Bullet Casting & Coating MegaThread

ddeck said:
I’ll add that once it is done there is nothing on the bullets to melt or be tacky. I can Hi-Tech the bullets and just leave them there. Then, when I load them I don’t have to worry about getting my hands dirty or worrying about lube.
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What's tacky or melts with powder coat?
I never has an issue with it and I can do it anyplace inside.
Comes in a thousand colors and inexpensive as well.
 
240Geezer said:
What's tacky or melts with powder coat?
I never has an issue with it and I can do it anyplace inside.
Comes in a thousand colors and inexpensive as well.
Click to expand...
I’m not a fan of PC. It doesn’t “cure” really. It melts with heat and with solvents. I don’t like putting that down my barrel.
Tons of people do it with good results.

All of the major bullet companies that offer coated bullets are using Hi-Tek. Old Hi-Tek Joe must have done something right when he designed his product.
 
38ExtraSpecial said:
I’m not a fan of PC. It doesn’t “cure” really. It melts with heat and with solvents. I don’t like putting that down my barrel.
Tons of people do it with good results.

All of the major bullet companies that offer coated bullets are using Hi-Tek. Old Hi-Tek Joe must have done something right when he designed his product.
Click to expand...
Hytek is basically a epoxy coating
Correct? What is powder coat?
I wont be doing either as long as I have plenty of Alox and LS 2500 lube
Also love when others at the range whine about the smoke.
 
mac1911 said:
Hytek is basically a epoxy coating
Correct? What is powder coat?
I wont be doing either as long as I have plenty of Alox and LS 2500 lube
Also love when others at the range whine about the smoke.
Click to expand...
Not sure exactly what the definition is. Powder coat can be made of many different things but it’s basically a heat activated paint. You bake it on but as soon as it gets hot, it will melt again. Also, you can melt it with solvent.

I put traditional lube on as many things as I can. I love the smell and the smoke.
 
38ExtraSpecial said:
I’m not a fan of PC. It doesn’t “cure” really. It melts with heat and with solvents. I don’t like putting that down my barrel.
Tons of people do it with good results.

All of the major bullet companies that offer coated bullets are using Hi-Tek. Old Hi-Tek Joe must have done something right when he designed his product.
Click to expand...
Granted it may have "superior" properties to powder coat.
Just not enough to warrant its use for my needs.
(It's the solvents needed for its application and the inherent issues that come with those)
 
240Geezer said:
How is HiTek not tedious?
Step 1: Mix powder and acetone Step 2: Wait
Step 3: Pour some mixture on some bullets and shake.
Step 3: Wait.
Step 4: Check bullets for solvent evaporation.
Step 5: Wait.
Step 6: Bake bullets.
Step 7: Wait.
Step 8: Remove bullets.
Step 9: Wait.
Step 10: Repeat steps 1-10
Click to expand...

I have a small toaster oven so I can only do 3 lbs at a time.
Mixing takes 2 minutes while oven is coming up to temp.
Three trays in rotation
1 - in oven baking
2 - on top of oven preheating / forced flash off of the acetone
3 - on a fan either cooling or forced air dry (try comes out of oven hot get 2 minutes to cool 1 minute to coat then back on fan to dry)

While I'm waiting for the the cycle to complete I'm either casting or sizing.

It's not as fast as wax lube but doesn't have the drawbacks either
 
240Geezer said:
What's tacky or melts with powder coat?
I never has an issue with it and I can do it anyplace inside.
Comes in a thousand colors and inexpensive as well.
Click to expand...
I tried powder coat - faster than hitek but leaves open spots where bullets touch during cure.
I don't think it's an issue but won't go through the tedious placing each bullet on the tray so it's not touching game I see to get perfect coatings.

PC is a great way to increase diameter on a mold that drops small
 
pastera said:
I have a small toaster oven so I can only do 3 lbs at a time.
Mixing takes 2 minutes while oven is coming up to temp.
Three trays in rotation
1 - in oven baking
2 - on top of oven preheating / forced flash off of the acetone
3 - on a fan either cooling or forced air dry (try comes out of oven hot get 2 minutes to cool 1 minute to coat then back on fan to dry)

While I'm waiting for the the cycle to complete I'm either casting or sizing.

It's not as fast as wax lube but doesn't have the drawbacks either
Click to expand...
I’ve been working on simplifying my Hi-tek process to three pounds of bullets to a 1/2 teaspoon of Hi-tek tossed in a covered plastic Dunkin’s coffee can. The 1/2 tsp is a little shy of 3ml but using a pipet was getting tough to read because of the color and my eye sight is starting to fail.

I’ve been working on rolling back my cook times and I do have a question. Has anyone noticed slightly different cook times between the colors or is it just me. My kryptonite green took about 11 minutes while yesterday I was pulling them out at 9mins. I’m going to keep testing but I love playing with Hi-Tek with bullets I can lube if the coating fails.

Hi-tek had frustrated me at times also…
 
Jay77 said:
I’ve been working on simplifying my Hi-tek process to three pounds of bullets to a 1/2 teaspoon of Hi-tek tossed in a covered plastic Dunkin’s coffee can. The 1/2 tsp is a little shy of 3ml but using a pipet was getting tough to read because of the color and my eye sight is starting to fail.

I’ve been working on rolling back my cook times and I do have a question. Has anyone noticed slightly different cook times between the colors or is it just me. My kryptonite green took about 11 minutes while yesterday I was pulling them out at 9mins. I’m going to keep testing but I love playing with Hi-Tek with bullets I can lube if the coating fails.

Hi-tek had frustrated me at times also…
Click to expand...
I think its the color's different reflectance in the IR region that causes the different cook times - the resin is the same.

For me, I don't have a PID on my oven so garage temp varies times also.

I use these and mark the plunger with the ml marks before use (the acetone takes the ink off the barrel)
 
pastera said:
I tried powder coat - faster than hitek but leaves open spots where bullets touch during cure.
I don't think it's an issue but won't go through the tedious placing each bullet on the tray so it's not touching game I see to get perfect coatings.

PC is a great way to increase diameter on a mold that drops small
Click to expand...
I'm using parchment paper and that minimizes those spots. If you can keep them spaced so they don't touch each other.
Have not tried using a spray gun on them just yet.
I will say that I inherited some powder and it's no good because it's coating ability is terrible compared to the powder I bought a couple of years ago.
All Eastwood so humidity may have gotten to the older stuff.
 
38ExtraSpecial said:
What alloy? I’ve found if I use COWW and water drop them, allowing a week or two to harden that they don’t deform under the neck tension. It’s an easy way to try it before you buy the expander.
Click to expand...
I’m going to give this a whirl with a few that are coated and sized to 357 and see if there is a difference.
 
pastera said:
What bullet and what powder

I found that slower powders like autocomp and silhouette work well where 231 leads with similar velocity.
Click to expand...
Titegroup, which is pretty fast.

I see that HS-6 is right next to Autocomp and Silhouette on the burn rate chart and I have some of that.

I'm writing out a testing plan to try the different variables to find out what works.
 
38ExtraSpecial said:
Worked wonders for me.
Click to expand...

Mind me asking you what your COAL is. I pulled the press real quick and threw on the nine tool head in. I loaded and pulled a bullet and came back with about .355 which is better. My length looks to be short but I’m trying to recreate what you have been successful with.

IMG_9734.jpeg IMG_9735.jpeg


Thinking a little longer and I should be in the safe zone.
 
Jay77 said:
Mind me asking you what your COAL is. I pulled the press real quick and threw on the nine tool head in. I loaded and pulled a bullet and came back with about .355 which is better. My length looks to be short but I’m trying to recreate what you have been successful with.

View attachment 860059View attachment 860060


Thinking a little longer and I should be in the safe zone.
Click to expand...
About 1.115
 
ddeck said:
As in the Lee Factory Crimp Die for 9mm?
Click to expand...
Im curious with “crimp” die

I have my seating die set to just kiss the case mouth “bell/flare” back enough for 100% function. I don't measure anything

I know my 9mm mold drops a bit on the large size .357” ? I no longer load much in 9mm since all I have is a P38 and it eats everything. I ran the last 100 cast loads through it.
No issues.
The lee factory crimp die from what I under stand just sizes the case to “spec” ?
 

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