Duracoat Afghan Pattern

[Deadheadmatt]

I am thinking about buying a Duracoat kit for my CETME and was wondering how easy this is to apply for the novice. As I understanding it, there is no requirement to bake this finish?

Matt

[popo]

I used the "Parker" Dura Coat finish on my CETME. Just keep everything clean before you put the finish on. Don't get in a hurry and let it cure before you handle it much.

[Optimus Prime]

I haven't heard any bad stuff about the dura coat system at all... never used it myself, but I can imagine that if you're going to do a multi color pattern just be patient. I do paint alot of stuff, and I know I've jumped the gun a couple times and screwed stuff up... nothing expensive, just time consuming and annoying as hell.

[wulf50guy]

It's good stuff.
The few times I've used it its turned out pretty good.
If you doing a multi color pattern make sure you allow enough dry time for the lower coat before you stick the templates on.
And degrease,degrease, degrease. Then bake it and degrease it again.
If the metals real slick and smooth a dusting in a blast cabinet wouldn't hurt.
Once you get it clean make sure to wear gloves so no oils from your hands transfers to the metal.

[New2HKinAZ]

I bought the Duracoat kit to finish an AR. Here are my observations about using Duracoat. This was my first time using both Duracoat and an airbrush.

Watch the DVD that comes with the kit, it's kinda lame but gives good pointers.

The airbrush that comes with the kit is cheap and breaks easily. I ended up blowing up the airbrush halfway through my project, the airbrush constantly blew air even when you weren't pushing the button. I went to a hobby store and dropped $50 (on sale) on a good single stage metal airbrush by the same company (Paasche) because I figured this wouldn't be my last Duracoat project.

Duracoat sprays nice and the finish applies pretty evenly. I used a technique I read about that was for painting cars where you start spraying before you hit the area you want to paint and don't let off until you are past it. This seemed to work very well. Also, don't sit in one spot and spray, it will build up and look nasty. Depending on how close you are, the force of the air and new paint can make a crater.

The air to paint ratio mixture adjustment knob is your friend.

You can either bake it or let it air dry. I followed the Duracoat directions and baked it at 100 degrees F for an hour and then let it air dry the rest of the way. I used my normal kitchen oven to bake the receivers. I took an old cookies sheet, turned it upside down and covered the bottom in aluminum foil for easy clean up. I propped the receivers up with wooden bamboo skewers to keep them from touching anything. The part baked nicely and you could never tell it was in the oven at all.

I would recommend giving the part some time to dry even if you bake it before attempting any type of assembly. I learned the hard way, I baked my lower and then tried to put it together the next day. I ended up chipping the finish around areas where i needed to put in roll pins and along sharp edges. I ended up having to sandblast the receiver and start over. See the above tip not to sit in one place too long and shoot Duracoat, my touch up job didn't work too well and I wanted a nice finish. I gave it a week or so after I sprayed it the second time and there were no problems. I believe the Duracoat people say the finish takes a couple months to cure completely.

Speaking of the skewers, lacking a painting cabinet I improvised and used a large cardboard box i had cut along one side and opened up like a wind break. I was able to poke the bamboo skewers in the box so that the receiver was held about 4 inches away and the box was a backdrop I could paint against. While not a 100% foolproof shelter, it did keep wind and contaminants out in my case.

And above all, relax. I was freaked out when i started and wondered if I could handle it, but the sandblasting and airbrushing actually went very well, easier than I expected. While obviously not a professional doing it every day, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if the bug bit me.

[Seattlefungus]

Good pointers. It's best to start with a single stage air brush. And the two best single stage's out there for the money is the Badger and the Paasche. You if you have a compressor, get a filter to keep the air dry. If you don't have one, you can get the Air Brush and a small dry air compressor for a decent price by shopping around. If you really get into it. A HVLP unit is the way to go (High Volume Low Pressure), the same type the auto detail painter use. Watch the DVD from Duracoat and use the tips...

[Geilt]

Speaking of the Duracoat DVD, they just dropped the price from $39.95 down to $9.95. The quality is iffy (parts look like they used a cellphone to capture video) but the content is good if you're new to airbrushing. I bought it more for the info the present on using their cammo patterns.

[Geilt]

Speaking of the Duracoat DVD, they just dropped the price from $39.95 down to $9.95. The quality is iffy (parts look like they used a cellphone to capture video) but the content is good if you're new to airbrushing. I bought it more for the info the present on using their cammo patterns.


Seattle is dead on when he says it works better out of an HVLP sprayer. I use both an HVLP and airbrush. HVLP for larger parts and an airbrush for smaller and touch-up.

[bulldog]

I think the most important part is to make sure everything is degreased properly. I wipe everything down with acetone right before I spray it. I also recommend using the matte clearcoat as a final stage it really blends the colors together nicely. Here is my cetme done with tigerstripe green and matte black followed by a coat of the matte clear. I spray everything out of a paasche type H single stage airbrush. I sprayed this one when I was developing the tiger stripe stencil.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/stevens157/th_IMG_2897.jpg (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/stevens157/IMG_2897.jpg)


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/stevens157/th_IMG_2898.jpg (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/stevens157/IMG_2898.jpg)

[Geilt]

I think the most important part is to make sure everything is degreased properly. I wipe everything down with acetone right before I spray it. I also recommend using the matte clearcoat as a final stage it really blends the colors together nicely.

I think I mentioned the same points in another post. Degreasing is an absolute must for proper adhesion. Then throwing one or two coats of matte clear helps balance out the sheen over the whole piece. It's interesting how much of a difference in sheen you'll get my using just a little more hardener when preparing Duracoat.