Harbor freight powder

Sig556r

Active Member
epoxy-based, takes about 20 mins to bake at 400F compared to about 10 mins for polymer-based (i.e., Eastwood, PBTP)
 

Ian

Notorious member
Sig, are those times starting from a cold oven, hot oven, after the flow point starts, or after pmt is reached?
 

Ian

Notorious member
From a warm oven pbtp polyester tgic starts to get a velvet fuzzy look at 3-5 minutes (depending on small or big bullets) and flows out maybe 30 seconds later. My understanding is that happens well befort part metal temperature is reached. Heat gunning the bullet surface concurs, so I allow 8-12 minutes from a hot start for the bullet surface to reach curing temperature and add at least ten minutes to that. Ymmv, this stuff is pretty forgiving, and the hf epoxy seems to be as well. FortuneCookie45LC on utoob has the hf red coating and baking down to a science, worth a look.
 

Rick H

Well-Known Member
I have harbor freight red powder and some of "smokes" …..I mix the harbor freight in 1-3 with "Smokes" trying to use it up. I didn't know they were different. It works fine. I never liked the way the HF by itself looked. As a bonus, after reading about Power Pistol powder eating the polymer powder coatings, I tested and found no etching or changes in the coating after a month being immersed in the propellent. Perhaps a lucky coincidence, I thought the etching was a wives tale, but learning the HF is epoxy based might be why. In any event it works just fine.
I preheat the oven and cook for 20 minutes @ 400 F. from the time I put the coated bullets in.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Poly TGIC, which may be the kind Smoke sells, has had bad reactions with TG at my house. I never played with HF powder.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
that could explain why Hawk and myself were getting different results with the BE-86 also.
I'm mixing the silver grey powder I got from randy rat at a 3-1 ratio to the harbor freight stuff also,, getting a silver purplish color. [just a little bit off from a dr.pepper can color]
 

Hawk

North Central Texas
That may be it.
I have some red Harbour Freight that I don't use. I'll try soaking a bullet coated with the HF in my BE-86 and see what happens.
I've just gone to adding a plain base aluminum gas check to my 10MM boolits.
Been to hot to try them out yet. Besides, going to our public range is a pain.
I really envy you guys that have your own ranges!
 

Rick H

Well-Known Member
I just looked at the video in the next thread in this section....the guy says he has problems with HF and bullseye and unique. I don't know if I test the same. I threw a couple of coated bullets in an empty pill bottle covered them with Power Pistol and left it for a month...there was no reaction to the mixed PC or the plastic vial. Hmmmm what if the reaction is with the plastic vial, and the melted plastic is causing the problem.
I'm just glad I'm not getting the reaction with the plain base coated bullets that I use with my powder of choice.
 

Rick H

Well-Known Member
Holy "Smokes" self propelled bullets, like the old Gyro-jet. That almost looks like a 777 or Pyrodex pellet. :)
 
F

freebullet

Guest
I've had a Lee 356 125 submerged in tg with hf red for nearly 2 years with no effect. I tend to over cook hf powder though. Usually 30min cook. Turns kinda dark red.
 

Ian

Notorious member
To my chagrin, three of my favorite loads involve TG or Longshot and poly tgic powder. So far I just let it react and don't worry too much about it, they're all mild loads and the reaction doesn't seem to cause any dangerous or seriously detrimental issues...so far.
 

GRMPS

Active Member
Part of the "problem" may be the coating is not completely cured.
The listed bake time is for AFTER the PC has started flowing/melting.
It may pass the smash test but is not completely cured.
I've had no problem with the powders I tested sticking PC'd boolits.
I don't use much TG