JGalt
Diamond Member
- Mar 9, 2011
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Tried my hand at powder coating some bullets this morning, and it worked pretty well. Powder coating is a process where powdered paint is baked on metal at a temperature of 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Un-jacketed or cast bullets have to be lubricated to keep the bore from leading up, and powder coating has become the cheapest and easiest way. I already had cheap air-fryer I picked up at Goodwill for $4.99 and cut a silicone baking mat to fit inside the tray. To monitor the temperature, I drilled a hole through one side and inserted an industrial thermometer...
I bought the powdered paint on Ebay for about $17 for a pound with free shipping. Eastman is probably the most widely-used brand of paint...
The cast bullets are warmed in the toaster oven first, up to about 200 degrees. This helps the powder stick to it. The bullets are then dumped into a plastic container and shaken for a couple minutes. The static electricity generated causes the powder to stick to the cast bullets. I also have on order a container of plastic airsoft pellets. Adding some of those creates more static, and helps the powder to stick...
Once the bullets are coated, they're picked out with a nitrile glove, placed on the silicone mat, and baked at 400F for 20 minutes. They are then dumped in a pan of cold water to harden them. I usually water-quench them right out of the mold, which gives them a higher Brinell hardness, but baking them at 400F changes the hardness of them. So re-quenching them after baking re-hardens them.
The bullets were ran through a sizing die after casting, then again after coating. Here are some 124 grain .357 diameter ones I coated, to be used for .38 Special and .357 magnum...
A few 220 grain .44 hollow points...
This works on rifle bullets as well. This is one of the .314" to be used in a British .303...
The powder coating is virtually indestructible. You can put the bullet in a vise and the coating won't flake off...
I bought the powdered paint on Ebay for about $17 for a pound with free shipping. Eastman is probably the most widely-used brand of paint...
The cast bullets are warmed in the toaster oven first, up to about 200 degrees. This helps the powder stick to it. The bullets are then dumped into a plastic container and shaken for a couple minutes. The static electricity generated causes the powder to stick to the cast bullets. I also have on order a container of plastic airsoft pellets. Adding some of those creates more static, and helps the powder to stick...
Once the bullets are coated, they're picked out with a nitrile glove, placed on the silicone mat, and baked at 400F for 20 minutes. They are then dumped in a pan of cold water to harden them. I usually water-quench them right out of the mold, which gives them a higher Brinell hardness, but baking them at 400F changes the hardness of them. So re-quenching them after baking re-hardens them.
The bullets were ran through a sizing die after casting, then again after coating. Here are some 124 grain .357 diameter ones I coated, to be used for .38 Special and .357 magnum...
A few 220 grain .44 hollow points...
This works on rifle bullets as well. This is one of the .314" to be used in a British .303...
The powder coating is virtually indestructible. You can put the bullet in a vise and the coating won't flake off...