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Fieldcraft For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

BiggerStick47

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 9, 2007
412
1
49
Acworth, Georgia
Recently I decided to paint my Noveske Recon. I wanted to try the sponge technique as it looks great in most of the pics I've seen. Normally I just spray on some OD and Khaki Krylon in no particular pattern or get my buddy (lawman734) to work his magic, but this time wanted something different.

Here's the gun prior to paint (with a different mount):

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First, I applied 3 base coats of Brownell's Aluma Hyde II in Coyote. I did not take any pics of the whole rifle, just the scope, but the rifle was also coated just like this:

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Next, the rifle and scope got 2 solid coats of Krylon Khaki, and then I applied the camo pattern: At this point there was ALOT of paint on this gun:

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And after painting it I realized.......I didn't like it. It wasn't nearly as good as the others I have seen. So what now? I have 3 layers of Aluma Hyde and multiple layers of Krylon on $4k worth of weapon.

So I called lawman734 and he told me what to get. I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up a spray can of Kleen Strip Premium Paint Stripper. Now, I did not take pics along the way, as I didn't plan on making this post. But after I stripped the gun and realized how simple it was, I decided to share.

Here's how I did it. I sprayed the parts down and sat them in a 5 gallon bucket for 10 minutes. NOTE, be very careful with scopes and don't get any stripper on the glass.
After 10 minutes, I simply pulled each part out and sprayed them down with my garden hose. Most of the paint just peeled right off, but for the little bit in the cracks and grooves, I resprayed and hit it with a nylon brush. Then simply sprayed them down again with the hose.

Now, the pics below were taken after I re-coated the barrel with flat black Aluma Hyde II, but the barrel was just as clean as the rest of the gun. Interesting note: I was worried that the stripper would dissolve the ladder rail covers and Tango Down SCAR panel, but it had no affect on the polymer other than removing the paint.

The discoloration on the surfaces below are from oil, not paint or residue. I just oiled the whole thing down good since it had previously been degreased for painting.

1rp4iq.jpg


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NOTE: Make sure you use a good pair of chemical resistant gloves as this stripper burns like hell if it gets on your skin...... damn, that sounds funny.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Is that stripper thick enough that it wont get down into the o-ring seals on your scope? Even though it looks like it did no damage to soft parts I wouldnt want it on them scope seals.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RECKON SO</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Is that stripper thick enough that it wont get down into the o-ring seals on your scope? Even though it looks like it did no damage to soft parts I wouldnt want it on them scope seals. </div></div>

Yes. In fact, I've seen several scopes stripped with this stuff over a period of a few years to include 2 S&Bs and several NFs with no issues at all, hence the reason I was comfortable using it.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Why did you start with the Alumahyde? I did not think of using it on non-metallic parts. Just wondering.

david
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sumpter Steve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">She cleaned up nicely. </div></div>

I love strippers!
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nashlaw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why did you start with the Alumahyde? I did not think of using it on non-metallic parts. Just wondering.

david </div></div>

I originally was going to do the whole thing in FDE. But the Alumahyde turned out to be too shiny for my taste so I decided to just cover it with krylon.

And I didn't use it on any of the non-metal parts, although I think it would be ok.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Looks great. I did the same technique on my SR25 with S&B 3-12. I practiced on my AR15 first then applied what I learned to the SR25. I'll try and posts some pics.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Thanks for sharing the info. It's inspiring me to try some paint.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Glad to see that Coyote Aluma-hyde II is a close match to Magpul FDE, I will definitely use that for my bolt gun project.

I plan to use Aluma-Hyde II matt clear to knock the shine off of the Coyote.

To the OP, did you have to rough up the painting surfaces at all, or just degrease, heat and spray?
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Reckon that matte clear will take all the shine out? Or is there a way to scuff the aluma hide to tone it down? I wanted to make the base coat on my bolt gun coyote aluma hide, but after seeing how shiny it is I aint sure thats the route to go, for me anyway.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Cool, I am going to try this on a botched paint job from a prior owner!
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Very helpful thread, thanks for the info and courage. I might give this a shot some time soon. Thanks again BiggerStick47
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

@Reckon, using matte clear to knock the shine off was how I took care of my Duracoat projects that got too shiny, and also I had read about someone else using matte clear Alumahyde II in this same manner I believe from here or another forum.

Matte clear or any clear coat applied over the color coat also serves to protect the color coat, especially if you had painted a Camo scheme. So even if the end result is not right even with matte clear, at least I'll have protection.

Matte finishes, at least with other finishes I've applied can also be achieved by pulling the airbrush back further from the work piece. I have also used #0000 steel wool to knock shines off...

Many ways to skin a cat.
laugh.gif
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Good deal, I am glad my "paint" plan still has a good chance of working out. Thanks for the tip.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Tag - unreal how well that cleaned up.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

That cleaned up very nicley. It's good to know that there is a way to start over if it dosent turn out just right
smile.gif
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

I have painted several of my rifles all with great results, then attempted to do a digital pattern on a sbr and screwed the pooch! I actually stopped shooting it till I painted over it(and took a beating from guys I shoot with!). Will definitely try this. Thanks for the post Biggerstick47.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nashlaw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why did you start with the Alumahyde? I did not think of using it on non-metallic parts. Just wondering.

david </div></div>

If you note he said AlumnayhydeII, which is formulated for metal AND synthetic non-metal parts. Works great.

I read THREE coats and was like-"WOW that thing must be heavy now!"

Tag for stripper reference.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

becuse of this thread i finally got enough balls to paint my new savage model 10pc an ss 10x scope.i must say that i like it alot better now and i do belive that it has made the rifle more acurate!lol
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

tag
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Dam, I'd never guess that paint would come off so easy. Looks like it did before the paint. Nice!
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Still pass on the paint until the original is so bad, I cant stand it.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

TAG. Incase I screw up my rifle I'll know what to grab...haha. I like that sponge technique.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

The sponge job looked cool! I'm really surprised how well it came off! -Tag
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Great thread - thanks BiggerStick47

Have to say I'm with the guys who thought it looked good...

First time I tried to painted a stock I hated it too.

But, before I decided to strip it, I left it in a cupboard for a few days and then came back to it cold to see if I still hated it (I did!).

Good to know you can experiment unti you are 100% and clean up all the not-so-good stuff in between.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

A little krylon never hurt anything.
grin.gif
Although if I was uncertain about things, I'd not want to start off with alumahyde.

People should save themselves a lot of time, trouble, and money and test their technique on something other than their weapons first.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

I have been putting off the idea of painting for about a year now. But I am still thinking about it. It's a fair amount of work. As long as you don't get paint in the wrong places, you can always fix anything that doesn't look right.

I was going to Duracoat one of my guns. I will probably buy an airbrush at Harbor Freight. Duracoat is really a thin coat and can be painted over without creating a build up. If I don't Duracoat, I will just use Krylon from Walmart about $4.50 a can.

I guess I also have to get over the hump of painting a perfectly fine looking weapon.

Might just buy some spray cans and practice on something besides a gun.
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: boltcatch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
People should save themselves a lot of time, trouble, and money and test their technique on something other than their weapons first. </div></div>

That's funny...

Somewhere around here I have a canoe paddle painted exactly like one of my rifle stocks when I decided to try webbing paint for the first time.

Seriously though, a chunk of pipe and a 2X4 will tell a lot of tales before the weapon gets painted.

Tough concept for some, likely....
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

i painted up a bunch of ammo cans before i got the nerve to paint my rifles, glad i did as well because it let me find the method that worked the best for me and it turned out great...
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

Wish I had known about the Kleen Strip sooner. I bought an old sporterized 1903 Springfield last fall. Someone had done a poor camo job on it. After a ton of work with a toothbrush and a can of paint thinner, it is cleaning up beautifully, but it has taken a ton of elbow grease and Kleen Strip would have helped a bunch!
 
Re: For those afraid to paint their weapons.......

thanks . I liked the pics, before but really after. you have a pair, I just can't bring myself to paint on my 5r or the nightforce...maybe one day i will have them dipped..