Powdercoating cartridge case pens?

[rincewind03060]

These questions are for those of you who make twist pens using a rifle cartridge case with a bullet nib (the kind where the bullet is firmly seated in the cartridge case; not the kind where the bullet nib twists, e.g. the kind using a .50 BMG case and bullet).

1. Do you powder coat the bullet and the cartridge case separately and then seat the bullet nib in the cartridge case? Or do you powder coat both, as an assembly, after you have seated bullet nib in the cartridge case?

2. What do you use (if anything) to plug the holes in the bullet nib and cartridge case when you powder coat?

 

[rherrell]

I powder coat after I seat the bullet and I don't use anything to plug the hole in the bullet.

 

[turned_for_good]

I don't plug and I coat after I assemble.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Same here, in fact I think it helps to smooth the inside of the drilled hole.

 

[Sylvanite]

Definitely assemble and then powder coat. Otherwise, the act of seating the bullet will scrape the coating off it.

I don't plug the holes in the bullet nor case head. In the rare case when the refill gets too snug, I just ream the hole out with the appropriate drill bit.

Regards,
Eric

 

[TAld]

Same here, I PC the casing and bullet together. The problem I ran into powder coating the bullet and casing individually was the powder is about 3 mil thick and when you seat the bullet it usually turns the neck a milky white(because of the stretch) plus it scraps some of the powder off around the mouth and neck.
If you have already done a batch individually you can save them if they turn milky by putting them back in the pre-heated oven and wait for flow out (just watch the neck until the milky disappears).

 

[rincewind03060]

Thank you all.
I don't think I've ever seen everybody agree so thoroughly on a topic before