duracoat anyone?

[dhdoug]

been eyeballin the lauerweaponry site in particular the duracoat stuff. they have some very nice ( and some very different) finishes. there are kits for first timers but all the extra options starts to make it a bit ....well it makes me wonder if it is that easy to get it right? there is a dvd to get which prolly will help with all that. Wondering if anyone might chime in if they have gone this route. seems like it would be a great product if done right.....Manufacturer of DuraCoat Firearms Finishes

 

[malern28us]

A link to let everyone see what you are talking about might help. I for one am interested in seeing what you are talking about.

 

[malern28us]

Like this: Manufacturer of DuraCoat Firearms Finishes

 

[22lr]

Be warned that its addictive one you start. its easy once you know what your doing, a little tricky figuring it out the first time.

 

[Dockem]

The first handgun that I did, I used the starter's airbrush method of applying. I did pretty good, IMHO. I guess the stuff has a short shelf life, so don't plan on buying in advance and keeping it too long. I've heard the hardener goes bad (after it's been opened) in about 6 months or so.
I just ordered a kit and I'm gonna try the kit that is a bottle/jar that attaches to a spray can, instead of using the airbrush method. It should work nicely on big items.

 

[451_Detonics]

I like it quite well, Not that long ago I bought a beater Model 12 (airweight Model 10 basically) for a BUG. To say it was rough would be an understatement.

from this

to this....

 

[Dockem]

451_Detonics:

That looks very nice!

Just curious what you did to prep the metal (before degreaser) before applying the Duracoat? Did you roughen up the surface of the blued areas first, and if so, what did you use?
Thanks.

 

[Hoosier Gun Coat]

Don't bother with the DVD. It doesn't show much and is low quality. They gave me a free one when I got my certification. The #1 thing to remember if you are going to do it yourself is DEGREASE DEGREASE DEGREASE. It is very important to do a good degrease job or else your finish will not last.

 

[safarihunter]

Degrease is the operative word. I had a guy do a slide for me and the finish didn't even last through the reassembly

 

[Hoosier Gun Coat]

OUCH!!!! I've been refinishing since 2007 and I've only had one come back on me. 99.9% of the time the fault lies in the preparation and not the coating itself. Did they make good on it and redo it?

Degrease is the operative word. I had a guy do a slide for me and the finish didn't even last through the reassembly

 

[Chance]

Works great!

Have done close to 40 with absolutely no problems. I have used an abrasive cabinet on some really bad ones but usually prep with a fine emery and use their Trustrip to degrease. I always degrease twice!

 

[mettle]

HoosierGunCoat did this for me:

I plan on obtaining a MI front handguard set and Kvar NATO stock and grip for it, then on to the Micro!

 

[Dockem]

Just finished a shotgun barrel for a Remmy 870. I used matte black in the Preval Aerosol Sprayer.
Initially, it sprayed pretty smoothly, but you could tell that in between coats that it would try to thicken in the oriface and would shoot larger droplets when you first started a new spray sweep. Best to do a few quick bursts to get it cleared.
I didn't save the can/bottle cuz it was too much trouble to clean it all up when I finished the project, although you probably could if you wanted to. Acetone does the trick. (It was late and I didn't want to spend the time to clean it up, easier to pitch it and get a new one for the next project.)

Having used the airbrush and the Preval sprayer, they are both good. The airbrush gives a more uniform spray IMHO. But it requires cleanup so it can be reused.

I've got some old colors still, but the hardener has solidified, have to buy more if I'm gonna use them.