Painted my 12FV .223

I painted my 12FV .223 a few weeks ago. I like how it came out but I have a few question for any one else who has done this also. After one outing the paint has rubbed of any in a few places pretty bad. On the foregrip where it was resting in on the shooting sticks is pretty bad. And another bad spot is where it was rubbing a plastic buckle on my back pack as I carried it. Before I painted it I cleaned it and wipe away all the dirt and oil I could get at. I did 2 coats of the base color in a flat desert tan color and then spayed the darker color (flat earth brown) where I wanted it. I let it dry about an hour between coats but it was cold night when I did it if that makes a differences.
Should I use a flat clear coat? Should I have used a primer? Is this just part of the deal and I have to live with touching it up after each hunt? Any suggestion or tips (outside of striping it and doing a duracoat. Little to pricey right now.) appreciated. He's a pic right after I finished it.
Thanks
Wino
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h...painted-lr.jpg

If you did not sand the stock with sand paper the paint will come right off. Even with Duracoat if the stock and metal is not sanded the paint comes off. The paint just needs some places to grab on to. I sand everything prior to painting because of past problems like you are having.

Ok. That where I went wrong . I figuerd that since the stock was a synthetic matte finish and the all the metal parts were a matte black that the paint would of stuck. Any tips on how to remove the paint I have on now so I can sand it down and repaint. This is probably a good thing as I want to go with a lighter base color this time.

I have used Carb Cleaner to remove it. Usually a spray then let it sit for a minute and the paint will bubble up. Then just wipe it away. The Savage plastic stock almost seems to have a non-stick frying pan coating on it until it is sanded. I sand the scope and rings also.

Did you apply any type of top coat as well..When I painted mine,I applies 4 coats of paint and then 2 coats of clear coat on top...Seems to be staying on ok...If it wears off in a few spots,so be it..I want to use it not look at it...lol

By the way it looks fantastic...Nice job..

Acemisser. Thanks for the info. I agree with you. I want to use it not just look at it. But it was rubbing the paint of pretty bad. Either way I don't think the coyotes are gonna care. But I did get it to look pretty good and I would like it to stay that way. Even my artsy fartsy liberal vegetarian brother said "That's bad ass!"

Nice job on your rifle! Krylon makes a matte clear coat. Its not bad, it picks up facial oil, but it's durable. At least sand the stock with a 3m pad and denatured alcohol before you paint it.

Sand and prime. A good paint job is all about the prep. And a couple of coats of the matte clearcoat afterwards won't hurt either.

Wow that is one of the better paint jobs I have seen! How did you do the darker sections?

One paint I've found that sticks pretty well to synthetics is Alumahyde II from Brownell's (spray can). The last one I did I didn't really sand - just wiped over the surface with 400 grit, wiped off the dust and then cleaned with alcohol. Brownell's has a video on how to apply. The key is to do a really light coat first, dry it with a hairdyer, then put on another light coat (almost full cover), dry again, then do a final cover coat and dry again. The successive coats dry off some of the solvent, allows the paint to bond with the substrate and gives the subsequent coat something tacky to stick to. I've got 2 savage synthetic stocks, one wood laminate rifle and 2 shotguns ( one wood, one synthetic) done that way. No chips or rub-offs after some pretty heavy use........IMO, it's a better than Duracoat and more convenient in the spray can.
Elkbane


http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ewRifle003.jpg

Elkbane, nice pattern, how did you do it? Is the barrel painted?

Elkbane. Thats looks great and I will look in to the Alumahyde II.
Quinc. I cut or a corn husk broom and taped the strands into a fan like pattern. I then sprayed the darker color on to the broom strands holding it just off the stock.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4...-20-49_606.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9...-13-41_739.jpg

Wino, I think you'll be satisfied with it as a base coat. You can use Krylon for your brush procedure, but you'll have to let the base coat cure for a week first, otherwise you may get some chemical incompatibility with the solvents.
If you order some, get some cleanout nozzles and replacement nozzles at the same time - worth having.

Nick, the camo pattern is a stencil sheet called Flectar from Bulldogarms.com. They send you a template sheet and you freeform your pattern. You use the stencils differently than I had first thought. Put the smallest color on first and cover it with a male stencil. Put next color on (you can just spot paint areas where they will go) and lay on another layer of male stencils (like stickers). After you have all your accents colors/patterns on, you spray the remainder of the stock with the base color. That's Alumahyde II on the metal parts and it stuck and has stayed stuck since 2009. No scratches or chips yet. I did not sandblast the metal (recommended), but degreased it THOUROUGHLY and used the instructional video as a guide. This stuff works....best I have found except for bake on finishes.
Elkbane