I hope yours turn out better than what I've seen ...I've seen them pass both tests and smoke like crazy when fired and lead the barrel and they smell bad before and after firing...I only use PC or jacketed
I've fired Hi Tek bullets before, that's all I loaded before I started casting. I didn't notice a big difference in smoke, but I also didn't do it myself. We'll see soon! 👍🇺🇸
Been doing this a while... I don't measure quite so precisely I go lean (more acetone) if anything... I go longer in the oven more than less... I dump from the oven into a 5 gallon bucket of water to keep hardness... Your bullets look very good for coverage for first and second coats.. most get too weird about total coverage .. I don't measure that much? just use a squirt bottle into the bullet shake container. I have found that bullets not absolutely coated in every spec? shoot just fine.
Just a different type of lube. It's a little more finicky than powder coat, but it coats well once you get it figured out. Once I start casting for rifle I think I'll do this rather than powder coat.
the 4-5 coats with hitek needed to get a full coverage at 30min to an hour per coating vs 1 coat of powder coat and 1/2 hour to get it i think i'll stick to powder coating just my opinion
Hi tek can be done in 2 coats. Most people do three for looks though. I enjoy powder coating bullets as well, just thought I would give this a try. I've shot hi tek bullets that were clean and accurate, as well as very slick. I'll do both I think. This would be good for rifle bullets IMO.
@@TinManReloading ive used quite a bit of acme brand hi-tek coated boolits and the coat is good and solid, i don't want to know how they get the coat that thick though. but with my method of powder coating it's 5min in the vibe polisher, 10min to nose down 300pcs in plastic trays then flip into the bake pan, 20min in the oven: then while im repeating this cycle the prior pan is air cooling.
Hey dude, good video. Powder coating has taken the hassle of all the process and expense to a level where people can make quality bullets for pennies on the dollar. As you know, I'm not a powder coater and my setup is a little extreme for the average bullet caster. However, I want speed and consistency. (Just powder coat) I would recommend that to anyone who wants to start casting. anyway, good video dude. keep up the informative content.- Dave
I think I'll keep powder coating for pistol and do this for rifle. I'm not sure yet, have to keep testing. Powder coating is easy, but this is as well. Just personal preference I think. Thanks for watching man!
Hey, I always watch your videos. One thing I want to clear the table about, Once you start down the road of bullet casting, it leads to buying more firearms. Hahaha.. It is an enjoyable craft and it challenges you to learn more about shooting in general. one thing that is really gratifying is competing, Winning with the bullets that you produced.
Since you have a little flaking after the smash test, have you thought about electroplating them? The solution bonds to the metal by an electrically charged bath. Ever seen gold plated jewelry or copper plated zinc pennies? Same process. BTW, this is another rabbit hole. Haha. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplating
@@TinManReloading Start small with a small testing apparatus and use some common metals. Then when you get the process down so you know what it can do, then go larger scale. The upside is you don't need to use the oven heat anymore to bond. The electrical bath does all the bonding for a superior bond and you can make the plating as thin or as thick as you want by adjusting the bath solution and anode. The anode would be a consumable brass or copper rod and the cathode is your lead bullets if I read the process right. You would need an ionic (acidic) solution (for oxidation) that conducts electricity and dissolves the anode metal into solution. If the Romans did it ages ago then you can do it.
I didn't know there was a wrong way to smash a bullet. I suppose i do it from the top because I want to see how the coating holds up all the way around the rifling as the lead is stressed.
Hi-complicated lol... I dont think id do hitek.. to many steps and I dont like the idea of heating the bullets multiple times as itll drop BHN. They look great though!. Thanks for showing us how to do this
Yeah, the numerous cook cycles can really mess with BHN. Idk if I would do this for rifle. I'm finding that I trust powder coating a lot more than this too in terms of durability. Thanks, Kenny!
@@TinManReloading followed your directions and when I attempted to size, I had to use a lot of effort to seat the bullets into my lee sizing die. The sizing step shaved and exposed some of the coating and the outer edges from the base of my bullets come out rough also exposing parts of lead. Any tips on how to fix this or know what I'm doing wrong?
@@bryansandoval3498 What size were the bullets before coating? And I apologize, I didnt see that this comment was on my Hi Tek coating video. I thought you were powder coating. I could never get Hi Tek coating to work very well unfortunately.
@@TinManReloading 45 acp 230 gr rn being sized to 451. I think the depth from my bullet sizing die is too high which may be causing the issues. Also, do you always are these for 10 minutes?
@@bryansandoval3498 How come you're sizing to .451? Most people size lead bullets .001 larger than jacketed, sometimes .002 larger. I size 45ACP to .452. And I wish I could help more with the Hi Tek coating, but I could not get it to work to where I was satisfied with it. I gave up and went back to powder coating. But yes, I cooked them in the oven for 10 minute cycles. I think I let them dry for half an hour before baking.
Looks great awesome job I think when shooting it should be fine because it’s not as brutal like the hammer test that’s my thoughts I like that color 👍👍
You will always get a tiny bit of flakes when sizing and seating.. it is meaningless in my opinion. Shooting and recovered bullets and the bore of your handgun after shooting are the real test.
I really like that look in copper. Resizing ease is a bonus.
I like how they look too. It worked out pretty well. Thanks, Scott!
I didn't even know that the Hi-Tek coating was available. They look pretty good. If they keep the lead out of your barrel it's worth it.
Yes, it's been in the US for a little while now. We'll see if it works out! Thanks, TexICan.
Good Job TinMan. I like the look of them. Keep us posted on the "HT vs. PC" Shoot Out!
Thanks, Jeff! I will definitely do a follow up on these compared to powder coated.
Looks awesome. Great video.
Thank you, Texan! 👍🇺🇸
Flaking after they've been shot is a non-issue
I just worry about it flaking off while its in the barrel. That would be an issue.
They look nice . Good job .
Thanks James! We'll see if I get a barrel full of silver stuff when I shoot them 🤣👍🇺🇸
I haven’t gotten into coatings yet, still using a lubersizer, but I’ll admit, these have a cool factor!
You've got one up on me, I've never used a lube sizer! I think I'm gonna stick with powder coating but this was a fun experiment. Thanks, Dominic!
I hope yours turn out better than what I've seen ...I've seen them pass both tests and smoke like crazy when fired and lead the barrel and they smell bad before and after firing...I only use PC or jacketed
I've fired Hi Tek bullets before, that's all I loaded before I started casting. I didn't notice a big difference in smoke, but I also didn't do it myself. We'll see soon! 👍🇺🇸
Nice job on those bullets, Tin Man. You should talk to UJ about getting a Cobra for that Lee bullet sizer. They work great.
Thanks, JCM! He was nice enough to send me a cobra AND a finger! I just didn't slip one on for the vid. I dropped the ball. D'oh!
Been doing this a while... I don't measure quite so precisely I go lean (more acetone) if anything... I go longer in the oven more than less... I dump from the oven into a 5 gallon bucket of water to keep hardness... Your bullets look very good for coverage for first and second coats.. most get too weird about total coverage .. I don't measure that much? just use a squirt bottle into the bullet shake container. I have found that bullets not absolutely coated in every spec? shoot just fine.
Looks great bud! Nice job! I still haven’t worked up the nerve to do it. Maybe next weekend. Cranky sent me some to try, but I have failed him!
Thanks, Kyle. I was a little worried about it not turning out right, but they can always be melted down again. It'll be fine 👍🇺🇸
Looks good. With me being new at this. Is this better than powder coating or just a different way to lube them?
Just a different type of lube. It's a little more finicky than powder coat, but it coats well once you get it figured out. Once I start casting for rifle I think I'll do this rather than powder coat.
TinMan thanks for the info brother 👍🇺🇸
Turned out nice👍🏻
Thanks, Pastor!
the 4-5 coats with hitek needed to get a full coverage at 30min to an hour per coating vs 1 coat of powder coat and 1/2 hour to get it i think i'll stick to powder coating just my opinion
Hi tek can be done in 2 coats. Most people do three for looks though. I enjoy powder coating bullets as well, just thought I would give this a try. I've shot hi tek bullets that were clean and accurate, as well as very slick. I'll do both I think. This would be good for rifle bullets IMO.
@@TinManReloading ive used quite a bit of acme brand hi-tek coated boolits and the coat is good and solid, i don't want to know how they get the coat that thick though. but with my method of powder coating it's 5min in the vibe polisher, 10min to nose down 300pcs in plastic trays then flip into the bake pan, 20min in the oven: then while im repeating this cycle the prior pan is air cooling.
They look awesome Tinman 👍. My 1st time was a massive remelt 😂
That's because you weren't there to teach you 😁 Seriously, your vid was great.
Hey dude, good video. Powder coating has taken the hassle of all the process and expense to a level where people can make quality bullets for pennies on the dollar. As you know, I'm not a powder coater and my setup is a little extreme for the average bullet caster. However, I want speed and consistency. (Just powder coat) I would recommend that to anyone who wants to start casting. anyway, good video dude. keep up the informative content.- Dave
I think I'll keep powder coating for pistol and do this for rifle. I'm not sure yet, have to keep testing. Powder coating is easy, but this is as well. Just personal preference I think. Thanks for watching man!
Hey, I always watch your videos. One thing I want to clear the table about, Once you start down the road of bullet casting, it leads to buying more firearms. Hahaha.. It is an enjoyable craft and it challenges you to learn more about shooting in general. one thing that is really gratifying is competing, Winning with the bullets that you produced.
Since you have a little flaking after the smash test, have you thought about electroplating them? The solution bonds to the metal by an electrically charged bath. Ever seen gold plated jewelry or copper plated zinc pennies? Same process. BTW, this is another rabbit hole. Haha.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplating
A guy at work was trying to get into that, but I haven't done much research on it. I'll check that out! Thanks, RBM 👍🇺🇸
@@TinManReloading Start small with a small testing apparatus and use some common metals. Then when you get the process down so you know what it can do, then go larger scale. The upside is you don't need to use the oven heat anymore to bond. The electrical bath does all the bonding for a superior bond and you can make the plating as thin or as thick as you want by adjusting the bath solution and anode. The anode would be a consumable brass or copper rod and the cathode is your lead bullets if I read the process right. You would need an ionic (acidic) solution (for oxidation) that conducts electricity and dissolves the anode metal into solution. If the Romans did it ages ago then you can do it.
Why did you smash the bullet from the top? Most people do the smash test from the side.
I didn't know there was a wrong way to smash a bullet. I suppose i do it from the top because I want to see how the coating holds up all the way around the rifling as the lead is stressed.
Hi-complicated lol... I dont think id do hitek.. to many steps and I dont like the idea of heating the bullets multiple times as itll drop BHN. They look great though!. Thanks for showing us how to do this
Yeah, the numerous cook cycles can really mess with BHN. Idk if I would do this for rifle. I'm finding that I trust powder coating a lot more than this too in terms of durability. Thanks, Kenny!
Cool deal 👍😃😎.... wait....Basket Boy ! ...😂
The baskets are for Hi Tek only, I swear 🤣👍🇺🇸
@@TinManReloading it's fine
Good video, do you have to presoak the bullets with acetone and if so for how long? New to bullet coating
I don't, but you certainly can. If you keep them from getting dirty before coating you should be just fine. Using a quality powder coat is the key.
@@TinManReloading followed your directions and when I attempted to size, I had to use a lot of effort to seat the bullets into my lee sizing die. The sizing step shaved and exposed some of the coating and the outer edges from the base of my bullets come out rough also exposing parts of lead. Any tips on how to fix this or know what I'm doing wrong?
@@bryansandoval3498 What size were the bullets before coating? And I apologize, I didnt see that this comment was on my Hi Tek coating video. I thought you were powder coating. I could never get Hi Tek coating to work very well unfortunately.
@@TinManReloading 45 acp 230 gr rn being sized to 451. I think the depth from my bullet sizing die is too high which may be causing the issues. Also, do you always are these for 10 minutes?
@@bryansandoval3498 How come you're sizing to .451? Most people size lead bullets .001 larger than jacketed, sometimes .002 larger. I size 45ACP to .452. And I wish I could help more with the Hi Tek coating, but I could not get it to work to where I was satisfied with it. I gave up and went back to powder coating. But yes, I cooked them in the oven for 10 minute cycles. I think I let them dry for half an hour before baking.
Looks great awesome job I think when shooting it should be fine because it’s not as brutal like the hammer test that’s my thoughts I like that color 👍👍
Thanks, Julio! I hope it holds up going down the barrel 😬 We shall see soon! It almost looks like copper plating. 👍🇺🇸
Those do look pretty nice,👍 rather time consuming tho.
Great vid👍
It was kinda time consuming, but that's part of the fun though, right? Thanks, Dave!
Hmmm... How many rabbit holes does this hobby have? 🤣
Every time I think I hit the bottom, I find another hole 🤣🤣👍🇺🇸
@@TinManReloading Oh well, I can still use my toaster oven, and I already have a box fan. I just gotta get a fancy shaker and some Hi Tek. 😁
You will always get a tiny bit of flakes when sizing and seating.. it is meaningless in my opinion. Shooting and recovered bullets and the bore of your handgun after shooting are the real test.
Oh sure, just when I learn what powder coating is you one-up me! Nice
Don't worry, I already miss powder coating! 😂 Thanks, Uncle John
Looks good but man it’s noisy!! 😁
EARBUD WARNING! 😂😂😂 Not a process to do while your wife is asleep 😲😲😲👍🇺🇸
TinMan now ya tell me! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣It’ll be alright !