First time duracoating - what to buy?

[G27]

Going to Duracoat an old CZ82, have never done so before - what do you recommend buying? Hit me with all the details you have - what products, tools, etc to buy. I have a small Dewalt air compressor already, but really nothing else, so school me...

[TGO David]

A good airbrush is a necessity. You also want an in-line moisture filter for your air supply line; a disposable type is sufficient if you're not going to be doing a lot of this. You're also going to want some latex or nitrile rubber gloves and a respirator mask capable of filtering solvent fumes.

You also need to decide how you are going to prep the surface for good adhesion. Will you be media blasting the metal bits, farming that work out, trying alternative methods of scuffing them, etc.

[Guest Broomhead]

I'm planning on doing my older 870 Express Magnum as the bluing is about gone on most of it.

[jcj]

You also need to decide how you are going to prep the surface for good adhesion. Will you be media blasting the metal bits, farming that work out, trying alternative methods of scuffing them, etc.

The CZ82 is easy to deal with in that regard. I went with the cheap all-in-one Duracoat kit that included a can of their Tru-Strip cleaner. The factory paint just wiped off. That was a few months ago and the Duracoat is holding up well so far.

[Guest vantoo]

Works good. I have done several. Follow instructuins and surface prep good. Make certain to degrease really good and dont handle parts without rubber gloves. Here are a couple I did.

Edited October 6, 2011 by vantoo

[Reg]

Just my humble opinion, but having used both Duracoat and KG Gun Kote the past few years, I have gotten far better results from the Gun Kote, particularly with regards to a texture-free finish that looks like metal and not paint.

It is very possible that my airbrush technique favors Gun Kote over Duracoat and that others are more proficient with Duracoat. Another plus with Gun Kote is that it gets baked (a toaster oven works great) and can be reassembled immediately. I just refinished a CZ-82 in Gun Kote with favorable results:

[NRA]

Just my humble opinion, but having used both Duracoat and KG Gun Kote the past few years, I have gotten far better results from the Gun Kote, particularly with regards to a texture-free finish that looks like metal and not paint.

It is very possible that my airbrush technique favors Gun Kote over Duracoat and that others are more proficient with Duracoat. Another plus with Gun Kote is that it gets baked (a toaster oven works great) and can be reassembled immediately. I just refinished a CZ-82 in Gun Kote with favorable results:

That turned out great, very nice work

[Reg]

Thanks NRA. To answer the original poster's questions regarding tips, tools, and techniques, I'll post a few thoughts since I just refinished a CZ:

• On my CZ, I looked it over before stripping it and made a few mental notes regarding improvements I wanted to make. There were several sharp edges I noticed, particularly the trigger and trigger guard. I softened these edges ever so slightly after stripping, breaking the edge with 400-grit wet/dry paper.
  
• The extractor has some surface rust (see before photo) and some deep tooling marks. I took care of those with a few careful swipes with a fine needle file. Following the file, I flat sanded the extractor (exposed edge) with 400 grit. I would add a needle file set to the supply list.
  
• The mag release spring it WAY too strong. I used the method posted online by Sailor Curt (google "Sailor Curt CZ") to adjust the spring compression without affecting the spring's length.
  
• The safety will also be smoother if the detent area that engages the peened-in ball bearing the polished (Dremel & buffing wheel works great).
  
• As for stripping, I disassembled the gun and used Citristrip to easily remove the factory finish. It surprised me how it just bubbled up and slid off. This conserves blast media (I used medium aluminum oxide fron Northern Tool). I basically use the blaster for surface finish rather than stripping the original finish. Following the media blast, I use brake cleaner for final cleaning. Note that the parts do not get touched following the blasting / brake cleaner spray. At that point they are already suspended on wire and ready to paint.
  

That's about it. If I think of anything else, I'll post it or feel free to ask questions. I have no idea how to do the camo and pattern finishes like the one posted about by vantoo. That is impressive!

[G27]

Thanks for all the tips - haven't really looked at Gunkote yet, but I'll do that before I move forward - your CZ looks great, nice work.

I've already disassembled and stripped it, then buffed it lightly with a wire-wheel to remove the tiny bits, so the surface is ready to be fully degreased (I've handled it a bit with my hands) and then finished. Just researching the best solution.

[G27]

A good airbrush is a necessity. You also want an in-line moisture filter for your air supply line; a disposable type is sufficient if you're not going to be doing a lot of this. You're also going to want some latex or nitrile rubber gloves and a respirator mask capable of filtering solvent fumes.

Perfect - since I'm doing this for the first time (and while I love the idea of doing this sort of thing all the time, the realist in me knows I don't have the time so I won't be doing this a lot) I figured I'd go for decent but not-too-expensive equipment. Thanks for the tips, this is precisely what I'd hoped to read.

You also need to decide how you are going to prep the surface for good adhesion. Will you be media blasting the metal bits, farming that work out, trying alternative methods of scuffing them, etc.

As mentioned in my post just above this one, I've removed the OEM finish and the surface looks to be in good shape to take 'paint' so to speak - not polished at all.

Guess it's time to decide and order!

[Reg]

I was just out in the shop finishing a gun part and this thread popped into my head. I want to add another one of my opinions on airbrushes. I was in the RC airplane hobby for many years and painted many parts, and watched others finish parts with various equipment and various results. One mistake I see folks often make is to assume a dual-action airbrush is "superior" to a single-action airbrush. This not true, the big difference is that the dual-action allows you to vary the pattern while spraying. This is great for free form artistic work like the fades and variable line widths you see on t-shirts, murals, and custom motorcycle tanks. Unfortunately, because of the variable trigger, the dual-action airbrushes can be difficult for the occasional painter to master. The single-action airbrush is much simpler to use and from what I've seen, yields superior results for the occasional airbrush user, especially when a uniform, consistent finish is the goal.

Edited October 9, 2011 by Reg

[G27]

Thanks, I had been debating that and was pretty sure I wanted a single-action airbrush, you convinced me...