Considering looking into powder coating

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
shake & bake Smoke's Clear PC gains me .003" on any bullet
May have to get a pound of Smokes, I have only messed with Easton and Dupont. Did not care for any of Duponts versions, on lead.
Easton Maroon worked well for me got me .002"
Your not the first person I have heard of using smokes for build up and being happy with it.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Who or what is "Smokes powder" and where do I find this stuff? Online search turned up nothing.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
I’m far from an authority on the issue but Eastwood clear gloss has worked well for me. I get it from Amazon.

It is cheaper than Smokes powders. A few of you “Bad Boys” are banned over at CB. I wouldn’t want any of you to have to develop some clandestine scheme to buy overpriced, repackaged, resold powder.

How many years did that guy sell rebottled synthetic two stroke oil?

Josh
 
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Reloader762

Active Member
I buy from Smokes because I know the guy and he is local to me. A few extra dollar to keep a mom-and-pop business afloat is not a big deal to me. I buy from Eastwood direct as well because they have powders Smokes doesn't offer.
 

Rick H

Well-Known Member
I tried Harbor Freight first, black was a bust, then red...just ok. I Bought a batch from Smoke and it was great, currently mixing the Harbor Freight red (epoxy based) with Smokes stuff in an attempt to use up the stuff. (One part HF to 2 parts Smokes) It works fine. At the rate I use the stuff 2lbs will be a lifetime supply. Hell three teaspoons will do over a thousand bullets.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
OK The way you get .003" with clear:
Put about 50 bullets in a plastic flat container ( not tall)
Get a hand held hair drier set to high and heat the bullets and stir them by hand as much as possible ...They get hot !
When they are just near uncomfortable to touch drop them into you powder container an Swirl like heck for 15 seconds Then shake swirl or whatever else you do for about 40 seconds more.. Then shake up and down hard to get the powder even on them ( that knocks off most of the excess!)
Then you need to pick out the bullets one at a time and tap the tweezer sharply one time to get any more excess off the bullet before standing them!

(You will see if you try this your bullets will come out with a thicker coating when you pull them out of the container - that is why they need a good wack to even the powder them)

The heating of the bullets came from somebody here ( I think Popper) He placed them on top of the oven to preheat, if I remember correctly!
This was to combat any extra humidity.
I liked the idea but adapted it for my way of working and it have not had an issue with any of my PC coating ( I just use Smokes Clear most of the time)
But I do Purple for my wife's pistol and some light pistol plinking loads in John Deere Green etc

Also on the humdity thing: I store my PC powder coat containers with a small plastic container of Silica gel inside them after use
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Thanks Josh. And thanks to all others who offered their thoughts. This may be something I try, but knowing nothing about it and being both pessimistic and untrusting of new fangled ideas (We bought a Beta video player back in the day for what was big $$$ to us, got burnt, it sticks with you!) I'm leery of jumping on the bandwagon. I'll keep researching and asking noobie questions!
 

Ian

Notorious member
Coated bullets is pretty much mature technology. It works. It isn't difficult to do. No need to spend days poring over internet posts and watching utoob videos. There is no mystery to it. All you need to know has already been mentioned or linked in this thread.

First thing you need to think about is does the PC process offer any advantage over traditional lube for your particular needs.

Do you want to push to jacketed velocities in your rifles? Do you want to push soft alloy faster with accuracy? Does lube smoke bother you? Do you use silencers or self-loading rifles which are sensitive to lead buildup? How much does it matter that the first shot from a clean, cold, lightly oiled barrel hits in the center of the group? Do you have trouble with traditional lube melting and spoiling the powder of ammunition stored in your vehicles or anywhere else? Do you need a convenient way to identify different loads in a given cartridge by color-coding the bullets? If not, then powder coat doesn't offer much advantage over what you have been using. If yes, then all you have to do is quit hem-hawing and make up your mind to do it. You need a dedicated toaster oven or other oven which will reach and maintain 400⁰F, a plastic container with well-fitting lid, some wire baskets or parchment paper/non-stick foil/silicone baking mats and flat oven trays (if you choose to pick the bullets out with forceps and place on their bases to bake), some Airsoft BBs or cheap plastic pony beads from the craft store (optional but I highly recommend them), and some powder.
 

shuz

Active Member
Thanks to all. I am just rolling this around in my head. I don't mind lubing at all and I rather like the smell of the old faithful 50/50 Alox I'm still using. It has it's limits of course but I imagine PC does too. I'm just looking at options. I'm also looking at better stick lubes.

One question I did have was if anyone had noticed any advantage to PC, or of one brand over another, in rougher military barrels. I don't know enough about the stuff to even guess if it is better or worse or the same as traditional lubes. Think " dark, slightly pitted 7x57 Mauser 93" type platforms.
 

shuz

Active Member
Bret--Jump in on powder coating. It's really easy to get good results by using Smoke's powders. Smoke4320 is his handle on Cast Boolits. He has ads on that site in the Swapping and selling forum.
Shuz
 

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
@Bret4207
Smoke 4320's Corner CBA Websight

Only way I have found to contact him. However I have no desire to join another forum just to buy powder so I have not.
That's the only thing that has stopped me from buying from him.

That and Eastwood has fulfilled my needs so far.
 
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waco

Springfield, Oregon
I’m far from an authority on the issue but Eastwood clear gloss has worked well for me. I get it from Amazon.

It is cheaper than Smokes powders. A few of you “Bad Boys” are banned over at CB. I wouldn’t want any of you to have to develop some clandestine scheme to buy overpriced, repackaged, resold powder.

How many years did that guy sell rebottled synthetic two stroke oil?

Josh
This is the route I go.
 

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
Thanks Josh. And thanks to all others who offered their thoughts. This may be something I try, but knowing nothing about it and being both pessimistic and untrusting of new fangled ideas (We bought a Beta video player back in the day for what was big $$$ to us, got burnt, it sticks with you!) I'm leery of jumping on the bandwagon. I'll keep researching and asking noobie questions!
Think of it this way, you can get into it with a goodwill toaster oven, hair dryer(preferably not your wife's), a scroll of parchment paper ,a toaster oven cookie sheet, a #5 recyclable stamped plastic tub (Greek yogurt, Butter, or large sour cream tub). And a wire mesh basket( I was lazy and did not make mine, Bought it at BB and Beyond.
So like 30$ TOPSI, will get you started on equipment. If you do not already have half the stuff lying around.
Plus the cost of the powder. It keeps forever, and you can always use it to WD-40 method, coat tools and stuff if you give up on PC bullets.
 
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Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
@Bret4207
Smoke 4320's Corner CBA Websight

Only way I have found to contact him. However I have no desire to join another forum just to buy powder so I have not.
That's the only thing that has stopped me from buying from him.
I'm "Perma Banned" from Boolits, so I guess I'll have to just email him if I decide to jump. Thanks.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Bret--Jump in on powder coating. It's really easy to get good results by using Smoke's powders. Smoke4320 is his handle on Cast Boolits. He has ads on that site in the Swapping and selling forum.
Shuz
Thanks, were you Shuz on Shooters and Boolits? If so , it's been long time!
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Coated bullets is pretty much mature technology. It works. It isn't difficult to do. No need to spend days poring over internet posts and watching utoob videos. There is no mystery to it. All you need to know has already been mentioned or linked in this thread.

First thing you need to think about is does the PC process offer any advantage over traditional lube for your particular needs.

Do you want to push to jacketed velocities in your rifles? Do you want to push soft alloy faster with accuracy? Does lube smoke bother you? Do you use silencers or self-loading rifles which are sensitive to lead buildup? How much does it matter that the first shot from a clean, cold, lightly oiled barrel hits in the center of the group? Do you have trouble with traditional lube melting and spoiling the powder of ammunition stored in your vehicles or anywhere else? Do you need a convenient way to identify different loads in a given cartridge by color-coding the bullets? If not, then powder coat doesn't offer much advantage over what you have been using. If yes, then all you have to do is quit hem-hawing and make up your mind to do it. You need a dedicated toaster oven or other oven which will reach and maintain 400⁰F, a plastic container with well-fitting lid, some wire baskets or parchment paper/non-stick foil/silicone baking mats and flat oven trays (if you choose to pick the bullets out with forceps and place on their bases to bake), some Airsoft BBs or cheap plastic pony beads from the craft store (optional but I highly recommend them), and some powder.


Ian, it actually has something to do with temps, but not lube contamination. Warming a sizer in sub zero weather in room that might get to 35 degrees at best has it's down sides. Not something you have to worry about in Texas. IME I either get the sizer too warm and get runny lube or not warm enough and get missed spots. It's just a pain sometimes. So I was looking into options, and for something that might help with milsurp barrels that aren't all that bare lead friendly. Nothing annoys me more in the cast line than a rifle that handles jacketed just fine but turns into a sewer pipe with cast.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
So I was looking into options, and for something that might help with milsurp barrels that aren't all that bare lead friendly. Nothing annoys me more in the cast line than a rifle that handles jacketed just fine but turns into a sewer pipe with cast.
I think PC will be your friend.
 

Ian

Notorious member
JWFilips has dine quite well with a sewer-pipe Mauser using PC bullets, his trick is low velocity, keep shooting them until it slicks up, and don't clean it.