simple Hi-Tek coating

[HI-TEK]

I bought some of the bonded mold release from Hi-Performance Bullet Coatings (formally Bayou Bullets) a couple of months ago. And finally got a chance to try it this week. I have a couple of new aluminum molds for a new rifle I got for Christmas. I coated one of them per directions and started to cast. This mold is not the toughest test for the mold release but they just dropped out of the mold when it was opened. Another fine product from Joe.

A couple of things I noticed when using. One; the powder will not just wipe off with a dry cloth if you get it on something. I'm not saying it is hard to clean up. But you should be careful to not create a mess when mixing. Two; you only need a little on the mold. If you guys are like me you think more will be better, right? Well it doesn't apply in this case. Just like the coating you only need a thin coat. And Trevor's idea of blowing excess off after heating the mold is a good one.

Hello Avenger
thank you for buying the bonded release agent, and am glad that you found it to work.
I had some spilled onto a bench, and I was successful in cleaning it off with soapy water.
The bonding agent will penetrate porous surfaces so cleaning up may be more difficult.
I also got some onto my hands, and with scrubbing was able to remove it soapy water.
As you said, and I have advised, you only need to use the product very sparingly for it to work well and for quite a long time without needing reapplication.
The product is not cheap, but very low cost with the end use amounts being required, as a small amount being needed makes product go a very long way, and works.
The main benefits are that applying minimal amounts simply works, and provides a mirror reproduction of the Mould with the cast,
and also, it does not contaminate casts, and is heat stable to about + 800C .
I do not recommend blowing the dust around. Any excess can be wiped from surfaces to leave almost a stain thickness, which should work.

[HI-TEK]

I splashed some on my orange work shirt when toothbrushing a mold.
3 months now and the stuff is still there... will not wash out...lol

Can I say, the shirt will release you, over and over, as it allows good slip.
A bit sorry for leaving a black stain.
To clean your shirt, try some denatured Alcohol with a little dishwashing liquid. Rub well and rinse.
I don't know for sure if that will work, but no harm with trying. At least. if this does not work, it may make your shirt more an even grey in colour LOL.
Quick question, why did you use a tooth brush. the small paint brush supplied should do the trick.

[HI-TEK]

I spilled some powder on my scale face and am still trying to get it off. I am sure alcohol will clean it just haven't tried not wanting to damage the plastic. Some day when I grow I'll quit being so clumsy.
It is a fabulous product however.

I suggest, you dampen a piece of rag with Denatured Alcohol, wipe plastic surface in non essential area, to see if the alcohol will affect the plastic.
If it seems not to affect plastic, only then, try and clean the area where it is stained.
Thank you for the compliment.

[Ausglock]

Quick question, why did you use a tooth brush. the small paint brush supplied should do the trick.

What would you know???
Your the manufacturer... Nobody reads the instructions until after they use the product and have issues with it.lol

[Avenger442]

Joe
I'm going to ask a question that I think I already know the answer to. What will keep the bonded mold release from bonding? I have some molds that have had various things put on them to lube the sprue plate. Probably should clean every mold before applying by dipping in acetone.

[HI-TEK]

Joe
I'm going to ask a question that I think I already know the answer to. What will keep the bonded mold release from bonding? I have some molds that have had various things put on them to lube the sprue plate. Probably should clean every mold before applying by dipping in acetone.

Avenger
you ask great questions. Firstly there is a non bonded version of the Mold release.
I don't believe that it is stocked in US
The Bonding version requires quite amount of heat to get it to fully bond to metals.
The bonding does require temperatures about 500C for bonding to get to final cure conditions.
I have had reports that users of the bonded version with Cast Lead alloys, was removed by washing with Acetone after extensive casting.
The reason for this was that bonding did not reach the high temperatures required for long enough, to completely set it.
Degreasing mold using Acetone is a good idea.

[DDriller]

I may never get my bonding agent to fully cure since I seldom get over 425C. Still works great in my application. Put the Aqualube 3000 to a test yesterday sizing some Hi-Tek'd bullets down from .344 to .339 also adding gas checks in a single pass. That stuff is simply amazing.
I'll add a picture of my new color I call burnt gold. Got busy doing something and left some in the oven about 40 minutes. Sizing down .005 did not take any coating off.

[HI-TEK]

I may never get my bonding agent to fully cure since I seldom get over 425C. Still works great in my application. Put the Aqualube 3000 to a test yesterday sizing some Hi-Tek'd bullets down from .344 to .339 also adding gas checks in a single pass. That stuff is simply amazing.
I'll add a picture of my new color I call burnt gold. Got busy doing something and left some in the oven about 40 minutes. Sizing down .005 did not take any coating off.

How are you doing DDriiler

The Bonding release agent will start curing around those figures but it will take a quite a while.
I originally made a sort of version , (aerosolized) for releasing molten glass which was at about +1200C.
They heat cured the bonding mold release agent on the Molds at 500C for about 6 hours before using it for Glass release.

With Aqualube, there are figures published by independent testing, demonstrated reduction of loads by at least 50%.
Size reduction of 5 thou should not affect the Hi-Tek coatings and Aqualube should work well as you found.

With over baked coatings, tests was done on the Dark Green and Kryptonite Green where they were baked for many hours, and some for days.
They were almost Black but worked exceptionally well.
You may now have invented a Chocolate colour Hi-Tek.

[DDriller]

How are you doing DDriiler

The Bonding release agent will start curing around those figures but it will take a quite a while.
I originally made a sort of version , (aerosolized) for releasing molten glass which was at about +1200C.
They heat cured the bonding mold release agent on the Molds at 500C for about 6 hours before using it for Glass release.

With Aqualube, there are figures published by independent testing, demonstrated reduction of loads by at least 50%.
Size reduction of 5 thou should not affect the Hi-Tek coatings and Aqualube should work well as you found.

With over baked coatings, tests was done on the Dark Green and Kryptonite Green where they were baked for many hours, and some for days.
They were almost Black but worked exceptionally well.
You may now have invented a Chocolate colour Hi-Tek.

My next batch I will actually use the new powdered Hi-Tek I bought in Zombie Green. I can not tell you enough how much I like your products. Seldom do products seem to work as well as advertised but yours sure do.

Had to over cook the .69 balls to pass the wipe test. I do not really care what color things turn out. They are well coated and that is all that matters to me. The .30 cal Zombie Green bullets turned out great.

[HI-TEK]

Looking through records, I realized that the Hi-Tek coating has been on the market for 30 years.
It is amazing how time flies.

[DDriller]

Looking through records, I realized that the Hi-Tek coating has been on the market for 30 years.
It is amazing how time flies.

Only 729 pages of reading since 2013. If this thread hadn't started I probably would not have heard about this great product.

[Tazza]

Looking through records, I realized that the Hi-Tek coating has been on the market for 30 years.
It is amazing how time flies.

That is a really impressive figure, shame i didn't get introduced to it when i started.

[HI-TEK]

Only 729 pages of reading since 2013. If this thread hadn't started I probably would not have heard about this great product.

With historical matters, the coatings were attempted to be introduced into the US in about 1996/7. It seemed, that the product seemed too radical and with being solvent based at that time, no one was interested in it. From rough recollection, it was an Aussie here, who was talking with US based shooters over a period, where the coatings were discussed.
Many long term discussions and questions, finally got into the blog site. Many had asked how to get the products. Details were posted, then, I was banned as I was breaching rules of the blog site.
Later on, I was allowed to re-join, and the rest is history.

[Avenger442]

So it was available through a dealer here in the US about what year? 2003?

Does Ebay let you sell this type of item on it?

[HI-TEK]

So it was available through a dealer here in the US about what year? 2003?

Does Ebay let you sell this type of item on it?

Checking our invoicing, the first commercial shipment of Hi-Tek coating was sent to a US dealer, on the 13th March 2013.
Hobbyist sized quantities were sent directly to customers a during a few years earlier.

Thank you for suggestion and never tried/considered Ebay. There should be no restrictions why these products cannot be sold this way.
The problems I can see is, customers trying to buy product directly, and not from appointed agents within their country.

[wlkjr]

I hate to change the subject, BUT, here goes. Is there a distinct difference in the Aqualube 3000 and 5000? Is the 5000 better than the 3000? I have a couple of bottles of the 3000 that I've had for a long while, but ordered some of the 5000 when I ordered some HiTek power. I mixed up a bottle of the 5000 to try and I can't really tell any difference. Just curious.

[HI-TEK]

I hate to change the subject, BUT, here goes. Is there a distinct difference in the Aqualube 3000 and 5000? Is the 5000 better than the 3000? I have a couple of bottles of the 3000 that I've had for a long while, but ordered some of the 5000 when I ordered some HiTek power. I mixed up a bottle of the 5000 to try and I can't really tell any difference. Just curious.

Great question, and you are correct, it is difficult to tell any difference between them.
Both the Aqualube 3000 and 5000 will work exactly the same way. You can mix them together without any problems.
The only difference between them is the particles of the Aqualube 5000 are slightly bigger so the liquid is a little more Milky.
Aqualube 3000 has particles about 0.02-0.05 microns and is less Milky in appearance, and Aqualube 5000 has 0.03 to 0.08 microns particle sizes.
Aqualube 3000 dry residue is less visible, where the dry residue of the Aqualube 5000 has more ghostly dry white film residue.
Some like less whiteness residue, and others want more whiteness residue so they can see that the product was treated.
Once sized, it is almost impossible to see any film left on load bearing surfaces.
There is not much more available of the Aqualube 5000 and will be probably phased out. The highest percentage users want the Aqualube 3000.
I hope I answered your question.

Just a few more details. If you consider a single layer of dry film Aqualube, to make it 1 thou thick, you will need about 25 to 26 layers of the Aqualube dry film to make that a one thou thickness. Just goes to show how little is needed to work very efficiently as a dry film sizing lubricant.

[wlkjr]

Great question, and you are correct, it is difficult to tell any difference between them.
Both the Aqualube 3000 and 5000 will work exactly the same way. You can mix them together without any problems.
The only difference between them is the particles of the Aqualube 5000 are slightly bigger so the liquid is a little more Milky.
Aqualube 3000 has particles about 0.02-0.05 microns and is less Milky in appearance, and Aqualube 5000 has 0.03 to 0.08 microns particle sizes.
Aqualube 3000 dry residue is less visible, where the dry residue of the Aqualube 5000 has more ghostly dry white film residue.
Some like less whiteness residue, and others want more whiteness residue so they can see that the product was treated.
Once sized, it is almost impossible to see any film left on load bearing surfaces.
There is not much more available of the Aqualube 5000 and will be probably phased out. The highest percentage users want the Aqualube 3000.
I hope I answered your question.

You did. Thanks a bunch. I love all the Hi-Tek products.

[Ausglock]

I like the 5000......just sayin'

[flybyjohn]

Boy with all my hobbies and chores, I only make it here every few months and then I have days of reading to catch up. It usually always cost me money every time I visit also. So I now am hearing about this new bonded mold release. I was just getting ready to make some more boolits and swung by this site and what do you know, I now have some bonded mold release and another color of Hitec on the way. I probably have enough hitek to last me a couple more years and with as hard as it is to find primers, maybe more but couldn’t waste the shipping so added a color I don’t have to the order.

Cant wait to try it.