Favorite DIY gun finishes

[sirvimmy]

Hey everyone, what are your favorite gun finishes that you have done yourself?

I've done Rustoleum spray paint so far, and it has worked decently on my new 870.
I am wondering how much better Duracoat is. Anyone got experience?

Any other DIY finishes you love?

Before and after pictures of my 870. in pics.

[lt05deluxe]

Looks great! Do you know how it will stand up to CLP or other cleaners?

[NATEWA]

[NATEWA]

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/air-cure-aerosol-paints/aluma-hyde-ii-prod1117.aspx

People have good results with this.

[rmnc3r]

For Steel: Mark Lee Express Blue #1 in conjuction with Birchwood Casey's Perma Blue

[ar15barrels]

Hey everyone, what are your favorite gun finishes that you have done yourself?

Any other DIY finishes you love?

Parkerizing on iron based steels.


Sandblast or Glassbead blasting on stainless steels.


Glassbead blasting on aluminum before being clear or black anodized:

[sirvimmy]

Looks great! Do you know how it will stand up to CLP or other cleaners?

I think it is barely stands up to cleaners. I basically don't oil the outside at all any more, and just balistol the internals. Anywhere the balistol runs onto the paint on the outside starts to chip at the paint just a tiny bit.

I think at this point id call that spray paint a decent color option, but not rugged enough for any longer term durability. But It is easy to strip, and repaint, which is good for people who like to change color alot.

I've since repainted that shotgun, not because it was doing bad with the fde in terms of durability, but because I wanted to try a new color. So I took it to gloss black.

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[sirvimmy]

How's that holding up as far as durability? Did it solve the 870 rust problem?

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[ar15barrels]

Did it solve the 870 rust problem?

Parkerizing does.
Those 870 Express guns are already blasted.
They just used black oxide instead of park.
Black oxide does nothing for rust prevention.
Oil stops rust.
Park holds oil better than any other finish.

Painting is just covering up the problem, not curing the problem.

[Cuda440]

I havent done many finishes at home, but I have coated one frame with Brownells teflon-moly bake on spray

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/bake-on-aerosol-paints/ptfe-moly-oven-cure-gun-finish-prod1145.aspx

Bead blast then clean extremely well, a few coats of paint, then bake. Its not bulletproof, but its pretty tough, the rails are slick as can be and it hasn't worn through. It can scratch but its not easy to scratch, I have a few small scratches in the magwell and one on the front of the grip from shooting with a ring on. Overall pretty easy to use and I'm happy with the results

[NATEWA]

How's that holding up as far as durability? Did it solve the 870 rust problem?

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Cerakote is holding up well. No rust anywhere.

Respray the krylon after the hunting season.

[Buckshot51]

[Dago Red]

This is gonna seem like an odd thing but I want to cerakoate or similar my stainless 1911 I love the look a gun gets from honest wear, the downside to stainless is it just ends up with shiny spots. Would cerakoate be good for that? Something better?

Red

[sirvimmy]

This is gonna seem like an odd thing but I want to cerakoate or similar my stainless 1911 I love the look a gun gets from honest wear, the downside to stainless is it just ends up with shiny spots. Would cerakoate be good for that? Something better?

Red

That would look cool! I feel like cerakote would last for so long you wouldn't get it battleworn too fast. Maybe duracoat like coyote brown in a light coat over the stainless. That would awesome

Anyone ever done a stainless looking finish? Like a marinecoat

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[ChuckD]

Favorite finish would depend on the gun & the material. AK's, shotguns & some rifles should be parkerized & saturated with used motor oil (IMO) - I've done some of each & they have aged well. AR's, most pistols & some rifles should be Anodized (IMO). Of course there are materials to consider - only aluminum can be anodized & only (non-stainless) steel can be parkerized.

I've used Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II it worked well and has held up well.

In addition to firearms I've done all of the above to motorcycle parts and they hold up well also. I've done Aluma-Hyde II as a base coat on motorcycle parts (kind of like a primer), cure it with a heat gun, and then covered that with 2 coats of Wrinkle Black (curing with a heat gun between coats) - that holds up to a lot of punishment, chemicals (like brake fluid, transmission fluid, gas, etc), and looks great - it's my personal favorite for motorcycle parts.

I will point out that Parkerizing only etches the surface for lubrication/protection to adhere to. If you let it dry and don't re-oil the part will rust. I've had this happen on knives & motorcycle parts - hopefully gun parts never get that dry.

I've used Rustoleum also and I've not been impressed with how it lasts over time. I'm sure it would look good for a little while, but it won't last. I am intrigued by the idea above of cerakote and paint over it - the top paint could be touched up or redone without affecting the protective layer.