DuraCoat Questions

[Legionnaire]

I searched and read the threads regarding DuraCoat. Several suggest sand or bead blasting blued metal parts (and degrease, degrease, degrease) before applying the DuraCoat finish. How about sanding with 600 sandpaper or even fine steel wool in lieu of blasting? Does one need to remove all the original blue, or just rough up the surface? Thanks!

Another question, for those who are familiar with the DuraCoat line ...

What stock color(s) would appear closest to a traditional blueing job? I understand that a coating won't look like blue, but what might come close? Maybe the semi-gloss (HK) black? Thanks again!

 

[High_Cap]

What I have found to be the best stuff is the red 3M stochbrite pad. It is about a 12" long and is only a couple of bucks.

I just scuff it up a clean then spray.

I have done quite a few guns that way and it has worked well for me.

The only gun I had trouble on was a 357 mag S&W revolver. Blew the duracoat right off the cyclinder face and muzzle.

 

[boogalou]

Duracoat will hold much better if you parkerize the gun first. And parkerizing will hold much better if you sandblast the parts. Just like most anything else, proper prep work is the key to a better, more durable finish.

 

[Valkman]

The whole point of sand or bead blasting is you want the surface roughened up to hold the coating. Therefore, if you sand do not go too fine. I'd go 220 or 400, but then I have a bead blaster and would recommend that as the best way.

 

[Legionnaire]

I DON'T have a bead blaster, so am looking for a workaround ... So 220-400 would be better; thanks.

And here's another question (also edited into my original post above):

What stock color(s) would appear closest to a traditional blueing job? I understand that a coating won't look like blue, but what might come close? Maybe the semi-gloss (HK) black? Thanks again!

 

[AtomSphere]

just to add to this thread, how durable is duracoat.

Anyone tried scraping the duracoat off with lets say, a blade?

 

[rcellis]

I'm also interested in just how tough the finish is. I've got a used SIG that could use a new finish.

 

[boogalou]

Check out the following link for some nice pics of XD pistols done in duracoat - http://www.xd-hs2000.com/duracoat.html

I did my CZ75 in Colt Gray. Will try to take some pics tomorrow. I've only shot the gun a few times since refinishing it but so far no problems.

 

[Exposure]

I have a pretty beat up Yugo SKS that I did nothing more than thoroughly strip and lightly sand with a Scotchbrite pad and it has held up great!

Scratch resistance is hard to say. The take down lever for the reciever cover has scuffed right through the DuraCoat but it is a very tight metal on metal fit. Temperature wise I have seen the forward handguard smoking (with a semi-auto no less!) and the finish still looks great. I think this stuff is fantastic. Just be sure to do a good job of surface prep before applying.

Here she is about 18 months ago. And she still looks just as good today. The stock is done is DuraCoat as well.

 

[AtomSphere]

Personal Review of DuraCoat

You see, I accidentally applied it to parts of a wall while air brushing it on my knife. It had been slightly less than 2 weeks since when i tried to scratch it off(from the wall) with a key. When I attempted to scratch it off, the duracoat still stays on but was cosmatically affected by the scratch(didn't scratch through to expose the wall paint). When i applied roughly the same amount of force on the other parts of the wall(Not duracoatted area with god knows what paint was on it), the paint came off easily and you can see the concrete beneath it. The wall was not prep for duracoat at all so i suspect (not proven) maybe it might come off at the edges of the duracoated area because its not preped. (not sanded down and not degreased)

Cosmatically wise, it will be affected by the scratching but if you are looking to protect your equipment, it will do so!

Also I noted that compairing the scratching on the wall and on the duracoated area, the duracoated zone seems to be very smooth and slippery which might support other user's claim that it might have some form of teflon component/feel to it. (think of it as oil based crayons except harder?)

 

[Aguila Blanca]

DuraCoat offers three dark blues, all of which look pretty nice. The one that comes the closest to a traditional blued finish is probably the one called ... Gun Blue.

 

[kd7nqb]

I discovered a while back that many dentist offices (any with their own lab) have mini sandblasters. My mother works for a dental supply company and we did a gun that way. Now talking your dentist into letting you use his lab equip might be a bigger issue unless he happens to be a gunny too.

 

[Firehand]

I just tried it on a pistol using the matte black. The company I bought it from said if could not blast, to use 220-grit wet/dry paper to roughen the surface. So far, so good.

One thing I want to get is called an 'air eraser', basically a airbrush that uses abrasive instead of paint. I checked with Paasche, and the 'fast cut' compound is 220 grit, so that's what I'll try.

 

[AtomSphere]

Caution Firehand! Not sure 220 is good enough. I personnally changed to 400 (personnal preference due to feel) after these emails..



Quote from steve at duracoat:
Greetings! You have seven days to re-coat DuraCoat. After seven days you must hand sand with 2000 grit. Best Regards

Quote From me:
one last question. after it fully heal, and i want to reapply, i have to sand it down with 2000grit?

Quote from steve:
Correct.


Do note that you have to degrease it again IF you doing reapplication.

 

[oldgold]

I've used both the gunmeatal blue and the black matte. I've done five guns now. Personal opion, gunmeatal blue is hideous, black matte is beautiful.

Have sanded two and blasted three. Blasting works best by far. I've carried the first one everyday since January and it still looks great.

Try autobody shops for someone who has a sandblaster, particularily one who restores older cars. THe ones I sanded don't look quite as nice as the blasted ones.

goldy

 

[Firehand]

I meant for the roughing-up of the metal surface before spraying the Dura Coat on.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I've used both the gunmeatal blue and the black matte. I've done five guns now. Personal opion, gunmeatal blue is hideous, black matte is beautiful.

I've only looked at their colour "chips" on the computer, which of course means the colour I see is only as accurate as my monitor can reproduce it. Of the three blues they offer, I didn't much like Royal Blue -- it's too blue. That left a potential choice of either Gun Blue or German Blue, with the Gun Blue looking a bit less blue and closer to the blue-black that I think of authentic gun bluing as offering.

Can you explain a bit better what it was about the Gun Blue that you didn't care for?