, but which Black did you used, the Standard Black or the K-15 black? If possible, post a photo of finished product. Thank you

I used the Standard Black, never had any K-15 black. I don't have any Texas Tea coated left; the color looked like motor oil.

[HI-TEK]

I used the Standard Black, never had any K-15 black. I don't have any Texas Tea coated left; the color looked like motor oil.

Hello IOON44
Yes that is exactly what the Texas Tea is supposed to look like. That color was inspired from the TV programmed the Clampetts on Beverly Hillbillies when Jed shot into the ground and out came a bubbling pool of Oil.
The K-15 Black is an extremely black coating and is very popular. It is used also a base coat, topped with other Metallic colors. The base background of the K-15 highlights other colors.
I don't know what color you would get if you mixed the K-15 with Gold 1035. I am suspecting that in a 1 to 1 mix/blend, the K-15 may overtake other colors unless the K-15 is used at lower concentration ratio. If you wanted to play, first try using 1 part of K-15 with 2 parts of a color like Gold 1035, then go from there with mix ratio afterwards if the color is not what you want. Just increase ratio of 1 part K-15 to 3 parts Gold 1035 to see the effects. You can use the K-15 in small additions to darken other colors.

[Avenger442]

Joe
Do you have a listing of the metallic coatings? And can you give us an idea of how much more heat they reflect?

[Shotgundrums]

Hello IOON44
Yes that is exactly what the Texas Tea is supposed to look like. That color was inspired from the TV programmed the Clampetts on Beverly Hillbillies when Jed shot into the ground and out came a bubbling pool of Oil.
The K-15 Black is an extremely black coating and is very popular. It is used also a base coat, topped with other Metallic colors. The base background of the K-15 highlights other colors.
I don't know what color you would get if you mixed the K-15 with Gold 1035. I am suspecting that in a 1 to 1 mix/blend, the K-15 may overtake other colors unless the K-15 is used at lower concentration ratio. If you wanted to play, first try using 1 part of K-15 with 2 parts of a color like Gold 1035, then go from there with mix ratio afterwards if the color is not what you want. Just increase ratio of 1 part K-15 to 3 parts Gold 1035 to see the effects. You can use the K-15 in small additions to darken other colors.

I probably have more HiTek powders to last a lifetime (for my production rate that is). I had some zombie green, candy apple red, and brown copper in the fridge for several months. The base turned dark brown in the bottles. I mixed them all together and achieved a sparkly dark brown. I actually like this color as it’s more subdued.
SGD

[HI-TEK]

Hello Avenger
Independent tests were done, to show the heat transfer rates to be significantly reduced by the coatings and are strong insulators.
Two tests that are applicable;
1. A Red Copper coated alloy and a non coated alloy side by side was being heated on a spoon with a gas torch. The uncoated alloy melted, and the coated alloy stood in molten alloy.
2. A single coated alloy, and a plain uncoated alloy had thermocouples inserted in them to measure temperatures of each. These two were placed into an oven that was pre-heated and set at 180C, and temperatures of the projectiles was measure against time in oven. After putting the two into the oven, the coated alloy lagged some 20C behind the uncoated alloy. This demonstrated the coating ability to reflect heat transfer into the alloy. The coated alloy took about 2 minutes longer to get up to 180C.

These are a list of what metallic coating are available, Texas Tea (black/gold), Candy Apple, Bronze 500, Bronze 502, Bronze 530, Red Copper, Blush Red Copper, Old Gold, Gold 1035, Gunmetal,
Dark Green Metallic, Zombie Green, Kryptonite green, Aztec Gold.
So you have a few choices. They all are very similar to heat reflectance and act like heat insulator.
I hope that I have answered your questions..

[flybyjohn]

Quick question for the masters. I got some mold release a while back and it works wonders on my molds. I have a Dillon 550b and my powder funnel sometimes starts sticking to the inside of my pistol brass. I was wondering if I painted some of the black mold release on the tip of the powder die and heated it a bit then smoothed it off, if it would give the funnel/expander some nonstick properties against the super clean brass. What are the chances it will work?

[HI-TEK]

Quick question for the masters. I got some mold release a while back and it works wonders on my molds. I have a Dillon 550b and my powder funnel sometimes starts sticking to the inside of my pistol brass. I was wondering if I painted some of the black mold release on the tip of the powder die and heated it a bit then smoothed it off, if it would give the funnel/expander some nonstick properties against the super clean brass. What are the chances it will work?

Great question....
Using very thinly applied powder, may work well and without needing heat. However, I am leaning towards using a very thin previously diluted coating of Aqualube, and drying.
They both should work well. I suspect, that Aqualube may work a little better, but in this application, it is a guess. If you are using Aqualube first, you may not get good adhesion of the Mold release as the dry Aqualube will not mix with, or allow wetting out and will provide a dry slick anti stick surface which will prevent coating of those surfaces with any other material,.
Great Question and possible end use potential, and would be interested in the results of your experimentations. Please keep us posted....

[Ausglock]

Quick question for the masters. I got some mold release a while back and it works wonders on my molds. I have a Dillon 550b and my powder funnel sometimes starts sticking to the inside of my pistol brass. I was wondering if I painted some of the black mold release on the tip of the powder die and heated it a bit then smoothed it off, if it would give the funnel/expander some nonstick properties against the super clean brass. What are the chances it will work?

I find that wet tumbling of brass causes the expander plug to stick in the cases. Dry media tumbling doesn't cause this. If I use wet tumbled brass, I just rub my thumb and finger on my nose or forehead (to get a bit of body oil) and wipe the expander plug with them. works on the 550 and the squaredeal presses. the Aqua lube would be a good thing to try.

[Papercidal]

I find that wet tumbling of brass causes the expander plug to stick in the cases. Dry media tumbling doesn't cause this. If I use wet tumbled brass, I just rub my thumb and finger on my nose or forehead (to get a bit of body oil) and wipe the expander plug with them. works on the 550 and the squaredeal presses. the Aqua lube would be a good thing to try.

I take a squirt of the aqua lube on my thumb and index finger tips and rub on the powder funnel of my 650 it only lasts for about 50 rounds but takes seconds to reapply

[HI-TEK]

I take a squirt of the aqua lube on my thumb and index finger tips and rub on the powder funnel of my 650 it only lasts for about 50 rounds but takes seconds to reapply

Just a quick question,,, did you use the concentrated Aqualube or the diluted version? It may make a difference with how long it stays where you use it. My rationale is, if you used the concentrate, you would leave a much thicker film which may be easier to get scraped off surfaces with mechanical abrasion,.... just thinking about the application, Aqualube has release particles that are o.o2 micron size, and that thickness should give lubricity and release property and possible less of an area to have scraped off with mechanical contact abrasion. If it means using less, so be it, as long as it works....

Just as an afterthought....if you are applying Aqualube to surface that previously had oily or greasy residues, the Aqualube will not wet out and adhere adequately to previously contaminated surfaces. You get best wetting out with Aqualube, if surfaces are totally clean from other lubes or release agents. As I have said, Aqualube is a strange material and the dry film wont mix with, and repels other things and wont allow other materials to stick to a film of it where it has been successfully applied. Whilst in liquid form, Aqualube will mix with Alcohol, Acetone , MEK and other water miscible solvents. Always add Aqualube to diluting solvent material, then shake mix well.

[HI-TEK]

I am constantly being surprised by the unique things people come up with using various products. I learn a lot from this site. Thanks all for sharing your great ideas....

[flybyjohn]

After wet tumbling, I have started to throw the bras in the dry media with car polish for a few minutes. It puts a bit of a coating on that helps with sizing and also keeps it from oxidizing so quickly. I still seem to have some problem with the insides of the cases sticking now and then. I will try some aqua lube tomorrow and see if that works. After it gets the first smear of brass on the funnel it game over until you clean the funnel completely or it
just gets worse and worse.

[DDriller]

I have a squeaking door hinge in on my pickup that I am going to clean and use aqualube on it to see if it will work. I will due this Saturday when it warms back up. I have tried about 8 or 10 different lubes and none last longer than a day or two.

[Ausglock]

I spray Aqualube on the tracks of my roller door on the garage. easy up & down now...

[HI-TEK]

I spray Aqualube on the tracks of my roller door on the garage. easy up & down now...

Local transport company also used the Aqualube to apply to the woven fabric on the edge of their large roller door, as it was chattering being opened and being closed. It now slides as smooth as silk. No grease or oil to build up on sliding parts. It has been on there for years, no re-application needed.

Years ago, a casting company in US applied the Aqualube to a leather conveyor belt that transported coated cast towards an oven. The Aqualube stopped the coating sticking to the belting.

An Aluminium fabricating shop, uses the Aqualube to lubricate Aluminium Cutting saw to stop cut metal binding/sticking to saw blade teeth and does not contaminate the metal..

Another application is with manufacture of Rifling, where the bores are being machined. Aqualube stops cutter from binding, and the diluted Aqualube is slowly fed into the bore whilst the boring is being done.

I domestic use applications, a small amount is used on sticking Aluminium windows, and the Aqualube stops the binding. In wooden Drawers, Aqualube can be used as a dry film lubricant to allow drawers to slide easily without binding.

A company making fiberglass Oars in a Mould uses Aqualube to release the set polymer from the Mould with mirror finish.

On Zip starters on weed whackers, and on gas mowers, Aqualube lubricates the rope so it slides in and out easily and rope is dry lubricated.

On Braided fishing lines, the Aqualube helps with lubrication of the fabric, to reduce fraying, and increase density of the yarn. After application, the water does not wet the line, and significantly reduces salt crystallizing in the braid after using and drying.

Unfortunately or fortunately, there are endless applications where a non-contaminating dry film lubricant is needed.

Enough of my ranting...

[Jatz357]

Aqualube is great stuff, has many uses. Non contaminating is a big plus. It can be applied to a surface and adhesive tape will stick but the surface is slick, very interesting material. One of my sizers was used by a commercial caster and we later swapped it with a revised design machine. When we brought the sizer back I noticed it was very slippery and greasy feeling, coated with what appeared to be a silicone based product. I spent a lot of time cleaning to remove that product for the fear of silicone contamination with other products and paints we use. The machine still feels greasy and adhesive tape has trouble sticking to the painted surfaces. Still concerned about shop contamination. Don't have that problem with Aqualube.

[Papercidal]

Just a quick question,,, did you use the concentrated Aqualube or the diluted version? It may make a difference with how long it stays where you use it. My rationale is, if you used the concentrate, you would leave a much thicker film which may be easier to get scraped off surfaces with mechanical abrasion,.... just thinking about the application, Aqualube has release particles that are o.o2 micron size, and that thickness should give lubricity and release property and possible less of an area to have scraped off with mechanical contact abrasion. If it means using less, so be it, as long as it works....

Just as an afterthought....if you are applying Aqualube to surface that previously had oily or greasy residues, the Aqualube will not wet out and adhere adequately to previously contaminated surfaces. You get best wetting out with Aqualube, if surfaces are totally clean from other lubes or release agents. As I have said, Aqualube is a strange material and the dry film wont mix with, and repels other things and wont allow other materials to stick to a film of it where it has been successfully applied. Whilst in liquid form, Aqualube will mix with Alcohol, Acetone , MEK and other water miscible solvents. Always add Aqualube to diluting solvent material, then shake mix well.


I just have a little of the alcohol diluted solution left I’m sure it would last better if I was to properly clean the powder funnel and allow it to fully dry.

[HI-TEK]

Aqualube is great stuff, has many uses. Non contaminating is a big plus. It can be applied to a surface and adhesive tape will stick but the surface is slick, very interesting material. One of my sizers was used by a commercial caster and we later swapped it with a revised design machine. When we brought the sizer back I noticed it was very slippery and greasy feeling, coated with what appeared to be a silicone based product. I spent a lot of time cleaning to remove that product for the fear of silicone contamination with other products and paints we use. The machine still feels greasy and adhesive tape has trouble sticking to the painted surfaces. Still concerned about shop contamination. Don't have that problem with Aqualube.

As you are aware, all Silicone lubricants are a plague on society. They contaminate and are spread everywhere by simple transfer by touching surfaces that has Silicone on them.
It is almost impossible got get rid of it from a contaminated area.
In Automotive industry, if you try to enter any premises after you had visited any other site where Silicones were used, they may put you against a wall and shoot you. Not really, but that is how drastically seriously this is being taken as Silicone really messes up any painting and surfaces and cant be removed, and it is spread like crazy.

[flybyjohn]

Well I guess I’m headed back to the drawing board again. Just got a new toy and loaded up some bullets I’ve had sitting a while. I had thought they had passed all the test back when I made them but maybe not. It looks like they are failing the smash test now.

I had a little leading after about 100 rounds and so I cleaned the barrel completely and pushed a few bullets through to check the diameter. I saw that the coating was rubbing off on two of the riflings. So I tried the smash test and sure enough I had small flakes coming off.

My lead is kind of unknown as it is a mixture of coww and soft lead with tin and antimony added at a 2% 5% rate. So not sure which ingots were in the pot when these were cast but the lead is at least about 12 bh. I am getting about 950 fps average with the load developed.

Since I have unknown lead, I might try some Muratic acid on a few and coat and see if I can pass the smash test.

I seem to get excited about shooting for a while, run into a leading issue, try to fix it and before everything gets ironed out I have something else that comes up and I forget about the problem until next time. I may just get it figured out this time before giving up. The leading isn’t that bad and a good hour after shooting it’s all gone again but it would be nice to get it down to a quick wipe down the barrel cleaning like the .45.324008324009

[flybyjohn]

324010

[HI-TEK]

Well I guess I’m headed back to the drawing board again. Just got a new toy and loaded up some bullets I’ve had sitting a while. I had thought they had passed all the test back when I made them but maybe not. It looks like they are failing the smash test now.

I had a little leading after about 100 rounds and so I cleaned the barrel completely and pushed a few bullets through to check the diameter. I saw that the coating was rubbing off on two of the riflings. So I tried the smash test and sure enough I had small flakes coming off.

My lead is kind of unknown as it is a mixture of coww and soft lead with tin and antimony added at a 2% 5% rate. So not sure which ingots were in the pot when these were cast but the lead is at least about 12 bh. I am getting about 950 fps average with the load developed.

Since I have unknown lead, I might try some Muratic acid on a few and coat and see if I can pass the smash test.

I seem to get excited about shooting for a while, run into a leading issue, try to fix it and before everything gets ironed out I have something else that comes up and I forget about the problem until next time. I may just get it figured out this time before giving up. The leading isn’t that bad and a good hour after shooting it’s all gone again but it would be nice to get it down to a quick wipe down the barrel cleaning like the .45.324008324009

flybyjohn
thanks for posting. Just a couple of questions on your findings.... how long ago did you do that coating? The reason I ask, is that with some alloys that are from unknown compositions, can cause such reactions of crumbling or flaking from alloy with time. As you may be suspecting, there seems to be a reaction taking place between coating and alloy. Generally, it could be a sort of Oxidation taking place on surface of alloy, causing coating to lift. If coating had previously passed all tests, it can be deduced that all was well. If you have some of the original uncoated casts from that alloy, it would be interesting to see what the surfaces look like, then, acid treat them and do a comparison... If there was some surface contaminant on uncoated alloy, the acid treatment should change surface appearance. Before and after acid treatment, photos of surfaces should provide some answers. After acid treatment, coat some, (not all) and have a look at stability afterwards with storage of both coated and uncoated casts. It would be interesting to learn if the acid treatment had stopped formation of surface oxidation process or not... I suspect that it will be OK.

I refer to making fishing sinkers from mixed alloy that was made from all sorts of scrap. After casting, product looked absolutely shiny and smooth. these were stored/stockpiled on a steel shelf in my shed. When I went to get some to go fishing, all of them, to various levels, had a white powdery growth/formation on the alloy surface. Some were worse than others in same pile as this powdery formation became more crystalline on some. I washed them with diluted Hydrochloric acid, which removed the scale, and these had no more reoccurrences of this powdery film formation. I am suspecting Zinc and possibly Magnesium, and or Cadmium as primary contaminants in alloy, but there could be other metals as well. Very interested in your results. please post it and photos if possible.

[Ausglock]

I'd say the mystery metal is letting you down.
I have some 230gn RN .452 that were cast and coated 8 years ago.
from 2.6.92 alloy.

Fired them a few weeks ago and no issues...

[flybyjohn]

It’s been about 1.5-2 years since I cast and coated these. I cast some 10 mm during the same session and they don’t look oxidized yet. I will throw them in some muratic acid for a while and see what I get. I smashed a few more 9 mm from the same casting and coating session and they didn’t seem to lose as much coating as the first ones I smashed. They don’t seem to have lost any coating on the hammer or the concrete surface that they smashed on. They lost the coating where the bullet squished and folded. They were getting pretty hard. It took 3-4 hits with a 14 oz hammer to get them to this point. One hit barely squished the nose.

324053324054

[HI-TEK]

It’s been about 1.5-2 years since I cast and coated these. I cast some 10 mm during the same session and they don’t look oxidized yet. I will throw them in some muratic acid for a while and see what I get. I smashed a few more 9 mm from the same casting and coating session and they didn’t seem to lose as much coating as the first ones I smashed. They don’t seem to have lost any coating on the hammer or the concrete surface that they smashed on. They lost the coating where the bullet squished and folded. They were getting pretty hard. It took 3-4 hits with a 14 oz hammer to get them to this point. One hit barely squished the nose.

324053324054

Just a couple of things...
I have forgotten to ask,, what was the increase in thickness of casts after coating them? How many coats were used? From some of the photos, it seems to give the impression that coatings are quite thick. I am wondering if coating thickness may have been a contributing factor for the cracking and splintering. Two coats usually is about 1.5 thou. and that easily passes smash tests even after a long time. Just curious...

[flybyjohn]

I think it was 3 thin coats. You could still see the lead after first coat and two more coats of the same thickness. Some of the sized bullets you can see some lead through the coating like it is slightly transparent.

I will cast some more up in the next few days and try just two thin coats.

9mm is the only caliber I ever have problems with leading. 40 ,10,and45 never have any leading problems with coating applied same process.

[HI-TEK]

I think it was 3 thin coats. You could still see the lead after first coat and two more coats of the same thickness. Some of the sized bullets you can see some lead through the coating like it is slightly transparent.

I will cast some more up in the next few days and try just two thin coats.

9mm is the only caliber I ever have problems with leading. 40 ,10,and45 never have any leading problems with coating applied same process.


If you are using same alloy, after casting, please acid treat before coating and after you had dried it well after acid bath.
I am also thinking that if you only have problems with to 9mm and all other calibers are OK, I am continuing to suspect your alloy is not adequate for that use.
Depending on the coating selected, some cover better with a single coat than another color will. I am not surprised that using one coat you may see the alloy through a thin first coat.
The Black K-15 coats and covers alloy extremely well with first coat using a very thin coating. It is almost impossible to see alloy after first coat. The color you are using on failed casts are appearing to be the Gold 1035. It is metallic in appearance and will highlight the alloy with the one coating film.

[smlekid]

HI-TEK I found a new use for your Aqualube today works fantastic on the sizer ring on a 12 gauge reloading press. You can really tell the difference in effort to size the steel headed cartridges

[HI-TEK]

HI-TEK I found a new use for your Aqualube today works fantastic on the sizer ring on a 12 gauge reloading press. You can really tell the difference in effort to size the steel headed cartridges

That is great. How did you think about that use? The best thing with Aqualube is that it is a dry non contaminating lubricant, and works well with smallest film. I would love to see what you did as I am not familiar with shotgun loading presses. Never had the opportunity to see one in action. I dont know if you saw the test results done quite a while ago, when the coatings and Aqualube were used and the pressure force needed to push through with sizing. Results were amazing as with coating and Aqualubed casts needed 50% less force to push through sizer. The guy doing the testing plotted the pressures to do comparisons. He did quite a few, and what became obvious is that the force pressure required became very even and consistent. This was rationalized as being very good for reproducible accuracy, as all finished sized casts had almost exactly same force required to push through.

[smlekid]

Well I was thinking if it worked for sizing boolits maybe it would help with sizing 12g cases. Most cases these days use a brass or Nickel coated steel case head (the premium cases still use real brass and require very little effort to size). The sizing die is just a hardened steel ring the swages the case head back to size on my press the ring can be unscrewed. I removed it thinking I might be able to put a bit if a chamfer on it to help align the cartridge. I grabbed the aqualube and a cotton bud used it straight out if the bottle let it dry and well it fixed the issue I had
It's a bit hard to see in the picture but the case on the left was done before using the Aqualube the right hand side is after. The sizing ring I just put the Aqualube on the shiny part this has probably done around 200 cases

325244325245

[HI-TEK]

Well I was thinking if it worked for sizing boolits maybe it would help with sizing 12g cases. Most cases these days use a brass or Nickel coated steel case head (the premium cases still use real brass and require very little effort to size). The sizing die is just a hardened steel ring the swages the case head back to size on my press the ring can be unscrewed. I removed it thinking I might be able to put a bit if a chamfer on it to help align the cartridge. I grabbed the aqualube and a cotton bud used it straight out if the bottle let it dry and well it fixed the issue I had
It's a bit hard to see in the picture but the case on the right was done before using the Aqualube the right hand side is after. The sizing ring I just put the Aqualube on the shiny part this has probably done around 200 cases

325244325245

That is pretty clever thinking.
In the past I used to get a lot of questions about the effects it has with Powder load, same with the cured coating. Once these products are used dried and or baked, they have no reactivity , especially with Aqualube, the dry film will not react to any other cleaner, or synthetics or chemicals or powder.

[Ausglock]

Well I was thinking if it worked for sizing boolits maybe it would help with sizing 12g cases. Most cases these days use a brass or Nickel coated steel case head (the premium cases still use real brass and require very little effort to size). The sizing die is just a hardened steel ring the swages the case head back to size on my press the ring can be unscrewed. I removed it thinking I might be able to put a bit if a chamfer on it to help align the cartridge. I grabbed the aqualube and a cotton bud used it straight out if the bottle let it dry and well it fixed the issue I had
It's a bit hard to see in the picture but the case on the left was done before using the Aqualube the right hand side is after. The sizing ring I just put the Aqualube on the shiny part this has probably done around 200 cases

325244325245

I've been doing this for years with my 12ga loads. Just never thought to mention it.
The Lee sizing ring. I now is a MEC collet Sizer press.

[Avenger442]

Joe
There is a mention of your coating in the Hodgdon 2024 Annual Manual Reloading page 32. Article contains range data. Which was, of course , of interest to me.

[DDriller]

I tried the Aqualube on my squeaking door hinge on my pickup. Nothing I have tried has lasted over a day or two. Two weeks after using the Aqualube and still no squeaking. I wish there was some way to get information out to the world how good this stuff really is.

[HI-TEK]

Joe
There is a mention of your coating in the Hodgdon 2024 Annual Manual Reloading page 32. Article contains range data. Which was, of course , of interest to me.

Thanks Avenger
I cant get to that mention. Do you have a copy or can you please post the relevant page and details?
Thanks much

[HI-TEK]

I tried the Aqualube on my squeaking door hinge on my pickup. Nothing I have tried has lasted over a day or two. Two weeks after using the Aqualube and still no squeaking. I wish there was some way to get information out to the world how good this stuff really is.

Thank you for posting your finding on Aqualube.
The problem we have is, that even if everyone knew that the stuff works, ( being able to dry lubricating virtually any two surfaces) it is a difficult marketing and distribution barrier. The other considerations is, that so little is required to get maximum results, so selling retail packs becomes a packaging and concentration selection problem.
The concentrate as supplied, a 50 ml of the concentrate makes about 2.5 to 3.0 liters of ready to use lubricant, possibly more in some other end use applications, and it is difficult for home users to be able to apply and use up such large amount of lubricant on surfaces. Using the concentrate as is , will work well, however the excess residue of product is wasted, as excess is simply wiped off... For years, this product was used in aerosols as a very diluted spray, sold as a dry film spray lubricant. The aerosol was expensive, so retail market was limited. Product has been used as a diluted mixture on Automotive rubber seals on doors to stop squeaking and sticking as well as repelling dirt, but downside is, that residue does leave a whitish film on the rubber surfaces. Many, many years ago, the product was used in car steering columns to stop squeak of metal to plastic as drivers were turning the steering wheel. The plastic bushes were eventually replaced with a self-lubricating plastic that solved the steering squeak. As you indicated, the product is very good but has limitations in retail market.

[Avenger442]

Joe
It is in, as I said Hodgdon 2024 Annual Manual Reloading. I'm sure it is copyright protected so you would have to get permission to use. I'm going to have to email it site will not take it.

[HI-TEK]

Joe
It is in, as I said Hodgdon 2024 Annual Manual Reloading. I'm sure it is copyright protected so you would have to get permission to use. I'm going to have to email it site will not take it.

Hello Avenger
thank you for sending me the Hodgson 2024 Annual Manual Reloading article.
Great reading and very informative article.
They have done some good work, and the report is good reading as it compares various projectiles with results obtained.
Thank you for your consideration with sending me this article. Joe