Cheap Alternative to Anodizing?

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

Seeing as the prices to get some parts anodized are pretty high i was just curious if anyone tried any alternatives to anodizing that are a lot quicker and easy to do at home. Spraypaint didnt work too well when i last attempted to make 2 gold pt extreme pistols but what if i were to use a primer first then spraypaint the desired color? So far it has worked pretty well with a bmx bike i spraypainted.

Are there any other cheap ways to customize your marker's color and has anyone attempted using spraypaint and been successful?

Snyper

P.S. I don't consider powdercoating as a cheap alternative (plus i don't like sending my markers far away for long periods of time)

[BigEvil]

No matter how much priming you do, any sort of paint will chip off fairly easily. I have seen some aluminum painted with automotive paint that came out ok, but still tended to chip and scratch very easily. (Especially around the corners)

In order to keep any type of paint on aluminum, you would need to put on several coats, which would be pretty thick and may give you tolerance issues.

I know you arent intersted in powder coating, but I had a few pieces done pretty cheap (a few years ago) at a local shop in Newark NJ. Basically I preped everything myself and he included my parts in with another run he was doing. So I saved money on set up costs.

There are also some very good DIY powder coating kits available. The downside is that you need a dedicated electric oven for it.

Check out http://www.eastwoodco.com/ and look under the "Hotcoat" section. I am thinking of buying this myself. I have seen a bunch of car parts done with this very system that came out great, and all done at home by DIY'ers.

:cheers:

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

$700 for the delux kit and $100 for the original kit.. then i need an electric oven and an air compressor... ouch

bigevil, if it tends to chip easily and the paint job starts to look horrible is there a substance that i can use to completely strip the paint off yet leave the original anodizing and aluminum intact? If so, would it be safe to repeat this process over and over a few times a year?

[frop]

Check this place out:Caswell (http://www.caswellplating.com)

[50 cal]

You can spray it and bake it with Brownells Teflon Moly coat. You have to heat the part to about 100* in the oven, spray on the coat with an airbrush and bake it on at 300* for 30 min.
The coating is tough as nails. I've done a few AR15 rifles with it.

I bought a cheap airbrush at a hobby shop for $29, it comes with 2 cans of compressed air.

You can get different colors. I mostly have camo type colors used for firearms. The build up is negligable.

I have a personal AR15 I did in OD green. It has taken some real abuse and the coat looks new.

Go to www.brownells.com and look around.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

hmm it comes in an easy to use spray can =) From what im reading all i have to do is heat the metal part in the oven so that it's warm, then spray this stuff on, then let it dry, and the final step is to bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees... What could possibly go wrong?

"The convenient aerosol can, with its versatile cone-shaped spray, is so easy to use it’s almost mistake-proof."

How come i have the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong?
but i kind of like this idea, i'm gonna give it a try on some spare parts. But do you know if this will work on parts that are already anodized?

[zaqwert6]

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/

That's the shiznit right there....look no further. ;)

$50

[BigEvil]

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/

That's the shiznit right there....look no further. ;)

$50


Will DuraCoat adhere to hard coat anodizing and Parkerizing?
DuraCoat loves hard coat anodizing and Parkerizing as a base. Both processes leave a good rooting surface for DuraCoat.


Nice

[BigEvil]

bigevil, if it tends to chip easily and the paint job starts to look horrible is there a substance that i can use to completely strip the paint off yet leave the original anodizing and aluminum intact? If so, would it be safe to repeat this process over and over a few times a year?

Laquer thinner will take off just about any form of spary on paint. It fairly cheap, and you can use a $2 roasting pan to soak the parts in.

It does get a little messy. I soak the parts I strip paint off of over night and then scrub them in a slop sink. Paint comes right off. Primer is a little tougher and needs a little more scrubbing, but comes off also.

[zaqwert6]

Will DuraCoat adhere to hard coat anodizing and Parkerizing?
DuraCoat loves hard coat anodizing and Parkerizing as a base. Both processes leave a good rooting surface for DuraCoat.


Nice


Oh yeah, that stuff is awesome. Like powder coating on steriods. Looks very nice and is very east to use. Also doesn't build up very much at all.

[warbeak2099]

I don't know about you, but I'm sticking with p/cing. Ken at KP Customs does great work for cheap and has a pretty decent turnaround time. I've never seen any complaints about his service and his jobs look really nice. I'm getting a gloss black to blue fade for $50 (6pcs = $30, Fade = $5, Stripping = $15). He's also drilling my ule body for eyes for $40, woot.

[TheTramp]

I've got an A5 I like to mess around with on rec days or at scenarios. I am giving very serious thought to putting this finish on it:

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/images/CPR8.jpg

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/duracoatcolors.cfm?colortype=pattern&Category=240

[Skoad]

Someone's gotta be the guinea pig

[zaqwert6]

Someone's gotta be the guinea pig


Oh, I've already used it and I was turned on to it by another baller who has also. It works just like it looks.

[peewee]

I contacted them about pricing if they do it. Id be sending in a classic body.

[Speedballer666]

Oh, I've already used it and I was turned on to it by another baller who has also. It works just like it looks.


Did you use it on a real gun or a paintball gun? im dieng to see real pics of it used on a paintball gun.

[TheAngryDrunkenRussian]

that job probably would cost you more than your A5 and second before you powder coat make sure that you you blast the crap out of it if you don't powder coat won't stick if any of you plow then you know of the western plow story of their powder coating.

rifles are a lot different to pball guns trust me weapons grade steel ws. alummuim

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

i wonder if we would need to strip off the original anodizing before we attempt any of these ideas

[TheTramp]

The DuraCoat stuff likes ano because it has microscopic pores that give a great surface to stick to.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

so who wants to be the first to stick their marker into an oven? when funds come in i might try it on an old cheap barrel

[zaqwert6]

Did you use it on a real gun or a paintball gun? im dieng to see real pics of it used on a paintball gun.


Both actually but I only have one of the markers still. I'll get some pics up later if I get some time.

[50 cal]

i wonder if we would need to strip off the original anodizing before we attempt any of these ideas


Don't strip the anno. Leave it on. It makes what could be basically a primer coat.
I've powdercoated and used Brownells Teflon Moly on different firearms and p-ball guns with good results.

[magsRus]

Sharpie Marker, run you less then 10 dollars for the whole pack

http://altura.speedera.net/ccimg.catalogcity.com/210000/214800/214864/Products/8412024.jpg

[mag-owner]

are there any shops near you??
im gonna get my wheels powder coated and i found a few local powder coating shops that are super cheap....they were asking around $50 per rim. 17x8 in rims (with prep work). so im assuimg that a marker should be much cheaper than that....

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

magsrus the sharpie idea didnt work out too well on my shoe so i decided not to try it out on my marker.

[slateman]

Hmmm .. . . I kind of like the lavender :D

[elpimpo]

i want to see someone get some of that role on rhino coating and rhino coat a gun

[phantomhitman]

tippmann has been using it for years

[KJHawley]

Oh, I've already used it and I was turned on to it by another baller who has also. It works just like it looks.


I've been wanting to try this too. I just bought a whole Duracoating kit from Lauer Custom Weaponry last week. I'm going to try it out some time within the next few days.

Benefits for paintballers:
1) No ovens.
2) Any materials- aluminum, plastic, or whatever. Paint your hopper, your grips, or whatever you want.
3) Few special tools. No sandblasting, no acids.
4) Not too expensive. I'm going to end up spending about $250 for parts & materials to do probably 3 or 4 markers. Buying more material will be even cheaper after that.
5) Lots of patterns- solid colors, fades, digital camo, etc.
6) More colors than any other option I've found. From bright electrics to military colors (like H&K black, SOCOM blue, Uzi green).

I'll post pics within a week or so. I think it will be really cool.

[mobsterboy]

when magnum45's doing a $10 a part, $5 to return ship, i donno how much cheaper that could get