Duracoat for my 1911

[wonderwolf]

Last weekend I got a chance to finally put a finish on the two 1911 slides I've been working on for a while during a build party where a park tank was set up. Both slides went in...only one came out parked. The designated match slide turned out to be Stainless which would make sense since it was so hard to finish drilling :monkey: The combat slide set up for novaks came out a nice deep bottomless pit black hole color. hehe that should be a Crayola crayon color :lolgreen:

Anyways I am planning on doing a Duracoat finish myself on the National match slide. In either Desert Mirage lizard (kinda like a sandy tan/green) OR WWII O.D. Green. My frame is a worn park color and will get reparked next time I'm near a park tank but I wanted the gun to look nice with a new slide and I really dislike the SS look on any guns where I can avoid it. It simply looks unfinished to me.

So does anybody have any works that have these colors on them? I looked at the AR-15 samples that are on the duracoats websites but they do not show up all that well. So any help would be great.

[Geilt]

I have a lot of experience with Duracoat. Its good stuff but unfortunately the pieces I've done aren't in those colors but I am familiar with them. The color samples on the Lauer site are pretty dang close to the way they look after drying.

I would highly recommend putting a clear coat on when you're done. If you go that route be sure to mix up enough for several coats. Unless you mix the EXACT same ratio of hardener and clear coat for smaller batches you're likely to have a mismatched sheen. Not the best looking result IMHO.

Be sure to go over all painted areas with 0000 steel or bronze wool between color and clear coats. It makes a big difference in the final finish.

[wonderwolf]

I just cant get a good idea of the color off of their web site. The DML example shows a really pale stock and on some examples the entire gun is done in the stated color...I just can not get a good idea of the true color.

[MicroPilot]

The frame on this 1911 is WWII OD Green:

http://www.unitedarmsonline.com/Photo_Gallery/Handguns/Semi_Auto/1911/1911A1.html

This AR claims to use DM Lizard, but it looks to light compared to the samples:

http://www.bonepickerguitaramps.com/sitebuilder/IMAGES/IMG_0003-700x922.jpg

[wonderwolf]

Yeah the DML looks nothing like their sample....I'm not trying to camo my gun or anything this is just on the slide...All the small parts and the sights are still going to be black.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and ask what color you guys like? I don't really think any of the DML colors match what is shown in the pamphlet I picked up from a rep.

I'm going to just get the smallest kit they offer since its only 1 slide and Maybe a AK-47 magazine to have fun with or whatever.

So what color do you guys think The WWII Green or DML??

[jfowl31]

I like the WW2 OD personally... the DML looks a little "pukey"... maybe too much olive and not enough drab.

[MicroPilot]

+1 WW II OD Green

[wonderwolf]

I think the DML came out light on that tacticool gun becuase their is a base coat of white under it and they might have only put one coat of the DML over it?

I think I will go with the WWII green. I really wanted to want the DML cause everybody has green but I dislike the inconsitant color samples I'm seeing. but its not like if I'm not happy with it I cant just strip it down and repaint it a dif color.

Do I get everything in the basic 4oz kit...I see it just says hardner is this the clear coat? or do I need to get that as well?

Does the clear coat go on last or in between layers of the paint? Dad has a spray can set up for the air compressor I plan on using...Or if the stuff is thin enough I can use the air brush out of the modle kit.

[jfowl31]

I dont think it comes with clear... purty sure you have to buy that separate

no clue if the airbrush will work.

[wonderwolf]

I Talked to one of my buddies whom I shoot combat matches with all the time. He knows of my project and I asked him about duracoat. He does armory work and stuff all around Ohio. He recomended Krylon instead in one of their camo colors if I so choose. He says its dries very smooth unlike rust-o-leum (which contains alot of fish oil so I've been told...Hmmm dosnt smell like it though).

Being a frugal shooter and understanding that I can strip it off it I really don't like it, also realizing that a gun is simply a mechanical tool I found a can of krylon OD Green stashed away on the shelf from when I got a bunch of school lockers when they gutted them out of the middle school and I converted a bunch of them to gun lockers for me and a few friends who had .22's and BB guns at the time with little brothers and sisters running around.

I hit it with the heat gun after the application and It looks like it will really turn out nice. Its not baked on but more of a psudo bake on finish. I'm thinking about getting clear coat matte to put on top but I'm not sure yet

[Otis61]

You do realize that the Krylon wont last vrey long, and once you get a scrach in it ( the first time you take it out ) it will look like crap.

I put Dura-coat on mine. Its not bad. I tryed to post some pics, but I don't know what I'm doing and it didn't work.

[wonderwolf]

Yeah I thought about it...But all I have in it is $3 and about a hour of work...If nothing else I can get a better idea what colors I like :bash: It wont take much for me to strip the paint off

[wonderwolf]

Here is the slide in Krylon OD green camo paint. The top slide is the one that I parked a few weeks ago.

[jfowl31]

Can't you do green park? Best of both worlds there... ultimate durability, and the OD look.

You'd be surprised as how well spray paint can hold up with the proper prep work. That metal is pretty slick on those slides though, so you may not be able to do the proper prep work without scuffing it a bit.

[wonderwolf]

Its a stainless slide...park dosnt work on stainless

[jfowl31]

ahh... didn't know it was stainless. Hopefully the paint will hold up at least for a while... even if it doesnt, its a cheap fix like you said.

[texlurch]

He mentioned it being SS back in the OP... "10 sec rule" LOL!!!


BOT


I have had pretty good luck with the Brownells bake on paint.. seems to hold up well to wear and cleaning. Just an FYI if the Krylon goes to crap too quickly...

[Seattlefungus]

Black Oxide works well on SS. And the newer compounds are non toxic and can be cold applied. You mix the chemicals with distilled water, then just dip. The more you dip, the darked the finish. The company I get mine from is http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm?gclid=CK21zO3JqIwCFR1BggodWD2yRw They have chrome kits too.

[gunnysmith]

This one is OD Geen
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i221/gunnysmith/UFPolish.jpg

[industrialstrength]

Wonderwolf, here's the pic I told you about. In no way is this exactly what it'd look like, it's just an idea.

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