I've get a lot of email reguarding do it yourself refinishing. So I thought I'd post a step by step how to. (this is the way I do it, I'm sure there are many other ways that will get the same end result).
Equipment needed: You will need an airbrush or gravity feed spray gun. You can use the Preval disposable kind but they do not have steady air pressure are not adjustable (for air pressure or coating volume). DuraCoat, DuraCoat hardner, DuraCoat reducer, (Moly Resin & MEK if your using Moly) tape, basic hand tools (for disassembly), an oven (not required but recommended) (baking is required for curing Moly Resin).
1. Disassemble & Inspect. Complete disassembly of the firearm is recommended but is not required (any oil or grease around pins or other things that leeches out will cause the finish not to adhear properly, resulting in bubbeling or flaking). Also I know this sounds like common sense but don't refinish something that is almost worn out (ie; barrel) or broken (ie; stock, optics mounts, etc).
2. Degrease parts to be refinished. Attention to detail is a must. I recommend ACN, NST, TruStrip, Acetone, or Laquer Thinner for clean up. Be careful using harsh chemicals on plastic & rubber, try it on them in a nonvisible area first. (note acetone will melt some plastics & synthetics)
3. Media blasting. I blast parts to be refinished using anywhere from 60 to 120 grit aluminum oxide @ 40 - 60 psi. Just to rough them up a little, it helps give the coating something to hold on to & bond to the surface better. Most brake shops & spray on truck bed liner shops have media blasters. If you dont want to blast the parts at leaste use some 400 to 600 grit sand paper on them. Then re-clean all parts. From now on wear rubber or latex gloves when handling any parts to be refinished. I know it sounds anal but your hands have oil on them.
4. Prep items. Mask or plug any place you dont want the coating to go. Make sure the tape is down good around the edges. I use 3m plastic tape, any auto parts store that carriers paint supplies will have it. Shake the shit out of the coating. It settles and needs to be vigorously shaken for for 3 to 4 min after the ball inside begins to rattle. Mix your DuraCoat @ 1:12 ratio hardner to color. (a good rule of thumb for mixing is 4 tablespoons of DuraCoat to 1 teaspoon of hardner). Depending on humidity you may need to add reducer only up to 20% by volume is recommended. Test spray a scrap of something, if the coating isn't coming out smoothly, looks grainy, is spitting out large drops, or if its cloudy on the surface it needs reducer or psi increased.
5. Refinishing items. Hang items ups and spray using even passes slowly building up a layer of the coating (Lauer recommends keeping the spray gun approx 1" to 6" from items being coated). I use a gravity feed spray gun, 45 to 50 psi and about 6"- 8" distance from items. Be careful not to get it too thick use the minimum to cover parts. Keep it as thin as possible but still cover completely (approx 1 ml is optimum). If your doing a single color skip down to #7. If your applying coatings to Flexible items (4 rail grip panels, ergo grips, etc) add DuraCoat Flex additive up to 10% by volume.
Tip: when you think your done with a color reduce your PSI, put gun about 12" to 18" from item, and let it spit a fine mist on items not heavy just a quick squirt. It will give it a textured appearance and looks real good for camo jobs.
6. Camouflage patterns Once you get the base coat on allow a minimum of 20 to 30 mins for coating to dry enough to handle. (You dont have to do this next step but IMO it helps.) Put metal parts in oven @ 150 degrees for 25 min If there are plastic parts only heat oven 110 degrees bake for 1 hr. This allows the base coat to cure a little better. Allow to cool. Randomly put on camo template. Spray second color of coating following the same steps as before. Allow to dry. I DO NOT put parts in oven with the templates on. I let each color (with templates cure for 24 to 36 hrs before putting on another set of templates).If your doing three or 4 colors repeat steps until all colors are applied. At first the coating is very soft and easy to scratch. I let it sit a min of 24 to 36 hrs then carefully remove template. Use mineral spirts & a soft cloth to clean any residue from the tape off. Then force cure or allow to cure on its own.
Base coat color with first set of randomly placed templates
Second color with randomly placed templates
Third color with randomly placed templates
Finished with templates removed ready for testing
7. Curing. Baking is not required for DuraCoat to cure but it will speed up the process and I highly recommend it. There is a smell when you bake the items. I would recommend you do it when no one else is home to avoid unwanted distractions. I place metal parts in oven @ 150 for 45 min. If you are baking plastic parts like flip open scope caps or sensative things like optics only heat oven to 110 degrees. Most items will tolerate the lower tempature. Let cool and your done. DuraCoat will still take approx 3 to 4 weeks to fully cure.
For refinishing with Moly resin the steps are pretty much the same. Moly Resin MUST be baked to cure. Curing is done by baking @ 300 degrees for 1 hr. DO NOT use Moly Resin on optics, electronics (laser's & range finders), plastic or rubber or some synthetic stocks (Magpul). They WILL NOT tolerate the higher temp needed for cuirng. Depending on desired results preheating of parts is required.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your refinish & post a pic when its done. I'm more than happy to answer any questions if you run into any problems or have concerns. My contact info is on my web site or you can email me through this site.
Joe
I was doing up a test piece this weekend. Testing some new templates & precleaner so I shot some photos. Please remember that I did this entire camo in a little over an hour. It was a quick down and dirt camo job which was force cured and is only a test piece.
This post has been edited by Enforcer22: January 8th 2006 11:16 AM
November 7th 2005 9:58 PM
