lead bullets coated with polymer paint

[Silver-Silver]

Orochimaru
Thank You! Thank You!
Your results are what I expected from others doing this earlier in the thread. I agree with you with the base of the bullet not needing covered. Lots of bullets are jacketed and don't have a sealed base.

What type of powder are you using? Epoxy, Polymer, Hybrid?

The scale of making large batches of this won't make it cost effective in a way I can understand. I do believe some of the coatings currently being sold are powder coat. And if they are, then it must be a boring job standing up all the bullets to coat and bake.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I must ask my mate if I can do a video of him making his coated bullets for YouTube. All would be revealed! He could use it as an advertisment as well. It would mean hanging around his place all day, but it would be interesting and I would then be able to answer all of the curly questions you guys keep asking me.

[Orochimaru]

Orochimaru
Thank You! Thank You!
Your results are what I expected from others doing this earlier in the thread. I agree with you with the base of the bullet not needing covered. Lots of bullets are jacketed and don't have a sealed base.

What type of powder are you using? Epoxy, Polymer, Hybrid?

The scale of making large batches of this won't make it cost effective in a way I can understand. I do believe some of the coatings currently being sold are powder coat. And if they are, then it must be a boring job standing up all the bullets to coat and bake.

This was an Eastwood powder for which I do not have the MSDS and their site is not forthcoming with specific information on the powder formulation. Just based on their wording about UV and Fuel resistance, I would have to guess that it is a Poly TGIC powder.

PowderBuyThePound lists the variety for their powders, and I've got both Poly, Poly TGIC and Hybrid from them -- all of which I intend to test and try.


I hear you on the cost-effective side of things, and I don't think that a "stand and spray" method is workable for large scale production. I suspect that they use a tumbling system that kinda hot flocks the powder -- just to the point where the powder will stick, but not hot enough to start flow. This would require very precise temperature control and precise flow of the powder to get a uniform coat.

On the other hand, for my purposes, doing it this way will easily produce enough bullets to keep me happy and saving a TON of money. Assuming it works, of course!

[Silver-Silver]

I don't think that a "stand and spray" method is workable for large scale production. I suspect that they use a tumbling system that kinda hot flocks the powder -- just to the point where the powder will stick, but not hot enough to start flow. This would require very precise temperature control and precise flow of the powder to get a uniform coat.

I think some companies are actually standing them up on sheets and spraying and baking after seeing the flashing on the base of the bullet of some commercially available bullets. You would still have to stand up the bullets to bake thereby you would probably just powder coat at the same time and skip the tumble process.

However, I think the way Four Fingers of Death's friend is making a liquid paint is much more effective for large scale. We just have to get some stuff over here in the states to give a try. Please make a video if possible. Do you know if he sprays the bullets or if he just pours in a measured amount of paint into the tumbling bullets?

It should be possible to make this as easy and hopefully as cheap as tumble lube. Once we are at that point, I can see regular lube go away, but until the masses can easily and cheaply coat bullets, I think there will be regular lube for sale.

[Four Fingers of Death]

He just poured in straight in from a paint tin into the cement mixer full of bullets when I was there, eyeballing the colour as it spread around and the bullets darkened. When he was happy with the colour (and subsequently the coating was thick enough) he put the tin aside and let them tumble.

This was before this thread and it didn't occur to me to follow the process through at the time.

[taminsong]

Guys,

Kindly check the link and if you have questions, please PM me.

http://s538.photobucket.com/albums/f...minsong/SLUGS/

Been doing this thing for a couple of years now.

[Four Fingers of Death]

WOW! love the lipstick colours. The HPs look terrific.

[1845greyhounds]

Taminsong, very pretty. But what's the point of coating them if you them lube them? Is that so you can shoot in indoor ranges with jacketed boolit requirements? I think most of us are looking for an all-in-one lube-n-containment type coating.

[taminsong]

greyhounds,

I never shoot indoors, its just that I like my boolits lubed. There's something that is satisfying if I lubed it. Of course you can shoot it without lubed, no probs.

Powder coating is very slick to touch, I use high gloss color for black and red. when it passed thru the star sizer the coating still remains, even after it passed the barrel. It's hard, won't chip, won't peel off, won't cracked.

I really liked to resized the boolits when they're powder coated, very nice to touch. After they passed the star sizer, the lubed is sticky and doesn't feel good in the hands anymore.

[Four Fingers of Death]

The lube won't stick to the Aussie coated bullets. I pan lubed some with Pearl Lubeand it just came straight off when i tried to get them out of the pan, lol.

[taminsong]

Try Carnauba Red, that's what I'm using.

[castalott]

taminsong- very nice and very interesting...Would you please post pictures and 'how I do it" here?
I would also like your information on the paint and where to buy it. In short, I would like to know everything you know.

Thank You Very Much, Dale

[taminsong]

Powder coating supplies can be purchase at eastwood.com, they have everything!
I will try to take some pics, much better than explaining the whole thing.
I'm afraid I will be out of English words before I can explain it fully, lol!

[Shooter6]

Just thought I would post some pic on how my coating of 20 gauge slugs are going and the set up I am using. http://sports.webshots.com/photo/249...05544283oDyKoV
I am getting good results with the fluid powder coating although getting a consistant coat depends on the temp. that I dip at and the length of time you hold the slug in the powder.
I have not been able to get out and shoot for the last week, but hope to soon. I did determine that if you reheat the slug to 250 or higher the pro tec coating will melt back to a fluid state. Not sure if that is a possitive thing.

[firefly1957]

This would be interesting for swaged lead bullets as long as lube is not required. I think for spraying putting bullets upside down might work well.

I have try copper plating with no luck at all.

[Silver-Silver]

I have try copper plating with no luck at all.

I have never tried copper plating, but I have looked into it. From what I can tell, the plating is so thin it is more of just for color than for any meaningful protection. Swaging is another thing I am very interested. Brian is a vendor here on CastBoolits and has some nice dies for swaging over in the swaging section of the forum.

If anyone here can figure this coating thing out, I will use the coated bullets for plinking and everyday shooting stuff, and swaged bullets for shooting when I care about accuracy a bit more.

[Trail Finder]

What if you were to spray something like the Arsenol mould release spray? Would that give the same results?

[firefly1957]

I have some old swage dies for .357 & .452 they are designed to use half jacket they do lead well also. I have used lubed 38 bullets to make 45 160 gr bullets they shot quite well the lube keeps the lube grooves from collapsing.

[Shooter6]

Trail finder
I have tried mould release and did not get any better results than bear lead.

[firefly1957]

I saw a old lube formula that used bear grease but never have seen bear lead!