WS2 coating help

[Gollum]

I'm trying to use WS2,Tungsten Disulfide) to coat my bullets.

My process is:

1) wash the bullets in HOT water and detergent to remove the bullet makers lube, then dry.

2) Put the bullets into a small Lyman Turbo tumbler hopper with 7-1/2 steel shot and WS2 powder and tumble.

3) pull them out after 30 minutes and roll off the excess in a towell.

The first 2 batches done this way turned out excellent- -a nice thin, clean pencil lead colored bullets with a shine.

The last 2 batches however, come out heavily coated 1/16" thick, and texured. The excess it hard to remove with your fingernail. Not what I'm looking for at all!

I cleaned the last failed batch off in walnut media, re-washed, then attempted to recoat, and got the same thing, so I'm thinking the problem is with my steel shot hopper. I'm thinking there is too much WS2 in the hopper maybe?

Any suggestions?

 

[mikecr]

I put the bullet's in the oven @ 200deg for about 20mins after washing to dry them off completely. Any moisture would cause what you decribe, and the container and shot would be munged up for further use. Must be DRY. I coat the bullet's while they are still warm. Everything else, just like your doing.
Good luck

 

[Gollum]

Sounds logical. Would I be able to salvage the shot/WS2 by spreading it out in a tray and baking it at 225f for an hour or 2?

 

[Gollum]

Follow-up: I dumped my WS2 coated steel shot intoa foil lined pan, and heated it for an hour in my oven at 250F.

Then I tumbled the coating off my failed batch, washed them in paint thinner, then washed with detergent in hot water, rinsed off, then sun dried for and hour.

Put the bullets and the coated shot in the tumbler, and ran for 1/2 hour. Bullets came out perfect!

Washed another batch of bullets like before and tumbled them in the same shot 6 hours later- -back to the thick coating. Its really hot and humid here, evidently the shot and bullets pick up the humidity pretty quickly. Back to the oven!

 

[sparker]

Just rinse the bullets in mineral spirits allow them to dry. Then tumble them in clean corn cob for 30 mins. Your bullets will coat perfectly.

Scott Parker
Bakersfield CA

 

[halfmile]

When applying graphite to reclaimed shot, I noticed too much graphite would give the same problem. I reduced the graphite to 1/2 tsp per 50 lbs, and results were fine.

I would want to try the proper quantity for best results. I realize this may be somewhat unrelated, but it's baxically the same procedure.

HM