Zamak slide safe baking temp?

[Maht_g]

Anyone have an idea on safe baking temp for refinishing a zinc construction .22 pistol like the gsg 1911 or Phoenix hp22? From what I've found the melting point of zamak is ~720*F, is half that safe?

[kcstott]

for what material??

Cerakote can be baked at 150 for three hours. on plastic and wood.

[Maht_g]

Oh that helps, I thought cerakote had to be 250-300. I was asking for an epoxy paint I've been using with good results. I've used it on several projects and it seems durable so far. Been baking at 400 for an hour to kill the gloss finish, but been reading that lower (3-350) temps work to some degree. Definitely weary about putting the slide in a 400* oven, might warp?

[ar15barrels]

Been baking at 400 for an hour to kill the gloss finish

If you want a flat finish from a gloss paint, add a little bit of corn syrup to the paint and mix it real well before spraying.
You will have to experiment with the amount needed to get the desired results, but start at 5% by volume.

[kcstott]

Oh that helps, I thought cerakote had to be 250-300. I was asking for an epoxy paint I've been using with good results. I've used it on several projects and it seems durable so far. Been baking at 400 for an hour to kill the gloss finish, but been reading that lower (3-350) temps work to some degree. Definitely weary about putting the slide in a 400* oven, might warp?

Cerakote can be cured at various temps. 150 I believe is minimum recommended, 250 is normal, and 350 is the one hour quick process. and it's 1 hour at 350, 2 hours at 250, and three hours at 150.

I don't know if id be adding corn syrup to Cerakote. what i do to get a dead flat finish is warm the part and shoot the last coat with lots of air and little material. It starts to dry in the air, i'm sure it's not the best for adhesion but that's also why i said last coat.

i learned this the hard way when my gun started to crap out on me. nozzle got clogged.

[vlady]

For a flat cerakote finish, follow their mixture recommendation of 24:1 cerakote to hardener ratio. Works great and you get a nice flat finish without having to add corn syrup. As for temp, anything above 150 will work, it just takes more time at lower temps. If polymer and plastics are ok at 180 2-3 hours, I'm sure zync will be fine at 200 for 3 hours.

[ForesterPumice]

Be sure to use an oven thermometer, can't trust the built in ones.

[ForesterPumice]

And don't bake cookies for a while! Thst stuff smells for a while

[ar15barrels]

For a flat cerakote finish

I don't know if id be adding corn syrup to Cerakote.

He is not using cerakote.

[Maht_g]

Correct, was planning on appliance epoxy I've read about on akforums... I've used it on several projects from gun slides to a steel handrail on my stairs and it's pretty durable when baked... I'll try a test with only baking at 200* on a piece of scrap and see how it looks. Thanks for all the tips fellas, greatly appreciated!

[ar15barrels]

Correct, was planning on appliance epoxy I've read about on akforums... I've used it on several projects from gun slides to a steel handrail on my stairs and it's pretty durable when baked... I'll try a test with only baking at 200* on a piece of scrap and see how it looks. Thanks for all the tips fellas, greatly appreciated!

I'm going to guess Polane T...

[Maht_g]

Good ol rustoleum... picked up the gun today and the original finish looks decent, I'll wait to see how bad/fast it wears before I do any refinishing...

[ar15barrels]

Good ol rustoleum... picked up the gun today and the original finish looks decent, I'll wait to see how bad/fast it wears before I do any refinishing...

Rustoleum makes a two part epoxy paint?

Any paint that you don't have to mix with a hardener is not really a true epoxy paint.

[Maht_g]

They have an aerosol "appliance epoxy" that some people like, but I've been using a true two part paint/activator in gloss black, and baking it kills the gloss. Ends up close to satin black, low sheen... not sure if it's still made, I bet the gallon I've been working out of is 15-20 yrs old