simple Hi-Tek coating

[Dave001]

I got 120kg of lead from the local scrap guy, 35kg was COWW, the rest was already in ingots, and was suppose to be COWW, but who knows, I tested for Zinc using hydrochloric acid, the lead ingots didn't react, so I melted the whole lot together, new ingots are around 12-13 bhn, water dropped projectiles are showing around 15-16bhn.

I'll play it safe and acid treat them, I'm guessing a 20% hydrochloric acid/water mix for 20 mins or so, should do the job?

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

[HI-TEK]

I got 120kg of lead from the local scrap guy, 35kg was COWW, the rest was already in ingots, and was suppose to be COWW, but who knows, I tested for Zinc using hydrochloric acid, the lead ingots didn't react, so I melted the whole lot together, new ingots are around 12-13 bhn, water dropped projectiles are showing around 15-16bhn.

I'll play it safe and acid treat them, I'm guessing a 20% hydrochloric acid/water mix for 20 mins or so, should do the job?

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

You are welcome.
Generally the Acid is normally about 30%. This is diluted with 2 parts water and add 1 part Acid.
Watch if any bubbles can be seen, and look at them after suitable acid soak time. If they change surface appearance and starting to look a bit porous or changed colour, then the acid has worked.
If you don't know what is in your alloy, it will save a lot of work to treat them first.
I you are coating them as is, and then have to re-melt and re cast, then you will have to treat them afterwards with Acid and re-do the coating.
Hope all goes well.

[HI-TEK]

I got 120kg of lead from the local scrap guy, 35kg was COWW, the rest was already in ingots, and was suppose to be COWW, but who knows, I tested for Zinc using hydrochloric acid, the lead ingots didn't react, so I melted the whole lot together, new ingots are around 12-13 bhn, water dropped projectiles are showing around 15-16bhn.

I'll play it safe and acid treat them, I'm guessing a 20% hydrochloric acid/water mix for 20 mins or so, should do the job?

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

How are you doing Dave001?
How did you go with alloy treatment and coating?
Please update.

[Dave001]

All went well thanks mate.
Acid bathed 300, 435 grain 45 cal projectiles last night, using your suggested 1/3 acid, 2/3 water, took about 25 mins for the them to change colour, they turned a dull grey, never noticed any bubbling.
Gave them 3 coats of 1035 gold, they passed the rub and smash test. Hopefully I'll get a chance to make it to the range next week to test them.

[HI-TEK]

All went well thanks mate.
Acid bathed 300, 435 grain 45 cal projectiles last night, using your suggested 1/3 acid, 2/3 water, took about 25 mins for the them to change colour, they turned a dull grey, never noticed any bubbling.
Gave them 3 coats of 1035 gold, they passed the rub and smash test. Hopefully I'll get a chance to make it to the range next week to test them.

Great news.
just the mere fact that casts changed colour shows that there was some contaminants present that reacted with the acid..
The acid simply got rid of surface contaminations adequately for success.
I have seen similar results with acid treatment that produced almost identical changes of colour of the casts.
Thanks for posting reply.

[Avenger442]

Been away for a while. Good to see Hi Tek thread is still going strong. How has everyone been?

Just for information's sake and per my memory (which is not as good as it used to be) if you find that you have zinc contaminant in your alloy you can do a process that will swap the zinc for copper. And copper lead alloy mix coats very well.

I intentionally added zinc to some lead alloy a few years ago so that I could get the copper into the mix. It is a swap copper for zinc. Used zinc pennies to contaminate and used copper sulfate ( I believe that is stump remover from your local hardware store) to mix with the contaminated alloy to replace the zinc with copper. Process is on this blog somewhere. Copper really ups the malleability and hardness of the alloy. But in the end it wasn't what I wanted, either in the process or the outcome. My 12=14 BHN lead alloy was good for everything I was shooting. It was an interesting experiment.

Now that I'm starting to load some magnum rifle I may revisit this alloy. Still have some of the bullets cast with it stored in my cabinet.

[Ausglock]

G'day Avenger.
You are correct, Sir. Root killer will remove the Zinc.

This thread has been quiet of late. Maybe everyone has the HITEK process sorted out.

There are a few here in oz that have tried the S.A. coating and are not impressed. The have gone back to HITEK as it is easier and less involved. Even though HITEK doesn't have the colour range, The bores are cleaner.

[Avenger442]

I have never been into it for the color range. Although I do appreciate Joe working on orange and blue(school colors).

Hi Tec has proven to be the thing that keeps lead out of my barrels at jacketed speeds. Which is the most important thing. And it, with other consistent measures, produces rounds as accurate as match grade manufactured jacketed rifle ammo with a bullet I can cast myself. It was tested slightly more accurate than powder coating in pistol ammo. And when you extrapolate that accuracy out for rifle it, hands down, produces a more accurate bullet. While it is not a snap your fingers and it is coated, it is the easiest thing I have tried. And it is economical. I mean shelf stable outrageously economical (it does change a little in the color over the years). I still have some of the 1035 Gold two part liquid that was my first coating. And it still works. Just about used that one up. I've over the eight years that I have been using it bought several other colors and used them all. There is a thread on this blog where hobby guys like me are swapping colors because they just have a lot of one color and will probably never use it up. If I were a commercial coater it would be the only thing I would use and recommend. And you guys down under Joe and Trevor are a stand up crew in my book for producing and testing this product for everyone. Having used Donnie here in the States and now Alan Easterly over at High Performance Bullet Coatings I've got to say they are great people and should be a valued distributor for JA here in the States

The above is an unpaid, unless you count the performance of the coating, unsolicited endorsement. And a recommendation to anyone using lead cast bullets.

[HI-TEK]

I have never been into it for the color range. Although I do appreciate Joe working on orange and blue(school colors).

Hi Tec has proven to be the thing that keeps lead out of my barrels at jacketed speeds. Which is the most important thing. And it, with other consistent measures, produces rounds as accurate as match grade manufactured jacketed rifle ammo with a bullet I can cast myself. It was tested slightly more accurate than powder coating in pistol ammo. And when you extrapolate that accuracy out for rifle it, hands down, produces a more accurate bullet. While it is not a snap your fingers and it is coated, it is the easiest thing I have tried. And it is economical. I mean shelf stable outrageously economical (it does change a little in the color over the years). I still have some of the 1035 Gold two part liquid that was my first coating. And it still works. Just about used that one up. I've over the eight years that I have been using it bought several other colors and used them all. There is a thread on this blog where hobby guys like me are swapping colors because they just have a lot of one color and will probably never use it up. If I were a commercial coater it would be the only thing I would use and recommend. And you guys down under Joe and Trevor are a stand up crew in my book for producing and testing this product for everyone. Having used Donnie here in the States and now Alan Easterly over at High Performance Bullet Coatings I've got to say they are great people and should be a valued distributor for JA here in the States

The above is an unpaid, unless you count the performance of the coating, unsolicited endorsement. And a recommendation to anyone using lead cast bullets.

Hello Avenger442,
Thank you for your post. It is much appreciated.
I am glad that you have found the Hi-Tek products satisfactory.
With colors, there is quite a few Hi-Tek colors.
Black (standard), Black K-15, Texas Tea, (Black with Golden Metallics), Gunmetal, (very dark Green Grey), Bonze 500, Bronze 502, Bronze 530, Red Copper, Blush Red Copper, Red 254, Red 122, Kryptonite Green, Zombie Green, Dark Green metallic, Dark Blue, VO2 (Black Cherry), Old Gold, Gold 1035, Aztec Gold, Desert Sand (Tan Yellow), Candy Apple, (Red with Gold Glitter), Burnt Orange,

There are on going tests being conducted, to try and supply other color types, but simply making a pretty colored coating, may not meet all other technical requirements, so that is the main driving force when any new colors are being tested. If colour produced is also remains attractive, it is a win win situation.
I have not seen any other coating that will work at 3000ft/sec with such a very thin coat and survive, and maintain reasonable accuracy.
As you said, it does not leave Lead in the bore.
The Hi-Tek coatings have been on the market for some 30 plus years. It would not be there that long if it did not work.
It is sold to some 35 countries to both hobbyists and commercial casters. There is a huge range of U-Tube postings, and Hi-Tek is included in many blog site discussions.
Again, thank you for your kind post.

[panhandle]

For the rifle shooters- I was using the hytec powder that has the catalyst in it with acetone. baking at 400 for ten minutes per coat like directions said. ended up doing three to four coats trying to get a little additional diameter on 309 cat 170 grain bullets. I was experiencing buildup in the forcing cone I guess as after 6 to 8 rounds they would chamber hard or not at all. I use the stuff on pistol bullets but in the rifles I had bad results, I was trying for a little extra diameter to shoot in winchester 94's with a .309 bore. they shot pretty good without coating in my 30-06 with a 308 bore just using checks and alox. I still would like to think I could use the hytec as I have it on hand but even in the 06- I got hard chambering with the coated ones. maybe I'm doing something wrong and it's possible 2 coats would give better results

[Ausglock]

G'day Panhandle.

Mate. By doing 6 or more coats to try and increase the bullet dia will not work. As you have found, the coating will leave a residue in the barrel. Think of it like this...
A thin glass rod will bend slightly... this is 2 coats.
A thick rod will not bend, but will break... this is more than 3 coats.
As the bullet expands with firing to seal the bore, the thin coating will also expand.
But the thick coating will fracture and split.
If your mold is throwing underize, I'd suggest "beagleing" the mold.

HITEK coating isn't a fix-all for poor bullet fit.

[dikman]

Like Avenger, I haven't been on here for quite a while. Several reasons, not the least being that I've got the coating thing pretty well down pat, plus I've got so many boolits coated that, given my age, there's a very real possibility that I'll never use them all! Some guys on another forum, here in Oz, have discovered the benefits of powder coating boolits but I can't convince them to try the Hi-Tek coating, they seem to think it's more trouble to do than powder-coating. Ironically, one chap has had trouble with powder-coating increasing the boolit size too much and causing chambering issues, I suggested the Hi-Tek coating as a possible solution but got no response.
Some time ago I bought some powder-coating powder, in several colours, for coating metal parts. I also built an electrostatic gun for the coating process. I have got zero interest in trying to do boolits! I figure why change something that's working.

[ioon44]

I haven't posted here for some time but continue to follow the post. I've got the coating thing pretty well down pat also, just done 2,100 140gr fp for 9 mm with Kryptonite Green, came out great as usual.

[Avenger442]

Like the last two guys I've got the process where I want it. Which was basically the no lead in the barrel with good accuracy objective. I often don't pay much attention to color.

When i first started using Hi Tek I got it in my head that maybe it could be used to make a jacket. As Trevor pointed out at some point probably after three coats it will start to flake off the bullet. I did some 45s with three heavy coats that failed the smash test so bad I thought that I had something on the bullet when coated. But it was just too thick.

I understand that you may be able to use powder coating to increase diameter and create something like a jacket. And I'm sure it would, at some point, come off the bullet when fired. But my experience with powder coated is that they just aren't as accurate as Hi Tek. I'm sure some of the powder coaters would dispute this claim. And I would ask them to show me a group of five shots in .308 at 100 yards that could be covered with a nickle (my best so far). But accuracy comes down to much more than a coating. And the above is just my opinion formed through my testing and experience.

It works great in my .308s at jacketed speeds using three normally thin coats. I have shot it with one coat at around 2400 fps in .308 with no lead in my Weatherby. But it gets better accuracy with three coats at 2500-2600 fps. This is a product where a minimal amount can be used with good success.

I have coated and shot all the following calibers: in handguns 9mm, 38, 357 mag, 44 special, 44 mag and in rifle .223, 308, 30-06, 45-70. And I could add 300 PRC to that list if I would just make myself sit down and start working on loads. I've only used store bought jacketed in it so far.

I started using Hi Tek in 2014 just after I started casting bullets. Had looked at other lubes but didn't want either the expense of the equipment or the mess or both. Hi Tek had neither. I've, like Dikman, talked with others about using it some have and some simply refuse to try it. Some of these guys have been casting and shooting lead for decades before I started. I guess sometimes you just get your process and don't want to change. Maybe if I had started with paper patch I might be still doing that. Always wanted to try that one. But I started with Hi Tek and will keep a process that gives me under MOA at 100 yards when I do my part.

Maybe some of you other guys viewing this thread could chime in with your experiences with Hi Tek. And of course anyone with a question on how to get started or on a problem your having. I, for one, would love to hear from you.

[dikman]

Your experience at pushing the coating to rifle speeds is impressive, and you're to be congratulated at persevering with the testing. It's also natural for people, when starting out, to want a solid colour and thick coating (as in trying to make a "jacketed"-type round) and as we know that just doesn't work, it has to be thin - which is almost counter-intuitive and is difficult for some people to grasp.

I've also coated my round balls for Black Powder shooting. Yes, some will say it's not necessary and doesn't achieve anything practical (true) but I did it because a) I can and b) it makes them look pretty!

[Avenger442]

I appreciate the idea of having your ammo look good with various colors. Even remember someone on here using Hi Tek to color code their ammo. I think applause is due Joe who works so hard to produce colors. It is important in business to compete. But it could have been all the colors on the color wheel and not performed, which it does very well at an amazing price, and it would not have performed it's main function. I don't fault the guy that wants a "pretty" bullet. But some of my loads are down right ugly.

Since you mentioned black powder I'll give you my limited experience. Being a DIY kind of guy, a few years ago I decided that I wanted to learn how to make my own black powder. So after making it I needed to test it. I loaded a few 44 mag shells almost full. Based on my reading about loading black powder shells I put a thin piece of card board on top of the powder. Added some type of bee's wax mix (forget the mix exactly) to the end of the Hi Trk bullet. Loads shot decent groups at 15 yards in my Ruger. But man that stuff was dirty. I didn't clean enough between rounds and it locked up the revolver. I was satisfied with the end result and have never attempted shooting black powder again. Still have some FFG and FFFG somewhere. If smokeless powder ever gets impossible to find and I run out I'm covered for anything with a big shell capacity. Maybe 45-70. I have a black powder rifle that I purchased with a group of guns that had a rifle and shot gun I wanted. The lady said buy the whole group or none at all. I have yet to shoot that gun. Maybe another project some day.

[dikman]

Yep, BP is great for fouling pistols! Even with Hi-Tek coated boolits you still need lube to try and keep the fouling soft. If you do try again put a waxed felt wad under the boolit.

[Stephen Cohen]

G'day Avenger.
You are correct, Sir. Root killer will remove the Zinc.

This thread has been quiet of late. Maybe everyone has the HITEK process sorted out.

There are a few here in oz that have tried the S.A. coating and are not impressed. The have gone back to HITEK as it is easier and less involved. Even though HITEK doesn't have the colour range, The bores are cleaner.

Since your from down under, what root killer are we talking of, I have seen liquid but I imagine we would have to use a powder or some solid. Any info appreciated. Regards Stephen

[Stephen Cohen]

A couple years back I cast some 170gr cast in a Lyman 156gr cast mould that I had removed the lube grooves from and coated with Hi-Tek Copper, I loaded some up for my 357 Rossi and shot them a couple weeks back, they were loaded hot and I wont give the load but man they shot well and after some 200 odd rounds the bore was clean of any fouling other than the powder residue which wiped out no worries. My old eyes can no longer use iron sights so I made a peep which I can use. I was able to hit the Ram sillywet at the 200 first shot with considerable holdover, of cause I stopped there so to keep my perfect record. Next thing is to try coating some 45gr .22 for my 223 and Hornet. Regards Stephen

[Ausglock]

Since your from down under, what root killer are we talking of, I have seen liquid but I imagine we would have to use a powder or some solid. Any info appreciated. Regards Stephen

Copper sulphate crystals from Bunnings. in a blue bottle.