Brownells AEROSOL BAKING LACQUER

[S. Kelly]

Has anyone used Brownells' AEROSOL BAKING LACQUER on their handguns? I was thinking of Desert Tan for my Norinco 1911A1. It looks easy enough, but how far do you go with the spray? Does the interior of the pistol/slide rails get covered? Thanks for any info.

[Bushflyr]

It's expensive and kinda crap. Use something like Norrells and an air brush for much better results. Don't forget to degrease and sand blast. Prep is everything.

[Bren]

I recently did a shotgun with Brownell's Gun Kote. It went on smooth and easy (much easier to handle than spray paint) and so far has shown no signs of any problem. I'm looking for more stuff to finish with it. Maybe I'll do the stainless slide on my .45.

[civilwarguns]

I think Duracoat is better and you don't have to bake it on, but you can bake it to speed up the dry time. Also you don't have to sand blast just get off all the oil and rub it down with a sanding pad. I use a pad from NAPA.

[kestrou]

S. Kelly - I used Brownells' Baking Lacquer on an aluminum AR receiver - not something I would recommend for that application... :(

kestrou

[Diz]

I have been using KG gun kote for over twenty years with excellent results. The newer Lauer Duracoat also works very well. I haven't had as much luck with Brownells baking laquers. It tends to chip easily. So I'd recommend the pint cans of KG gun kote, which you can also buy from Brownells. To do this right you really need access to two things: a bead blast cabinet, and an airbrush. If that's not possible, consider Brownells Alumahyde II. This is an awesome finish that wears fairly well. It comes in several new colors, including coyote brown (a dark tan). It is spray can applied and cures at room temperature. The secret is to leave it alone for several days and let it reach full cure before handling. Because it doesn't have to bake to cure, it is also excellent for matching up bbl/reciever finish with synthetic stocks, handguards, grips, and even optics. Also a good choice for Glocks.

[kestrou]

Hey diz,

Do any of those finishes really impart a "hardness" to the outside? I'm trying to come up with something for aluminum AR receivers short of anodizing.

Of course, the best option is probably to anodize, but I kinda don't want to boil acid in my garage...

kestrou

[Diz]

kestrou:
None of these finishes impart any hardness, but so what. If you are down to bare metal on a lower, I would alodine it (a simple wash for corrosion protection), then KG Gun Kote it. Alodine solution can be found at aviation maintenance stores (ask at your local airport). I worked for Lockheed Martin for many years and did a lot of aluminum fabrication. We used an alodine wash on practically everything before applying a painted finish. Hard coat anodizing is great stuff but not absolutely necessary. The alodine coating will give you good corrosion protection and provide a good base coat for your color coat. If you have access to a bead blast cabinet, completely blast the part, to expose fresh, clean aluminum, clean with break parts cleaner (blasts all the media out of the nooks and crannies), then apply an alodine wash. Neutralize with DI water wash and completely dry. You are now ready for KG Gun Kote or coating of your choice. Your optimum solution is to airbrush a very thin coating on and then bake to cure. This will give you the best hard coating that will be the least susceptible to chipping and wear. A decent airbrush will run you about $75.00. You will also need a small compressor which adds another $100.00 or so. Small bead blast cabinets can be had for around $200.00, or you can see what a local machine shop would charge to do it for you.

[kestrou]

Diz,

Thanks buddy - I hadn't checked for a response until today.

I'm not familiar with alodine, appreciate you pointing it out to me.

I just happen to have a very nice bead blast cabinet and, of course, a monster air compressor to go with it, so I've got the tools to do the job.

Thanks much for the alodine pointer - got another winter project on my list now! ;f

kestrou

[sharpshooter]

The baking laquers suck if you don't bead blast first. The can says you don't have to bead blast, but trust me, if you just use sand paper etc it WILL NOT STICK. You'll get chips pretty easily. I applied the flat black on an old 98 Mauser. I followed the directions to the T and was very careful. It looked awesome, until I started re-assembling the pieces and saw some chips. On some areas I could chip it off with my fingernail. I ended up stripping the whole thing and now the parts are sitting in the garage waiting for another fix. I already roughed up the metal so it looks like crap now, and I don't want to spend big bucks to have it done professionally. :(

[Diz]

Sharpshooter:
Go sweet talk one of the machine shops in your area into bead blasting it for you. It takes all of 5 minutes to do a barreled reciever. If a guy would do it for around twenty bucks, I'd jump on it.