Coating Instructions
BULLET CORP BULLET COATING
INSTRUCTIONS
PPE REQUIRED WHEN USING BCB
COATING.
·
Chemical resistant gloves
·
Safety glasses,
·
Respirator adequate for
painting.
EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:
·
BCB Coating Powder
· Acetone (100% Pure - Recommended acetone grades CP, AR and HPCL) and MIBK (Methyl Isobutyl Ketone) or MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) or Ethanol Alcohol 96% Denatured CP
·
Safety gear (PPE).
·
Measuring tools.
·
Plastic containers
(buckets) to tumble bullets in.
·
A container (plastic
bottle) to mix the coating in.
·
Paper towels or waste rags
and plastic sheeting to protect bench tops or work areas.
·
A well-ventilated working
area.
·
Flat wire trays or baskets
capable of holding the weight of the bullets and withstanding the heat of the
oven.
·
An oven that can hold set
temperature fairly well. You will need to test the ovens ability to hold at set
temperature and temperature set accuracy (use external meter with temperature
probe to verify alloy temperature accuracy).
·
Use clean lead bullets that
have not been sized. Wash bullets in acetone before coating.
MIX RATIOS SOLVENTS
Option 1: 100% Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)
Option 2: Solvent mixture 70-90% Acetone mixed with 30-10% Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (MIBK) not MEK
Option 3: 50% Acetone mixed with 50% Ethanol Alcohol 96% Denatured CP
MIX RATIOS
15 grams of BCB Coating powder to 100ml of solvent mixture for 3 coats.
20 grams of BCB Coating powder to 100ml to 130ml of solvent mixture for 2 coats.
Bullet Corp uses 18 grams to 70% AR Acetone and 30% MIBK or 100% MEK
Let the coating stand for at least 1 hour to properly dissolve the coating.
Shake well before use!
Be careful when you open the bottle for the 1st time as the acetone would have built up pressure in the bottle and needs to be released slowly.
We suggest using
Use 1ml to about 300-350 grams of bullets, bigger bullets might need some more coating to properly coat them.
DRYING MATTERS
Our coating will self-dry in 5 mins depending on the ambient temperature. If the coating feels dry to the touch you can bake it. If still wet leave for a few more minutes til its dry to the touch.
If you are using
BAKING MATTERS
Bake Temperature: 180 to 190 Degrees Celsius
(356 – 374 Fahrenheit).
Bake
Time: Approximately 10 Minutes – start the 10 minute timer when the alloy temperature
has reached temperature set point - maintain alloy temperature for 10 minutes.
Ovens can vary greatly, so testing is required by user to ensure oven
adequacy.
COATING
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the
bullets in a clean bucket with acetone and wash them properly. You can also
tumble them slowly in acetone to wash them. If not properly clean the coating
will not bond to the lead and it will flake off.
2. Dry the
bullets and place it in the bucket you want to coat in.
3. Apply the
coating to the bullets and tumble or agitate as fast as you can without the
bullets falling out.
4. As soon as the bucket starts getting dry (an indication that the solvent has evaporated and the sound the bullets make in the bucket change) the coating application is complete, dump them in your tray. If the bullets is Matt and dull the coating has not been applied correctly this is due to the acetone evaporating to fast. Use 10 to 20% Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (Example 90% Acetone and 10% Methyl Isobutyl Ketone) to solve this problem. The bullets must be wet and shiny when the coating has been applied.
5. Gently shake the tray slowly to disperse the bullets evenly in the tray.
6. Leave to
dry for 1-5min. If it’s dry to the touch you can place the tray in the oven on
the recommended setting.
7.
After 10 minutes baking
time with alloy temperature between 180 to 190 degrees Celsius, remove the
bullets and let it cool down, then repeat the process again starting from point
number 3 using the same coating bucket.
8. After the coating has been applied 2 or 3 times, let it cool down and tumble (agitate) the bullets in a clean bucket (do not add anything to the bucket, just the bullets), this will remove any roughness on the surface. (its normal if you do get some colour on the hands as this is all the roughness that has been removed from the surface leaving you with a nice smooth surface)
Buy Tumbler for coating process HERE
OVER BAKING MATTERS
Over baking will not harm the coating. However colours will suffer as over
baking will darken the final finish.
TESTING THE BULLETS
1. ACETONE
TEST
o Remove
one bullet from the batch of bullets you have just baked after they have cooled
to room temperature.
o Use a rag
or paper towel and moisten with Acetone.
o Gently rub the test bullet back and forth for 30 seconds. With proper curing no coating should be removed from the bullet.
FAILURES CAN BE CAUSED BY:
·
Low bake temperature
·
Overloaded oven
·
Poor heat circulation in
oven
·
Improper bake time
·
Dirty or contaminated bullets
·
Using too much coating
·
Using of wrong mix ratio
2.
SMASH TEST
o Use a
suitable hammer to smash the coated bullet with one or more blows.
o Check to
see if the coating is flaking off.
o
If coating flakes from
alloy you have failed this test.
THIS FAILURE CAN BE CAUSED
BY:
·
Coating being applied to
thick
·
Overloading oven
·
Dirty or contaminated
bullets.
· Or combination of all
· Not dry enough from using methylated spirits
If you need any assistance or have questions please email Ruan on ruan@bcbcoating.com