Aluminum soda cans as jackets, can it be done?

[seppos]

Yes.
Question is.. Does the aluminium withstand higher speeds and pressures like in rifle calibers?

I have some parts that i will drop tomorrow to electroplating company. I will ask from them about the electroplating options for aluminium.

S

[seppos]

Bad news from the electroplating company. They only do steel.
But maybe a homebrew is a solution. Lots of zincating recipies here:

http://www.finishing.com/424/16.shtml

S

[Lizard333]

I've got access to a scope if additional barrels and testing is needed.

[seppos]

I've got access to a scope if additional barrels and testing is needed.

There is this small problem of distance.. From here to Flagstaff it is about 5270 miles..

I think that I will sort it out.. Thanks anyway.

S

[longbow]

Might work if it is a long bore scope...

[runfiverun]

refracting telescope?
I think it might be best to mail some bullets and test them on his end.

this might be of some help.

[Kevin8888]

Copper plating aluminum suuucks, It's an extremely difficult metal to plate due to the speed in which it oxidizes, so you have to chemically remove the oxides and plate it simultaneously with another metal. it means you have to go through a bunch of steps with various chemicals, I tried it the way in the video a few years back and it doesn't work on aluminum.

a quick lazy google search gives you this process, there may be an easier way but I don't recall coming across one years back when I was looking.

1. Degrease.
2. Soak clean.
3. Thoroughly rinse.
4. Dip in a 50 percent nitric acid solution. Depending on the aluminum alloy, sodium bifluoride, sulfuric acid or chromic acid may have to be used in conjunction with nitric acid.
5. Thoroughly rinse.
6. Dip in a zincate bath for 1 minute.
7. Strip the zinc coating using 50 percent nitric acid
8. Rinse thoroughly.
9. Dip in the zincate solution again.*
10. Rinse thoroughly.
11. Apply a copper strike using a cyanide or non-cyanide alkaline strike bath.
12. Rinse thoroughly.
13. Plate in a copper plating bat

* Double zincate is always the recommended procedure for getting good adhesion to aluminum-based materials.

[longbow]

Yikes! I think paper patching would be much easier! Or using a different jacket material... well, I guess paper patching is using a different jacket material but I meant metal.

[seppos]

Heh.
People are already painting devils to the wall despite we are not even there yet.
If a coating is needed, then I will try different options. Will it be zincating, tumble or spray moly or powder coat, that we will see.. First it will be plain aluminium.

S

[Sasquatch-1]

If you are going through all the steps of trying to plate an aluminum jacket why not just copper plate the bullet itself? There are numerous videos of how to do this on YouTube and it has been discussed here before.

[seppos]

I just wonder how long time would it take to get a uniform jacket thickness of minimum .008 to the bullet?
I know that there is companys that makes copper plated bullets, but normally they are ment for pistol calibers so there is not so big need for thick coating.

S

[seppos]

Had to try.. First aluminium jacketed .30 bullet with CH4D set.
123 grains, but as it is .308, it would bee to skinny for AK.

On next week had to make the die set for .312.

S

[NavyVet1959]

There is this small problem of distance.. From here to Flagstaff it is about 5270 miles..

I think that I will sort it out.. Thanks anyway.

S

Somewhere around here?

https://www.google.com/maps/@63.3618.../data=!3m1!1e3

[seppos]

Somewhere around here?

https://www.google.com/maps/@63.3618.../data=!3m1!1e3

Heh..
Pritty close.. inside 50 mile

S

[NavyVet1959]

Heh..
Pritty close.. inside 50 mile

Zooming out a a couple of levels, that really is a lot of water ya'll have around there.

[seppos]

Yes. 10% from the country is covered with lakes and there is about 188 000 of them.. Easy to go fishing as the closest lake is always inside couple of miles.
This region is actually called the Lake Finland area as it is riddled with lakes.

To support the outdoor culture we have quite extensive rights for every man.
57650.pdf

S

[NavyVet1959]

Yes. 10% from the country is covered with lakes and there is about 188 000 of them.. Easy to go fishing as the closest lake is always inside couple of miles.
This region is actually called the Lake Finland area as it is riddled with lakes.

I guess that means a lot of ice fishing then...

So, given the two measurements that you've quoted, I'm thinking that you are located either

around here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@63.6848318,28.8065174,16z

or around here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@62.9187133,26.616805,14z

[seppos]

To ease you up. I live close by Kuopio, and my friend have machine shop at Rautavaara.
Varpaisjärvi, you first pick is little bit west from Rautavaara and Kuopio is towards east from the Tervo area.

S

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I just wonder how long time would it take to get a uniform jacket thickness of minimum .008 to the bullet?
I know that there is companys that makes copper plated bullets, but normally they are ment for pistol calibers so there is not so big need for thick coating.

S

Not only that, but electroplated copper is always soft, rather than work-hardened like conventionally made jackets. There is a process called electroforming, whereby fairly thin metal objects are formed on conductively sprayed wax or plastic formers. But the thicker you get, the greater the difficulty of getting it even and smooth. I think the companies that make pistol bullets work well with electroplating are a lot of research and development ahead of the amateur who tries to start out on it.

[seppos]

Yes. Unless the thin coating does not work, or powder coat, then it would propably be much better to consider deep draw steels as possible jacket material. There is already some zink and zink/aluminium coated brands suitable to deep draw.

Zink plated steel has about half the friction coefficient to copper..
S