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Post by BigBore44 on Apr 26, 2016 12:52:30 GMT -5
Howdy Folks When using the tumble/swirl technique of powder coating. After you have a good coating and your ready to place/dump on your tray to heat/cure. HOW EXACTLY ARE YOU DOING THIS SO YOU DON'T KNOCK OFF THE PC or GET MARKS WHERE IT WON'T BE COVERED WITH PC? HOW DO YOU SEPERATE THEM SO THEY DON'T STICK TOGETHER, also WITHOUT TAKING THE PC OFF WHILE TRYING TO MOVE THEM AWAY FROM EACH OTHER? ? Thanks for your help! Ray BigBore44
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f3
.30 Stingray
Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Apr 27, 2016 23:23:09 GMT -5
I dump them into a cheap frankford arsenal brass sifter and shake them up and down to knock of the excess and dump them onto the tray. I no longer separate them. But when I did I used nitrile gloves.
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Post by sixshot on Apr 28, 2016 1:46:17 GMT -5
Ray, when I was doing the shake & bake method which I don't do anymore I would pick them up with some long needle nose pliers that were bent on the end & then I would tap the pliers on the side of the container to knock off any excess paint & place them on the non stick foil. I always picked them up by the nose so if they did get marked just a bit it didn't matter because the nose doesn't make contact with the barrel.
Using my Hornady case tumbler I dump 300 or so bullets in for 20 minutes with no air soft pellets & when I dump them into the collander I shake it pretty hard but it doesn't effect the paint at all. Thats just what I did today with 300 41 Keith slugs. After I shake the collander pretty hard I just dump half of them onto the non stick foil & bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. You don't need to stand them up.
With the shake & bake method & air soft pellets the paint is a big more fragile when you take them out of the cool whip container so its easier to get a bare spot if you get aggressive shaking them.
Dick
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Post by BigBore44 on Apr 29, 2016 18:23:23 GMT -5
Dick The process you just mentioned above, when you dumped out the (half the tumbler tub) 41's, do you separate them on the cookie sheet/pan whatsoever??? Do you get any of them sticking together after cooking for the 10 minutes??? This is where I'm having trouble Paint comes off somewhat when trying to separate, BUT, If I don't separate them I get some that stick together!!! I'm guessing that the tumbler is the way to go... Can my BRASS tumbler bowl be used to PC, and later be cleaned out to tumble brass again?? Is it better to have a dedicated bowl for PC'ing with the tumbler??? Thanks Ray
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cmh
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 3,745
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Post by cmh on Apr 29, 2016 18:28:32 GMT -5
Watching this thread..... ever since I started reading about this PC process ive given consideration to using lead for more than muzzleloaders....
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Post by fanofthefortyone on Apr 29, 2016 18:55:43 GMT -5
Not Mr. Thompson but, I use my RCBS vibratory tumbler to coat mine, 15-20 minutes to coat, 10-12 minutes of baking, what sticks together on the baking sheet comes apart easily after a few minutes cooling. I try to pack as many as possible on the baking sheet. Ronnie
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Post by sixshot on Apr 29, 2016 19:31:15 GMT -5
Ronnie is correct, they will stick together just a bit but come apart real easy. I don't try to seperate them when I dump them on the non stick foil, just don't double stack them but its ok if they touch. I have 4 different Hornady tubs, one for case cleaning & 3 for powder coating.
Dick
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JSilva
.30 Stingray
Posts: 184
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Post by JSilva on Apr 29, 2016 20:31:17 GMT -5
I'm still pretty new at this but here's how I do it: 1.) Dump the clean bullets in my dedicated Hornady dry tumbler, run for 5 minutes.
2.) Dump the now coated bullets into a aluminum steaming basket, shake up and down a couple times over a foil sheet to reclaim the powder.
3.) Evenly dump the bullets out of the steaming basket onto a baking ban lined with a old silicone baking mat. (Silpat, etc)
4.) Bake for 10 minutes in a pre heated oven at 400 F
5.) Remove the bake sheet from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before breaking up the stuck clumps. I find that breaking the clumps is much easier above room temp and below bake temp. Maybe 175-200 ish based on my sugar pulling experiences. Too cold and I get missing paint, too hot and I get smears or paint rippling.
6.) Size and load!
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Post by BigBore44 on Apr 30, 2016 10:58:17 GMT -5
OK, thank you guys.
The main reason I asked about them sticking together and having them a little catywampus with the coating is for the bullets I shoot "As Cast" and Don't Size... I was wondering if that will hurt accuracy or loading any?
Thanks much. Ray
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JSilva
.30 Stingray
Posts: 184
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Post by JSilva on Apr 30, 2016 11:06:11 GMT -5
Ray, For myself, I have to size after powder coating. I made the mistake of loading straight from the bake pan and subsequently had to spend about a half hour pulling bullets from cases that wouldn't chamber in my gun.
I suppose sizing depends on the tightness of your chambers. I only powder coat for a S&W 28-2 and a PC 500 S&W magnum. Both will get hung up if I do not size.
For reference, my .50 bullets go from 375 grains as cast to 388 after powder coating. Definitely noticeable. Either way you go, good luck!
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Post by sixshot on Apr 30, 2016 13:44:10 GMT -5
Ray, its hit or miss with the sizing, sometimes you can get away without sizing but most times you have to do it. I had an early S&W 45 ACP with oversize throats & I didn't size them & they shot great. That gun never did shoot with bullets sized .452" or even .45" but leave them unsized & shoot them .4565" & it was a shooter. Owned that gun twice & still wasn't smart enough to keep it! Some guys are buying Miha moulds that allow for the powder coat so they don't have to size & some of them don't have a grease groove, they are just for powder coating.
Dick
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Post by Markbo on Apr 30, 2016 14:47:35 GMT -5
FWIW I still size mine after coating. I mean I already know what size each gun likes best with lead, so why not? There is an occasional bare spot on a boolit, but I don't fret over it. Just load and shoot. The leading has gone from a little in most and problematic in a couple )Italian SAA replicas) to non existent with PCing. It's fast, it's clean, it works. What's not to like? Just have to figure out which method you prefer and get best results from. Some buy a cheap powder coating machine and spray it on, but I got good results from shake and bake (and now vibratory tumbler) so I never messed with it. And despite Dick's big red boolits looking absolutely great, I have gone with silver/gray and clear. They work great.
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Post by fanofthefortyone on Apr 30, 2016 16:54:28 GMT -5
I've got just about 7-800 pounds pounds of recently cast and powder coated that'll get sized when I get back from this hitch. 9mm,357/38, 41, 10mm, 44, 45's. A nice start. Ronnie
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Post by tek4260 on Jun 11, 2016 21:46:20 GMT -5
What, if any, is the consensus on the best powder for PC? Harbor Freight Red? Or something specific from powder by the pound?
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Post by contender on Jun 12, 2016 10:45:21 GMT -5
I think many of us have graduated from the HF red to powder paint from other sources. It's to get different colors AND better adhesion. I get some from a guy called "Smoke" over on the CB forum.
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