Duracoat adventures, need advice.

[Ruddie]

I did a forum topic search on Duracoat related discussions and didn't see one of this nature. If I missed it, I apologise.

Either way, here's what I got. I am in the process of gathering what I need to begin Duracoating guns and whatever else strikes my fancy. Awhile back I was given 2 unused cans of Alumihide II by someone that simply said he didn't have time to use it. Along with the cans he sent 3 different people to me with guns that needed refinishing. Nothing a normal person with a general understanding of the process couldn't accomplish.

After the first gun I did (which was a WWII era Lee Enfield .303) the owner was extremely happy with the results. I started researching better methods of applying gun paint and came across Duracoat. I'm now finally in the position to start gathering the items needed to begin my little adventure.

I have read several different forums and web sites that suggest a variety of different methods of applying it. I was hoping there was someone (and I'm sure there is) that could give me some advice on how to approach this project without it being a total washout. Here's what I was looking to buy and use for equipment:
1. Paashe H airbrush setup
2. Paashe D500 (somethingoranother) compressor
3. Heat gun or hair dryer
4. Home made venting fan for room
Of course I have a respirator and other standard painting items.
I enjoy taking guns that look "well used" stripping them down and refinishing them. I also will be doing custom designs and camo painting with this if I can get comfortable enough with it. I have test pilots for when I get started ( several ammo boxes that have seen their better days and a couple of rifles). I figure even if I can't get the design thing down, I could still refinish guns with the setup. I'm also not one to use pre-made stencles unless requested by someone.

Sorry about the long post but I wanted to make sure I covered everything I was planning.

 

[mnrivrat]

If I remember correctly the parent company making Durocoat product has a DVD available on how to . Get that DVD and it will give you all the info you need to apply the product properly.

That will then give you what equipment is necessary.

 

[Ruddie]

The only dvd I'm familiar with is the dvd for the camopak patterns. I've watched one of them and almost fell asleep. The guy says about 30 seconds of commentary and then there is about 5 minutes of him putting over priced tape cutouts on the specific gun he was painting.
I found stencles online for $10 at bulldogarms.com. Apparently even though they say they are reusable, they are not.

 

[CDW4ME]

I did these with the Duracoat Shake N Spray kit; it was my first time using the product.

PF9 is Combat Gray



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Colt is Combat Black and Combat Gray



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[AndyJ]

The Duracoat DVDs suck--very unprofessionally done.

You will need a blast cabinet and a compressor to strip the old finish. Duracoat adheres BEST to a surface that is 100% free and contaminants and has a little tooth to it. The firearms MUST BE MEDIA BLASTED--PERIOD for the best job.

One of my past projects --search on threads I started for more examples.







I probably did 50 guns as winter type projects for 2 winters past. I would NOT recommend Duracoat as a money making hobby.

Reasons being....


I used an expensive respirator in a well ventilated area and the fumes still made me ill. This got progressively worse over time as the exposure seemed to have a cumulative action. The fumes are nasty as hell-believe me on this.

Even though I prepared and applied with care and got pretty good at it, the durability of the finish was never even close to semi permanent. Holster wear and wear in a back seat gun scabbard showed up almost immediately on arms that were properly sprayed and cured. The high spots and sharp edges were the first to show wear.

Forget about it on plastic or wood. Items with high relief like M4 forearms are impossible to prepare properly. It will peel faster than a redhead in a Texas summer.

If you are going to accept firearms to re-finish on a paying basis, I do believe it will require a FFL.

For all the reasons listed above, I gave it up.

 

[Ruddie]

Most all of the guns I have done have been for friends. I have accepted no payment for what I have done thus far. Oddly enough I do what I've done so far because I enjoy working on guns. Granted if people swamped me with stuff I would turn them down, I like doing it as a whole.