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Post by mart on Jan 17, 2020 2:35:13 GMT -5
I bought some powder from Powder by the Pound a couple years ago and finally got around to trying it today. I ended up with pretty good coverage though I got a few bare spots where they bullets laid on the non stick aluminum foil. Not sure how to get around that. I baked them for 15 minutes. They came out looking okay for a first attempt I think. I'm open to any suggestions. The color is Bottle Green. It was recommended to me as providing good coverage.
My first batch was an Arsenal copy of the 410459 220 grain SWC. I did some 280 grain WLNGC and 280 grain WLN, both 41s, some 200 grain FNGC for the 357 Max and some 98 grain SWC for the 32 H&R. It's interesting that I ordered the 280 WLNGC from LBT 25 years ago. A couple of years ago I ordered another, minus the gas check and thought I would be getting the same bullet profile minus the check. What I got was far different than the original, though both are marked the same.
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Post by x101airborne on Jan 17, 2020 8:19:11 GMT -5
Good Job! I guess yesterday was bullet coating day cause I baked some bullets as well! I used some "Smoke's Signal Blue" and "Powder By The Pound Grey", They came out well but using tweezers to pick those 375 H&H bullets up and get them to stay standing on the foil was a pain in the you know what! I still got about 200 of them in different weights ready to load.
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dhd
.327 Meteor
Posts: 941
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Post by dhd on Jan 17, 2020 9:15:55 GMT -5
Over on Cast Boolits there is an entire sub-forum on PC. Lots of great information.
I use individual Rubbermaid containers for each color as the containers stack on top of each other and don't take up much room. I stand my bullets up and use a large baking pan with a fitted cooling rack on top that lets the airsoft BB's fall through (I use the airsoft BB's as thats how I started and it works for me). After that, it's simple and relatively quick to pick the bullets up and line them up on a toaster oven tray and into the toaster oven. I started with nonstick foil, but quickly got a silicone baking mat to line the little pans. Seems like trouble, but I don't use my lubesizers anymore as I only PC now.
Some don't use BB's in the #5 containers, some use vibratory tumblers, and some probably still use a PC spray gun. In the end it's the cure that matters most. I've only done a "smash test" once and I haven't had any uncured PC bullets over many many thousands. As weird as it sounds I enjoy casting and the PC process. It works, and well, it looks good.
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Post by matt56 on Jan 17, 2020 9:37:20 GMT -5
I shake n bake with Smoke’s clear. I bought the biggest reasonably priced toaster oven I could off amazon and I bake all my bullets standing up for a nice uniform look. I never did a smash test or anything but squeezing the bullets through a sizer doesn’t hurt them so I figure they must be good for a barrel.
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scotth
.30 Stingray
Posts: 214
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Post by scotth on Jan 17, 2020 9:50:27 GMT -5
what mold are you using for your 98 grain SWC for the 32 H&R. your powder coating looks great. looks like you have been doing it for years. keep up the good work.
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Post by wheelguns on Jan 17, 2020 9:56:47 GMT -5
I don’t use bb’s anymore. I think they work better with some colors as compared to others. I don’t stand up my bullets anymore either. They go from the container into a collander with an identical container underneath. The excess is shaken out, and then they are dumped onto a cookie sheet with non-stick foil. Doing it this way, you do get what looks like bare spots from where some of the bullets stick together, but they still have a shiny coating on them, and I have never had the coating fail resulting in a leaded barrel. You can do alot of bullets in a short time this way. I picked up a full size oven that I installed in my garage/ shop just for powder coating.
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Post by apolitical45 on Jan 17, 2020 9:57:52 GMT -5
I picked up a toaster oven at The Goodwill in Klamath Falls two weeks ago and have everything to do my first batch myself as soon as the snow clears enough to do so. I don't know anyone that has coated and gone back to the old way, so there must be something to it.
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Post by wheelguns on Jan 17, 2020 10:00:41 GMT -5
I forgot to mention that the oven came from my neighbors kitchen remodel, and I paid $25 for it.
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Post by apolitical45 on Jan 17, 2020 10:05:50 GMT -5
And here I thought I got a good deal on the toaster oven for $10....
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Post by contender on Jan 17, 2020 10:16:52 GMT -5
First off,, those bullets look fine to me. Small bare spots are not a problem.
When I started several years ago,, I too tried the slow & tedious method of standing them all up on their base. No longer. I also have given up the airsoft BB's,, as I have found in unnecessary.
If you go the less expensive route,, (shake & all in plastic containers,) I did find that it was easier to use 2 identical tubs inserted together to handle the weight easier & not accidentally overload or split a container. I have since changed my methods a little. I have 3 vibrating brass cleaners. I have spare bowls for them too. Different bowls for different colors of PC paint. I have dedicated plastic colanders & catch pans for each color. I have a spare toaster oven in case one quite. I bought toaster ovens at Goodwill. Tumblers were already here,, or bought used & cheaply. Same with the extra tubs.
But the process is simple. Quality PC paint,, I use Smokes powders. Dump in bullets into the plastic tumbler tubs. (Or the #5 plastic container used for hand shaking,) Add small amount of PC. Cover & shake or vibrate. Dump into colander while it sits in the catch pan. Shake off the excess. Dump onto a flat tray covered in non-stick foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. While warm, I shake the tray & dislodge the stickers to the foil. I also watch for the few that stick to each other. I get small bare spots on some,, and it has NEVER been an issue shooting them.
It's quick, simple, and very effective!
I wonder how long those 10 sticks of Verl's Blue lube will last. I had just bought 10 sticks as I was getting low when I discovered PCing. Those 10 sticks are still new,,,,unused,, and are aging. I think about 4 years now???
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Post by mart on Jan 17, 2020 10:20:17 GMT -5
what mold are you using for your 98 grain SWC for the 32 H&R. your powder coating looks great. looks like you have been doing it for years. keep up the good work. That's an Arsenal five cavity mold. I have several of them. Good molds and they all seem to cast really well.
I wish their 410459 rendition had a larger meplat but the bullet shoots well in every 41 I've tried them I have other profiles I use for hunting.
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scotth
.30 Stingray
Posts: 214
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Post by scotth on Jan 17, 2020 12:10:11 GMT -5
thanks mart i have been looking at that mold. looks like a copy of the SAECO #325
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silcott
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,295
Member is Online
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Post by silcott on Jan 17, 2020 16:05:06 GMT -5
I recently picked up a toaster oven at Goodwill for $4. All I need now is powder. I’m unsure what to buy though. I’ve read some powders don’t work very well.
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Post by wheelguns on Jan 17, 2020 16:21:10 GMT -5
I recently picked up a toaster oven at Goodwill for $4. All I need now is powder. I’m unsure what to buy though. I’ve read some powders don’t work very well. I haven’t experimented with different powders because the first one that I tried worked great. There is a guy on cast boolits forum that sells terrific powder. His name is smoke4320. If you go to the vendors swappin and sellin sub forum you will find him. I can 100% vouch for this guy and his products. There is even a little tutorial at the beginning describing the process and some of the finer points.
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Post by sixshot on Jan 17, 2020 17:06:04 GMT -5
Smokes4320 is a good quality powder & he runs sales quite often. He's been selling powder right from the start of all this madness (greatness) All of the above methods work, you will get good coverage with all of them even if you have a few bare spots, it's still coated. Some guys just like them absolutely perfect, others just want a bullet that works as advertised without leading, all these bullets will do that. Use what works best for you.
With powder coating, many times the Lee sizers are the best way to go, especially if you're seating gas checks. Cheaper for sure as you don't have to buy a lubrisizer press.
Dick
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