new_bayu_shooter
Well-Known Member
i'm tired of all these black rifles, i want to have one of my AR's rattle canned. Anyone in the NOLA area offering that as a service?
Rattlecanning a rifle
- Thread starter new_bayu_shooter
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I rattlecanned my MP5 22 using Duracoat in.......you guessed it...black. It was pretty easy and looks great. Here's the thread if you are interested: Thread 'HK MP5 22 Duracoat refinish job.' https://bayoushooter.com/threads/hk-mp5-22-duracoat-refinish-job.214131/
sksshooter
Well-Known Member
Just my opinion but thats a terrible idea... it doesnt hold up and looks terrible once it starts chipping and flaking off. If you must, at least use an appropriate coating such as cerakote or even duracote. It holds up much better and if applied properly wont affect the function. Rattlecan paint can gum up if it gets where it shouldnt be.
Grab some krylon from home depot. It's cheap and it looks fine. Clean the rifle with a degreaser, tape off the openings so paint doesn't get where it shouldn't, then go to town. The paint doesn't chip or flake. It wears away and looks good. Eventually you will get the battle worn look without the $150-200 for a cerakote job. Don't get me wrong, I've cearkoted a rifle and I like it. But I don't think I'll do it again unless it's some show weapon. The rattlecan job doesn't last as long as cerakote but that's the beauty of it. You can always touch it up if you don't want it to look so worn. Or you can change it up is you want a different look. You can play with different colors or patterns.
Taping is the key. Grab some painter's tape and an exacto knife. I painted the upper and lower together to have a subtle matching pattern but I taped the openings before putting them together.
Taping is the key. Grab some painter's tape and an exacto knife. I painted the upper and lower together to have a subtle matching pattern but I taped the openings before putting them together.
GunRelated
Well-Known Member
I love my black guns, likely will never paint any of them, but I don't dislike the idea either.
The whole point of a rattlecan job is to do it yourself and have a rattlecan job. This isn’t a $300 ceracoat service, you have got to have a certain amount of F-It in you to get started but it’s worth it.
Here is my 870 that I did 3-4 years ago.
I have a .22 rifle that I did but I’ll have to take a pic of it later.
Here is my 870 that I did 3-4 years ago.
I have a .22 rifle that I did but I’ll have to take a pic of it later.
As overwhelming suggested above ---$5 vs $150---do your own---prepare properly.
You're bound to like your own work and you will have a good downpayment on your next project. But that's just my opinion. GOOD LUCK!
You're bound to like your own work and you will have a good downpayment on your next project. But that's just my opinion. GOOD LUCK!
I don't know that any shop would Krylon a rifle. Duracoat and Alumahyde MAYBE. Simply because it doesn't hold up as well and could lead to complaints from those who don't understand that cheaper paint comes off with use. Not to say it's gonna immediately fall off but you will notice wear with time
As others stated, it's easy to do yourself and YouTube has a ton of videos on the subject. Some are more involved than others but none so complicated a complete new guy couldn't do it. On top of being enjoyable for me it really allows me to create paint schemes that suit my hunting environment perfectly.
As others stated, it's easy to do yourself and YouTube has a ton of videos on the subject. Some are more involved than others but none so complicated a complete new guy couldn't do it. On top of being enjoyable for me it really allows me to create paint schemes that suit my hunting environment perfectly.
Paint is paint, its all coming off at some point, and impact damage and abrasion are the 2 most likely things to happen to a gun, and the 2 things paint does not handle well.
If you need to coat bare ferrous metal, I suggest parkerizing the entire part and then coating the outside surfaces that will see handling with something like epoxy or enamel. The coatings are sacrificial and will help to protect the actual metal until they wear off. Hard coat ano on aluminum, then paint it on the outside for protection.
So most of the painting I see is for cosmetic purposes, which is fine. You want a different color or look, no harm there.
You can go into most auto paint stores and get some sort of inexpensive 2 part epoxy for 30 to 50 bucks. That will usually net you something like 48 spray-able ounces. So that is a dollar an ounce, and automotive epoxy can be applied directly to bare metal. Most of it is air cure, although baking it at 120-140f for 20 mins or so will get it dry enough to handle faster than overnight air drying. A handgun frame and slide might need 2 oz, 4-5 oz for an ak, or something like that. So 48 oz will do a lot.
I have painted all kinds of stuff with all kinds of paint, mostly for a living. Paint is paint. I'm sure cerakote is more abrasion resistant than krylon (sure hope it is, that stuff is pricey) but it will still chip off if I knock it against the curb.
Properly applied rattle can paint will generally adhere well, just be mindful of the temperatures, as no paint likes the cold, and no combo of cold paint or cold surface works. Straight simple green will clean off oil and grease and not leave any reside, and a red scuff pad will abrade the surface enough to create some mechanical adhesion.
If you need to coat bare ferrous metal, I suggest parkerizing the entire part and then coating the outside surfaces that will see handling with something like epoxy or enamel. The coatings are sacrificial and will help to protect the actual metal until they wear off. Hard coat ano on aluminum, then paint it on the outside for protection.
So most of the painting I see is for cosmetic purposes, which is fine. You want a different color or look, no harm there.
You can go into most auto paint stores and get some sort of inexpensive 2 part epoxy for 30 to 50 bucks. That will usually net you something like 48 spray-able ounces. So that is a dollar an ounce, and automotive epoxy can be applied directly to bare metal. Most of it is air cure, although baking it at 120-140f for 20 mins or so will get it dry enough to handle faster than overnight air drying. A handgun frame and slide might need 2 oz, 4-5 oz for an ak, or something like that. So 48 oz will do a lot.
I have painted all kinds of stuff with all kinds of paint, mostly for a living. Paint is paint. I'm sure cerakote is more abrasion resistant than krylon (sure hope it is, that stuff is pricey) but it will still chip off if I knock it against the curb.
Properly applied rattle can paint will generally adhere well, just be mindful of the temperatures, as no paint likes the cold, and no combo of cold paint or cold surface works. Straight simple green will clean off oil and grease and not leave any reside, and a red scuff pad will abrade the surface enough to create some mechanical adhesion.
Brownell’s Alumahyde. They have all the cool colors in spray cans. DIY. I’ve done my share. If I can do it, anyone can.
Whatever you use, be sure to wipe the parts down with acetone or reducer before you spray. Maybe a tack rag as the last step prior to paint. On aluminum parts I use adhesion promoter as the first coat.
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new_bayu_shooter
Well-Known Member
damn dude those came out nice.
new_bayu_shooter
Well-Known Member
idk i'd rather pay someone to do mine
Their is a purpose to spray painting a firearm simply to match your environment so it doesn't stick out from a distance. Spray paint allows you to change your equipment to quickly match the seasons and background of your location. It's not suppose to be pretty, perfect or permanent.
For a camo job that looks awesome!
I like the worn look spray paint offers and have done all of my ARs with Krylon. I do very minimal prep, like barely any. Mask off optics and light lenses and spray the whole thing at once.
If you do NOT want a worn look you should stay away from basic spray paint unless you just don’t use your gun at all.
If you do NOT want a worn look you should stay away from basic spray paint unless you just don’t use your gun at all.
