All colors will give great results, but my favorite colors are Blush Red Copper and Old Gold. If you mix Black with Old Gold you get a Brownish glittery finish. Some put on a very thin black base coat, then overcoat with another very thin coat of another color. It produces some great looking finishes.
Hello IOON44
Yes that is exactly what the Texas Tea is supposed to look like. That color was inspired from the TV programmed the Clampetts on Beverly Hillbillies when Jed shot into the ground and out came a bubbling pool of Oil.
The K-15 Black is an extremely black coating and is very popular. It is used also a base coat, topped with other Metallic colors. The base background of the K-15 highlights other colors.
I don't know what color you would get if you mixed the K-15 with Gold 1035. I am suspecting that in a 1 to 1 mix/blend, the K-15 may overtake other colors unless the K-15 is used at lower concentration ratio. If you wanted to play, first try using 1 part of K-15 with 2 parts of a color like Gold 1035, then go from there with mix ratio afterwards if the color is not what you want. Just increase ratio of 1 part K-15 to 3 parts Gold 1035 to see the effects. You can use the K-15 in small additions to darken other colors.
Joe
Do you have a listing of the metallic coatings? And can you give us an idea of how much more heat they reflect?
While I work at it, it is by God's grace that it happens. So it is best I ask him what, how and when before I start..
I probably have more HiTek powders to last a lifetime (for my production rate that is). I had some zombie green, candy apple red, and brown copper in the fridge for several months. The base turned dark brown in the bottles. I mixed them all together and achieved a sparkly dark brown. I actually like this color as it’s more subdued.
SGD
Hello Avenger
Independent tests were done, to show the heat transfer rates to be significantly reduced by the coatings and are strong insulators.
Two tests that are applicable;
1. A Red Copper coated alloy and a non coated alloy side by side was being heated on a spoon with a gas torch. The uncoated alloy melted, and the coated alloy stood in molten alloy.
2. A single coated alloy, and a plain uncoated alloy had thermocouples inserted in them to measure temperatures of each. These two were placed into an oven that was pre-heated and set at 180C, and temperatures of the projectiles was measure against time in oven. After putting the two into the oven, the coated alloy lagged some 20C behind the uncoated alloy. This demonstrated the coating ability to reflect heat transfer into the alloy. The coated alloy took about 2 minutes longer to get up to 180C.
These are a list of what metallic coating are available, Texas Tea (black/gold), Candy Apple, Bronze 500, Bronze 502, Bronze 530, Red Copper, Blush Red Copper, Old Gold, Gold 1035, Gunmetal,
Dark Green Metallic, Zombie Green, Kryptonite green, Aztec Gold.
So you have a few choices. They all are very similar to heat reflectance and act like heat insulator.
I hope that I have answered your questions..
Quick question for the masters. I got some mold release a while back and it works wonders on my molds. I have a Dillon 550b and my powder funnel sometimes starts sticking to the inside of my pistol brass. I was wondering if I painted some of the black mold release on the tip of the powder die and heated it a bit then smoothed it off, if it would give the funnel/expander some nonstick properties against the super clean brass. What are the chances it will work?
Great question....
Using very thinly applied powder, may work well and without needing heat. However, I am leaning towards using a very thin previously diluted coating of Aqualube, and drying.
They both should work well. I suspect, that Aqualube may work a little better, but in this application, it is a guess. If you are using Aqualube first, you may not get good adhesion of the Mold release as the dry Aqualube will not mix with, or allow wetting out and will provide a dry slick anti stick surface which will prevent coating of those surfaces with any other material,.
Great Question and possible end use potential, and would be interested in the results of your experimentations. Please keep us posted....
I find that wet tumbling of brass causes the expander plug to stick in the cases. Dry media tumbling doesn't cause this. If I use wet tumbled brass, I just rub my thumb and finger on my nose or forehead (to get a bit of body oil) and wipe the expander plug with them. works on the 550 and the squaredeal presses. the Aqua lube would be a good thing to try.
Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor.
Australia
Just a quick question,,, did you use the concentrated Aqualube or the diluted version? It may make a difference with how long it stays where you use it. My rationale is, if you used the concentrate, you would leave a much thicker film which may be easier to get scraped off surfaces with mechanical abrasion,.... just thinking about the application, Aqualube has release particles that are o.o2 micron size, and that thickness should give lubricity and release property and possible less of an area to have scraped off with mechanical contact abrasion. If it means using less, so be it, as long as it works....
Just as an afterthought....if you are applying Aqualube to surface that previously had oily or greasy residues, the Aqualube will not wet out and adhere adequately to previously contaminated surfaces. You get best wetting out with Aqualube, if surfaces are totally clean from other lubes or release agents. As I have said, Aqualube is a strange material and the dry film wont mix with, and repels other things and wont allow other materials to stick to a film of it where it has been successfully applied. Whilst in liquid form, Aqualube will mix with Alcohol, Acetone , MEK and other water miscible solvents. Always add Aqualube to diluting solvent material, then shake mix well.
Last edited by HI-TEK; 02-27-2024 at 11:01 PM. Reason: more data
I am constantly being surprised by the unique things people come up with using various products. I learn a lot from this site. Thanks all for sharing your great ideas....
After wet tumbling, I have started to throw the bras in the dry media with car polish for a few minutes. It puts a bit of a coating on that helps with sizing and also keeps it from oxidizing so quickly. I still seem to have some problem with the insides of the cases sticking now and then. I will try some aqua lube tomorrow and see if that works. After it gets the first smear of brass on the funnel it game over until you clean the funnel completely or it
just gets worse and worse.
I have a squeaking door hinge in on my pickup that I am going to clean and use aqualube on it to see if it will work. I will due this Saturday when it warms back up. I have tried about 8 or 10 different lubes and none last longer than a day or two.
I spray Aqualube on the tracks of my roller door on the garage. easy up & down now...
Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor.
Australia
Local transport company also used the Aqualube to apply to the woven fabric on the edge of their large roller door, as it was chattering being opened and being closed. It now slides as smooth as silk. No grease or oil to build up on sliding parts. It has been on there for years, no re-application needed.
Years ago, a casting company in US applied the Aqualube to a leather conveyor belt that transported coated cast towards an oven. The Aqualube stopped the coating sticking to the belting.
An Aluminium fabricating shop, uses the Aqualube to lubricate Aluminium Cutting saw to stop cut metal binding/sticking to saw blade teeth and does not contaminate the metal..
Another application is with manufacture of Rifling, where the bores are being machined. Aqualube stops cutter from binding, and the diluted Aqualube is slowly fed into the bore whilst the boring is being done.
I domestic use applications, a small amount is used on sticking Aluminium windows, and the Aqualube stops the binding. In wooden Drawers, Aqualube can be used as a dry film lubricant to allow drawers to slide easily without binding.
A company making fiberglass Oars in a Mould uses Aqualube to release the set polymer from the Mould with mirror finish.
On Zip starters on weed whackers, and on gas mowers, Aqualube lubricates the rope so it slides in and out easily and rope is dry lubricated.
On Braided fishing lines, the Aqualube helps with lubrication of the fabric, to reduce fraying, and increase density of the yarn. After application, the water does not wet the line, and significantly reduces salt crystallizing in the braid after using and drying.
Unfortunately or fortunately, there are endless applications where a non-contaminating dry film lubricant is needed.
Enough of my ranting...
Last edited by HI-TEK; 02-29-2024 at 03:11 AM. Reason: more data
Aqualube is great stuff, has many uses. Non contaminating is a big plus. It can be applied to a surface and adhesive tape will stick but the surface is slick, very interesting material. One of my sizers was used by a commercial caster and we later swapped it with a revised design machine. When we brought the sizer back I noticed it was very slippery and greasy feeling, coated with what appeared to be a silicone based product. I spent a lot of time cleaning to remove that product for the fear of silicone contamination with other products and paints we use. The machine still feels greasy and adhesive tape has trouble sticking to the painted surfaces. Still concerned about shop contamination. Don't have that problem with Aqualube.
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 |