dry tumble powder coating?

[a.squibload]

Just for clarity, "grease groove tops" = "driving bands".
Or sumpin like that!

[nighthunter]

I use a very course grade of stainless steel door screening. The openings are larger than normal window screening but much smaller than hardware cloth. The bullets don't stick and the screen leaves no marks. Not sure where to purchase this stuff as my father had this stashed down in his basement and he probably recycled it from its previous use. I'll check around online and see what I come up with.

Nighthunter

[bangerjim]

Read late last nite (cant' find thread now) that many are reporting HF is advising they are canceling the RED from their mail orders due to "unavailability". Either WE have cleaned them out or they are worried about us evil shooters using their "fine" products to make those evil boolits!

Rumors are they are dropping red?????????? Store shelves are bare??????????


OMG!!!!!!!!!!

I just got back from one of my local HF stores (I have 4 of them locally) and there was plenty of all colors. I did get 3 more jars of red!!!!!!!

I feel for your guys that have to rely on mail order for stuff. I lived for a decade one year in WY! Had to order everything by mail or drive 120+ miles to SLC.

But just a heads up on HF RED powder! Our favorite!

banger

[bangerjim]

After coating over 500 slugs just now, mabe we need to start another thread or name for a variant of the original "tumbling" process.

Using an old coolwhip #5 container, I have found, to get almost perfect coatings, you need to swirl rather than tumble. The word "tumble" means to many starting on this road the need to shell out $$$$$ to buy a vibrator or rotary tumbler to do this. Not so! My first attempts at this were with a rotary and it did not work.....at all. Next tried the vibrator.....no luck.....at all. Both were total disasters!!!!!!!!!! Tupperware.....disaster.

Now, using a throw-away plastic coolwhip (#5 polypro) container, and just "swirling and sloshing" the boolits gently around WITHOUT the lid, I get very high quality coats on the 1st coat & bake.

One of the very important things is to start off with a VERY TINY amount of powder, about 1/8 tsp! Add it as you swirl and add more when you see no powder left in the bottom. That is why you leave the lid off. Add small amounts as the boolits coat. Stop when they are coated. There should be virtually NO powder left in the container. If you have powder left, that will cause uneven coating and perhaps lumps. Easy swirling, especially in heavier slugs, prevents "collision divots" where boolits knock the powder off their neighbors.

~2 minutes is all it takes.

I have also found just dumping them out on screens/wires does not meet my quality control level. Too many lay marks, bare spots, and wire lumps. I pick them up with a hemostat.Those things have an excellent grip. And by dipping the ends of the jaws in powder B4 starting, you do not remove powder from your boolits when you pick them up! I have NOT found that moving them around while they are hot will eliminate bare spots or lumps......just makes more grooves in the hot PC.

I am amazed at the quality I am getting following the above "swirl" procedure exactly as stated.

I know there are those out there that like to try to do hundreds at at time in a mechanical device. If you are getting results that meet your needs......excellent. I do about 50 at a time in the tub...~150 on a rack......fill 2 racks while the other 2 are baking.

But, following my above ideas will give you unbelievable results!

This could now be called DS....."dry swirling"! No tumblers/vibrators needed!


Let us know YOUR results!

banger

[Beagle333]

After coating over 500 slugs just now, mabe we need to start another thread or name for a variant of the original "tumbling" process.

Using an old coolwhip #5 container, I have found, to get almost perfect coatings, you need to swirl rather than tumble.

I believe Freightman was the pioneer of the dry swirl in a plastic tub, way back in September.... he should get to name it, if it gets a name.

See the first post:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-PC&highlight=

[Hang Fire]

I just got back from one of my local HF stores (I have 4 of them locally) and there was plenty of all colors. I did get 3 more jars of red!!!!!!!

I feel for your guys that have to rely on mail order for stuff. I lived for a decade one year in WY! Had to order everything by mail or drive 120+ miles to SLC.

banger

LOL, I feel for guys that live in a population congested area where there are four local Harbor Freight stores.

[Beagle333]

Oh Geez, it's not just gunpowder anymore.... Let the hoarding begin!!!!

[bangerjim]

We have discussed for a while just what actually makes the powder stick to the lead when rolling them around in certain plastic containers. Some plastics work well....some do not.

Well, messing around like I always do..........I added a TINY bit of moly dioxide to some red powder to see if it would mix. It did mix but totally prevented the lead from even taking a tiny bit of powder.

The moly powder COMPLETELY kills static electric charges.

We know that because most gun powders are coated with graphite, a similar lube, to minimize static charges when handling it. Moly does the same thing to the red powder. I just ended up with a moly coated coolwhip bowl and naked boolits!

Results......stick with PC powders only.

Just like Edison said......"I now know 1000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb!"

banger

[jmort]

So is the PC gun on eBay? I like DT aka dry tumble. Same thing with tumble lube, you swirl. So are you now on the DT band wagon?

[bangerjim]

So is the PC gun on eBay? I like DT aka dry tumble. Same thing with tumble lube, you swirl. So are you now on the DT band wagon?

I use whatever method suits the application. Now that I have "gotten thru the fog" as Pelosi famously said (!), my boolits are probably at 85% of ESPC.

No I will never give up the ES, but DT offers alternatives (like 000 shot in groups of 3). I have played around with it, shot it, and it appears to be functionally good.

No......my HF gun will NEVER be on evilbay. I would take a hammer to it before selling it on there. As you can probably figure out, I do not like evilbay or any other on-line "auction" whorehouse.

I use the ES gun to coat boolits with black and other colors, as well as many shop items that need the tough coating. I always wanted on for years and boolit spraying forced me over the edge. You cannot DT tools and holders and garden tools!!!!!!! The ES gun is an excellent coating application tool I have in my painting/coating arsenal.

I merely wanted to post my results so those starting out in our habit can avoid all the wasted time I experienced with various mechanical things, wrong containers, too much powder, etc.

I hope it helps as guidance to those trying it!!!!!!


banger

[dverna]

Has hell frozen over???

Banger has accepted DT as "acceptable". LOL

Just a few comments.
Banger was man enough to post that the method works well.
"Quality" is relative. The vast majority of you guys are coating pistol bullets. If you are like me, unless accuracy is significantly affected, any slight advantage to ES is lost in the blasting we do with pistols.
The expense of a gun and small compressor are not deal killers or much of a factor - if they are needed. But not having to ES apply the powder makes this process easier and you can put more bullets on the tray - so it is faster. And speed is nice to have, even if you do not need it.

Great thread

Don Verna

[jmort]

I'm waiting for team HI-TEK to jump on the band wagon as well. All of this is a cost/benefit analysis, and I just don't see anything other than DT PC winning out in the analysis. In the fullness of time something else will probably come along, but at that point, private ownership of lead will probably be illegal.

[bangerjim]

Has hell frozen over???

Banger has accepted DT as "acceptable". LOL

Just a few comments.
Banger was man enough to post that the method works well.
"Quality" is relative. The vast majority of you guys are coating pistol bullets. If you are like me, unless accuracy is significantly affected, any slight advantage to ES is lost in the blasting we do with pistols.
The expense of a gun and small compressor are not deal killers or much of a factor - if they are needed. But not having to ES apply the powder makes this process easier and you can put more bullets on the tray - so it is faster. And speed is nice to have, even if you do not need it.

Great thread

Don Verna

According to the weatherman, It has!!!!!! At least on the east coast! HA...........ha!

I still prefer the ES method but DT will give guys starting out a good taste of what can be done without spending a fortune on lubra-matics and grease.

I have "swirled" several hundred rounds with good coatings. Not 100%...but perrrrrrrrty dang good....after discovering the coolwhip (#5 plastic) trick.

I still really like the look of the matte black with ES. And have not noticed any abrasive problems with the newer bottles of powder. Only time will tell.

banger

[dverna]

Banger,

I live about 275 miles from Hell Michigan. It has frozen over.

Don Verna

[Hillbillychemist]

Tumble or "swirl" coated these this weekend. What's the consensus, do I need a second coat or am I good to proceed?


Thanks

[Liberty'sSon]

Looks good to me Hillbilly. Load em up. Is that color SDWB?

[Rushthezeppelin]

Well here's my first acceptable batch of pc all loaded up. 20 300blk, 161gr (Lee 312-155 with COWW) over 15gr of lil gun.



Thanks for all the people that have already done all the legwork, especially those that pioneered DT.

[Love Life]

I'm waiting for team HI-TEK to jump on the band wagon as well.

Why??

[jmort]

Simplicity and efficacy.

[Love Life]

Meh. HT is simple if you can read instructions and stop fiddling with the oven knob...

I will be trying this method out though. Looks very intriguing indeed.

I have about 10,000 bullets coated, so that runs to about $.0064 per bullet.