At-Home Firearm Finishes... what's good in Summer 2018?

[JeeperCreeper]

Need help on what options are good on the market these days? Seems most of the companies have come out with different products recently and the search functions are turning up dated opinions.

So, I have a Remlin 336Y that I love as my knockaround rifle. One big issue though... the finish is dog turd. I honestly think the bluing is spray on salt water. No matter how much I try to keep the surface oiled, the matte blue will start to show orange powder rust even in storage let alone out in the elements.

This leaves me with no option... I'm gonna coat it in something. I plan on leaving the bluing as a base and coat over it.

I would like to do it myself as the rifle is worth like $300 with no collector's value... I also do not have a spray gun or access to an oven that I can bake gun parts at home.

Options... simple to complex (cheap to spendy):

1. Ceramic engine enamel ($8 per can). I used this stuff on a rusty shotgun and it's pretty good. Better than normal rattle can krylon. But... I've never fully tested it in the field as I don't use that shotgun anymore.

2. Aluma-hyde from Brownells ($12 per can). I hear it's good but the rattle cans can clog and it may not apply as nicely as more expensive options.

3. Duracoat 2 part rattle can ($45 per can). Looks good, but some online tests show it isn't as bomb proof as it is advertised. Might not be worth the bigger price jump for marginal improvements over other rattle can options.

4. Pay someone to cerakote it (over $200). Probably the best, but the paint will be worth more than the gun.

Now, say if I paint it on the cheap and it sucks... can I strip the paint without ruining the bluing base coat?

 

[badkarmamib]

3. I went the DuraCoat rattle can for my wife's AR furniture. I was... disappointed, to say the least. One of the two cans had a clogged nozzle right off the bat. Uneven spray left a lot of runs. And, it cannot be redone without destroying the furniture. I wish I had ponied up the money to have it professionally done. I think the product is good, the weak link is the rattle cans.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Aluma-Hyde II works great. Just order a pack of extra Replacement Nozzles they are only $2.99 a pack. Shake the can very well. Be sure to degrease properly.

The barrel and sight tower on these three guns were finished with Aluma-Hyde II matte black.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Aluma-Hyde II works great. Just order a pack of extra Replacement Nozzles they are only $2.99 a pack. Shake the can very well. Be sure to degrease properly.

The barrel and sight tower on these three guns were finished with Aluma-Hyde II matte black.
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Nice!! Gunny, you're other thread got me thinking about coating again so I'm glad you chimed in.

I also hear if you heat up the cans (I do that with spray paint), that it doesn't clog up so much. Does the Aluma-hyde hold up well? It's only a little bit more than spray paint but if it's double the quality, I won't bother worrying about price.

 

[Mauser lover]

Another happy user of Aluma-hyde II (or however you are supposed to spell that...) From Brownells.

Good stuff. Follow directions. Allow it plenty of cure time, in a warm enough environment.

 

[a5werkes]

In addition to a good shaking, placing the rattle cans in hot tap water for 10 mins prior to using them really allows for a uniform spray density out the nozzle.

 

[boom boom]

In addition to a good shaking, placing the rattle cans in hot tap water for 10 mins prior to using them really allows for a uniform spray density out the nozzle.

Never would have thought of that. Thanks for the tip.

 

[BBBBill]

I plan on leaving the bluing as a base and coat over it.

Your new finish is not likely to hold up over an unprepared surface. There needs to be some "tooth" for the finish to grab hold of.

 

[nulook45]

!1: any finish you put on will have to have the old <bluing> removed media blasting is the best way as it gives the new coating a surface to grip onto .
2: if you try the rattle can header paint let us know how it turns out
3: ceracoat is worth the money sometimes you can reduce the cost by stripping all parts and get them ready to go before you take it in

 

[Mn Fats]

Aluma-hyde. Cheap enough and works great. But like others have said, strip it and rough it up so the paint sticks. Good luck.

 

[LoonWulf]

Your new finish is not likely to hold up over an unprepared surface. There needs to be some "tooth" for the finish to grab hold of.

Remingtons current "matte blue" is pretty toothy, dunno bout the Marlins.
I painted a Rem after degreasing and the only ware was at the muzzle and chamber where the cleaning solvents disolved the 99 cent home despot special paint.

I use ceramacoat on metal cause that's what I can get. It fails miserably unless the surface is blasted, and or primed, tho, even on Remingtons

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I'm not going to scuff up the matte bluing. The factory Marlin matte blue is very "toothy" and porous to the touch. I feel like it's a great base for any kind of spray to adhere to.

Plus if the coating sucks, at least I know there is some finish protecting the metal below (even if that finish is garbage)

 

[Mauser lover]

Probably okay, if it is that bad. Just degrease it good and proper. Which unfortunately will diminish any protective properties of the bluing significantly. But your paint will probably stick.

Rig yourself up a little cardboard paint booth and have at it! Show us pictures!

Still recommend Aluma-Hyde II.

 

[Scooter22]

Might want to give this a try. https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...ld-bluing-chemicals/oxpho-blue--prod1072.aspx
I've used it on some worn non collectable milsurps and it looks good and is durable.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Spray 'n bake. Trouble is you need a big enough oven and the wife may disapprove.
Express blue. Can be done at home and yields a more durable blue than hot salt blue.
Slow rust blue. Also can be done at home but takes time.
Cold blue. No thanks.

 

[LoonWulf]

Last night's blast, spray, and bake.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Spray 'n bake. Trouble is you need a big enough oven and the wife may disapprove.
Express blue. Can be done at home and yields a more durable blue than hot salt blue.
Slow rust blue. Also can be done at home but takes time.
Cold blue. No thanks.

Think God I don’t have a wife anymore, I would never get anything done.

 

[shoobe01]

Procedure. Much more than any product (and I have fallen for several in the past), good procedure. The two points:

1. Prep. Degrease. A lot. Seriously.
2. Let it cure. Not dry, cure. A day is not cure. Three days is not cure. A week, or two. Without even touching it.

Almost any spraypaint will give amazing results if you do this. I have done bake on, alumahyde, epoxies, hi temp, and more. And every brand of normal rattlecan. These two steps are everything.

If you mask, which you probably will, then that is an excellent check that prep is good enough. If tape doesn't stick, anywhere, pretty much start over with the prep all again.

If bare metal, get the proper primer. Alkyd for steel, zinc chromate for aluminum.

For bare aluminum, Alumahyde does well, but is a very thick paint. Everything you hear about thin coats is true and good, but very hard to do with Alumahyde.

Replace spray tips. If there is a question whether the tip is good or bad, there's no question and toss it. Get a 100 pack of them off Amazon, then you don't care about the unit cost. Avoid paints that come with weird spray heads, as you cannot replace the nozzle so when it's clogged, you throw the can away.

If I had to pick a spray brand, it would be Rapco. I'd get the 12 pack of mix and match:
http://www.rapcoparts.com/mixmasppa.html
Terrific colors and match original military colors perfectly. Perfectly. Can touch up military vehicles seamlessly. But mostly, unbelievable paint quality. The easiest to quantify is it's like three times as opaque so the coverage is easier, and thinner for the same effect. I got some WW2 ammo cans cheap in bad quality. Got them stripped to bright metal. Took two normal, thin coats of RAPCO to make them look new again. Two. With Krylon or anyone else, it would be 6 or more.


I have seen everything, even Cerakote go bad, even factory stuff from big brands. It is, at the risk of insulting everyone: paint. If it's not applied exactly right, it is like any bad paint and wears (or flakes, or chips) off. If you don't know the actual place has a good reputation, and get some guarantee, I would not take a gun anywhere for Cerakoting. For any price, but certainly for the prices you quoted here.