Need help: is it possible to refinish polymer?

[tsagaan]

I have a Galil polymer buttstock that is badly scratched. Functionality is intact. Is it possible to refinish the surface? Does anybody in the Bay Area provide such service? Thanks in advance!

Pic attached...

[ar15barrels]

Probably cost less to replace that stock than to try to make it look almost as good as new.

https://iwi.us/product/galil-ace-stock/

[TKM]

Looks like somebody tried(and failed) to make a fixed stock.

[ptmn]

I agree with TKM and Randall:
Someone was probably trying to drill and pin the stock, but they were using a hand drill instead of doing it correctly by clamping the stock on a drill press.

Even if you were to fill in the imperfection with Acraglass or Bondic UV before sanding it down flat, you would still need to paint or coat the entire stock, which will eventually wear or flake off. You're better off buying a new stock.

[xsefan]

Sand out all the high spots and cerakote

[Donny1]

It's plastic, paint it. The way it is you have nothing to loose. Krylon has some good camo colors. Probably the only thing rattle can paint is good for.

[SharedShots]

Don't paint it, paint just wears off. You can buy a new stock but ...

You can fix those areas with plastic welding. Its not difficult to do but if you aren't sure you want to tackle it just head over to a RC hobby shop, they know people who do this all the time. The fix is permanent, as strong as the original and then you aren't painting something that ends up looking like an amateur did it. The plastic weld will be a color match, not coating to wear through.

For the final finish, they will use a very fine airbrush type blaster that can replicate the finish almost perfectly, enough that just looking at it you'd be hard pressed to know it was previously damaged.

You go into the shop and ask around and for a package of skittles a bag of red vines and some pepsi someone would probably do it while you wait. Even better, call around and just ask if they know someone who is good at plastic welding, they will know. No need to go into details but even so, many are not anti-gun and since many of them are into military type models that its a stock usually won't matter anyway. I've had some HK stuff done that way and if you know HK, their finishes are finer in grain than most and very hard to replicate. I bet there are hobby shops local to you. Just be discrete and don't wave the stock all over the place or showboat.

As gun owners we tend to always go with just what we know, a lot of people in other hobbies and activities know as much but because something involves a gun we think everything has to be unique to what we have, it doesn't.

Note: A lot of people into models also have very high end milling equipment and 3D printers and can make almost anything. Sometimes you need something made up and would rather it be in a better material than stock, they love to make stuff. You want a 15 degree angle trigger made out of titanium? They'll get it done and you won't have to deal with months long delays and the sometimes arrogance of a smith being the only game in town or shipping stuff out and waiting who knows how long to get it back.

[SharedShots]

BTW OP, if you do buy another stock, keep the old one for refinish practice since it can just be a learning tool. Plastic welders are pretty inexpensive and they use hot air so there are no gasses to worry about. You can weld all kinds of plastics, you might find all kinds of uses for the setup.

Once you learn how to fix something you are no longer the one sending everything out to someone else. Patience is key. The setup for plastic welding can be made for use within an apartment, a small space in a corner. Its not more complicated than using a heat gun.

I got tired of the grip fins included with or sold for featureless and started making my own that included palm swells and thumb rests. The difference in handling a rifle with a typical grip fin and something that blocks the pistol grip but has a palm swell and thumb rest is amazing. I use Instamorph thermolpastic to make a positive and then from that make the negative and cast it. You can embed threaded inserts - all kinds of fastening ways. It all done on a small work table on wheels so I can move it around when I need it.

Harbor Freight sells plastic welding equipment, its pretty simple stuff. For the rods you might have to source them depending on the material you're welding but with just a little practice you can repair or modify almost anything plastic - yes, the polymer frame and stocks too. For fine finishing a soda blaster can work wonders.

BTW, a soda blaster can clean metal parts of heated on grunge really easy and not damage hardened surfaces.