Removing lube prior to Powder coating?

[rhino210]

230gr.45acp

• rhino210
• Sep 19, 2017

From Houston Bullet Company

I inherited 1000 .45acp 230gr lead cast bullets manufactured by the Houston Bullet Company.
I want to powder coat them but think I would need to remove the blue lube first as well as any residue before doing that. What is the best and fastest process to remove the lube?

 

[ReloaderFred]

Some have tried various methods to remove lube for powder coating, with varying levels of success. You're better off shooting them like they are, or trading for something else if you have a problem shooting lead bullets.

Fred

 

[Klint Beastwood]

ive HEARD heat is the best way. Never messed with it myself so my opinion is basically invalid but maybe its worth looking into. I've heard of using a thinner as well, but sometimes not working as well.

 

[res45]

I personally never had to do or have tried it but slow boiling the bullets will cause the lube to melt an float to the top where it can be skimmed off. Then wash the bullets in some 100% acetone before attempting to coat them.

 

[jmorris]

Throw them in the melting pot, the lube won't hurt a thing. You could recast them faster than you could get the wax lube off well enough to not effect the quality of your coating job.

 

[mdi]

I've tried a couple methods; I put paper towels on a tray and stand the bullets on their base on the towels. Put them in my toaster oven at about 200 degrees for a while (nope, no fires). Lube melts and is absorbed by the towels. This gets 99% of the lube off so I sometimes rinse the bullets in solvent/acetone/alcohol, etc. to get the last of the lube off. Another method is to put the bullets in a pan of water and boil for a couple minutes and allow to cool. Lube will float to the surface and harden and can be removed. Bullets will be fairly clean, but may need a rinse in solvent...

But I think I'd just load and shoot them as is (after measuring diameter)...

 

[rjbmjb]

I agree with jmorris- if you cast, the quickest way is throw them in the pot. I tried both heat and soaking with mineral spirits with only so so results and it took a lot longer than casting new ones.

 

[Hummer70]

I am intrigued, what kind of "powder" are you going to utilize? Moly???

BTW I love your quote in RED ! ! ! ! !

 

[Laphroaig]

I personally never had to do or have tried it but slow boiling the bullets will cause the lube to melt an float to the top where it can be skimmed off.

Boiling them is the best method I found when I wanted to powder coat a bunch of 9mm bullets I had that leaded badly for me. Let the water cool before you take them out or some of the lube will get back on your bullets. The powder coat adhered to mine without any further treatment.

Just remember the diameter of your already sized cast bullets will be increased by the thickness of the powder coating. About 0.003" in my case. This may or may not present a problem when you reload them. I'd do a few and plunk test them before I did the entire batch. I'd also start low with your powder charge.

 

[JimKirk]

I am intrigued, what kind of "powder" are you going to utilize? Moly???

BTW I love your quote in RED ! ! ! ! !

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/powder-coating-cast-bullets.776507/page-2#post-9857273

 

[GBExpat]

My method, fwiw ...

I have one toaster oven tray modded with a layer of hardware cloth. I will load-up that tray with lubed "store-bought" bullets and put it in the old "powder coating" toaster oven out back.

Some of it melts and drips thru the wire and a certain amount just smokes-off.

After I remove it and allow it to cool, I transfer the mostly-cleaned-of-lube bullets into a mesh sack which I suspend in a container of mineral spirits (jug#2) overnight (minimum). Next day, I transfer that mesh sack to the final container of mineral spirits (jug#1) and leave it for at least a day.

When I remove them from that second bath and have allowed them to dry, they are ready to be powder coated.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

I am intrigued, what kind of "powder" are you going to utilize? Moly???

BTW I love your quote in RED ! ! ! ! !

Not related to post, but taken from USMC Lt. Col. R. J. Wiedemann?

Anyways, use as is or re-cast (IMO)

 

[cfullgraf]

Yes, a good source of lead for casting new bullets.

I'd shoot them like they are. I'd cast new bullets if I wanted powder coated ones.

 

[rjbmjb]

Boiling them is the best method I found when I wanted to powder coat a bunch of 9mm bullets I had that leaded badly for me. Let the water cool before you take them out or some of the lube will get back on your bullets. The powder coat adhered to mine without any further treatment.

I just tried your "boil and coat" method, and it works great! The other methods took too long, and the results (at least for me) were not as good. This is much faster than recasting- thanks for the tip!