How to spray paint a rifle and scope

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How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by huccl » 27 Feb 2014, 9:42 am

Hi guys,

I'm after some advice on spray painting a rile and scope.

I'd like to do a custom camo pattern with a few colours, so will need a few goes over.

The question is what do you guys recommended for protecting the gaps where the scope dials meet the body. Or the bolt release switch touches the action.

Should I do anything to prevent paint from getting in these gaps and just have a little blued section around each, or do you reckon just spray over as usual? Maybe a bit light on these areas so I don't get too much paint in there?

Cheers.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by Noisydad » 28 Feb 2014, 6:26 am

You're going have to clean it with wax and grease remover - one rag on and another off. Use tee shirt rags as they're lint free. Masking tape is the go for shielding areas you don't want paint on. Cut it to fit with a new, sharp Stanley knife. Use only a sandable, quality primer to start with. Don't spray when the temp is close to the dew point when it's cold as even if you cant see it there will be moisture on the metal. Weird things happen to sprayed paint in the cold. You could follow the primer with a base coat of camo color and when that's properly dry stick some leaves on with de-stickied (stick it on your jeans first to reduce the stickiness) double sided tape then spray over it all again with your next camo color. Go light on the spray gun trigger a sort of "feather" the edges in. I'm inclined to think that in this instance less is more. Would pay to have a practice go on a piece of pipe first. Good luck and post pics - even of the practice go!
There's still a few of Wile. E Coyote's ideas that I haven't tried yet.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by chacka » 28 Feb 2014, 9:51 am

For things like the where the scope turrets meet the body and it's too awkward to use masking tape, I've used a thin string of blue-tac and nearly shaped it around the join.

Only 1-2mm think, so there will be a little ring of black surrounding the join but nothing noticeable from a distance. Only 1 mm or two as mentioned.

Could do the same for the bolt release lug, or anywhere you don't want the paint to get in the cracks.

Dunno if there is a "proper" way to do that but it's worked for me.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by bawoog » 28 Feb 2014, 11:06 am

I learnt long ago that a practice run is needed for this stuff.

Maybe that's just me and my uncanny ability to cock everything up on the first try :lol:
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by Brute » 28 Feb 2014, 12:37 pm

Blue tac and duct tape. The answer to all life's problems.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by Lorgar » 28 Feb 2014, 3:00 pm

There is like a cult following of duct tape these days.

People making bags and wallets, belts, jewellery, clothes, just about anything...
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by lole » 01 Mar 2014, 7:47 am

I've seen a few places selling wallets before.

NFI why you'd pay $30 for a wallet made from $2 of tape though :lol:
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by Noisydad » 02 Mar 2014, 9:01 am

"The handyman's secret weapon". Hop on YT and search for The Red Green Show - Handyman Corner and be prepared to blow about 4 hours! :-)
There's still a few of Wile. E Coyote's ideas that I haven't tried yet.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by Carter » 02 Mar 2014, 8:50 pm

4 hours?

There are 300 episodes of that, more like 4 weeks :P
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by WWCowboy » 15 Mar 2014, 9:00 pm

Unfortunately the only real way you can do job properly is to strip the firearm down to its bare undies.

Then you need an Etch primer to bite into the metal before your base coat can stick reliably. I run Wild West coatings and we regularly Cerakote, paint and
Hydro dip rifles & Stocks.

I can tell you I learned the hard way years ago that you cant use short cuts, the paint will flake after a while from areas where corners have been masked off.

For scopes we use 3M blue masking tape and just tape off what we dont want coated, I personally don't like Hydro dipping scopes, I feel very un-easy immersing a customers $1500 scope into solvent enriched water. Call me crazy... but we can Cerakote them with C series.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by AusC » 16 Mar 2014, 6:13 am

Whatever do you for the love god take the rifle apart when you do the individual bits. Don't leave it assembled and spray the whole thing just because you can't be bothered.

So many terrible jobs where people just plonk the rifle down and start spraying. A fine way to make a mess.
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by huccl » 16 Mar 2014, 6:37 am

C'mon, I'm lazy but I'm not that stupid :lol:
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Re: How to spray paint a rifle and scope

Post by Brute » 16 Mar 2014, 6:38 am

So on a scale of 1 to 10... 6?

:P :lol:
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