Gunsmithing Rifle painting questions.

[goodgorilla]

Hopefully I will be painting my rifle once the stock comes in the mail, and after watching some videos I still have some questions.

1. For stock prep, is it really necessary to bead blast everything just prior to painting. After watching some videos I thought that just sanding everything down would be fine, but my gunsmith said that if it's done right you have to bead blast everything then quickly clean it off then add the first layer of duracoat.

2. For stock prep, do you have to protect areas that will rotate? For instance, the surface where the scope turrets contact the stock. I am worried that the duracoat will fuse the turrets to the stock.

3. Any thoughts on using surrounding flora to create patterns vs using an premade pattern?

Any answers will be appreciated.

 

[diverdon]

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-fieldcraft/438-rifle-painting-tutorial.html This thread might help you out with the what and how to mask part of your question.

 

[ugsly]

1. Dont use glass beads, use garnet or aluminum oxide 80-120 grit. Glass beads pean the surface and dont allow the duracoat a surface to bite to.

2. degrease all parts, you need to get all the oils off or out of the parts. wear gloves (powder free) while handling parts after your degrease them & while spraying.

3. I take apart everything I can then degrease, prep areas I may not what coated, blast, spray & bake.

Kc

 

[Goatman007]

Yeah, what he said. Do not bead blast.

 

[LRI]

Clean it first.

A sink full of hot water and a slurry made of plain dawn dish soap and comet works really well when wetted into a green scotchbrite pad. All your trying to do is scrub any oils/wax from the surface.

Blasting the surface is preparing it for the mechanical adhesion required for products like cerakote. Getting the foreign materials out of it is the job for detergents. Soaking a stock in acetone is playing with fire. You may very well end up with a several hundred dollar booger. You can wipe it down just prior to painting, but we've had the best luck sterilizing parts ahead of time as stated.

Good luck.

C.

 

[goodgorilla]

I am still a little confused about my second question. Do I have to protect the area where the scope turrets touch the scope? (just realized I worded the question wrong in the first post)

 

[ugsly]

On some scopes they have small o rings so the turret wont touch the scope, if so take those off. If not I wouldnt worry to much about it, I dont believe you will bottom your turret out on a 100 zero.

Casey

 

[goodgorilla]

Cool thanks. Only last question that I can think of, is if it is important to paint right after sanding? I was thinking about sanding a few pieces a day, and when I have everything sanded, just degrease then paint.

 

[ugsly]

I tape everything off then scuff up with a 3M red pad. I will use sandpaper it there are nicks and such I need to help fix. I wouldnt let the parts sit for days. Shouldn't take more then an hour to tape off lenses and power markings and such and maybe 5 mins to spray them.

Casey

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

if it's just a krylon deal, scuffing / roughing up like above with 3M pad works well enough. you can use steel wool too but it leaves alot of "steel dust / fuzz?" in places you may not want it. you noted you are using duracoat, i have to imagine roughing the surface and prep are similar. i don't have access to a sand blaster, so scotch brite and steel wool is all i know. i believe straight up sandpaper (even high grit) takes too much off in areas you don't want to round off.

blow it off with air in a can.

you can wipe it clean with a lightly dampened with acetone on a lint free towel - be careful of scope markings and such with the acetone. tight spots can be scrubbed with the acetone and a paintbrush, qtip, etc.

mask off any power markings, AO markings, etc. with tape, i use the regular blue painters tape. you can get small enough size to do small work like around the turrets, and touch them up later lightly with a brush. other tight spots can also be touched up in the same manner.

plug your muzzle, vent holes, and stuff paper towels in your action, races, and anyplace you don't want paint overspray to go. i'd do it with the bolt removed.

rewipe lightly with acetone after masking, taking care not to upset or rub off the masking tape.

you should paint after it's cleaned or stuff will start rusting (made of steel). sanding thins out the original protective finish, degreasing even makes more prone to rusting. you can even put a light coating of primer over stuff if you wish to combat that and to promote adhesion.

think about how you are going to hang or position the parts before you start spraying, even go as far as practice actually doing it.

like painting most things, several light coats rather than trying to cover it all at once.

i like to take the barrel receiver out of the stock and doing the bottom side, masking off the trigger group and any other moving parts. easy to forget that what you see will not rust after painting, but everything you don't see underneath will, especially if some of that degreasing stuff gets down there.

if you have a torque wrench, and you are happy with your torque settings, note them before you take everything apart so you can get back to where you were.

 

[goodgorilla]

So I have been talking to people I know about sanding, and everyone seems to have a different idea how to actually sand everything. What do you guys think is the best? Aluminum oxide? Steel whool? Sand paper? Scotchbrite? 3m pads?

 

[ugsly]

So I have been talking to people I know about sanding, and everyone seems to have a different idea how to actually sand everything. What do you guys think is the best? Aluminum oxide? Steel whool? Sand paper? Scotchbrite? 3m pads?

anything you can sand blast goes in the blaster. Scopes you can use sandpaper on, just keep in mind that cerakote goes on thin. So if you use a real aggressive sandpaper you will see the sand marks thru the cerakote.

Casey

 

[goodgorilla]

I will be using duracoat, and no sandblasting.

 

[Copyleader]

...don't overthink it, DuraCoat is very forgiving when it comes to sticking to things, degrease/scuff and paint, it'll stick fine.....