First attempt

[ironbrew]

So we did our first attempt at powdercoating. We used Ranch Dog 350's and 460's, and Lee 405's. We discovered that the 405's went through the sizer no problem, but the ranch dogs were tight to say the least. Some of the RD's had to be knocked back out the in hole, and many were smeared (the powder coating was smeared off). The lee's were almost uniformly OK (I guess the 457 vs 459?). It has been an interesting learning experience.

The colours used was Eastwood translucent blue and translucent red.

Did we mess something up?

[bangerjim]

If the cured coating smeared off, you did not cure properly. I have recovered spent rounds in the field that went thru a tree and the powder was still perfectly intact.

Use the hammer test - - - put a coated boolit on a steel plate and, using a HEAVY hammer, pound it into a little cube. The powder should all still be there, if cured properly (time and temp). It will/may crack a bit due to movement of the Pb, but the coating will not flake off or "smear".

Play with your time and temps. check your oven with a GOOD QUALITY oven thermometer. Most cheapo ovens are off as much as 40F from the dial setting. And do not start your timing until the powder turns shiny on the boolits in the oven.

I have found all those fancy translucent and metallic colors many times do not coat as well as good plain colors due to the pigments used. Also, translucent powers are made to go over a base coat.

Good luck.

[Conditor22]

translucent colors are generally ment to be a second coat powder -- but they will work as a first coat they just won't look like they covered that well ( even though they did the clear(ish) shows the lead through it

there are several reasons the PC is comming off when you size them
1) you contaminated the boolits somehow between the time you cast and coated them (like water quenching after casting)
2) you didn't bake the PC long enough, hot enough or both.
a) confirm with a thermometer that your oven is reaching and holding at 400°
b) manufacturer calls for baking cure at a temperature of 400 degrees F for 20 minutes after flow out (after the PC flows) I
would go 30 minutes overall bake time

I size all my 45/70 to .459

what alloy are you using?
what are you sizing to?

sometimes a little spray case lube (lanolin/alcohol) helps

polish the entrace to the sizing die IF you get scraping ( I polish ALL of mine -- makes life easier)

[Conditor22]

bangerjim, hamer testing PC'd boolits doesn't ensure that the boolits are fully cured.

I've had several that passed the hammer test BUT reacted to BE, titegroup powder.

[bangerjim]

The chemical reaction to BE and TG has nothing to do with the power passing the hammer test!!!!!!!

I too have noticed the reaction but all the slugs shoot perfectly, ever after being totally covered with powder on the end....It still burns! If I remember right , I was one of the the 1st one that brought up the subject of TG dissolving the powder on PD'd boolits to this group....way back in 2014.

[ironbrew]

The chemical reaction to BE and TG has nothing to do with the power passing the hammer test!!!!!!!

I too have noticed the reaction but all the slugs shoot perfectly, ever after being totally covered with powder on the end....It still burns! If I remember right , I was one of the the 1st one that brought up the subject of TG dissolving the powder on PD'd boolits to this group....way back in 2014.

Sorry Bangerjim, but you are using way too many acronyms for a newbie... PC I got... but... lost

[ironbrew]

We did water quench after casting. That appeared to be the thing to do from the what I'd read/watched. I can try air cool instead.

The PC may not have been long enough. We left it for 20 minutes, not 20 minutes after flow out

I need to get a better temperature probe. I know I was getting issues with melting bullets (the oven is supposed to be convection, but...) and we turned it down.

Alloy is genuine wheel weightium.

I will polish the sizing die. We did add some lube. I'll try getting a different powder from Eastwood too. I'll post the link from the local distributor and if somebody can give me one or two proven ones? A lot of the ones I've seen don't seem to be available. Like the ford blue is only available as ford light blue. I will soon be needing some black, so preferably one of the black ones? I have to make a cap for my vent stack and I want to coat it the same colour as the roof. Thanks.

https://www.kmstools.com/autobody-11000000/powder-coating-11100000/

[bangerjim]

Sorry Bangerjim, but you are using way too many acronyms for a newbie... PC I got... but... lost

BE is Bull's Eye powder
TG is Tight Group powder

Both are notorious for dissolving and sticking to the base of PC'd boolits. Sticking does nothing to harm performance. I don't have the problems because I ESPC everything - -which means the sit on the base and are not coated unlike the shake-n-bake method.

Store your loaded carts nose up if you are paranoid about those powders sticking to the back-ends of the boolits.

There is a sticky with most of the acronyms we use on a regular basis. You should do a search for it. Good info. And familiarize yourself with the periodic table of elements for all the metals and chemical compounds we use on a regular basis.

Contact Smoke on here. He sells tried and proven powders (by himself!) that REALLY work! I have 4 or 5 of his colors. I never use metallic or translucent powders. I feel the object of PC'ing to me is for boolit performance, lack of smoke, and lack of leading and not a technicolor fashion show.

Good loading!

[ironbrew]

The problem with being out of country is shipping. I'll check with Smoke and see.

[slide]

ironbrew, I noticed you said temp probe. Are you using a thermocouple? You can order a digital thermometer with a thermocouple from amazon pretty cheap. Drill a hole in the base of a coated bullet and secure it with high heat aluminum tape. Put the t-bullet in with the bullets you bake and you will know what your temp is and how long to leave them. (whatever the mfg. reccomends)

[cwlongshot]

Couple things.

Regardless of coating sizing too large a bullet can cause issues.

Whats the actual dia. (Changes with alloy) Also a overly hard and slightly large bullet can be a bear to size.

Also FIRST SIZING in NOE ALWAYS STICK for me. (Unless I lube) Unsure what your sizing in. LEE Utilize a very thin band to size. NOE/ Lyman much much wider.

The RD is a tumble lube design and likely has allot more surface area. I have not had issue, but could be with hard alloy and fat boolit.

As stated above not all Powders are equal. Generally I find when sizing a fat bullet
My pc gets presses "in" and never scrapped off. BUT can be scratched off by burr. This is NOT a detriment or a slight against the PC as its on a LEAD bullet.

Good luck and god bless,

CW

[ironbrew]

Order in to Smoke.

I'll try find a better sizing die.

[45workhorse]

Order in to Smoke.

I'll try find a better sizing die.

You will like his products!