Powder coating - A list of good and bad powders

[archeryrob]

Does anyone maintain a list of powders that work for shake and bake coatings? I pretty much only try to coat bullets when it is 40% humidity or less in the house.

I have Orient Red from powder by the pound and that works.
Eastwood Hotcoat Lime Green and that works great. I bought Hotcoat Translucent Grape and it won't stick.

I have had powder fail to work because I left them open in a humid environment. I just wonder if brand new powder like the Grape could be damp from the factory? It seems frustrating to buy the same powder, in another color and it won't build static to stick.

​

 

[gwpercle]

I live in Louisiana , a dry day is 90% humidity ... it's raining right now ...
But ... I belong to a Forum ... Cast Boolits ... where powder coating is a big thing and there is a section devoted to just that subject . Powders for coating bullets are available from vendor members and lots of how to and information there , if you want to check it out try this link
www.castboolits.gunloads.com
This is one of my favorite sites for reloading and casting info .
If you have powder coating questions ... this is the place for answers .
Gary

 

[MEHavey]

EASTWOOD:
Mirror Red
Mirror Blue
Mirror Green***
Ford Light Blue *
Red Flame Translucent**
Metallic Purple
Single Stage Chrome**
Extreme Chrome**

* Blues - pure lead
** Reds/Chromes - Lyman #2
*** Greens - 30:1

 

[Docendo Discimus]

Prismatic "Clear Vision" works very well. It goes on white and bakes clear.

 

[AJC1]

The only Eastwood powder that I didn't like 100% is white, because it wasn't perfect looking even though the performance wasn't any different. The easy button is Ford lt blue.

 

[archeryrob]

Did you all get some powder that just will not work, or stick? I got Eastwood Hotcoat Lime green that works great. Grape would not stick. Don't know if its the powder, they got moisture in it.

I am on cast boolits, I just don't post over there much. Might ask there, or search. I have had zero luck building static when it is much humidity in the air.

 

[stormshrike]

EASTWOOD:
Mirror Red
Mirror Blue
Mirror Green***
Ford Light Blue *
Red Flame Translucent**
Metallic Purple
Single Stage Chrome**
Extreme Chrome**

* Blues - pure lead
** Reds/Chromes - Lyman #2
*** Greens - 30:1

So you find some powders stick better or worse depending on the alloy?

 

[MEHavey]

some powders stick better or worse depending on the alloy?

None of the above (or any others I've tested) are alloy dependent.
The list in Post #3 all coat like velvet w/ only 45-60 sec shake w/ airsoft bb's

 

[mstreddy]

From some other conversations -- IIRC, MEHavey uses the colors to differentiate the alloys/hardness for his cast bullets and them uses them for selected applications.

 

[BRatigan]

Eastwood has fine powders and there is a guy over at the Cast Boolits Forum that sells his own. Coating is actually quite easy. Number 5 plastic containers, airsoft pellets, your powder of choice and a cheap toaster oven. For powders that just won't stick you can wash them in acetone and dry completely then heat up the raw bullets to 140 degrees and it tends to help with coating as its just dryer. The static created inside the plastic container is the magic.

 

[MEHavey]

Coating is actually quite easy. Number 5 plastic containers, airsoft pellets, your powder of choice and a cheap toaster oven.

and baking on BAKE (not broil)
...and an inexpensive digital oven temp probe.

you have GOT to know what actual oven temp is.
!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First trial at controlling Temp to 400 degr (set "Oven Dial" at 360) resulted in this:

We're talking 600dgr (+) for that to happen. Stuck a digital probe in this morning to find WILD fluctuations (hit 567 in 5 min when set at 360)

Word to the wise.....

 

[AJC1]

and baking on BAKE (not broil)
...and an inexpensive digital oven temp probe.

you have GOT to know what actual oven temp is.
!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First trial at controlling Temp to 400 degr (set "Oven Dial" at 360) resulted in this:

We're talking 600dgr (+) for that to happen. Stuck a digital probe in this morning to find WILD fluctuations (hit 567 in 5 min when set at 360)

Word to the wise.....

Loads of bacon has done extensive testing, showing shorter and lower bake times still give good results. Left me with the same impression as flame annealing. A large window to get acceptable results.

 

[Blue68f100]

Those snap on/off controller have a min of 25F dead band. I've seen some as high as 100F at time. I had one that would stick on startup and over shoot 250F. I normally wire in a cheap PID controller and be done. No more problems. I powder coat my fishing jigs. The way I do it is I hold onto the hook and head the lead head up then dip it into the powder. If your too hot you get too much powder and end up with runs.

 

[kcofohio]

I bought the Eastwood's Ford blue some time ago. It sits unopened. One day I will try it.

For now I have been using Hy-Tek powder.