Couple powder coating questions

So tried some slugs after work today. First 10 were meh...increased my swirling time in a plastic container and probably got 90% coverage with not to thick a build. I did 3 batches of 10. On the third batch I just grabbed them out of the container and laid them on the side. I tried the gloves dipped in powder as mentioned above and had a lot of powder rubbed off. Probably down to 70% coverage on them. These were all 357 dia slugs that were cast and clean and I coated them with the Kawasaki green powder.

Then I tried 5 slugs that are 500 grain .458 dia with gas checks on them. Now these slugs are already sized and I was playing with a old Ross Siefried ( or however you spell his last name) trick of wrapping them in Teflon tape and using that as a lubricant. I took the Teflon off and swirled and baked them. They looked like crap with 40% coverage or so. So I got thinking are these contaminated with the Teflon tape? Maybe some from running them in a sizing die that has had some lube run in it from years ago? Maybe both? So I took some lacquer thinner on a rag and wiped them. After coating them I went up to about 80% coverage or so but seem to have a build as I got a few very small runs in a couple of them.

So do I maybe have to much powder in the container? I used about a teaspoon (level) for 10 500 grain slugs and 30 357 slugs. There is still lots of powder in the container left over. I kinda swirled them in the plastic container without tumbling them to get a coating.

Thoughts? Oh, and all slugs were dumped into a pail of cold water after they came out of the oven.
 
When you say "plastic container" , what plastic container are you using? Tried lots of containers and they gave crappy results until I found a post about a "Cool Whip" container with the number 5 on the bottom. I tried it with slightly warmed bullets (in the oven for 30 seconds to warm up) , 1 teaspoon of powder and swirl and shake the container for 1 minute. Difference was night and day, 100% coated with the black powder I buy at princess auto. Something about the cool whip container makes the bullets build up a static charge or something like that.
 
hunter64 said:
When you say "plastic container" , what plastic container are you using? Tried lots of containers and they gave crappy results until I found a post about a "Cool Whip" container with the number 5 on the bottom. I tried it with slightly warmed bullets (in the oven for 30 seconds to warm up) , 1 teaspoon of powder and swirl and shake the container for 1 minute. Difference was night and day, 100% coated with the black powder I buy at princess auto. Something about the cool whip container makes the bullets build up a static charge or something like that.
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Just your run of the mill margarine container. You know now I remember reading something about the plastic container with a 5 on the bottom. An I was thinking this am about trying the preheat method also.
 
Forgot to mention the 5 is in a triangle on the bottom. If I can get the crappy black color stuff from princess auto to work you should have no problem with good powder.
 
hunter64 said:
Forgot to mention the 5 is in a triangle on the bottom. If I can get the crappy black color stuff from princess auto to work you should have no problem with good powder.
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The "5" in the recycle emblem signifies a certain component to the plastic composition that does not "inhibit" static as some of the others do.

As with Vagrant, I have noticed no betterment from using the airsoft bb's.

My own personal "swirl" method Is to swirl vigorously for 30-45 seconds and then a vigorous up-down shake for 10 seconds or so.
 
hunter64 said:
Forgot to mention the 5 is in a triangle on the bottom. If I can get the crappy black color stuff from princess auto to work you should have no problem with good powder.
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So when I get one of them cool whip containers and put the powder in do I cook the slugs till the PC is baked or the cool whip has a nice golden baked finish to it? So many questions!!!
 
icehunter121 said:
So tried some slugs after work today. First 10 were meh...increased my swirling time in a plastic container and probably got 90% coverage with not to thick a build. I did 3 batches of 10. On the third batch I just grabbed them out of the container and laid them on the side. I tried the gloves dipped in powder as mentioned above and had a lot of powder rubbed off. Probably down to 70% coverage on them. These were all 357 dia slugs that were cast and clean and I coated them with the Kawasaki green powder.

Then I tried 5 slugs that are 500 grain .458 dia with gas checks on them. Now these slugs are already sized and I was playing with a old Ross Siefried ( or however you spell his last name) trick of wrapping them in Teflon tape and using that as a lubricant. I took the Teflon off and swirled and baked them. They looked like crap with 40% coverage or so. So I got thinking are these contaminated with the Teflon tape? Maybe some from running them in a sizing die that has had some lube run in it from years ago? Maybe both? So I took some lacquer thinner on a rag and wiped them. After coating them I went up to about 80% coverage or so but seem to have a build as I got a few very small runs in a couple of them.

So do I maybe have to much powder in the container? I used about a teaspoon (level) for 10 500 grain slugs and 30 357 slugs. There is still lots of powder in the container left over. I kinda swirled them in the plastic container without tumbling them to get a coating.

Thoughts? Oh, and all slugs were dumped into a pail of cold water after they came out of the oven.
Click to expand...

Clean you sizing die with braklean, really clean. Warm your shaking container, with the powder in it, over a light bulb or such. Warm your boolits too.
 
Just got home and the container I was using has a 5 in a triangle which looks like a recycling mark. So I am thinking to much powder for the amount of slugs I was testing and try warming the slugs up and the powder before swirling /shaking. I am trying the Kawasaki green from Emerald coatings so it should be good powder.
 
If you are in a high humidity area/wet weather system, I can see heating helping out but personally I have never heated a slug before coating and, with the coating quality I have been getting, can see no reason to do so.
 
Humidity is definitely a major factor in bullet coverage. Right now its hot and dry I get near 100% coverage with all my powders. If you are in a high humidity area keep all your powder coating powders and containers in an air conditioned room and do your shaking there. I got that tip from the cast bullets site and it was night and day for me.
 
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