How to do the base of bullets

[fiatdad]

I decided to try to do powder coating, but have a few questions.
Do the bases need covered ? and how is it done?
Will pc stick to the bullets if they are just tumbled? and what is wet tumbled?
I picked up a HF gun at an auction and it has HF black powder.
Thanks
Nick

[oley55]

never used/tried an ES gun and am more than happy doing shake n bake with a quality powder from Smoke4320 in swap n sell. Many just dump in a pile and bake but I always stand mine up. I find the 20-25 minute bake time is how long it takes to stand up a full tray of bullets, so zero time lost or wasted. The bases get coated during the shake application and the bases get cooked and remain covered during the bake process on silicone mats.

If you are after some of the super cool colored/painted or long pointy rifle bullets ES application may be appropriate. I highly doubt your cheap HF powder will work well tumbling. Never tried wet application of PC powder but have seen plenty of posts suggesting it doesn't work well.

[GregLaROCHE]

You will probably have to coat the bases and then stand them up and stand them up to coat the rest.

[Hootmix]

Try spraying vht ( i use the black) spray paint on your tray (or whatever you use) a few minutes before standing your bullets, (have bullets coated) it will coat the bottom's. As said, the bottoms will get coated w/ your powder, "HI MARKS" for Smoke4320 powder.

coffee's ready, Hootmix.

[Finster101]

Depends on the caliber. Anything but magnum pistol boolits just get stood up on a foil sheet in a pan and sprayed. I don't worry about the base. Magnum caliber pistol and subsonic rifle get shake and bake so the base is coated. Supersonic rifle gets whichever I feel like doing because I prefer to gas check the after PC. That HF black powder you have will work fine in the ES gun but does not tumble well, for that I would recommend getting some from Smoke a vender on this forum.

[Walter Laich]

shake and bake here: bottoms get coated that way

[Net]

I also 'shake and bake' and I get a good coating on the bottom. (dry tumble, no beads)

[Krh1326]

Guys, I’m working on a little project.
I had been using Eastwood PC, and both copper bbs and air soft bbs, in the 4” diameter Ziploc screw lid containers. Some colors worked nice, some… do not. Shake and swirl, shake and swirl.

I bought the smaller tumbler, from HF. I cut a 12” diameter circle of plywood, drilled a 1/4” hole in its center, then used 4” hole saw, to make 4 holes in the plywood disk. I removed the bowl from tumbler, then installed the disk, on the shaft that held the bowl and lid. Those ziploc containers fit firmly into the 4” holes. Load up containers, whatever colors I want, turn it on, walk away.
My coating is 100% better and quicker now. No tired arms, lol, and no baggies to mess with.

304157

[Wheelguns 1961]

I am not sure about HF black. There is a rumor circulating that it contains an abrasive that will tear up a barrel.

[Hootmix]

Krh1326, cool ideal, like thinking ideals. Keep "thinking".

coffee's ready, Hootmix.

[oley55]

Guys, I’m working on a little project.
I had been using Eastwood PC, and both copper bbs and air soft bbs, in the 4” diameter Ziploc screw lid containers. Some colors worked nice, some… do not. Shake and swirl, shake and swirl.

I bought the smaller tumbler, from HF. I cut a 12” diameter circle of plywood, drilled a 1/4” hole in its center, then used 4” hole saw, to make 4 holes in the plywood disk. I removed the bowl from tumbler, then installed the disk, on the shaft that held the bowl and lid. Those ziploc containers fit firmly into the 4” holes. Load up containers, whatever colors I want, turn it on, walk away.
My coating is 100% better and quicker now. No tired arms, lol, and no baggies to mess with.

304157

interesting idea. I have been trying to come up with a method of doing large batches that don't waste powder. My saltwater marsh, high humidity unconditioned garage seems to mess up any leftover powder. No matter how I store it the next time I get around to doing another batch it just isn't as nice as when first used it. I am always conscious of the humidity factor and I quickly seal up the leftover powder the moment I am done sifting, but it's never the same and will usually result in a somewhat lumpy or blotchy finish.

[fiatdad]

Doesn't
the powder coat make the base to large to set the gas check?

[rosewood]

Doesn't
the powder coat make the base to large to set the gas check?

I myself have never powder coated a gas check boolit. Not sure. I have continued tumble lube the gas checked boolits and powder coat the plain base boolits.

Rosewood

[rosewood]

The bases get coated during the shake application and the bases get cooked and remain covered during the bake process on silicone mats.

Tell me about this silicone mat. Never used one, but sounds like a good idea, where can I get one?

Thanks,

Rosewood

[Net]

I use a silicone cooking mat (aka silicone baking mat) that I cut to fit on my tray. I got mine from the big box store in the home-good section. IMO, it works much better than non stick foil.

[Finster101]

I am not sure about HF black. There is a rumor circulating that it contains an abrasive that will tear up a barrel.

I have shot two jars of it that I purchased when I got the ES gun. I did not notice any detriment to my guns. I did not buy more when it ran out only because it does not do shake and bake very well.

[Finster101]

Doesn't
the powder coat make the base to large to set the gas check?

I have not run in to that issue.

[oley55]

Tell me about this silicone mat. Never used one, but sounds like a good idea, where can I get one?

Thanks,

Rosewood

https://www.amazon.com/silicone-baking-mat/s?k=silicone+baking+mat IMO it doesn't make much difference which and buying expensive is just a waste. I came across some really cheapo black silicone mats and they work just as well as some other more expensive ones and after a few years they show no signs of failing. Cut them to fit your basket/tray. On occasion I wipe mine down with acetone to clean off old baked on powder with no harm to the mats.

[rosewood]

Looks like some mats are smooth and some have a grain to them. Does that grain end up on the boolit?

Thanks!

[Rapier]

Just make a C formed needle nose pliers, so you can pick up the coated bullets.
Make a 1/4" hardware cloth box, cut corners in, about 1", thread corner together with with stainless wire, turn the box upside down, round the holes with a round steel punch. Put the powder and air soft BBs in a wide mouth, sealable, jug, so you can reach into the jug and pick out the bullets by the ojive. Set the bullets nose down in the holes in the hardware cloth, no gas checks. Bake ast 400 for 20 minutes, allow to cool, size to groove diameter, using case lube. I use a PC double coat to do 2,500-2,600 fps. in ARs without fouling.

[oley55]

Looks like some mats are smooth and some have a grain to them. Does that grain end up on the boolit?

Thanks!

yes, but the impression is very subtle.

[charlie b]

Doesn't
the powder coat make the base to large to set the gas check?

Depends on the mold. My Lee molds are such that you can apply gas checks before or after PC. The Accurate and NOE molds I have will not allow a gas check to seat after PC. I have to apply the GC first, then PC.

For rifle bullets (I only do 1-300 at a time) I cast, seat GC, size, nose size, PC, size and nose size again. And, I wipe the powder off the base of the bullet before I put it on the bake tray.

[fiatdad]

How do you nose size? It makes sense with PC.

[charlie b]

NOE makes a nice bushing type sizing setup. They have specific bushings for nose sizing (very little taper). Push bullet into die, use the punch to push it back out.

For my .308 (land dia at throat is .302) I initially nose size to .299. After PC I size to .302. I ordered my mold from Accurate with a nose dia of no more than .301.

[mehavey]

Doesn't the powder coat make the base to large to set the gas check?It "can."
Depends on Bullet and its GC diameter.
When it does, I just "set" the GC first* before shaking PC onto it.
No big deal.



* Using either Lyman 450 short-stroke, or the Lee pushthrough

It

[Tripplebeards]

I use a smooth silicone baking sheet. I tumble PC. I stand my boolits up and the bottoms look great…accept for the residual PC that was stuck to the mat previously. You can see the color flakes from a previous bake on the bottoms of my purple boolits…

https://i.imgur.com/M8Osu8p.jpg


The good part is that 99.9% of the different colored residual PC comes off when pushed through my lee sizer. The pressure of pushing it through makes it come off. The sizing also smooths out like glass my uneven build up of mixed PC colors.

[Dinny]

I tumble mine in a plastic container with only powder in the container (no BBs). Then I pour the powder/bullet mix into a 6x9 powdercoated drawer organizer from BB&B. I pour over a larger plastic sherbet bucket so I can catch and reuse the powder. Then I transfer the bullets to another drawer organizer and I place them all in the oven. Not once have I stood a bullet up or used a a silicon mat. The bullets stick together sometimes but they come apart easily and any hickies come off the sides during sizing. Another benefit of this method is that while I shake the powder off of them the coating seems to thin a bit. With a good powder that "flows" when it bakes this provides no challenges with seating gas checks after coating.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/squared-away-mesh-drawer-organizer/5598035?keyword=drawer-organizer

[technojock]

Dinny, it's nice to run into you again. I used up all those bullets you coated for me and I'm hoping to be set up to do my own powder coating soon...

Tony

[Dinny]

Dinny, it's nice to run into you again. I used up all those bullets you coated for me and I'm hoping to be set up to do my own powder coating soon...

Tony

Tony,
IIRC, that was back around 2013/2014. My process has improved greatly. I turn out some really good PC bullets nowadays.

All the best,

Adam

[dogmower]

HF black will only work with the gun, will not "shake and bake".
Shake and bake coats the bottoms also.
I size and seat the GC first, then coat, then re-size if needed.
BTW the "Shake and Bake" coats the best and allows use of different powders, but Eastwood light blue and Smokes blues seem to work best. It's also the only exercise I get, so don't mind it. :p

[popper]

HF black powder -- dump it in the trash. It will work when spraying but is abrasive. Won't tumble lube. I sprayed nose down for rifle or pistol (FP) and made a rig for rifle stuff. Put the GC on first. Wet tumbling (h20) is a no-go. I changed to shake and bake with smokes powder- red. His clear is supposed to be great. Sprayer is gathering dust. No way you can keep the powder off EVERYTHING. I use a hot plate to cook and a Yoshi copperized mat which has lasted for 3 yrs. I use a 45cal ammo plastic block with the bottom sanded off as a 'guide' for setting to cook. Steel plate and yoshi, drop rifle bullets into the 'block', move to hot plate, remove block. Place a cooking plastic dish (from her) over the top, cook and done. Dish isn't really needed unless it's cold out.

[BC17A]

I pop riveted 22lr cases to several baking pans so I could set the boolits on them for ES spraying. The base doesn't get completely PC'd but it wraps around the corner enough to protect it. I've made several small ones to use in the toaster oven, and a few large ones for my big oven. Definitely not for someone with shaky hands but they've been working great for me for thousands of boolits.

304427304428

[technojock]

Tony,
IIRC, that was back around 2013/2014. My process has improved greatly. I turn out some really good PC bullets nowadays.

All the best,

Adam

Wow, has it really been that long. I've been dealing with a lot of pain from the bike cashes I was in many years ago and I've just recently been able to get my doctors to take me seriously. I've only been able to get out shooting when I have someone with me that is willing to set up the targets. However the future is looking a bit brighter...

Tony

[renoce]

I place mine on a small pan that fits in the toaster oven that I dedicated to cooking my coated bullets. The bottoms coat well and it seems to stay on very well. I also made a wire basket out of stiff hardware cloth, which is a heavy wire mesh, It allows good flow of the heat, but sometimes I can not place as many bullets on it compared to the pan. It also depends on the caliber.

[rosewood]

I tumble mine in a plastic container with only powder in the container (no BBs). Then I pour the powder/bullet mix into a 6x9 powdercoated drawer organizer from BB&B. I pour over a larger plastic sherbet bucket so I can catch and reuse the powder. Then I transfer the bullets to another drawer organizer and I place them all in the oven. Not once have I stood a bullet up or used a a silicon mat. The bullets stick together sometimes but they come apart easily and any hickies come off the sides during sizing. Another benefit of this method is that while I shake the powder off of them the coating seems to thin a bit. With a good powder that "flows" when it bakes this provides no challenges with seating gas checks after coating.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/squared-away-mesh-drawer-organizer/5598035?keyword=drawer-organizer

I was about to ask if anyone didn't bother to stand them up. Then I read your post. I may have to give this a try. This will greatly speed up the process.

Does the mesh screen of your organizer leave a waffle pattern on the side down of each boolit? Have you noticed it affecting accuracy? Or does the sizer hide the mesh?

Rosewood

[dearslayer]

Mine coat well including the bottom and I gently stand them up on parchment paper ( sometimes non-stick foil and sometimes silicone baking sheet) and for some reason the bottoms never come out glossy. They are coated but sometimes it looks like they aren't! How can I fix this or is there anyway to correct it? Is this a bad thing should they not be used if they don't coat the same as the rest of the bullet?

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[dearslayer]

This is what they look like on the bases 304902

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[Shuz]

Doesn't
the powder coat make the base to large to set the gas check?

I haven't found that to be a problem with 3 different 25 cal boolits I powder coat.