a trick for tumble powder coating

[popper]

Crossman high impact - same ones I got but they ain't cheep. ~$18 for 5k count. Picked up the last jug of HF red yesterday ($4), went to look at their 6" chop saw, piece of junk. They had a couple on the shelf. Yea, got a jug of 165B to recycle into 165C - or go dig out the cedar tree stump.

[brstevns]

Since my Wally World was out of the Black soft BB's I strolled over to the craft section. Found some Faceted Beads 6mm size made of a hard plastic. Were on the clearance rack for a buck, so thought I would give them a try. Long story short. I had some powder that I could never get to coat. Put in some of the beads , put in some bullets and shook them around for maybe 45 seconds. BingGo! it worked! Don't need the BB's after all.

[bangerjim]

Since my Wally World was out of the Black soft BB's I strolled over to the craft section. Found some Faceted Beads 6mm size made of a hard plastic. Were on the clearance rack for a buck, so thought I would give them a try. Long story short. I had some powder that I could never get to coat. Put in some of the beads , put in some bullets and shook them around for maybe 45 seconds. BingGo! it worked! Don't need the BB's after all.

It is ALL in the plastic. The black BB's are just an easy readily available source. At least until all you guys started hoarding them!!!!!!!!!

Other types of round should work, but the plastic they are made of is the key.

If you don't want to use the Airsoft bb's, you will have to do your own experimentation. I did it for the bb's.......now it's your turn!

banger

[Walter Laich]

OK, read this thread twice and have a couple of questions:
1. will HF white and yellow work with this method?
2. I understand HF black now DT using this method--correct?
3. HF red works but then it worked before
.
and I just got the fine tuning done on my ES gun--time to move on I guess
.
walt

[bangerjim]

OK, read this thread twice and have a couple of questions:
1. will HF white and yellow work with this method?
2. I understand HF black now DT using this method--correct?
3. HF red works but then it worked before
.
and I just got the fine tuning done on my ES gun--time to move on I guess
.
walt

1. The coating "power" of the yel and wht powders is based upon pigment concentration, not coating method. I do not use either of those colors straight because they will not coat with just ONE application.

2. Look at my pictures!!!!!!! HF black does NOT work with any method other than ESPC that I have found. Some claim some success, but have to use 2-3 coats which is not acceptable to my needs. ONE coat ONE bake and I am done! I could not get matte black to stick to anything but my hands, the container, and the bb's!

3. RED works even better with the black BB's.......99.5% coating using the method I listed above. You have to swirl and shake HARD....with the lid on. Read post #5.

banger

[blueeyephil]

Ok, got airsoft black bbs and red HF powder. Tried it but didn't good coverage. I'm in Arkansas and it's much more humid here than in AZ. I'm wondering if humidity has a negative effect. I will have to try a second coat.

I also tried an Ultra Black and couldn't get any coverage with DT and BB's.

[bangerjim]

Ok, got airsoft black bbs and red HF powder. Tried it but didn't good coverage. I'm in Arkansas and it's much more humid here than in AZ. I'm wondering if humidity has a negative effect. I will have to try a second coat.

I also tried an Ultra Black and couldn't get any coverage with DT and BB's.

Did you do as in post #5?

The hard shake up & down for 30 seconds after the hard swirl really makes a difference! Without it, the coating is probably ~85%. I was moderately happy with the that B4 the bb's, but now get almost 99% coverage and after baking there are virtually NO lead areas peeking thru because the RED melts and runs.

Humidity, I am sure, makes a BIG different!!!!!! That is the advantage of the ESPC gun. It generates such a high potential field, even coating in higher humidity areas should not be a big problem. Here in AZ, high humidity is a dew point of 60! Right now our DP is about 30. I have seen it as low as -5 at times. That is bone dry.

banger

[earthling121757]

I spent last Sunday DT coating for the first time. Did about 600 120gr 9mm boolits in several colors I bought from All Powder Paints. They all came out great (okay, not as good as with the ES gun, but darn close) just using the Cool Whip bowl. I guess I was doing about 50 or 60 at a time. Pick 'em out with tweezers and place on the non-stick foil for baking.

Anyway, I also did a bunch of the big 440gr Lee boolits for the 500 S&W and was having a heck of a time. Oh the powder would stick but the agitation made them knock the powder off each other in spots. I ended up doing too coats, and that helped but still not great.

I think it was Tuesday when I clicked on this thread for the first time and read through it. Well, I had more of the 440's to coat and happened to have a bottle of the black air soft BBs...

"WOW", that's what I said. "WOW".

One coat and they look great. However I did shake, open lid, pick out the good covered ones, close, shake again, repeat. Kudo's to the OP for this idea. It made a HUGE difference.

Can't wait to cast up some more of the 9mm and see them turn out even better!!

[popper]

She was cleaning the freezer and tossed coolwhip that was out dated. It's in my collection now. I did notice that the black oval ice cream containers have a #5 on them. I go through more ice cream than cool whip.

[A pause for the COZ]

White seems to work.
No black ones around here to try. Just swirl like the dickens.
Thinking about packing peanuts... They are very static y

[bangerjim]

Like I said above......it's all in the plastic. That is a different brand than I use, so it must be a different make-up of plastic. Obviously we cannot rely on color anymore!

There are waaaaaaaaay too many variables here to arrive at a fixed method and materials list of "the way to do it":
brand of bb
type of bb
plastic of bb
plastic of tub
shape of tub
humidity
container size
method of shaking
time of shaking
speed of swirling
time of swirling
number of bb's
number of boolits
weight of boolits
phase of the moon
......and on......and on..........and on!

That is why the ESPC method is pretty much fool-proof. Very few variables to contend with. You aim....you coat....you bake.

But everybody seems to be on the bandwagon of this dry method and everyone will just have to experiment around with what they can find/afford/use that works.

I know what I found that works best for me as I descried in post #5. And I will continue to use it. What you use and have success is TOTALLY up to you.

Have fun messing around!

banger

[brstevns]

I am sure there are a lot of members like me that want to use the PC method but just cannot afford the cost of a ESPC setup. The dry tumble is the way to go for us. Like the old saying (Getting there is half the fun)

[Desertbuck]

Okay guys!!!! You convinced me to give this a try. Let's see what all the hooping and hollering is about this powder coating.
I'm sitting next to my toaster oven cooking my first batch as I write this now on my smart phonen. My guinea pigs are Lee 7.62 Micro groove 150 grain Boolits.

Looking good so far

[A pause for the COZ]

Couple things I like compared to the ESPC gun.

Base coverage.
No powder cloud in the shop.
No flash on the bottom of the bullets.
No stick Foil last and last and last and last a long time.

[blueeyephil]

Did you do as in post #5?

The hard shake up & down for 30 seconds after the hard swirl really makes a difference! Without it, the coating is probably ~85%. I was moderately happy with the that B4 the bb's, but now get almost 99% coverage and after baking there are virtually NO lead areas peeking thru because the RED melts and runs.

Humidity, I am sure, makes a BIG different!!!!!! That is the advantage of the ESPC gun. It generates such a high potential field, even coating in higher humidity areas should not be a big problem. Here in AZ, high humidity is a dew point of 60! Right now our DP is about 30. I have seen it as low as -5 at times. That is bone dry.

banger

I did. I also experienced the lid slip a bit and about 20 bbs and one bullet escaped. I did a second coat and ended up with pretty good coverage. I'm out of bullets to try for now, so I'll have to find time to cast some more. Raining here today too, so maybe it will dry out in a day or two.

I'll investigate some ways to see if I can increase the static electricity too. Rub the container on carpet before adding powder, maybe. I'll probably use a blow dryer a bit before adding the powder too. I'll not give up without giving it a good try.

I ended up doing the black with the wet method. I should have separated the bbs first. That was a bit of a mess but ended ok. Had to throw those bbs away though.

[Desertbuck]

I'm sold on powder coating! The best thing about this method is It's cheap! And it's easy!! from .315
to .310
I think my M1, M1917,& SKS are just about to experience a new realm of cast Boolit performance. This will be fun and exciting!!!!!!! It so COOL! I've got another batch going now

Ps the wife just got done looking them over she loves the color. It feels good when the woman approves too!

[kencha]

Couple things I like compared to the ESPC gun.

Base coverage.
No powder cloud in the shop.
No flash on the bottom of the bullets.
No stick Foil last and last and last and last a long time.

You hit the nail(s) on the head.

I started out ESPCing, because I already had the gun.

I'm definitely giving the tumbling with airsoft BB's a try next time, for the exact reasons you listed.

[kfarm]

On my way back from picking up my blackout suppressor stopped in Walmart and got some crossman high impact black bb's. Tried this afternoon and didn't work so well with some .310-220's I had but the boolits were old and may have had some oxidation and the weather is humid. No the weather is unsettled, another round of tornado warnings just north of me. They got hit hard last week. The ***, I mean the potus was in Vilona yesterday with bobble head Pryor selling poop.

[bangerjim]

On my way back from picking up my blackout suppressor stopped in Walmart and got some crossman high impact black bb's. Tried this afternoon and didn't work so well with some .310-220's I had but the boolits were old and may have had some oxidation and the weather is humid. No the weather is unsettled, another round of tornado warnings just north of me. They got hit hard last week. The ***, I mean the potus was in Vilona yesterday with bobble head Pryor selling poop.

God Bless all you folks in the "alley". I grew up in IA and was very used to the spring/summer "storms" that rolled thru.

We had a tornado here in Phoenix 2 years ago for the 1st time since most can remember. Went right thru my neighborhood....took off over 200 shingles and made a mess of the entire area.

Hopefully when the weather settles a bit you can give it another try with success! I cannot attest to the high humidity effects on tumbling.

Good luck!

banger

[hickfu]

I finished up the rest of my 35-200's with 2 coats shake & bake, will post some pics tomorrow... too late tonight


Doc