aluma hyde II

[janobles14]

i need opinions. i restored an old rusty .22 and used aluma hyde II on the receiver and barrel. i blasted and used acetone to prep my surfaces and sprayed according to the directions and videos. its been a full week and the finish is still soft and rubbery. does this stuff ever harden?

ive read that nothing short of hurricane force bead blasting will harm aluma hyde but i can still cut it with a fingernail. am i doing something wrong? please inform and also give alternate solutions to my finishing needs! thanks!

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Possibly(and this is just a guess) you applied it too thick. I have used Aluma hyde II very successfully and it does take a long time to dry. I speed up the process by suspending freshly painted parts over a fan set on med speed. 7-10 should be all it takes but I give it 2 wks for good measure. You can hasten drying by placing it in an oven set at 300 degrees for about an hour IIRC.

 

[Zak Smith]

Try DuraCoat - it applies better and cures stronger.

 

[janobles14]

the oven trick did it! thanks so much. stuff is harder than concrete now.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Glad it worked out.

 

[bkjeffrey]

Just for future refrence:

When using AHII, there should be at least 4 light misting applications of product before you reach full coverage. A few minutes with a hair drier after each application and about 10 mins after that for parts to cool between mistings. This will give a thinner, tougher coating when fully cured. This is not just my experience, but also Brownells specific instructions according to their technical service reps. And remember to clear (and clean with acetone) you nozzle when your done of you will never use that nozzle again. You can order replacement nozzles though.

If it is applied too thick upon inital coat it will take almost 10-12 days to cure beyond that rubbery point.


As stated above, try duracoat next time. I personally prefer KG Gun Kote 2400 series though. I think it applies thinner than duracoat and KG seems to self lubricate so it does better with metal on metal contact surfaces than duracoat also. Duracoat is avail in every color you can imagine though. Gun Kote HAS to be baked on.

 

[Maj Dad]

I refinished a GI fiberglass M14 stock with flat black AH II after filling in the selector cutout with AccraGlas & AccraGlas Gel, and it is bulletproof. Used the Brownell's directions as mentioned by BKJeffrey and it finished up flawlessly. I set it aside for a week after the last coat, and it was rock-hard. Great stuff, and though the DuraCoat may be the better choice for metal, I would use the AH II on non-metals any day.

 

[bkjeffrey]

AHII works fabulous on plastics. AHII is an epoxy based product so when it fully cures it is basically a "plastic" coating anyway. Alot like epoxy adhesives. It basically glues its self to other plastics. Good stuff.