Anyone use Aluma Hyde II?

[Thunderhorse]

When I bought my Tikka Varmint back in high school I originally wanted the blued version, but I could only find the stainless in stock near me. Now I am planning on doing a variety of upgrades listed in my sig, but since I use this as my main hunting rifle I would also like to do something about the shiny silver barreled action. I am thinking of trying Brownell's AlumaHyde II in OD; it is about $13/can so twice as much as krylon, but supposed to be much more durable.

Has anyone used this? I may also just do Krylon since that's in stock At Walmart and pretty much every home improvement and sporting goods store. If I do krylon it will be a full camo, not just coating the barrel and action, however I have read that its not durable, cracks, and comes off when it contacts gun oil.

 

[CApighunter]

I did my Mossberg mvp in it a couple years ago, holding up great. Did a two tone camo with the od green and coyote tan.

 

[hangunnr]

Have done several with Aluma-Hyde II.

It's head and shoulders above Krylon on the toughness scale. If you prep properly and allow it sufficient time to cure it's very durable.

Flat black with a matte clear coat...

A couple OD Winchesters, the long action sitting on the can of spray has the metal done in Parkerizing Gray

Coyote on the frame and slide.....it isn't as gold as the picture would imply.

All stocks pictured have a light coat of truck bed liner under the paint for texture. As with the paint, allow it to fully cure, then apply color.

 

[Thunderhorse]

Well I went ahead and ordered a can of the matte black. I was going to do olive as it is one of my favorites, but a lot of reviews said the OD color looked like foliage-and I absolutely hate foliage green.

I'll post up how it goes when I apply it. Did either of you bake yours? I am not sure if my barreled action will fit in my oven

 

[hangunnr]

They changed the color of the OD at some point. The first stuff I had was a brighter green than the current can.

I have found that by using the bed liner as a base coat will make the colors appear a bit darker.

I don’t use heat to cure mine, just let them air dry.

If you go the air dry route, I’d suggest leaving it alone for 4-5 days as a minimum. It’ll feel dry to the touch after the first day but will still be soft enough to mark it if bumped.

Post up a pic when you get her done.

 

[Jackalope]

I’Ve had good luck heat curing it in the past. A cardboard box and a heat gun work well for an improvised oven if you’ll be around to keep an eye on it.

 

[Thunderhorse]

I think what I will do is get a .30" wooden dowel and rig it up on a rotisserie type setup to spray it, and either use the oven to heat cure if it will fit, or build an oven out of aluminum foil and a cardboard box with a space heater. I am going to do the bolt body too, but I will tape off the head, and either use painter's tape or modeling clay to keep it out of the action.

I will be sure to post pics. Thanks again for the help guys

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Following. Thanks for the info.

 

[D. Hargrove]

Interested to see how this turns out. Appreciate the info.

 

[hereinaz]

What bed liner product are you using?

 

[hangunnr]

This is what I use.

Bed liner only...

Finish coat of Aluma-Hyde...

 

[Sogan]

Is the Bedliner used to just proved a little extra texture I’d assume?

 

[D. Hargrove]

Looks great, I really like the additional texture of the bedliner.

 

[hangunnr]

Is the Bedliner used to just proved a little extra texture I’d assume?

Yes sir, just for texture.

 

[kansas]

I used the mat black on a 1911 slide and cooked it in a toaster oven. It came out nice. As for durability, it ain’t Cerakote but it’s at least as durable as bluing. If I was buying barrels in the white then it’s what I’d use.

 

[Marksman_92]

Ive used it on some AR mags and it has held up pretty well. They also have the Magpul FDE which is hard to find a paint that matches perfect.

 

[GuNinja]

Matte black is great for accessories like grips and iron sights, matches up well with the factory black.

 

[shanem81]

I have used it on several so far and for the price I think it’s hard to beat. It does seem to hold up well just not in the high wear areas.I really like the earth brown color

 

[GuNinja]

^ looks good. What prep did you do?

 

[shanem81]

I just used brake cleaner and heated the metal parts to get any oil out then recleaned with brake cleaner again. Painted and cured it in an electric smoker at 165. Seems to be holding up well but only has about 400 rounds through it.

 

[GuNinja]

Well it turned out nice. I think as long as you prep it well it works well. It is so cheap for the quality you can get out of it

 

[shanem81]

Thanks, this was the first time I used it on polymer lower. I was a little concerned but it seems to be holding up fine.

 

[HunterFL772]

I've had one good experience and one bad. Just do thin coats and it comes out good. And, you can remove it if you mess up or go a different direction.

 

[cornstalk]

I've used Alumahyde for several years mainly painting handguards, but after a recent experience, I am done with it and will never use it again. I properly sanded and degreased a Mossberg 500 and coated with OD Green then let it cure for one week in a 90-100 degree F closet where I cure all my paint jobs. After curing, I masked off part of the finished epoxy paint to paint another part of the gun with blue painter's tape. When I was finished, I peeled off the blue painter's tape and it took quite a bit of the Alumahyde finish with it here and there. Now I have a substantial blemish of several thousandth's of an inch thick that I have to live with or remove all the Alumahyde. It appears that it's no better than Rustoleum. Definitely not worth the extra expense or cure time.

 

[kl3309]

Thanks for signing up to respond to a 5-year old thread!

 

[cornstalk]

Thanks for signing up to respond to a 5-year old thread!

Who cares? If someone Googles "alumahyde reviews" it will end up here and a couple other places. Mission accomplished.