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Thread: Prime All "Super Duper Secret"

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Prime All "Super Duper Secret"

    I've read a lot on this Prime All stuff and have seen a lot of people fail to make good percussion caps, mainly because the compound falls out.

    I have discovered the secret, that I stole from someone online, and tested it today.

    The secret is Duco Cement!
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000A605H...=&sprefix=duco

    Pour a 1oz tube into 10oz of acetone and your caps will be good and hard. I fired 25 caps today and they all went boom. The redish crud came right off so don't worry about that. They are still a pain in the booty to make but will work reliably.

    I also used some coper strips instead of soda cans and they worked just as good. .004 or .002 will work. I tried .008 and its a no go in the die.

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    That is what I use also. Duco is nitrocellulose so it burns completely and even may add a bit to the power of the cap.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master



    HamGunner's Avatar
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    I too had difficulty with the percussion caps when made per the directions from Prime All. Far too many did not go off due to the ingredients not being contained well enough inside the metal cap.

    I adjusted the formula slightly by adding about 1% super fine aluminum powder and 1% black powder fines. That increased the flame a bit and did help, but for the drop of liquid, instead of acetone or alcohol, I use 5 to 1, alcohol/shellac. In addition, I use a paper punch and cut out the dots on toy cap gun caps to press into the cap so the paper will hold the compound inside the cap.

    I punch my caps out of .008 aluminum flashing. If one is having trouble with the flashing, the trick is to cut the strips wide enough that they have plenty of space between punches and they do not bind up in the tool. This also reduces the chance of the anvil puncturing the cut disc instead of forming a cup. I tried one layer and two layers of soda can, and the two layers worked much better, but flashing is easier for me to use and they hold up well on the nipple upon firing.

    After mixing a small amount of the compound, I use a homemade measure that I made out of a small primer cup soldered to a copper rod, and I fill it level full of the percussion powder. Using a tiny funnel, I fill each cap. I use a flat rod to compress the powder in the cap, or in my case, the flat end of a small chainsaw file. I then drop one drop of the alcohol/shellac mixture into each cup. When the cups are almost dry, I press one little paper punched cap gun cap into the percussion cap and it is still moist enough for the shellac to harden the paper on top of the percussion powder. A punched out piece of ordinary paper would likely work just as well.

    I copied someone else's example for holding the empty cups. I drilled about 25 holes in a wooden paint stirring stick, just large enough so all the empty caps can be secured while filing them with the percussion compound and paper.

    I get 99.9% reliable ignition with my homemade caps.

    Edit: After reading Lags comment below, I also measure my ingredients by weight instead of volume. The Prime All directions are for volume, but I find measuring by weight is more reliable.
    Last edited by HamGunner; 02-06-2023 at 09:22 PM.
    73 de n0ubx, Rick
    NRA Benefactor Life Member/VFW Life Member

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    With the Prime All ?
    Are you mixing it by Volume like their instructions say.
    Or are you mixing it by Weight per H48 compound mix.
    I found way better functioning when mixed per the H48 design.
    Now I also use the Prime All chemicals and make up F42 priming compound.
    That compound does not use the ground glass in it like the H48.
    The F42 mix also seems better in ignition and reliability.
    I too load the cups using a old small pistol primers soldered to a brass rod .
    A flat cup full works great.
    A rounded top in the scoop works like a Magnum primer.

  5. #5
    Moderator Emeritus / Trusted loob groove dealer

    waksupi's Avatar
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    A bit of gum arabic also will do the trick.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
    John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"

    Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!


  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    Most of the problems with shellac come from making it too strong. I use shellac flakes and denatured alcohol just a very few flakes in a teaspoon of alcohol. . The trouble with using the Zinzer bullseye is you will end up having it harden on you long before you ever use it up. The duco cement works well and is foolproof. You don't need any paper disk on top either. .005 thick brass sheet makes a very good cup especially for the revolvers. The spacer trays for 22rf makes real good holders for the cups. glue it or tape it to a hunk of cardboard or wood.

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy Brimstone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by waksupi View Post
    A bit of gum arabic also will do the trick.
    Yep. My books say the same thing. In fact several non-corrosive formulas call for gum as they use distilled water as a desensitizer for the primary compound and an activator for the gum binder.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy Swineherd's Avatar
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    Aardvark reloading is THE site for info on reloading primers.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check