New PC'er getting started.

...starting with more reading to do. After about 3 years of sitting on this fence, I "get it". I have accumulated some of the basics:

cheap Thrift Store Toaster Oven (the heart of this effort)
1/4" grid galvanized hardware cloth (from another application), which isn't really 1/4" grid or was poorly Quality checked as it was spot welded
plastic tweezers for handling the boolits
4 to 5 thousand 223 boolits of 49-49-2 Pb-WW-Sn
and..."The Itch" to try PC

I will shortly obtain:

a Teflon mat to line the baking pan
some powder coating paint (Smoke's maybe)
a Cool Whip container for Shake and Bake
some Air Soft BB's from my boys

Question:

If the boolits, about 12-13 BHN, are baked for 20 minutes at (say) 425*F, will they not also be "heat treated" (to a degree) and harden over the coming days by this process?

From the Glen Fryxell and Robert Applegate book:
https://i.postimg.cc/2yMJVDp0/BHN-and-Heat-Treating.jpg

I'm a PC newbie, too, and have already coated hundreds of .45-70 bullets in the 346-420 grain weight range and a 20:1 or 30:1 lead:tin alloy. I use Eastwood Ford Light Blue and Full Gloss Clear powders. A <type 5> plastic container does the static bonding inside of 30 seconds, nothing but powder and bullets in the bowl. I wear a surgical glove that gets the finger tips powdered in order to pluck out the bullets and stand them base down on a sheet of silicone or anti-stick foil. The B&D toaster oven is preheated to 400F for 10 minutes, the cookies go in at 400F for 20 minutes. PCBs are left to air cool. A PCB is sacrificed to the hammer test god. A lee .457 sizing die that I opened to .459 sizes all the PCBs nicely. Ready to load these perfect projectiles for flying 50 to 300 yards quite nicely, and they group together so well. This whole process for 100 bullets takes less than an hour. Good luck, have fun!

You'll prolly do better if you water quench them from the casting and again quench from the PC oven.

Check out 'TATV's' video, he did a good job of testing each way of doing it...it's only 4 minutes, what you got to loose?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fbjs-lErL0

https://i.imgur.com/EYCQF4M.jpg

You might consider one of these silicone hot pot mats...

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

or ice cube trays for your convection oven?

https://i.imgur.com/GL7t4ra.jpg

You can find the holes in the ice cube trays in several sizes . . .

Those silicon hot pot mats look very promising. I have discovered no "good way", so far, to stand the tiny 0.225" pills (straight from the mold) on their individual bases while they bake. From the video results, I am already Air Cooled, so I will Quench following PC.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...its-for-baking

Not everything is equal in powder coating.

Powder Coating creates a Polymer coating/shell around the cast boolit
.....a) it helps protect the boolit from the barrel
.....b) it works as a lubricant between the boolit and the barrel
.....c) it protects the user (and user's kids) from the lead

Different atmospheric conditions can limit static or dampen the powder.

1) the powder must be kept dry ----I use double zipper bags in the NW where we get a lot of rain, store my powder in a garage with a gas furnace and WH
2) the boolits must be kept clean --- IF I'm not coating the boolits right away I put them in plastic zipper bags --- NEVER QUENCH before PCing!!!
.....a) baking the boolits will take most of the hardness you gain by quenching out of the boolit
.....b) quenching is a good way to contaminate the boolits so the PC won't stick well
.....c) quenching after PCing gives good results
.....d) touching the boolit with oily hands can/will affect the coating --- wear nitrile/plastic gloves or use a clean spoon or ? to move the boolits

https://i.imgur.com/uclR2g1.png

PC can be dried out in an oven KEEP the temperature below 150° F (leaving the container open in an airconditioned room works) IF the PC is lumpy after drying it will quickly become powder again when you start swirl/shaking [I Rarely ever shake the container when PCing -- the containers don't last long when I do and just swirling gives me good results

3) the oven temperature must be checked with an oven thermometer (or 2) and the dial adjusted to where the thermometers read 400°
.....a) the oven temperatures will change with the surrounding air temperature due to location and type of sensor they use
.....b) toaster ovens work but only for smaller loads and have a tendency to have hot spots (some of the boolits can/will melt)
.....c) conventions ovens have been proven best because they have a circulating and the evenly heats all the boolits ---you can safely bake full trays of boolits

4) If the air/atmosphere is really damp you may need to pre-warm the boolits --- I use an oven set at 150° F or you can set a pan of boolits on to of your hot oven
.....a) the boolits must not be hotter than you can comfortably touch with bare hands or you can get PC clumping-- starting to cure

5) not all PC needs BB's/poly pellets to work --- this is a trial and error thing

6) polyester (usually TGIC) PC works best for me, I get better results with higher gloss powders

7) white/light colors generally don't cover well but adding a little of another color usually helps

8) COATING BOOLITS:
.....A) BOWLS
..........1) coating bowls/containers need to be plastic #5 or plastic #2
..........2) larger diameter bowls allow you to swirl/build up static faster thus cool whip bowls do such a good job
..........3) lids: if the bowl doesn't have a screw-on lid make sure you hang onto it or the lid will come open
.....B)STATIC BUILDING MEDIA: Normally cover the bottom of small bowls with 2 layers large bowls with 1 layer
..........1) ASBB (Air Soft BB's) black BB's are proven to work I've found camouflaged BB's that work also. It has to do with the hardness, what the BB's are made out of as to how well they help build static. even nonstatic building BB's will help even out the coating
..........2) Poly pellets normally black or white, haven't found any poly pellets that didn't help
.....C) Boolits:
..........1) use a minimum of 12-15 boolits -- enough to build up static
..........2) maximum no more than 2-3 layers deep in your bowl
.....D) Powder: This will vary on bowl size and number of boolits being coated
..........1)Ziploc Twist 'n Loc, after the BB's are coated, no more than 1 teaspoon per batch see how much PC is left in the bottom of the bowl after coating.
..........2) Cool Whip after the BB's are coated 1-2 teaspoons per batch see how much PC is left in the bottom of the bowl after coating.
..........3) Too much PC will prevent good static build-up
..........4) Too little PC will result in thin/spotty coating --- it's easy to add a little more and swirl a little longer
.....E) blending/mixing different PC is not like dealing with paint, white and black don't always make grey more often you get spotted/splotchy boolits
a) blending/mixing a little good PC with a bad PC often makes the bad PC work
b) blending/mixing multiple PCs can give you amazing results but the results will change with each batch you coat
c) some powders stick faster/better than others, the blend color will be heavier with that color to begin with then taper of when the color is used up in the bowl
.....F) SWIRLING: Screw or hold the lid tight and swirl the bowl holding it flat to verticle and back to flat, continue until all boolit are coated
.....G) preparing coated boolits:
..........1) REMOVE ALL EXCESS POWDER
.................a) Sift PC/boolits/BB's in a colander with something to catch the BB's and powder when they fall through the colander removing all excess PC
........................1) after all the PC/BB's are sifted off pick up the boolits with tweezers or fingers wearing surgical gloves (dipped in pc first to prevent sticking)
.................b) Pick up- dump PC'd boolits in a tray or? pick them up with tweezers, tap the tweezer on the side of a container to remove all excess PC
.....H) preparing to bake: Use a pan lined with non-stick paper/foil/bake mats or screen (1/4 hardware cloth)/wire basket (office supply)
..........a) stand short fat boolits up on their bases using finger or tweezer method
..........b) place taller boolits in silicone ice cube trays or use a metal grid to keep them from falling over
..........c) Dump method dump the sifted boolits in screen (1/4 hardware cloth)/wire basket (office supply) [this doesn't work well with all PC's you can get bad sticking
9) Baking PC the manufacturer states Bake for XX minutes at XXX° AFTER this condition exists
.....a) bake for XX minutes AFTER the boolits have reached XXX°
.....b) bake for XX minutes AFTER the PC starts to flow on the boolits
.....c) PC will look good after it flows and may pass the smash test BUT unless bakes to factory specifications IT IS NOT FULLY CURED
*****I have found that baking the coated boolits in an oven preheated to 400° for 25 minutes meets or exceeds all manufacturers requirements*****

10) Testing PC for adhesion/sticking using a smooth-faced hammer
.....a) flatten the PC'd cool boolit to 1/2 its original height seeing if any PC cracks or flakes off
.....b) hammer the PC'd cool boolit into a cube seeing if any PC cracks or flakes off
.....c) just because the PC passes the hammer test doesn't mean its fully cured, just that it is sticking well

11 SIZING
.....a) PC'd usually boolits size easily; if not, a little spray case lube can be used
.....b) IF PC is scraped off when sizing polish the entrance to your sizing die
..........1) with fine sandpaper made into a cone with the grit on the outside
..........2) with a Dremel tool, a felt boolit shaped polisher and some fine polishing compound --- I like Flitz
.....c)*** I like running a felt polisher in the sizing die for a few seconds to smooth the machine marks and make sizing easier
12 LOADING:
.....a) PC is normally loaded to regular cast boolit loads
.....b) GC usually aren't needed with PC's boolits until you reach 1600 - 2100 fps depending on the gun, powder, and boolit
.....c) PC'd boolits can work with a softer alloy and be pushed faster/harder than regular lubed boolits

***I like using different colored boolits to designate different diameters or powder charges***

Thank you Conditor22. I saw this, copied, took some editorial "license" in my copy, credited you and the link from which it came, and made it a part of my digital log. I have read it and reread it and reread it. I get it. I have to put it into practice.

The expendable material is awaiting purchase. I have not decided which...Zombie Green, Fire Engine Red, Black Nugget, or a Shade of Blue (my names not Mfg's). Does Smokes have a web site or is it strictly via PM?

The hardware is ready. I spent this evening making trays for my toaster oven that will immediately work (I hope) when I get the powder to coat these tiny pills. The Mfg's of hardware cloth do not have much of a tolerance in the spacing of their wires when spot welding. The "grid" of the 1/4" cloth is totally inconsistent. Some boolits fit base first. Some will have to go nose first. Some will get gas checks. Some won't.


https://i.postimg.cc/k4gZmCDV/PC-Tray-1.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/zfjM6vDZ/PC-Tray-2.jpg

Doing a Happy dance. PC materials from Smoke arrived today. Silicon tray liner or non-stick foil is all I lack...that and experience, which in this endeavor is OJT.

you can use parchment paper until you get the silicon or non-stick aluminum foil

FYI you can use pistol brass on it's side to help support the wire mesh

Parchment paper, like silicon or non-stick foil, means a trip to the store, which I've got scheduled for today. One way or another I'll have three choices. One of the choices has GOT to be available locally. I should be IN THE GAME this afternoon, making powder coated boolits in 223 caliber.

The bend in the wire mesh is ON PURPOSE, to get the height of the mesh "just right" so the 223 boolits on their bases don't slump over, except the nose riders can't be helped.

The use of a brass case for support, or two or three, is received and acknowledged. Thank you for that recommendation. I didn't notice the mesh change position the first time it was heated without boolits. The wire mesh could change its height with heat as it expands. In that case, the brass cases as support become a requirement - IDK yet.

It was a Good Day yesterday. I found all three tray liner types, parchment paper, non-stick foil, and silicon. I purchased the silicon. They were 4 sheets (11-something inches by 15-something inches) for under $10. I cut those to fit my six trays, keeping waste to a bare minimum (less than 2%), and still have 2 & 2/3 sheets for future trays.

I "learned" a bit about PC'ing, got past the "impossible" part, i.e. moved from fence sitting inertia to actually doing it, and made my first batches (teaser - pics later today). I LIKED IT!

I used a multitude of combined technologies.
1.) Smoke's recommendations (PC supplier);
2.) an empty, screw capped, 1 pound capacity, plastic #2, powder bottle;
3.) a vibratory polisher for shaking;
4.) steps One through Nine of Conditor22's "Twelve Step Program" above, and
5.) Smoke's OD GREEN. I have a fascination with the color. It's appealing and leaves no doubt about coating imperfections. I am certain Jet Black, Traffic Purple, NC Blue, etc., will be as brutally honest.
6.) water quenched.

It got late. I got tired. Pictures later today. I have to complete Conditor22's steps Ten through Twelve, then off to the range this week, following the rain...

Boolits were GC'd, pre-sized to 0.225" and came out PC'd between 0.2265" and 0.2270" diameter (Digital Micrometer). That'll be a good fit in my barrels I think. With no Lee Expander Die, I hope the coating is not scraped off when loading cases. If so, the Die is available and I will have to wait its arrival and use prior to the range.

On another note, I am going to try some boolits PC'd without GC's. GC's are the most expensive part of this endeavor.

Pic as promised with a mix of 22 Bator, 22-55-SP, and Lee and Mihec 38Spc/357 Mag:

https://i.postimg.cc/KY4zyK6S/Zombie-Killers-2.jpg

Two points I find very important. First, keep the boolits free of contamination. It’s best not to touch them with bare fingers and if water quenching, make sure there are no contaminants in the water. Second, make sure you keep your powder extremely dry. Store in double plastic bags that you can force all the excess air out of. Silica gel packs can be added too. If you live in a desert climate, it’s probably not a big deal, but if your humidity rises at times, be sure to protect your powder from it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Land Owner

Pic as promised with a mix of 22 Bator, 22-55-SP, and Lee and Mihec 38Spc/357 Mag:

https://i.postimg.cc/KY4zyK6S/Zombie-Killers-2.jpg

---

Zombie killer. That's my line lolhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b501209146.jpg

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

It seemed like an appropriate tag line, particularly for that mess of 22 cal. boolits, most needing a good powder coat, and a job ahead of me to coat them ALL in an assortment of colors.

I loaded two and a half dozen last night to jacketed bullet powder specifications with Win 748. I'll shoot them at the range this week, when it stops raining.