simple Hi-Tek coating

[Gremlin460]

I use a old house oven right, yesterday while retrieving something the dropped of the table, I noticed the oven has a Grill under the oven part. So I checked it all out, and decided when I am not so busy I am going to tear out the grill elements and fit into the main oven. With a 240v relay slaved to the PID unit, I should be able to increase heat faster when required.

Dunno why I never noticed it before, probably too interested in getting the oven hot and casts coated to really pay attention.

[Leatherhead Bullets]

+1 on Lathesmith's dies. We run several in our old Lubemasters and Hi-tek. Chris does very good work!

[kentuckycajun]

I've perused this thread rather carefully, and the first mention of gas checks I see is Angus's post for the 300 blkout. I could have missed a few posts (old eyes).
I plan to try this for a 500 S&W gc boolit (I realize this will take some trial and error on cook times).
Will I need to use a gas check since it has a .460 shank, and if so, at what stage of the process do I crimp it on?

[Avenger442]

kentuckycajun
I'm just getting into loading up my first test in .308 and .44 Mag. My understanding is that you cannot put bullet through a sizer before putting on the first coat. It burnishes the lead causing an adherence problem with the coating. I use a Lee sizer to set my gas check on .308. So I apply one coat, install check, size then apply two more coats.

Read thread "HI-TEK do's and don'ts" Ausglock says size after two coats (no mention of GC) and shoot. He's the Guru.

[Ausglock]

Coat once. Fit gc and size. Coat second time. Load and shoot.

[220]

I've fitted them before coating without a problem but using a lyman with the GC seater so the boolit is only going into the die as far as the GC.
With push through size dies I do it after the 1st or 2nd coat.

[rogsir]

After some time i terminated the LFC in my setup and just use it as a bulge buster wannabe. I use the dillon setup on the press. And after 150 fired rounds the bore is clean. Thanks for the solution.

[bosco555]

Hi all...I eventually got to hi-tek some cast boolits. I followed Ausglock instructions to the "T" 5-1-7. I have baked them for 12min @ 200deg C. When done, I let them cool and did the 2nd coat/bake. When they cooled, I gas-checked them, but noticed that the coat seems to be a bit brittle...as if it was burnt toast like...Is this what they should look like?
I have checked the oven temp with a laser thermometer, and it was at 200deg.C...
Thanks
bosco

[Moonman]

Time may have been TOO LONG for the total projectile mass that was baked.
You need to study YOUR PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT, and take notes.
Did you do the ACETONE wipe test EACH COAT?
Did you do the SMASH TEST each coat?
Maybe you should have tested a projectile at 10 mins, 11 mins and your final 12 mins.
How long did the INITIAL COAT DRY before coating?
First coat FAILING the tests CANNOT BE SALVAGED, remelt and start over.
DO NOT "SIZE" before coating, DO NOT try to REMOVE LUBE from
COMMERCIAL CAST PROJECTILES to then coat them with HI-TEK. (it will not work)
Over baking the projectiles will cause color to darken but the coating will work,
If your coating IS BRITTLE, I think you have problems with your process.

[Moonman]

bosco555,

How much coating was applied TO WHAT PROJECTILE MASS WEIGHT initially?
How much HI-TEK coating was used totally for what mass?

[Ausglock]

More info needed.
What oven?

etc etc.
I'd suggest too much coating used for first coat.

Photos and info Please.

[Gateway Bullets]

Well here is a pic that one of my customers sent me. He was using 45- 200gr swc coated in red copper. Thanks Bob!

[popper]

240gr around 1500-1800

From a BO? Difficult to believe. I do suppose if the boolit is barely in the case mouth you might get enough powder in there. I've not seen that loading data.

[Ausglock]

Bosco.
Those laser thermometers are not accurate. Even the expensive ones.
'Get a Digital therm with K sensor leads to place in the oven.
What oven are you using? Is it a fan forced oven?

Come on... Wake up. It is 8am on the east coast. you westies always want a sleep in.

[bosco555]

Hahaha...Trev...I'm here...I was just admiring my failure....
I am using a sunbeam convection oven, I had ordered the breville, but hey...just my luck they delivered a sunbeam..nevertheless...
Just to add insult to injury (and this is my fault) I ordered the black hi-tek.
I mixed 5ml of black to 7ml of acetone to 1ml of hardener for approx 150 boolits (That's all I had at the time)
Boolits were cast by me (Lee furnace) and water dropped. I subsequently washed the boolits in acetone to remove any grease from molds/handling and followed your procedure.
I let them cool down properly before applying the other coats
However, I missed doing the wipe test...
Did the smash test and as you can see from the pic...Epic fail
The boolits are 303/314 british and the big one is a 458WinMag (wipe test after 3 coats)

[HI-TEK]

Hahaha...Trev...I'm here...I was just admiring my failure....
I am using a sunbeam convection oven, I had ordered the breville, but hey...just my luck they delivered a sunbeam..nevertheless...
Just to add insult to injury (and this is my fault) I ordered the black hi-tek.
I mixed 5ml of black to 7ml of acetone to 1ml of hardener for approx 150 boolits (That's all I had at the time)
Boolits were cast by me (Lee furnace) and water dropped. I subsequently washed the boolits in acetone to remove any grease from molds/handling and followed your procedure.
I let them cool down properly before applying the other coats
However, I missed doing the wipe test...
Did the smash test and as you can see from the pic...Epic fail
The boolits are 303/314 british and the big one is a 458WinMag (wipe test after 3 coats)

Hi,
I am just going to throw my hat into this arena, and try and help.

I am concerned about a number of areas that may have been indicated by your message.
1. Are you using some sort of bullet Mold grease type release agent? You advised, that you had "washed alloy with Acetone to remove grease". Is that correct?
Failure of adhesion may be directly caused by residues from grease, or other release agents which are not removed by Acetone wash. Unfortunately, if this is the case, it is a re-melt job.
2. What metal/s are you using? The alloy seems to have a white powdery deposit and is not the same colour as regular alloys I have seen.
I have seen alloys that have high levels of Zinc and Cadmium and possibly other metals, that will form white crusty powders on alloy surface especially after contact with water.
These deposits are also a contributor to poor adhesion and may have negatively affected coating.
3. 5:1:7 ratio is OK.
You really need to cast a few hundred first, and make up adequate coating so that you can take larger more manageable ratios that provide less chance of volume errors.
Mixing small amounts such as you had, can contribute to possibility of large variations in ratios, as it is difficult to measure small amounts accurately.

I sent you a PM to which I have received no response as yet.
Happy to assist as possible.

[Ausglock]

Bosco.
Don't be such a tight **** with the mixing.
I mix 50mls of colour, 10mls of catalyst and 70mls of Acetone.
Doing 5,1,7 mls is a pain in the ringhole and you will get poor results.

Don't wash your pills. If you are using a release agent on your molds, stop!!!
I smoke my Lee molds and also use the HI-TEK Super 500 release spray with no ill effects on my coating.
Also. The first coat should not be able to be seen. the coated bullets should look almost uncoated. that is how much coating you use.

The mixed coating will last for a few months. don't be scared of it going off.

[bosco555]

Yep, will do that, wasn't sure how much it would take (being the first time), but I might put the mix in a squirty plastic bottle type of thing...I also had very cloudy boolits. I have since re-melted, fluxed and re-cast all of them...
I don't use any mold release agent, I smoke the molds with either matches or a candle..
I will take pics as I go along (will do tomorrow afternoon). And yeah, the first coat looked fine before the oven, but when they came out is was much heavier..will use less coating.
Is the black still ok though for >2000fps??

[Ausglock]

I have used Black to 1700fps on a 105gn SWC in 357 Sig.

[Gateway Bullets]

When I first started playing with the product, I would mix VERY small amounts and had terrible results! I didn't want to waste coating and it was a big mistake.

Here is what I learned.

Mix larger batches of coating (minor variance make a huge mess)
Don't try to wash of contaminants (Alox, wax, etc etc) from older bullets (scrap and recast them)
If a bullets has been cast and sized the coating will not bond to the bullet.
Contamination in your tumbling device will cause coating adhesion failure.
Bad acetone will cause a MAJOR headache!!!!!
Make sure you do the wipe and smash test after each coat. If it fails STOP and start over!
Make sure the temp in the oven is accurate.
Use very light first coats. If you think you put on enough, you put on to much!
Keep notes of what you are doing.
When all else fails, blame Joe for drinking to much bourbon while making the coating! Lol

But the biggest thing...... If you run into a problem ask for help!

My shop phone is 636-629-5555. Feel free to call and I will help any way that I can. If I don't answer, leave a msg and I will call ya back as soon as I can.

Also, from the look of the pic, the bullet looks very rough! This can be caused from either using to much coating or tumbling to long. You only need to tumble for 10-15 seconds. Don't tumble until you hear a change.

This is how light of a coat I use on my gold and red copper.