Spray Paint Rifle?

[David4516]

I am attempting my first AR-15 build. I already have a nice Windham Weaponry AR so this build is mostly just for fun, to see if I can do it. When the rifle is done I plan to give it to my wife. So far all I have is the lower (an SAA) and I ordered a PSA carbine barreled upper in 5.56 / .223, still waiting for it to arrive. I just need a parts kit for the lower, a stock and a BCG (the upper does not come with a BCG from what I can tell).

Since this rifle is going to my wife, I want to customize the paint for her. Her favorite color is blue and she’s a music teacher.

Would it be better the paint the entire rifle, or should I just go with the stock/hand guard/pistol grip, and leave all the metal as-is (black)?

I had this crazy idea that I’d paint the gun in a blue/gray camo pattern (again she likes blue), inspired by this uniform:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USN_NWU1.jpg

But instead of using leaves or twigs or grass as a stencil for the camo pattern, I think I’ll try using this music note stencil:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Musical-Not...60-/111292171926?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:1120

Don’t know that this would be very practical camo, but I don’t really care, this is more for decorative purposes.

I’m also tempted to buy a fixed stock like this, I think it will give more surface area to paint on:

http://www.fulton-armory.com/buttstockassemblygroupa1newblack.aspx

I am told that A1 stock is shorter than the A2 stock, so I think that is what I should do (again this if for the wife, she has shorter arms).

But maybe that is a dumb idea, is adjustable stock more functional?

Just wondering if you have any tips or advice or anything for paint? I was hesitant before but after thinking about it for a while I’m pretty sure I want to give it a try. I just have never painted a firearm before and I don't have any idea where to begin. Also, how durable is this kind of paint? I assume that it can chip off if you're too rough on the gun?

Thanks in advance

 

[strambo]

I did a water-like 2 tone blue pattern on a .22LR AR15 using RIT dye on Magpul furniture.



The dye penetrates the surface so it isn't ever coming off. You can dye the furniture a lighter blue, then cut out the notes in a plastic tape and apply it firmly. Re-dye again in a darker blue (just add more dye powder). Remove stencils and viola!

You can practice on Magpul magazine covers, use FDE to start, it is the lightest base color and will work well.

 

[Mopsie]

I had good luck painting my G3 with the paint sold by Brownells. I did black, though. I don't think I'd do blue.

 

[okey0]

Strambo, can you elaborate on the rit dye procedure? I have never heard of that technique. is this the same stuff people use to dye their clothes?

 

[AK103K]

If youre not sure about painting the whole rifle, Id pick up one of the furniture sets that are around, and try that first.

Once you get over that, and get a couple under your belt, the rest of your guns are easy.

Northridge used to have them for cheap, but they have climbed in price pretty good since I last bought them. I was getting them for $20, and they were in great shape. They are up to $75 a set now. These are M16/M16A1 sets and come with triangular handguards.

http://www.northridgeinc.com/store/index.cfm/c168/i818

I prefer the A1 stocks, as they are what I think are the correct LOP. If you do decide to go with them, you need to get an A1 stock screw (the upper screw), as its shorter than the A2 screw. If you use the A2 screw with A1 stock, youll get all sorts of intermittent feeding malfunctions that will drive you crazy.

The music notes sounds like a cool idea. Id do the base coat in the lightest color, and then do the "notes" in the darker colors. Practice on a 2x4 first and see how it goes and work it out there first.

Ive been painting things since the 60's, and its a lot of fun, and very functional. It also protects the guns finish underneath.

If you use something like Testors Military Flats model paints, you can usually remove the paint later without much of a problem. It takes a little work, but they do come off.

Brownells Aluma Hyde II, and some for the others, are more permanent, and wont likely come off short a bead blast. They do require you to follow the directions to the letter, but they do work well.

I havent done any in blue, but I have done some in a few other patterns.

This one is my S&W M&P.....



This was one of my first Northridge kit jobs......



This is one of my Armalites.....

 

[strambo]

Strambo, can you elaborate on the rit dye procedure? I have never heard of that technique. is this the same stuff people use to dye their clothes?

Yes, it is just RIT clothing dye available anywhere. I used the powdered kind "Royal Blue". Just put some in near boiling water and experiment (on magpul dust covers) with how much dye and how long to soak the part.

Once you figure out the formula you like, dying parts one color would take 15 mins including cleanup. A pattern in 2-tone takes about 3-4 hours with 80% of that time being the drawing, cutting, and applying of the stencils. I'd estimate a 3 color camo pattern would take 6-7 hrs and a 4 color digital would take 10-12, I realized I didn't have the patience for that! The 2 colors is my limit.

 

[David4516]

strambo that looks really cool. I might have to try this, I like the idea of it "penetrating the surface so it never comes off".

When you say "plastic tape", do you mean like packing tape? How do you cut it into the shape you want? Razor blade?

Sorry if these are dumb questions. I just really like the look of your rifle and am trying to get a better idea of how you did it.

Edited to add one more question:

What color were those magpul furniture before you started? I assume a lighter color like the tan would dye better than a darker color like black?

 

[MistWolf]

A real good thread on using RIT Dye
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...t-color-PMAGs-and-other-polymer-plastic-items

 

[Aaron Baker]

What color were those magpul furniture before you started? I assume a lighter color like the tan would dye better than a darker color like black?

You can ONLY use the "FDE" or "Flat Dark Earth" Magpul furniture for this project.

The dye penetrates the plastic and will not chip off. Technically, it would penetrate the black or OD green furniture as well, but you wouldn't be able to tell because the base color wouldn't allow the dye to show. FDE allows you to see the color once it is dyed. Do a Google image search for RIT Dye Magpul and you'll see a lot of examples. Darker colors are easier, because the base tan color won't allow you to get, for instance, something like a bright pink.

My shotgun has Magpul furniture that's a dark blue. My .300 AAC SBR has maroon/red Magpul furniture and my .458 SOCOM SBR has a pattern of darker tan and brown tiger stripes.

I believe I used electrical tape for masking on mine. Remember that you will need to do a lighter base coat on all the furniture first and then mask off your music notes. Then dye it again darker. When you remove the tape, you'll have lighter color music notes on a darker background.

It's probably not a bad idea to grab an extra FDE Magpul magazine to test on. Try different tapes to see what works best, because you won't be real happy if it bleeds under the edges of the tape. The tape needs to hold its adhesion well even when wet, because the process involves submerging the entire furniture set in nearly boiling water with the dye mixed in.

I boil the water, then pour it into a Pyrex dish in my sink and mix in the dye, then drop in the furniture and wait about 5 or 10 minutes. Use metal tongs to reach in and pull out the pieces--you can pull and check them as you go to see if it's dark enough yet. When it's done, pull and rinse under cold water, then dry on paper towels.

Aaron

 

[strambo]

Yes, use FDE furniture. I actually used foliage, but I had a plan (that I scrapped) to use the foliage as the lightest color in a blue digi camo pattern.

The tape I used was plastic-y like electrical tape, just wider. I used a hair dryer to heat it up and really press it into all the nooks and crannies, I was worried about dye bleeding in. I cut out my stencils with an Xacto knife.

The M4Carbine thread linked above is like the encyclopedia on the topic and where I got my inspiration. Clear your evening first and get an adult beverage before digging in to that one, its got tons of info!

 

[Mopsie]

Nice paint jobs, AK103K.

 

[shrewd]

Spray paint the crap out of it.

Check out Cory and Erika's range time channel on YouTube, they posted a good how to video on this very subject. It's easy, just make sure to stuff the barrel, keep an empty mag in, and tape up your sights first

 

[BYJO4]

I like that blue dye job on the furniture and keeping the metal surfaces black.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Great idea!

 

[David4516]

Ok made a trip to JoAnn fabrics and bought some blue dye:

http://store.ritstudio.com/liquid-dyes/liquid-dye-8-oz-evening-blue/

Also found a big sheet of adhesive vinyl in the scrapbooking section. Will use this to cut out the music note shapes and stick to the parts being dyed. I hope it's waterproof...

I must say I felt a little out of place at the fabric store... I think I was the only male customer in the building...

 

[Tirod]

You can spray it, brush it, or dip it. Even the lower and upper.

Keeping the paint out of the operating holes, etc, is a challenge. Paint clogs things up like the bolt hold open and makes them misbehave.

Use nonchlorinated brake cleaner and it will strip the parts dry of any oil. An adhesion promoter could help but the problem is laying on too much total thickness. I used auto body fast dry laquer color matched to the stocks I bought and brushed it on. I wasn't looking for a glamour finish.

When done I hit it with a few coats of Clear Matte - that really protects the gun from a lot of wear and scratches. I'd done it with an aluminum screen door I picked up cheap and wanted it in a different finish. Two years of front door use and it hadn't even begun to wear off with She Who Must Be Obeyed stated 'No more screen door.'

On the typical FNR diecast furniture, I've heard it recommended to again, get it stripped of any mold release wax or coating, and use Fusion plastic adhesive spray. Automotive flexible bumper paint would do, also, it's made to stick to resin polymers and can be color matched. Again, a clear overspray would help immensely. That is the secret to the finish - unless the "Afghan Distressed Look" is a goal, which some prefer. On a contrasting base color it continues to improve.

FWIW, Tactical Grey is now becoming available, which could be a good choice of base color to work with. Unfortunately, the less expensive uppers and lowers are all done in black, as the batch processing delivers less cost. So, if you plan to paint them, it won't be prudent to pay more just to paint over it.

But, a nice anodized blue finish would be awesome. It's just dye in the process, aluminum can be nearly any color.

 

[Gtscotty]

AK103k,

Nice paint jobs! That M&P just disappears.

 

[mac66]

Duracoat has spray paint for firearms. Just about any color, even a number of blues. Check it out here, though this isn't the only place that sells it. I've done a couple shotguns with this stuff and it is easy to use.

http://www.houtsenterprises.net/dur_shakenspray.html

 

[David4516]

OK all the MagPul FDE parts are here, am finally ready to dye. Will do so sometime in the next couple of days, and post the results here. Should be interesting...

 

[strambo]

The worse-case scenario is if the music notes don't look good, bleed etc., dye the whole thing a darker blue solid color.

When I did mine, I also put letter stencils for my kid's initials on the stock. Those didn't stay put and got messed up, so they got dyed over the darker blue and disappeared.

 

[David4516]

Attempted the music note patter, but it did not turn out well (we tested it on a mag). Decided to just go with a solid blue color instead. I think it came out well, will attach some pictures.

 

[David4516]

The one issue I did run into was putting the hand-guard back on after dying it. I am not sure but I think that the delta ring or whatever it is called should be further forward than this (see attachment)? It looks to me like it's not going on all the way? Is this normal?

 

[gunnutery]

Looks good. I'm looking forward to trying this someday.