Duracoat questions

Hey all,

So I am going to be Duracoating a few rifles coming up. There are lots of how to's online, but the question I can't seem to find is between coats. I will be using a Paasche VL airbrush and master compressor with inline water trap. It should be getting here these next few days. I've ordered several colors to play around with. I understand prep work is everything, and I plan on working first on a Rem700 SPS that I have, its already a matte black, and will be painted black. Theres a few spots that like to collect a touch of surface rust, so I'm just going to refinish the entire rifle, possibly when I do another color taping off the lugs and doing the bolt body and handle. Not sure about that yet. After popping the trigger off, I plan on using foaming engine degreaser, 600 grit sand paper, then set up an old aluminum gutter capped on both ends and letting the rifle soak in acetone for a few hours to penetrate any little nook and cranny, to eliminate any chance of oil under the coating.

After allowing to dry, I will hang up and mix my paint/hardener at 12:1, shake the daylights out of it, add about 10% reducer to help with the learning curve, and a light coat. So this is where I get a bit confused. 20 minutes between thin coats, do I have to mix each time I'm going to spray? Shake the paint container until it is mixed again? Add more reducer? I'll let it hang for cure overnight, depending on the humidity, and then let it finish curing after I put it back together.

Thanks for the help, not a painter, just starting to get into it. Will practice spray pattern and airbrush control on a piece of 500 plate I have for a target, just to get the hang of it. Thanks again

SHM

Light coats help avoid runs. I use a hair drier to flash dry the surface between coats. Nothing excessive. I don't have to wait 20 minutes for it to air dry before putting on the next coat. I don't believe you are going to need to add 10% reducer. It may cause problems IMO.

What do you use to spray with? I'm planning on using an air brush. Do you do anything between coats or just just dry and re apply? Everyone seems to skip what they do between coats with the pre mixed duracoat in the paint reservoir. Keep moving it around? Only mix enough for one light coat?

I just got the first batch of colors today, still waiting on my airbrush and compressor to arrive. Hopefully will be before I go on a little vacation.

I use a Pasche airbrush for duracoat as well. I only mix enough paint for the current coat and any leftover gets dumped if I can't find something else to use it on. You only get about 20 minutes of open time before the paint starts setting up. I never purposely wait for a coat to dry before adding another layer but because I'm usually painting a lot of pieces the first one is always dry to the touch when I go over it again. I agree on not using the reducer, play around some to get a feel for the process.

Finally painted a rifle. I did my 257 Roy, and since I had it apart, may as well upgrade right? I put a timney trigger in it, why not. I started with magpul sand but didn't think it went well with the stock so I changed to Glock dark earth. It turned out amazing, only had it flash in the air once, after about 6 hours of drying in the sun, some 600 grit knocked off the strands and I did one final coat. Put it back together this morning. I will give it a week or so before going to test out the new trigger.

All in all, now I'm sitting here wondering what I'll paint next.


SHM


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Nice work!!

Let it cure. Glad to see you didn't try the bolt body.

I thought about stripping the bolt apart to do the handle and rear of the bolt, may still do that later next time I get the fde out. Definitely leave the bolt body alone, but you never know. I've been bitten by the duracoat bug now.

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