Camo Sponge Painting Tutorial

[BluewaterTactical]

Ok I absolutely can not refrain from toying with my guns. So after reading several other sites I decided to take a stab at camo sponge painting. I will try to do a step by step. I am missing one picture which is of the gun in its factory state, use your imagination I guess, . So here we go, you will need the following:

Marlin XT-17

Masking tape

Spray paint-Rust-Oleum or Krylon Fusion Ultra Flat

Natural sea sponge-found in beauty section

Matte clear coat

A plate or surface to spray paint onto for dipping sponge

Prep the area which you are going to paint. Some say use Windex some say 600 grit wet/dry, so what did I do? I used both. After prepping the firearm of choice. Cover everything you dont want painted with masking tape. Spray your first coat of whatever base color you choose. Then paint stripes of your color choice. Like this

You will want to sponge the opposite color from which you have already painted onto gun. I used FDE as my base then striped it w/ OD green. So I went over the FDE with OD and the OD I went over with FDE.

Pic of sponge

Starting to come together, huh? Then just alternate whatever other color you should want, I ended up using FDE, OD, Brown, and a little BLK.

Then spray the finished product with Matte Clear to protect and strengthen your prize.

Some outside pictures of the finished product.

If you need more info feel free to ask. Enjoy guys look forward to seeing some of yall's work.

Edited March 15, 2012 by BluewaterTactical

[Mr. Brooks]

I gotta say, that turned out really nice.

[MikePapa1]

Nice job.

[peejman]

That looks great. One hint I've found when using rattle can stuff... Resist the temptation to fiddle with it after painting. Leave it alone and let it dry for a day or two before handling it.

[Lumber_Jack]

Yeah I am super impressed. That looks really good. Any idea how wear resistant that is? Obviously it can be easily repainted, just wondered

[BluewaterTactical]

Almost everything in my safe that is synthetic has been painted, with a GOOD coat of clear its very durable especially for $15 bucks worth of stuff, which will do a lot of guns

[FJCrusing]

Nice job!

[Guest unclewilson]

How much to do my jeep!!

[Fourtyfive]

Excellent !

[gunrunner32]

That's pretty good looking, just don't get it around any thinner or brake cleaner. I've got a few camo jobs under my belt. I like using vinyl patterns and netting and what not. I do like the look you got with the sponge. don't know how or if it could even be feasible do pattern that with vinyl. You should try the "marbleizing" technique you get with saran wrap.

[BluewaterTactical]

A Jeep holy cow!

[gunrunner32]

A Jeep holy cow!

You're going to need a bigger sponge...

[BluewaterTactical]

Or all these.

[Guest alloyguitar]

Looks good. I want to do one of mine in digital camo. Obviously it's a much different process, but yours looks great!

[BluewaterTactical]

Like you wanna do Duracoat with the digital stencils???

[Dolomite_supafly]

Looks great. Definitely blends in really well. I think the next camoflauge job is going to be like yours, it works much better and is easier.

Here is one I did a few years back. I used a combination of flat, satin, and gloss paints to do mine. I figured in nature there are shiny leaves just as there are flat areas. It literally took two days to do, hardly a quick process.

Mine, no doubt, took a lot longer and was more labor intensive than yours. I really like how yours turned out.

I started mine out by applying a base using Krylon textured paint.

Next I cloaked it in a laundry bag from Walamrt.

Then I sprayed lines of darker colors through the bag, onto the stock.

After about 10 minutes I remove the bag.

Then I cut out stencils to add depth. Make sure to put tape over the cutout or it will get paint soaked and look like crap.

Then I randomly paint patterns using the stencils. I make sure to make them random as well as try to avoid painting the entire stencil. I basicallt paint one side with a hard edge then feather the other edge in. I use random colors and random stencils. I also use random gloss as well as flat to give it even more depth.

I have been looking at trying the straw method as well. Maybe a combination of your method and the straw method would look fantastic. Either way my method here is not likely to be repeated, at least not my me.

Dolomite

[gjohnsoniv]

I'm really impressed with both rifles on here. I have been wanting to do this to my AR, only with the snakeskin looking pattern, but I may have found a different one now.

[Guest alloyguitar]

Like you wanna do Duracoat with the digital stencils???

Yep. Not sure how well it'd actually work for concealing the weapon, though, so I'm torn on it. I have an m70 laying around I may try it on.

[gunrunner32]

Alloy guitar, digital stuff is a pain. If y want to do it right you have to make all your lines straight along the same axis. I have a few that are done, here is some digital and stenciled patterns for you to learn from:

XD in digi multicam

Rem700 in multicam

[Guest alloyguitar]

Yeah, I have a lot of experience cutting airbrush stencils, but I think the problem is figuring out how big to make the different "blobs," for lack of a better term, of color on the rifle. If I did them all the size of the ones on that XD it'd take 8 years to finish. Lol

[gunrunner32]

I wouldn't wish a 1/16th inch digital pattern on anyone after doing that one. I think there was a good 25 hours if not more into the frame alone. For a rifle I would go 1/4 inch +/- 1/8th inch.

I still like the pattern, or lack there of, that the sponge has. I may have to try that with the media I use, I'll be practicing the "marble" pattern I previously brought up on my daughters bike. It's a green and blue hotwheels bike, she wants pink and purple, what she wants she gets....most of the time, I still don't have any pink guns.