Duracoating a 1911

[huntincowboy]

I've got a parkerized 1911 that I use for a ccw. I love it except for one thing, it rusts very easily after being next my sweaty body all day. I am thinking about duracoating it so as to keep the rust down. Have any of you done this before? If so, what do you think of the coating for this application? Also I was thinking of doing the mags too because my spares rust against my body as well. Would the coating cause any issues with them fitting into the gun?

 

[CWL]

The best combo that my pistolsmith recommends is duracoat (or any other modern finish) over parkerizing. The park' helps to hold the finish on better and even helps better against wear (but it still isn't permanent)

I get this on my full customs and do like the combination.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I have an 80 series MkIV officers that I Duracoated. It worked out great. I do prefer ceracoat but Duracoat is holding up good.

 

[smalls]

I'm having a similar experience with mine, which is parkerized too.

Anyone have a price range for duracoating?

 

[Sam1911]

Be careful. I've done several weapons with DuraCoat, and some with KG Gun Kote as well.

Like Gun Kote a whole lot more.

DuraCoat is THICK. "High build." Get it anywhere at all where something needs to fit together and you won't even get the gun reassembled. (Took most of an afternoon for me to strip enough of the coating from around the grip safety and frame rails to reassemble mine.)

Gun Kote is hyper thin and will be much better for the job.

Going over well (SUPER-well) degreased parkerizing will make for a fantastic finish.

 

[Girodin]

+1 on gunkote (or other finishes) over duracote for the same reasons mentioned above.

 

[schmeky]

I'm with Sam1911. I have done the Duracoat and it exhibits significant build-up. Gun Kote is extremely thin when applied properly and holds up as good as any spray-n-bake to sweat.

Do a base coat of phosphoric acid (Gun Kote calls theirs K-Phos) before the Gun Kote. Hard to beat.

 

[TimboKhan]

Nothing wrong with dura oat, but Sam is right. Before this application, gun kite would be better. If you feel like parting with some cash, send it to cylinder and slide for np1.

 

[DrDeFab]

About the build-up...

I have seen mixed behavior there. When using a fresh bottle of flat paint, like Black Oxide or Coyote Brown, properly sprayed, I have had no problems with the thickness of the product. OTOH, the glossier colors I have tried run thicker.

Once I tried to use a bottle of Electric Cherry over a White base coat and it went on like truck bed-liner. (Well, comparatively.) That may have been due to the fact that it had been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I didn't get it straight from Lauer - who knows how long the retailer had it. Per the FAQ, "The shelf life of DuraCoat hardener is 6 months." Don't waste your time with old hardener.

Oh, and if you need to remove DuraCoat, I highly recommend Zip-Strip (original formula). I have never had a problem with DuraCoat coming off of decently prepared surfaces, but 45 minutes soaking in Zip-Strip and 90% of it literally slid off without being touched. A light touch with an old toothbrush and some Q-Tips did for the rest in a couple of minutes.

 

[Sam1911]

Oh, and if you need to remove DuraCoat, I highly recommend Zip-Strip (original formula). I have never had a problem with DuraCoat coming off of decently prepared surfaces, but 45 minutes soaking in Zip-Strip and 90% of it literally slid off without being touched. A light touch with an old toothbrush and some Q-Tips did for the rest in a couple of minutes.

Well, if you can't get your hands on that, I've ... discovered scrutiny ... that carb cleaner will do the same thing, right fast.

 

[huntincowboy]

Sorry I've been slow to reply I've been out of touch lol. So I looked at gun kote real quick on midway and I would like to try it except there's no kit. I don't have any of the equipment except an air compressor. DrDeFab said that you had better results with a flat color which is what I'm planning on using. I was looking at the prevail kit on midway. I was just planning on taping the bottom and inside of the slide with whatever I do to keep the bearing surfaces from having fit issues. Would this help?

 

[Sam1911]

Any airbrush kit will work with either product. I use an airbrush I bought from Harbor Freight for like $18. Air compressor, water seperator filter, and a low-pressure regulator ($5) and whatever fittings you need and you're in business.

Or buy the disposable Preval kit, it will work just as well, with either product.

Yes, you can tape off areas you don't want the spray to get into.

 

[huntincowboy]

Thanks guys I'm going to try the gun kote.

 

[huntincowboy]

Do I need to sand blast the gun? I can get all the rust cleaned off and it has a pakerized finish. Also since it's so much thinner, can I apply it to the slide, or will it just get scraped off anyways?

 

[Sam1911]

The instructions for Gun Kote do say you should sandblast. (I'm doing some GK work today.)

As long as you apply it to the appropriate 0.004" thickness, yes you should be able to spray it wherever and it won't interfere with fitment. It will get scraped off in the wear areas, but so does any finish.