What powder not to use

[kirb]

I have been told some powders are hard on barrels is this true and what powders would not be used. Newb to coating I bought powders from a auction wonder if I should use them mostly Eastwood and Sherman Williams

Kirb

[6622729]

I have the same question. I am using Eastwood powders. Are there any known to avoid due to potential abrasiveness?

[RP]

Only report I have heard or read was the habor freight flat black I do not know if it was proven just reports.

[tankgunner59]

I have used the HF yellow and red with no problems. I was told HF black doesn't cover weel enough to use with the shake and bake method, so I never bought it.

[gnappi]

I bought a couple of "grab bag" assortments from many makers and so far have not had any issues with any of them at the pistol velocities I'm running them at. All pass the mallet test after water quenching and sizing. I'm loading near or at the top end of published data tables.

[Conditor22]

I'd stick with the polyesters and polyurethanes and stay away from the epoxies.

Not sure how damaging (if at all) the metallics in some of the powders with metal flakes are, the ones in HiTek aren't a problem.

[gpidaho]

I couldn't say about any barrel damage, never heard of any but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I've used a lot of Eastwood powder with complete satisfaction. I've never used the S-W powders but have heard bad reports on it as to coverage. One needs to remember that our "shake and bake" is just a hillbilly work around that just happens to work for our purpose. Powders were all designed to be applied with an electrostatic gun and most if not all on the market will work if applied in that manner according to instructions. I have used up a pound of Harbor Freight flat black and it makes a wicked looking bullet (wish I could find more) but that's one that MUST be applied with the gun. Gp

[6622729]

I'd stick with the polyesters and polyurethanes and stay away from the epoxies.

Not sure how damaging (if at all) the metallics in some of the powders with metal flakes are, the ones in HiTek aren't a problem.

There are epoxy powders for powder coating?

[gnappi]

I'd stick with the polyesters and polyurethanes and stay away from the epoxies.

Not sure how damaging (if at all) the metallics in some of the powders with metal flakes are, the ones in HiTek aren't a problem.

Thanks, that's an interesting observation. I don't know if I'd like to be running little bits of steel wool up my bore. Good thing I'm not attracted to metallics :-)

[RogerDat]

The question would be are the metallic flakes harder than the barrel. I suppose one could expect some difference in wear between hard PC and say alox lube but I would suspect the extra work to clean the bore after shooting with alox using a brass bore brush would be enough to offset that difference.

I would think there would be even more cleaning required in some of our hotter loads. I tend to load mild but was under the impression above a certain point some minor leading was to be expected.

I should live so long as to wear out barrels with .38 SWC plinking rounds! I guess if I was loading and shooting for competition where the number of rounds was greater.... still with the number of members that do exactly that if there was an obvious problem people would have reported it so we could all argue about it :-)

[dbosman]

Most of the "flakes" in powder coat are plastics.

[blikseme300]

There are epoxy powders for powder coating?

Yes, there are a number of powder types. Polyester, urethane and epoxy are quite common. There are hybrids as well depending upon the use requirement. This is quite a complex subject and worth the research if you are interested in high velocity rifle applications.

[oconeedan]

Yes, there are a number of powder types. Polyester, urethane and epoxy are quite common. There are hybrids as well depending upon the use requirement. This is quite a complex subject and worth the research if you are interested in high velocity rifle applications.

Is there any way to tell , or any test, that will reveal the type of pc an unknown powder is? Obviously, you can simply see if it coats well in tests. But beyond that, can you tell weather it is polyester, urethane, or ??

[blikseme300]

Is there any way to tell , or any test, that will reveal the type of pc an unknown powder is? Obviously, you can simply see if it coats well in tests. But beyond that, can you tell weather it is polyester, urethane, or ??

Short answer is no. I own a custom coating business and have access to a fair selection of powders and I have tried to figure this out but without the MDS it is a guess at best. Personally I prefer the clear polyester based powders as it seems that some pigments and gloss modifiers affect the suitability for use in rifles as they easily coat too thickly and the nose diameters can get too large for chambering. I use a ES gun for coating. I source all of my powder from Prismatic powders btw.

[fredj338]

I think the abrasive rumor is probably overdone. Still, I would avoid metallic powders. I have had good results with Eastwood gloss powders & anything from Smoke.