Powder coating made easy

[sofbak]

....

ONE thing that I would like to know is how exactly do you get such a smooth coat? When I pour out the bbs and about 100+ pills, I have marks on them from when I pick them up with the tweezers. I have hemostats on the way, but right now I use tweezers. The pills rub on the way out and getting poured so they have silver marks on them already. How do you prevent that?

I used to just let the pills rub up on each other when I tumbled them but maybe now I have too many bbs. I DId but the 10k pack, but I am only using about 1/3 of that... :\

Several techniques I picked up after reading the first 10 pages or so:

A #5 container (the recycling number in the triangle on the bottom of the container) and the black plastic bb's seems to be the ticket for generating a sufficient static charge that sticks the powder to the bullets.

People are plastic-coating the tips of their picking instruments-one guy used "grip dip", someone else used glue. If I try this, I think I'll use some heat shrink insulation to start.

People are dipping their "coated" picker in the powder before picking bullets. Maybe the plastic coating holds a small ES charge to keep the powder on the picker tips-IDK. But the coating on the picker seems to keep them from rubbing powder off the bullets.

One "developer" was picking the bullets off the top of the pile in the tumbling container, then swirling the container around to bring more bullets to the top (sort of like panning for gold I guess) pick and repeat. But don't pour the whole batch out of the container to pick-pick out of the container.

Pick 'em up by the crimp or lube groove.

I may have missed it, but I don't recall anyone reporting that too many bb's was a bad thing. If I missed that, please correct me, but it seemed that more bb's enhanced the ES build up putting the powder on the bullets.

I just got to the last page of that thread and found another tip on optimizing the ES charge:

Someone mentioned try rubbing the container on a carpet and then shaking the contents. I just wanted to let you known it works! It seems to give a good extra static charge to the container, my boolist coated much faster.

[BigBronco]

Just finished casting up about 200 .45 230grrn. Gonna try the BB method Wednesday. If it works I can return that $70.00 HF PC gun before I ever opened it.

[thenodnarb]

My wife made an interesting comment about us PC B00lets folks..
She called us real engineers. She is a mechanical engineer but she often talks about how everything they work on and with was designed at least 30 years ago and most of it was 40-50 years ago. Very little real engineering from the ground up happens in the US anymore.

Right on! I've been saying that for a while. Education from the last generation has been standing on the shoulders of the previous generation. More effort is expended in preventing new invention, and "educating" people by telling them how its done, rather than giving them the building blocks of knowledge and letting them be creative. A Nikola Tesla today would be blacklisted by the science community and completely ignored(well that kinda happened to him anyway).

[Pablo5959]

Beretta 92 needs a soft .358-359" bullet. Then it won't lead.

Not trying to be snooty but those projectiles in the pics are a 38, SWC. Formally sized at .358. Still had leading last 1/3 of both barrels, p226 and 92fs.
By the way, out of 4 different moulds I have to use in my 9mm's this little 105gr is my fav.
And uses less lead.
Win win

[Pablo5959]

Well now that your minds are reeling about how easy dry tumble PC w/plastic BB's is.
Have you read the wet tumble PC piglet method.
This method is getting close to working without needing to pick out the pills.
Just dump and bake.
I'm going to be trying it out with the matte black if the dry tumble doesn't work.
I'm thinking of mixing red and black together hoping the red will help the black stick.
Anyway here's the link for the Piglet method. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Piglet-Method
Some of this thread gets comical, kind of like when Stilly goes off on some poor guy for posting in the right tread.
Just kidding Stilly, I wish I had your skill for writing. Keep up the good work.

[meaty-btz]

piglet method results are clumpy and non-uniform. That is what us ESS folks are looking for. Something that wastes less but provides a near uniform covering. Spraying is very wasteful and time consuming. It requires more equipment to do it right.

Electrostatic tumbling might just be the ticket.

[Pablo5959]

piglet method results are clumpy and non-uniform. That is what us ESS folks are looking for. Something that wastes less but provides a near uniform covering. Spraying is very wasteful and time consuming. It requires more equipment to do it right.

Electrostatic tumbling might just be the ticket.

Have you tried it with the lacquer thinner instead of the acetone?
This guy seems to have good results

http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=84219

Also a good slow dry auto paint thinner had good results.

[stilly]

Several techniques I picked up after reading the first 10 pages or so:

A #5 container (the recycling number in the triangle on the bottom of the container) and the black plastic bb's seems to be the ticket for generating a sufficient static charge that sticks the powder to the bullets.

People are plastic-coating the tips of their picking instruments-one guy used "grip dip", someone else used glue. If I try this, I think I'll use some heat shrink insulation to start.

People are dipping their "coated" picker in the powder before picking bullets. Maybe the plastic coating holds a small ES charge to keep the powder on the picker tips-IDK. But the coating on the picker seems to keep them from rubbing powder off the bullets.

One "developer" was picking the bullets off the top of the pile in the tumbling container, then swirling the container around to bring more bullets to the top (sort of like panning for gold I guess) pick and repeat. But don't pour the whole batch out of the container to pick-pick out of the container.

Pick 'em up by the crimp or lube groove.

I may have missed it, but I don't recall anyone reporting that too many bb's was a bad thing. If I missed that, please correct me, but it seemed that more bb's enhanced the ES build up putting the powder on the bullets.

I just got to the last page of that thread and found another tip on optimizing the ES charge:

I am not sure what my container is made of, but it IS plastic. I will have a look.

Swirl the container and the pills float to the top? Where are these guys? In australia or somewhere where the water flows different? When I swirl my container around, ALL of the pills dive to the bottom. I know because if I drop a pill in, it is GONE no shaking needed...

It IS really cool to look and see the very BRIGHT neon green pills lurking like zombie turds in the toilet. I think the ONE thing that using the BBs has done is to prevent my PC from darkening up.

As some of you may or may not recall, the longer I let my thumler tumble the PC pills, the darker they get.

I suppose rubber coating my tweezers and hemostats with the plasti-dip could work out good.

BUT, you CAN use too many bbs. I used too many and now I have to pour a ****load out before I see any turds lurking in there. Maybe I will post some pics tonight...

Well now that your minds are reeling about how easy dry tumble PC w/plastic BB's is.
Have you read the wet tumble PC piglet method.
This method is getting close to working without needing to pick out the pills.
Just dump and bake.
I'm going to be trying it out with the matte black if the dry tumble doesn't work.
I'm thinking of mixing red and black together hoping the red will help the black stick.
Anyway here's the link for the Piglet method. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Piglet-Method
Some of this thread gets comical, kind of like when Stilly goes off on some poor guy for posting in the right tread.
Just kidding Stilly, I wish I had your skill for writing. Keep up the good work.

High praise! High praise! If anyone PMs you telling you not to encourage me, forward it to me




BTW, if you mix red and black, you will just make a ugly non black color... The more colors you mix the more uglier the colors you will make, but you will make them on the way to black or brown...

This is why you might consider going to Smart and Final and getting one of those FIRST STREET plastic square jars for $1.49. They are good for tumbling a few thousand pills only in PC, but I dunno the longevity with bbs and pills in PC...

Could you post some EXTREME closeups of your PC pills? I wanna see what they are supposed to look like up close...

Here are some of my pics.

The few, the proud, the marked up, THE MARINES! I think HEAVIER pellets would be easier to use, but these were some .12G so they seem to be working so far.




Here they are peeking out. This is a RARE find, I had to dump out a lot of pellets to see these. The LEAD SINKS down when you drop them in...




Here is what I gotta deal with. Maybe I need more Powder? In any event, I gotta sift out the bbs fro the bullets. I grab them with tweezers and pull them out.




Here is the norm. They gotta be uncovered like some discovery...




This was actually my third time dipping into this container. For some reason I get a LOT of .38 in here...




MY triangle is a 1, but my arm hair still stuck to the sides of it I noticed...

[sofbak]

I am not sure what my container is made of, but it IS plastic. I will have a look.

Swirl the container and the pills float to the top? Where are these guys? In australia or somewhere where the water flows different? When I swirl my container around, ALL of the pills dive to the bottom. I know because if I drop a pill in, it is GONE no shaking needed...






Here are some of my pics.

The few, the proud, the marked up, THE MARINES! I think HEAVIER pellets would be easier to use, but these were some .12G so they seem to be working so far.




Here they are peeking out. This is a RARE find, I had to dump out a lot of pellets to see these. The LEAD SINKS down when you drop them in...




Here is what I gotta deal with. Maybe I need more Powder? In any event, I gotta sift out the bbs fro the bullets. I grab them with tweezers and pull them out.




Here is the norm. They gotta be uncovered like some discovery...




This was actually my third time dipping into this container. For some reason I get a LOT of .38 in here...




MY triangle is a 1, but my arm hair still stuck to the sides of it I noticed...

No wonder you are having problems........

1. wrong container-find a #5 container. There is a material difference.
2. wrong container shape. Square sided is a no-go. find a round one.
3. wrong bb's. I noticed al walmart last night that the black bb's recommended are .25 gr weight. like the container, there must be a material significance associated with the ES charge build up and transmission using these heavier bb's.
4. swirling/coating motion. IF you're not getting them to the top to pick out, you need to take advantage of the coriolis effect of the earth's rotation. Orient your container with the true north/south earth axis-not magnetic north/south. Eliminate magnetic interference with surrounding structures/ objects-get out in the open with at least a 50' open space perimeter around you when you coat them. Eliminate interference with clothing/ personal effects on your body-strip down naked when you coat them. Adopt the proper swirling motion-hold your container (in the correct earth axis alignment) with your right foot and your left hand and swirl your container counter-clockwise.

Do all the above, and your results will improve substantially. So much so, that your efforts might even make the evening news in your locale

[meaty-btz]

#5 container + White BBS + HF Red.. complete and total failure. Not only no coverage but all the powder just sifts to the bottom. Will try the black ones next. Zero adhesion, nothing at all... nada zip.. zilch..

[sofbak]

#5 container + White BBS + HF Red.. complete and total failure. Not only no coverage but all the powder just sifts to the bottom. Will try the black ones next. Zero adhesion, nothing at all... nada zip.. zilch..

Well, even failures are good information. Two other techniques discussed in that cast boolits thread you might try:

Some had to shake their container up and down with a rather vigorous amount of energy to generate enough charge.

Another experimenter rubbed his full container with similar vigor on a carpeted floor to generate a charge.

You might these just to see if there is any improvement with the white bb's.

[meaty-btz]

Well, even failures are good information. Two other techniques discussed in that cast boolits thread you might try:

Some had to shake their container up and down with a rather vigorous amount of energy to generate enough charge.

Another experimenter rubbed his full container with similar vigor on a carpeted floor to generate a charge.

You might these just to see if there is any improvement with the white bb's.

Well I don't know if I can deliver the full failure to just lack of Electrostatics. I have been having a quiet issues with adhesion even with my spray gun. I am also researching why powder is just plain not sticking to my bullets anymore. Problem started a few months ago and has continued to worsen. But I will try the wooly solution (which is a great way to develop static).

[sofbak]

^^^^

Well, that's an odd one. Could the bullets have been contaminated with a silicone product of some sort or something petro-based?

Maybe try a rinse in lacquer thinner or acetone? Dry tumbling?

Will be enlightening to hear what's causing that if you discover the source.

[thenodnarb]

The only time powder doesn't stick to my bullets is when the ES isn't very strong, or there is some sort of lube/moisture on the bullet.

maybe your spray gun has developed a problem with the electrical charge circuit. I test this by arcing the gun to the bullet. If you get a spark, its working. If your spark is weak, or it only arcs really close to the bullet, you have some problems.

[meaty-btz]

The only time powder doesn't stick to my bullets is when the ES isn't very strong, or there is some sort of lube/moisture on the bullet.

maybe your spray gun has developed a problem with the electrical charge circuit. I test this by arcing the gun to the bullet. If you get a spark, its working. If your spark is weak, or it only arcs really close to the bullet, you have some problems.

It arcs very well about an inch. I clean all my bullets in acetone after casting and then let them air dry and then try to powder coat them.

Tried again after cleaning them again..
nothing.. the powder sticks better to the container and teh BBs than it does to the bullets. Trying now in my vibratory tumbler which used to do tumble pretty well.