My first DuraKote attempt!

[Good_Steward]

I started with a stock Marlin 336 in 30-30. It was a rough little gun with bumps and bruises, but I enjoy trying to restore firearms, so I thought this would be the perfect gun to try my hand with DK. I refinished the metal parts with a "Matte Black" color, and sanded down the butt and forearm to unfinished wood, and restored it with tung oil and 7 coats of true oil. I gave it the 0000 Steel wool treatment for every coat, including the last to give it a less glossy finish.

The lever

The floorplate

The barrel / receiver, mag tube, lever, and floorplate

The butt

The above listed parts + the mag tube

The before: http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/firearms-classifieds/23740-wtt-marlin-336-something-smaller.html

Hopefully, I'll have her put together in the next couple of days when I can find some spare time, and I'll post pics.

Edited August 28, 2009 by Good_Steward

[TripleDigitRide]

Nice job! Looks like you're going to have a very nice finished product.

[Guest BigShot]

The finish has great color and looks very even. I've been considering doing a starter gun just like you did. Did you have to oven bake the DuraKote parts??

BigShot

[Good_Steward]

Kind of an oven bake. I used a converted school locker wrapped in furnace insulation and the heating element and controls from a large toaster oven. Thanks for the compliments, guys!

[Guest jwb68]

That looks great!

[ShaunM]

Very nice job!

[Ghooge2008]

I recognize that gun! Guess i'm busted...was the...errr....spray paint messing up? I used an engine paint on it thinking it would be resistant to oils. Looks GREAT better than I did for sure.

[Good_Steward]

Ghooge, the paint actually wasn't messing up. I never gave it a chance. I broke this gun down as soon as I got it home. I haven't even shot it. The everything looks great, mechanically, so I have no doubt that I can make it a good shooter with some patience and load development. I'll post up some pics as soon as I get it together, and maybe some good groups on targets after that!

[enfield]

Looks good!

On the stock, if you use a wood filler before oiling, it will fill the grain and sanding marks and give you a finish like a baby's bottom. I believe Birchwood Casey markets a filler for gun stocks.

[Good_Steward]

Thanks, enfield. I may sand it back down and give it a try. Good advice.

[enfield]

Almost forgot -- after sanding the stock to bare wood, wet it, let it dry and sand again. Wetting it will raise the little 'feathers' at the ends of the grains and allow you to remove them. Then fill and finish.

[Guest SureShot308]

You can also do the whole finish with sand paper. Every layer of the finish drop down a grit size on the sand paper and rub in the oil with it. What you remove every time will fill in the pores. The finer the grit you use the more polished the finish will end.

[memphismason]

Looks nice.

[inspecting1]

What did you use to sray this with? How much prep work was required? I'm thinking about trying some on one of my guns.

[cannonball]

Looks very nice, good job.

[Good_Steward]

Inspecting, it wasn't much work. I had the parts blasted by a local company, Precision Finishes, and just made sure the parts were very clean before I started. The spray is actually Gun-Kote from Brownells and made by KG products, and comes in an spray can. It's very easy, just make sure to follow the directions and use very light coats.

By the way, thanks for all the compliments and advice, guys. I stripped the butt and forearm back down, and will rework them again to make them even smoother.

[inspecting1]

I have a couple of rifles that my Dad refinished using trueoil and an air brush the finish looks like you could reach through it.

[Kevo]

Hope it shoots as good as it looks!