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Thread: Best copper powder?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master


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    Best copper powder?

    I bought some Eastwood Copper penny. I coated several bullets today with some disappointment. One coat was barely copper, two coats was not much better. Has anyone had better luck with copper plating?

    Thinking a second coat over another color might better, I coated some with chrome with some success, but the copper penny would not stick to the chrome.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master 358429's Avatar
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    Heat the bullets to 120-140 °F then try coating them.

    Pre- heating the bullets usually improves coverage of powder coating powder if it just won't stick.
    I haven't tried those powders yet.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master


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    I lay bullets on a pan on top of the oven. when they are almost too hot to handle, I put them into a plastic jar, tighten the lid and put it in a vibratory tumbler for 10 minutes. With Eastland Ford light blue, I get perfect results. That works with the bright chrome too. However, I would like to get a finish that looks more like copper fmjs.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master 358429's Avatar
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    This is copper hitek bullets I have coated loaded and shot in 38 and 9x19.

    I prefer shooting powdercoated.

    I wonder if your copper vein powder would stick to or mix with Eastwood clear ultra gloss...

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I have done a lot of bullets in copper Hi-tek, works really great along with other Hi-tek colors.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    I tried some eastwood copper metalic , it dos not flow very even kind of blochy but i did i mix with orange
    there is a photo on the eastwood gold thread , they are in a blue bin
    on the copper penny I think that is a 2 stage color so it needs some sort a base coat first

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I have the eastwood copper metallic as well. I got good coverage. Like others have said it is not an even copper color but the clear that is in with the copper color covers the boolit well. It just does not look the best but it works. I do hitec copper as well. Just don't like the extra steps and always have to do two coats but they look great so if I can PC I will.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    I’ve used Smokes translucent copper with success. It’s translucent so you aren’t going to pass the bullets off as a copper jacket but it works well and looks neat.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master
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    If you are looking for REAL looking Cu, you will never get it with any kind of "paint"! Sprayed, dipped, baked, or tumbled. They are ALL paint in one form or another, and do not look anything close to REAL copper. If you want REAL copper look, you have to use burnished-on copper leaf, which, by the way, offers ZERO protection or lube properties. I use it on antiques as well as gold and silver leaf for a 100% genuine metallic look on wood, plaster and other materials.

    It's totally NOT for use on little lead pills, as the method offers NO protection and is very time consuming to apply.

    I am afraid you will just have to live with the "spray paint rattle can" look with any common methods we use on here. And......I have tried them ALL! Since 2013!

    Or for a REAL Cu look, try FMJ's like I do.

    And any coating that takes more than ONE coat...................find another coating material! You should NEVER have to do multiple coats of any powder. Multiples just make your boolit fatter, which can most times lead to many other unwanted problems, far too many to discuss here.

    Best of luck on your quest for a realistic-looking "paint" copper coating.

    banger

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master


    GregLaROCHE's Avatar
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    Do those powders contain real copper in the pigment?

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Do not loose sight of why we PC boolits....................to eliminate grease, smoke, and sticky boolits. Not a technicolor beauty pageant.

    I have been coating since 2013 (at first BBDT and now exclusively ESPC) and now stick to basic colors of red, yellow, blue (the three primary colors all others are derived from...that's all you really need!), black, and JD green. Sometimes (rarely) I will intermix to get color effects, but mainly just to ID an odd load/boolit for later recognition.

    I have played around with several metallic pigmented powders in the past, but was totally disappointed in the end results.

    Some on here display a wide rainbow of wild colored coatings. Whatever turns you on. The color has absolutely ZERO to do with the accuracy and shooting ease PC provides.

  12. #12

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
    Petander's Avatar
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    Hi Tek Red Copper.

    It's a little less red in daylight.


  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I have tried and have not found a single coat powder that really looks anything like copper.

    I have played with brass/gold quite a bit for other reasons (cabinet & door hardware) and had good sucess, but it involves a solid base coat and then transparent colored top coat. My guess is you could do the same for copper, but would you want to go to the trouble for bullets?

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy gnappi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bangerjim View Post
    Do not loose sight of why we PC boolits....................to eliminate grease, smoke, and sticky boolits. Not a technicolor beauty pageant.

    >>SNIP<<
    Agreed,and thanks for the level set It was easy for me to chase my self in circles with some colors because they look so darn good. Even my GF asked me to make her a few dummy rounds for her curio cabinet.

    After my large supply of Ebay bought powder is gone, I'll likely try and settle on a few bland colors from smokes, though I won't be looking to silvers or grey because one thing about C-O-L-O-R is it shows coverage issues.
    Last edited by gnappi; 02-19-2022 at 05:21 AM.
    Regards,

    Gary

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by gnappi View Post
    Agreed,and thanks forthe level set It was easy for me to chase my self in circles with some colors because they look so darn good. Even my GF asked me to make her a few dummy rounds for her curio cabinet.

    After my large supply of Ebay bought powder is gone, I'll likely try and settle on a few bland colors from smokes, though I won't be looking to silvers or grey because one thing about C-O-L-O-R is it shows coverage issues.
    Altering your technique can make a big difference as far as coverage. Take a look at this 2016 photo. Six identical H&G#7, 9mm bullets coated and cured minutes apart. The 3 on the right tumble coated. The 3 on the left preheated then tumble coated. Prismatic Cobalt Blue powder (not available at present). Everything the same except for preheating.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy gnappi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dragonheart View Post
    Altering your technique can make a big difference as far as coverage. Take a look at this 2016 photo. Six identical H&G#7, 9mm bullets coated and cured minutes apart. The 3 on the right tumble coated. The 3 on the left preheated then tumble coated. Prismatic Cobalt Blue powder (not available at present). Everything the same except for preheating.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    No doubt about heating. Here in south Florida I let them sit on my marble work table before tumbling
    Regards,

    Gary

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