Powder coating bullets

[Maximumbob54]

Tried warming the bullets, dusting with powder, adding thinner, shaking, warming, dusting, thinning, shaking, three times in a row each time until tacky.

This is them in the bucket:



And this is them after cooking:



Can't wait to see what they look like after sizing.

[Maximumbob54]

Looking back at those it looks like I shook them hard enough to deform the base some. I didn't want to use a gas check on them as I want to see if this will shoot without them but I don't see a good test of accuracy coming from them with the bases rounded uneven from the tumbling. I cast up some more tonight and will use the better Powder By The Pound polyester based powder tomorrow or so as it requires far less tumble to get an even coating. But in between lead heating up I coated some of yesterdays with clear PBTP and....

I do NOT like the clear PBTP powder coat:



Ignoring the fact that I didn't use a new clean bucket so it picked up some of the residue of the red powder coat I've been using...

As soon as the thinner was added the white powder went clear. I couldn't see the paint at all. I added the boolits and shook them for a while and have no idea of the coverage on them. I guess I will do a second and maybe third coat just to be sure but I don't like this at all as it's impossible to tell if you have it on enough or if it's even. No likey. I may mix it in with the red and see what that does. Not sure.

[Ranch Dog]

I know that there has been few responses to your reports, there are few responses all around on this new forum, but I'm reading what you write and like your work being recorded here. Thank you for your effort and please continue to post your results.

[Maximumbob54]

I'm not worried about the lack of posts as there are still quite a few views so there must be some kind of interest. It took me about a year to finally work up the nerve to give all this a try so I can't knock anyone sitting on the fence or even laughing from behind the fence.

Besides, the cast bullets for 25-06 thread has only three posts but over three hundred views!!!

Oh, and I have another batch of 165gr again that don't look beat to tar this time. The uglies are going to be melted down and a new batch is going to be baked in both HF epoxy powder and PBTP polyester powder. But as usual there is only so much time in the day so it's a slow process with the rest of life's little chores.

[Maximumbob54]

I loaded up the HF powder coated for testing this weekend:

4.7gr Win WSF


The PBTP is the cleanest and very easy to apply in several thin layers. The HF seems to be much more temperature unfriendly of the two powders and will clump as the thinner evaporates making a mess. However, if you can get the right amount of powder to bullets and not one drop too much thinner then one coat of HF powder looks like it coats pretty even and once baked feels plenty strong with nothing breaking down during sizing. If nothing else all this testing has been a fun diversion and I really think it may even find its way into my process for bulk plinking ammo. At best I'm still going to keep trying to tweak both the PBTP and HF to see if I can start counting how many boolits to add exactly how much of each powder to add and how much thinner to use. The low cost of the HF is really a lure to keep trying to get that one right but the PBTP isn't that much more so I will continue to try it as well. I may finally say the HF is too much of a bother compared to how easy the PBTP is as that is the current feeling but man is that HF powder cheap...

[Maximumbob54]

Just for the sake of because I feel like it today I bought some HF matte black powder coat while I was out shopping for other painting stuff. HF has dirt cheap throw away painting gear that works well for one time use by the way. Anyways.

This is after a single thin coat and then baking and then a single coat about to go in the oven:



They still don't look yummy but if the HF red is any indicator then they are still just fine for shooters. I bought a new rest for trying to remove the me from accuracy testing and plan to try it out this week. I know that one thick coat (if I get it right) of the HF power is enough or if the first one goes on too thin then a second will work. The PBTP needs at least two good coats and three if they go on too thin and they work. I'm definite about the PBTP being easier to use but I'm stubborn and cheap about the HF for $5 a pound vs. spending two or three times as much if I can get away with it.

And now this is what they look like:



Not pretty but I bet as usual they will work. The driving bands are covered and that's all that really matters. I may do a third coat on half of them and see if it helps any.

[akuser47]

please keep us updated to your results for this may push me to start moulding my own bullets.

[Maximumbob54]

please keep us updated to your results for this may push me to start moulding my own bullets.

Will do. Just need to find more time in the day lately.

[Maximumbob54]

I never did get any real accuracy from the powder coated or epoxy coated rifle loads. All the handgun ammo seemed just fine though. I still feel like the Harbor Freight epoxy based powder is more of a pain to work with than I prefer but it is cheaper than the Powder By The Pound's cheapest offering. But the PBTP is much easier to work with. I never did by the spray rig to try as I don't desire to spend the money. Part of the whole coated bullet thing was to do it on the cheap and easy. Tumbling in the lacquer thinner does indeed work better than straight acetone for whatever reason despite acetone being the main ingredient in lacquer thinner. I had my first good results with powder coated bullets but then found Klass Kote epoxy paint to be easier to get a good even coat that worked. Powder coat tumbling works well but it's easy to not use enough and get too thin of a coat or easy to get way too thick of a coating that pretty much ruins them and they have to be melted back down again. I'm not saying for a second that it doesn't work, it's just easier to mess up than the Klass Kote epoxy paint. Either way I'm calling this one to a close because I don't think it's getting any better than it has.

[Ranch Dog]

Thanks for the time you have taken with this project. I learned a lot without getting my hands dirty!