Ammunition can repainting and storage

[phantomak47]

Awhile back I thought I had read a post about refinishing ammo cans for ammunition storage and the storage of firearms odds and ends. I can't seem to find any information here or on any search engine about the best way to refinish ammo cans. I tried spray painting them, but it seems that paint easily scratches off, I would assume that sanding would be necessary. I noticed that on ar15.com had someone had made punisher ammo cans with the skull, but it did not provide instructions.


Can anyone help me out?

 

[scout26]

I work for the company that makes the USGI ammo cans. The painting process is fairly elaborate as the .gov wants the cans to last a long time in all sorts of weather conditions.

I pretty much leave mine alone except for using a Sharpie to mark what's inside (.32 Win Spec, .45 ACP, 20ga Hunting Ammo, Etc.)

You could try overspraying with something like Krylon and then go from there.

 

[evan price]

Why bother painting them? Uncle Sugar paid for a very durable finish coating that resists rust and abrasions. Unless you are a member of the Bed, Bath and Beyond set who wants to color-coordinate your ammo cans with the bedspread or something, why bother?
A good scuffing of the finish with fine sandpaper or steel wool followed by degreasing and a tack cloth, followed by a good isolating primer and some automotive lacquer paint would get it done for you if that's the case.

 

[Wes Janson]

I've got a trio of WWII-era .50 cal cans that've got some decent rust on the surface, and need to be refinished...kinda curious myself as to what works best.

 

[Zedicus]

Spray em with Rhino liner!
They'll be Rust & Scuff Proof.

 

[Robert Hairless]

Try using a wire brush on an electric drill to get off as much of the loose rust as you reasonably can.

Then brush on some rust reformer to neutralize the rest. Be sure to get it around and under the can rim.

And then spray paint it with Krylon outdoor paint.

One rust reformer that has worked well for me on outdoor iron fencing is a bottle of phosphating product I bought in an auto supply store a few years ago. I don't remember the brand name but my guess is that there are several brands and that probably all will work.

 

[Arkie]

How about some epoxy paint. That stuff is pretty durable. It's like the stuff they paint stoves, fridges, washers and dryers with.

A little on the pricey side but pretty tough too.

 

[230RN]

Just make sure they're thoroughly dry (2-3 days in the hot noon sun) before you close them up. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[TAB]

I can't stress this enough, wear a resporator and keep the kids away... lots of very bad things it that older paint. Don't let anyone see you do it as well... it most place in the US if you don't dispose of that paint in certin ways... lets just say your going to be selling guns to pay the fine.

 

[phantomak47]

Thanks for the help, I started one can and noticed that spray paint might dry in a few hours, but doesnt harden for a few days.

 

[230RN]

phantomak47

Thanks for the help, I started one can and noticed that spray paint might dry in a few hours, but doesnt harden for a few days.

Told ya so. And that little itty-bity GI folding can opener is no help to get it open after the paint dries under a closed lid.

Don't ask me how I know.

'Cept I was tempted to throw it in a fire until the ammo inside went off and blew the d@mned thing open. But really, I didn't want to mar the can lid or destroy the gasket by prying with a crowbar or something.

So I finally got a rush of brains to the head and turned the can upside down and sprayed the junction between the top and the sides with a little bit more of the same paint and let it sit for an hour or so. The solvent action of the new paint softened the old paint enough that I could open it, retrieve the ammo, and I started over.

What a mess.

But don't ask me any more about it.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Use POR-15

Powdercoating is very durable also but cost prohibitive if you don't have the equipment to do it yourself. I would imagine the original stuff is some sort of baked on epoxy.

 

[.cheese.]

I didn't paint mine, but I did clean them with windex to get the dirt off and then put a light film of gun oil on them.

 

[El Barto]

Spend 5 bucks and get one that is not rusted, seriously.

The first can I got I tried to clean up and re-paint, but now I just clean them up, dry them out and use them.