Like a bad penny

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  • Last Post 11 May 2019
pondercat posted this 05 May 2019

I'm back.

It's been over three years since my last post.  Really I have no good excuse, but at that point I was engulfed by school, working on my thesis and then thesis defense, as well as full time work and life.  I did pass my defense and earned a Master's Degree in Applied Sociocultural Anthropology, then time just got away from me. 

A little while ago, I was giving my guns a good maintenance cleaning when I realized I had not been doing any shooting for a long time, and the fever struck again.  I ran across an issue of the  Fouling Shot and realized how much I missed it.  But to make a long story short, I found the forum, renewed my membership, and started looking over the "new" site. NICE. 

Currently I am experimenting with powder coating.  Having some fair results, not great, with Harbor Freight powder.  Got some better stuff (I hope) coming next week-supposed to be here Tuesday.  Trying three different brands.

Also, Wednesday or Thursday I am taking possession of a new Henry Big Boy in .357.  Had it on Layaway for over a week now and Wednesday is payday! Had to put it on layaway so nobody else would snatch it away from me.

Anyways HOWDY ALL!

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mashburn posted this 05 May 2019

welcome back pondercat

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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GP Idaho posted this 05 May 2019

Welcome back.  I've had my best coverage when powder coating using Eastwood clear powder. I usually add a pinch of color to tell at a glance that the bullets have been coated. Also, a fellow posting as smoke4320 @ Boolits is a trusted supplier of quality powders. Harbor Freight powder is of the same quality as the rest of their products. Their red color works but just barely. Gp

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JeffinNZ posted this 05 May 2019

Welcome back.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 05 May 2019

GP ... have you been able to tell any difference in " mottled " powder coated vs. " perfect " pc ?? 

ken

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pondercat posted this 05 May 2019

Not Yet.  The Harbor freight stuff is all i've used so far and it is mottled sometimes, sometimes rough, I'm still learning.  Harbor freight, unfortunately, is the only source here in Flagstaff.  I am supposed to get three pounds from different manufacturers deliverd on Tuesday.  I don't remember all the brands, but Eastwood is one of them.  I'm anxious to see the difference. The only way I can get fair results with HF is to use multiple coats.

I heading out in a few minutes to shoot some of those HF coated bullets to see how they do.  I hope I can recover a few to see how the coating held up.  This is all new to me but I think I'm gonna like it once I get a technique down that works for me.  I do know I need to use a better quality of powder. 

Terry

 

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GP Idaho posted this 05 May 2019

Ken: I can't tell the difference. When you mix different colors of PC it usually doesn't blend it sort of pixalates (sp) and you get a mottled look. Camo bullets LOL Full coverage is what you need for bore protection, pretty colors make no difference. What I try to get is a nice even coating so as not to throw the bullet out of balance. This is why I take the time to stand all the bullets up on a baking tray instead of just dumping them out on to a wire mesh or parchment paper as some do. As the powder melts, it can leave a small puddle on the down side and make the coating thicker on the bottom than the top if bullets are baked on their side (my opinion) unbalancing the bullet. This isn't likely to cause major problems for short range handgun bullets but it is my belief that it makes a difference with rifle rounds. I'll just mention one more thing while I'm at it. You will get a much better coat and all around better quality product if you PC as it was meant to be applied. That being with the use of an electrostatic gun. Gp

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GP Idaho posted this 05 May 2019

Sorry for the thread drift pondercat and again, welcome back.  Gp

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Brodie posted this 06 May 2019

Pondercat,

I'm glad that you are back again.

B.E.Brickey

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pondercat posted this 06 May 2019

And I'm happy to be back. i am ooking forward to reading the incredibly extensive knowledge the members of this forum share so openly.

Terry

 

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pondercat posted this 06 May 2019

Do the guns waste  a lot of powder?

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GP Idaho posted this 06 May 2019

Terry: When I use the electrostatic gun, I spray in a containment box. It's easy to sweep the overspray into a container I have built into the bottom of the box. I then use this overspray when I'm coating bullets for my handguns (using the shake and bake method) This is just being somewhat overly frugal on my part as the powder goes a long way and isn't expensive. A lot of folks just sweep up and trash the overspray. Gp

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pondercat posted this 11 May 2019

I was in Harbor Freight the other day and saw that they have a powder coatingg system that seems to be inexpensive to be worth much.  Do you know if it is even worth the bother.  Sometimes HF stuff really surprises me and sometimes it just turns out to be more less single use.

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Brodie posted this 11 May 2019

Terry, I do not have any personal experience with the gun, but from what I have read the Harbor Freight electrostatic gun works quite well.

B.E.Brickey

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GP Idaho posted this 11 May 2019

`Terry: I have no personal experience with the Harbor Freight guns. I would guess a high % of coaters use that gun. Personally, I shy away from any thing Harbor Freight. I've been quite satisfied with the basic Eastwood gun. I don't believe you would need the dual voltage gun for coating bullets. The price varies from time to time and I have seen them on sale for as little as $59. I think the normal price is around $100. They have quit selling the HF units locally but last I new the were in the same price range as the Eastwood product. Gp

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