simple Hi-Tek coating

[Avenger442]

Once you have been successful with it you got it. It is really a fairly simple process.

ddeck22
Was wondering what calibers you are using it in.

[Onty]

Finally got my brick red to come out nice. I used the standard recipe but splashed maybe 10ml of isopropyl alcohol over the 10lbs of bullets before I swirled. This extended the swirl time to well over a minute and helped making the color more glossy. This was 3 coats. The second coat was just as nice but a bullet here and there had a blemish so went ahead and added a third coat.

When did you added isopropyl alcohol, before coating media, or with coating media?

Any effect of isopropyl alcohol on quality of the coat?

Just to make sure I will do it right, thanks!

[ioon44]

Only in hot weather I all 10ml to my 100ml coating mix, this slows down the drying process so I can swirl the 6lb of bullets for a more even coat and I only need two coats.

[kevin c]

When did you added isopropyl alcohol, before coating media, or with coating media?

Any effect of isopropyl alcohol on quality of the coat?

Just to make sure I will do it right, thanks!

I tend to dilute my mix a bit more, especially in hot weather, and use more volume to get the same amount of HiTek per batch of bullets coated (e.g., twice the volume if half the concentration). I did try adding extra acetone into the container separate from the standard mix, but figure it’s easier and faster to measure and pour once and maybe it coats more evenly to boot.

[Thomas918]

When did you added isopropyl alcohol, before coating media, or with coating media?

Any effect of isopropyl alcohol on quality of the coat?

Just to make sure I will do it right, thanks!

I put the alcohol over the top of the bullets in the bucket. Then immediately put in the hitek mixture in the bucket and swirled. I only did it that way because I didn't want to make a special mix of acetone and alcohol with the hitek powder. If doing it again I would make a 70% acetone and 30% alcohol mix from the start. That was the last time I used Hitek though. I have now moved on to Bullet corp coating since it adheres to the lead alot better

[Michael J. Spangler]

I put the alcohol over the top of the bullets in the bucket. Then immediately put in the hitek mixture in the bucket and swirled. I only did it that way because I didn't want to make a special mix of acetone and alcohol with the hitek powder. If doing it again I would make a 70% acetone and 30% alcohol mix from the start. That was the last time I used Hitek though. I have now moved on to Bullet corp coating since it adheres to the lead alot better

If you’re having an issue with adhesion it’s probably from the alcohol.

[Thomas918]

If you’re having an issue with adhesion it’s probably from the alcohol.

I had those issues way before using alcohol as a solvent.

[ddeck22]

Once you have been successful with it you got it. It is really a fairly simple process.

ddeck22
Was wondering what calibers you are using it in.

Just 9 mm at the moment. I'm just getting started in casting. Luckily we have some good folks in my area who are master casters and have provided a lot of insight.

[Michael J. Spangler]

I had those issues way before using alcohol as a solvent.

Hmmm. I could wax on poetic about the ways to solve it but I’m sure you tore this thread apart working on that already.

[Thomas918]

Hmmm. I could wax on poetic about the ways to solve it but I’m sure you tore this thread apart working on that already.

I washed my bullets in acetone to make sure I had a clean surface. I have a huge commercial rack oven that I baked the coating in. I followed the recipes well. I used fresh acetone to make sure moisture was a non factor. The one thing that was recommended to me was to acid wash the bullets to rule out contaminated lead. I just never got around to it since I switched to another coating.

[ioon44]

I washed my bullets in acetone to make sure I had a clean surface. I have a huge commercial rack oven that I baked the coating in. I followed the recipes well. I used fresh acetone to make sure moisture was a non factor. The one thing that was recommended to me was to acid wash the bullets to rule out contaminated lead. I just never got around to it since I switched to another coating.

Getting the 1st coat completely dry can be a factor for problems with adhesion, to me this is the most important part of the process.

[Ausglock]

Pre-warming the coated bullet before entering the oven for the first bake will cure 90% of the adhesion issues.

mystery alloy is the other 10%. In hot weather, use 10% MEK with 90% Acetone. that slows down the flashoff time.

Remember..... mix your hitek 20gms of powder to 100mls of solvent. I use jars that hold the 60gm 300ml mix. I will mix a dozen jars at once and store them in the fridge until needed. Just finished a run of 120,000 124gn RN 9mm.. only check smash and wipe every 10,000.
Zero issues.

[Shotgundrums]

Pre-warming the coated bullet before entering the oven for the first bake will cure 90% of the adhesion issues.

mystery alloy is the other 10%. In hot weather, use 10% MEK with 90% Acetone. that slows down the flashoff time.

Hey Trev, hey candyboolit people! Happy holidays! I don’t post much, but I’m in here from time to time.

I can attest to this; especially, the “mystery” alloy part. I’ve been using muriatic acid on my abundant quantity of homemade alloy. It helped tremendously. Additionally, I’ve been utilizing a second convection oven for drying and warming only. I throw them in at around 65*C for around 15 or so minutes. If it hasn’t been emphasized enough, THIN THIN THIN first coat. It’s like a primer coat.

J

[Ausglock]

I like how this Mega thread has quietened down. Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out.

A mate in town tried powdercoating some of his hand cast bullets. He came around with his "bullets" to show me.

All I can say is that the "bullets" had more bumps on them than a WW2 sea mine. I run him through the HITEK process while he watched me process a few 1000. He came back the next day with a few 100 of his cast. I then let him coat/bake with my setup while under instruction.
Needless to say, he has thrown the powdercoat in the bin and is using some of the bronze sample Joe sent me a few years ago. He is now a happy HITEKer...

He couldn't believe how clean the HITEK process is.
He said he had powdercoat all over the place... floor, walls, bench, him, the dog, the cat, the kids, the car.....everywhere.....lol

[HI-TEK]

Right on the point..THIN THIN THIN.... You simply do not need thick coats of Hi-Tek especially with first coat. Two coats of Hi-Tek works out about 1.5 to 1.8 thou thick. That is all you need to separate alloy from bore in majority of cases. It is a mystery, why some try to make a thick jacket of coating.

[HI-TEK]

I like how this Mega thread has quietened down. Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out.

A mate in town tried powdercoating some of his hand cast bullets. He came around with his "bullets" to show me.

All I can say is that the "bullets" had more bumps on them than a WW2 sea mine. I run him through the HITEK process while he watched me process a few 1000. He came back the next day with a few 100 of his cast. I then let him coat/bake with my setup while under instruction.
Needless to say, he has thrown the powdercoat in the bin and is using some of the bronze sample Joe sent me a few years ago. He is now a happy HITEKer...

He couldn't believe how clean the HITEK process is.
He said he had powdercoat all over the place... floor, walls, bench, him, the dog, the cat, the kids, the car.....everywhere.....lol

I wonder if he is aware of ingredients in the powder coatings? Has any one considered that some powder coatings have abrasive components, and some contain Silica?

[ioon44]

Right on the point..THIN THIN THIN.... You simply do not need thick coats of Hi-Tek especially with first coat. Two coats of Hi-Tek works out about 1.5 to 1.8 thou thick. That is all you need to separate alloy from bore in majority of cases. It is a mystery, why some try to make a thick jacket of coating.

I am guilty of putting a thicker coat of Hi-Tek on my bullets (some stick together when baked) for cosmetic appearance, but I make sure the first coat is dry.

I have tested Hi-Tek with one coat with 200gr SWC .45ACP and it worked great, just not pretty.

The temperature here got up to 10 deg C yesterday and I coated some 230gr RN and let dry overnight in my drying cabinet after bringing them up to 120 deg F for about 30 minutes, everything is harder to do in cold weather.

"Everyone that uses HITEK has now got their process sorted out." I would agree.

Seems like the only ones having problems with coating are the PC bunch.

[BrassMagnet]

I haven't gotten my HITEK process sorted out!
My PC are still better. My HITEK were all overheated because I couldn't control temperature well enough with my $10 thrift store roaster-toaster oven. They changed color from blue to green. A friend tested them at rifle velocities and the coating failed. He cleaned the coating off with acetone and PC'ed them.

Someday I well get settled in my new home and get my necessary projects completed well enough to do some more casting and coating. My wife got a new propane stove for our new home and I get her old electric stove with convection oven. I bet that will do the job! I might even see if I can pre-dry my Boolits first. It sure is humid here!

[ioon44]

"He cleaned the coating off with acetone."

If the coating is done correctly the coating cannot be removed with acetone. A convection oven is a must for the coating to work.

[HI-TEK]

"He cleaned the coating off with acetone."

If the coating is done correctly the coating cannot be removed with acetone. A convection oven is a must for the coating to work.

If the coating was or cant be removed with Acetone, it was not done correctly in the first place, and no wonder it failed with rifle velocities. Most recent report was using the Hi-Tek in rifle ammo at 1950ft/sec.

This is the report As I've probably mentioned before, my rifle fires a 75gn 25 caliber FN bullet. It's cast from wheel weight metal with a bit of tin added, is fitted with a gas check and of course is HiTek coated.
Velocity is 1950 fps.
This little load, which I use out to around 120 yards, is proving to be very effective - and of course, no barrel fouling.
I wouldn't be able to develop a load like this without the coating.

I would be interested in just how well powder coating survived this velocity and retained accuracy without Leading up the bore.