Good to see this thread is alive and well. As stated, there is more than one one to get a coating on a bullet. In the end, it would be nice to have a can of "Bullet Coating" spray that worked real good.
Good to see this thread is alive and well. As stated, there is more than one one to get a coating on a bullet. In the end, it would be nice to have a can of "Bullet Coating" spray that worked real good.
Still like the epoxy in a can for large quantity's of .223 bullets. very quick. Started tumbling with ASBB and like it, a little more involving doing the tumbling ( i.e. to many bullets, not enough shaking, to many ASBB's ) so that's going to take some trial and error. HF powder coat gun was a disaster. I think each method has it's place. Spraying for quantity and tumbling for a stronger coating.
It has been a while since anything was posted on this thread, I hope it isn't completely dead. What is BBDT? Nobody ever gave it's real name before going to acronym. Does that method require baking? Seems like every successful coating method does.
NRA Lifetime member since 1956, NRA Endowment Member. Reloading since 1954. CBA Member Navy Vietnam Veteran USS Intrepid CVA 11
Does this BBDT require an air compressor and spray gun?
NRA Lifetime member since 1956, NRA Endowment Member. Reloading since 1954. CBA Member Navy Vietnam Veteran USS Intrepid CVA 11
Try reading the stickies in alternative coatings!!!!!! All will become evident!!!!!!!
BBDT = airsoft BB Dry Tumble.
ESPC - ElectroStatic gun Powder Coating (the way it was REALLY meant to be applied!)
All acronyms are well explained. There is even a couple threads that cover every one we all use on a daily basis.
ALL powder coating methods require baking for (at least) 10 minutes at 400F after the powder turns shiny.
Again......well covered in the sticky.
And I think the subject of this thread is pretty much dead.......expensive....long dry times....acquard to do.
BBDT and ESPC are the realy ways to apply powder.
And no......BBDT does NOT requre a copressor!!!!!!! Just elbow grease.
banger
Okay, I've read almost everything (I think) on alternative coatings.
Ordered all the powder coating stuff from Amazon.
Still have a few questions:
1. Why aren't the bullets sized before coating ?
2. Gas checks, yes or no ?
3. What about in rifles operating in the 1400-2000 fps range ?
Thanks !
There are wide variations as noted above! Sizing depends on what your mold drops, what coating thickness you have, and what your gun likes to shoot.
I use GC's above ~1400 FPS, but that has been proven to not be needed by some. GC's serve several functions.....flat bottom for accuracy....protections from blow-by......and others.
I have read some on here shoot PC to 2300 FPS and higher. i do not.
There is no set "rule" for anything we do. Experiment around and find what works for your loads, your guns, and your needs.
Good luck in your endeavors.
banger
I see flameproof VHT epoxy for up to 2,000f exhaust paint, is this a new product that might work?
I recently gave the coated bullets a try and this VHT epoxy paint works great. I'm at 440 boolits so far and the can feels like it's got a few hundred to go before it runs out. So it's looking like less than $0.02 per boolit. Which, if you make a box of 100, adds $2 to the cost which is getting to be real money.
However, I found that the process doesn't have to be nearly as time consuming as what was first described in this thread. Using nitrile gloves, I just stand the boolits on a cardboard box that is about a foot high. Keep 'em at least 3/4 inch apart (which is about what my fingers can tolerate without knocking them over). Just use the VHT spray can as designed and spray a thin coat from about 4-6 different angles. The height of the box allows me to get the can down low so I am getting the sides of the boolits. Pay attention to the ones in the middle as they get "shadowed" by the others.
Go do something else for half an hour or so.
Come back, spray another coat on. No need to bake between coats (a big time saver)!
Preheat oven and go do something else for a while.
Come back, transfer dried, painted boolits (no need for tweezers or gloves now) onto a baking tray and put in oven at 300 degrees.
Go do something else.
Come back, turn off oven. And, you guessed it, go do something else.
After they're cool give one a smash test (haven't had one fail yet). Size the rest.
Some nice things I've found by doing it this way:
1)Only need to individually handle boolits twice before loading. Once to set them on cardboard box, and once to size them. The less individual handling of boolits the faster things go. Although you probably should do it at least once since it gives you a chance to inspect them.
2)Only need special handling between casting and the first coat of epoxy and that is only to wear nitrile gloves - no tweezers! Just take care not to get oils from handling on the bare lead. After paint has dried fondle them all you want.
3)Time from cast to reloading may be longer than lubrisizing, but the actual time spent getting things done is quite minimal. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes to stand 50 to 100 boolits up on box. About 30 seconds to spray a coat of epoxy on 'em. About 30 more seconds to come back and do a second coat oh wait, 31 seconds because you turn on the toaster oven. Takes 2 minutes to come back and transfer them into the oven, probably would take less time but I can't help but admire them for a bit.
4) No special equipment, no special weather conditions (except warm enough for paint to dry).
5) No onerous time commitment. You can paint boolits, then if something else comes up, you can come back next week and pick up where you left off.
The main drawback could be cost. Like I said, at between $1 to $2 per 100 boolits that can add up. When I do traditional lubing I usually don't even figure in the cost of a boolit since the scrap lead is so cheap it would come out to a fraction of a cent per box. However, at $1 to $2 per box of 100 boolits I will not likely go back to traditional lubing - it is worth the cost to me.
Now, I may experiment with BBDT powder coating. I don't like the idea of handling them so delicately between coating and baking.
I used the VTH for years before switching to HI-TEC and used the same method for both with great results.
There is only one extra step with the HI-TEC and that mixing the powder with the acetone.
I just dump the cast boolits (about 4#) into a plastic coffee can, spray some VTH or pour in some HI-TEC (1g of powder with 5ml acetone), put on the lid and shake rattle and role for about 30 seconds.
Dump them out on a expanded metal screen and lightly separate them by hand and in about 10 minuets there ready to go in the oven at 350 for ten minutes.
Cool and repeat once then size ( I use a pneumatically operated sizer and lube with water based personal lube).
I generally do 2 batches at a time so while one's baking the other is drying on a piece of the expanded metal.
I've quit using the VTH for 3 reasons. 1: any color you want as long as its black. 2: HI-TEC is a lot cheaper per boolit. 3: I can add a pinch of Hex Boron Nitride to the second batch of HITEC and get a homogenized mix.
Time to liven up this great thread after it laying post-free for 3 years
I use 2000 degree clear spray paint in a basic tumble lube way. I only shoot max. hunting loads, and heavy for caliber hardcast bullets with no GC's. I'll be brief as to my method and let you all take it from there. The last thing I have patience for is standing up bullets, no thank you!
Also keep in mind by doing so you are leaving those raw lead bases exposed to the flame, and not covered with a 2000 degree barrier. While the list of items you need is quite extensive I assure you it is well worth the investment
You will need.....
1 can of 2000 degree clear spray paint.
1 cool whip bowl.
1 "whatever" to bake them on.
Place a heaping handful of bullets in bowl, give a 2/3 second spray of paint on bullets, place lid on and swirl / tumble them around good for 30 seconds, open bowl if they are all wet looking shake them out on your baking "whatever" and let air dry to the touch, then bake at 200 to 250 degrees for 10 minutes. remove and let cool, DONE!
Tip: A great and CHEAP baking "whatever" is a frying pan splatter screen from dollar tree with the handle snipped off, and set on a pizza pan. I will let you play with how many coats work for you, I usually do 2 but thats me. You do not have to bake between coats, only after the last coat has dried. 1 can of paint will do THOUSANDS of bullets this way since you're not wasting time and paint trying to cover all surfaces, let the swirling do the work for you!
Safe and happy shooting!
MagLvr
The .357 Magnum......
1935
Major Douglas Wesson, using factory loads, which were a 158 gr. soft lead bullet, traveling 1515 fps, from an 8 3/4" barreled S&W, producing 812 ft. lbs of muzzle energy.
Antelope - 200 yards (2 shots)
Elk - 130 yards (1 shot)
Moose - 100 yards (1 shot)
Grizzly Bear - 135 yards (1 shot).
It kind of makes one wonder, why today, it will bounce off anything bigger than a rabbit
I read half of this thread and had to go out. So I stopped by O'Reilles and bought a can of VHT red. Lable says nothing about baking, should have bought the black gloss, but I'll try this on my next cast of a new mold I got and see how they do. .30 cals at ~1800 fps.
I genneraly have been doing LLA and had good liuck with it and GCs but thought I'd try this just for the color!
Hold on a minute until I blow the dust off my screen!!!!! WOW this thing is OLD!
I tried epoxy back in the days we all were perfecting PC and found it to be are more costly/boolit and less reliable than real baked PC. I ESPC spray everything these days. But epoxy is definitely better than that LLA or the grease-o-matic mess.
VHT isn't nearly as good as HF powder. Instructions state - cook 2-3 times @ 450F for proper cure. Basically exhaust manifold/header ceramic paint. Not in my barrels. It has been used to 'shrink' the nose in some moulds.
Whatever!
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 |