Duracoat project on my A-5

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   Okay, so I'm ready to Duracoat my marker, put some permanent grips on and mod an SD shroud to accept a Scepter launcher, but I have a couple of questions.  Below is a pic of my materials, tools and what not.

The pieces in the pic I want to coat are the hopper (testing with the TAC first), the stock (the "buttstock" in black only), the receiver halves, the SD shroud (the "grip" will be black only), the mag, the scepter barrel adapter (in black only on the block), the Scepter "T" fitting (in black), the ASA adapter (in black on the outside only) and the gnarled strips on a couple other parts (like the sight) because they get nicked up quite a bit.  First question: see any issues with Duracoating any of those?  Note that I will be removing the Tippmann plate on the receiver shortly.
The jacket on the left has the camo pattern I want to use for the non-black parts (so my marker matches my coat in winter; plus I like the pattern and 2 color camo).  The blue roll is the pattern material, all the stuff to the left is the Duracoat, Duraclear, etc. and the airbrush is below it next to the tape.  The Dremel at the top will be used to mill the SD shroud (actually one half is done so far).  The JB Weld is for filling in the wording on the back of the marker.  Second (stupid) question: do I have the right JB Weld?  Looks like the standard kind (there were multiple at the store), but I've never used it.
I'm using a permenent epoxy on the grips (which are already sanded for better bonding) because the contact cement didn't hold well.  I also want to Dremel the words off of the grip and then Duracoat the top strip (the rest of the handle will be covered with the grips shown).  See any issues there?
The Duracoat video made application look very easy to do but they suggested roughing up the parts in a blasting cabinet, which I don't have access to.  Should I rough up all the parts with the Dremel?  For those of you with Duracoating experience, is this necessary?
Sorry for the bad pic but I'll post updates with better ones.  Thanks.

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netramakin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 28 July 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 633	Post Options Post Reply Quote netramakin Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Duracoat project on my A-5 Posted: 09 June 2007 at 9:59am
	Okay, so I'm ready to Duracoat my marker, put some permanent grips on and mod an SD shroud to accept a Scepter launcher, but I have a couple of questions. Below is a pic of my materials, tools and what not. The pieces in the pic I want to coat are the hopper (testing with the TAC first), the stock (the "buttstock" in black only), the receiver halves, the SD shroud (the "grip" will be black only), the mag, the scepter barrel adapter (in black only on the block), the Scepter "T" fitting (in black), the ASA adapter (in black on the outside only) and the gnarled strips on a couple other parts (like the sight) because they get nicked up quite a bit. First question: see any issues with Duracoating any of those? Note that I will be removing the Tippmann plate on the receiver shortly. The jacket on the left has the camo pattern I want to use for the non-black parts (so my marker matches my coat in winter; plus I like the pattern and 2 color camo). The blue roll is the pattern material, all the stuff to the left is the Duracoat, Duraclear, etc. and the airbrush is below it next to the tape. The Dremel at the top will be used to mill the SD shroud (actually one half is done so far). The JB Weld is for filling in the wording on the back of the marker. Second (stupid) question: do I have the right JB Weld? Looks like the standard kind (there were multiple at the store), but I've never used it. I'm using a permenent epoxy on the grips (which are already sanded for better bonding) because the contact cement didn't hold well. I also want to Dremel the words off of the grip and then Duracoat the top strip (the rest of the handle will be covered with the grips shown). See any issues there? The Duracoat video made application look very easy to do but they suggested roughing up the parts in a blasting cabinet, which I don't have access to. Should I rough up all the parts with the Dremel? For those of you with Duracoating experience, is this necessary? Sorry for the bad pic but I'll post updates with better ones. Thanks.
	"I'm a riddle so strong, you can't break me."

netramakin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 28 July 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 633	Post Options Post Reply Quote netramakin Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 June 2007 at 9:33am
	Okay, since no one seems to have any opinions or information, I went ahead with the project and I’ll answer some of the questions myself. I’ve had no problem spraying Duracoat on any of the surfaces of the items in the pic, above, as it sticks very well to metal and high-impact plastic (and looks great). And no, you do not need to rough up the surfaces. I sanded my mag and every little imperfection of my sanding is showing through on the first coat, a little less with the second. My grip is the worse, though. I sanded off the lettering on both sides and wasn’t too worried about the finish as I figured the Duracoat would cover it up, but it doesn’t cover too well as Duracoat is very thin. Hopefully a few more coats will fix the issue; otherwise, I’m going to switch it out for another grip that I have. For those of you considering buying Duracoat, here’s a few tips: Don’t bother sanding anything that already looks good. You don’t need to give the surface “teeth”. Don’t bother buying the “Camo Template Maker”. You get a roll of blue pattern material and a $3 cutter (which you won’t use) for $40. Instead, go to a fabric store or something to buy the material and probably save yourself $30. Avoid the EZ airbrush kit, as it is a piece of junk. I loaded up my paint cup, hooked up the airbrush to the propellant can and was able to paint most of my mag before the brush clogged up and ceased working. I tried cleaning it out as best I could, but when I went to remove the cup at one point, I snapped the airbrush in half! I ended up buying an $80 spray gun (Porter-Cable #PSH1) and an $80 compressor, both of which are working great, but I could have paid for some of that by saving $30 on the template maker and $25 on the airbrush kit. (At least I can inflate my own tires, now, though.) If you do decide to go the airbrush route, make sure you get extra propellant if you are doing anything more than one marker without many accessories, because my propellant can was half full after a little testing and painting most of one mag. Know that the colors given on Lauer Weaponry’s website (if you’re ordering from there) are not entirely accurate (surprise). The Snow Gray, for example, is supposed to be lighter than Gray Wolf, but appears darker on the website. I bought the Gray Wolf, which was too dark to be paired with black for a camo effect, but you can mix colors, so I bought some white in a separate order ($12 shipping for 6oz!). If you are unsure if a color may be too dark or too light, consider buying some extra black or white Duracoat with your initial order (to save on shipping) so you can mix to get the right shade. Remember to write down the formula you use though, so you can reproduce the same color later, should you need to. As far as mixing goes, I used the standard ratios given in the instructions, but added a little reducer to avoid clogging. The ratio I used was 4 tablespoons of Duracoat to 1 teaspoon of hardener (comes with the color) to 1 teaspoon of reducer (12:1:1). If you live in a very humid area, you might want to add a little more reducer, but I live in CT which can be fairly humid at this time of year (and has been overcast and rainy lately) and the ratio above worked fine. Make sure you shake the Duracoat color bottle thoroughly before using and mix your formula in something that you can shake up and then add it to your spayer/airbrush cup to avoid spilling and clogging. Because I'm still waiting on white, I just sprayed the whole thing black for now (so it'll look halfway decent for a tourney this weekend) and will finish up with the camo effect next week. I'll post more pics then. Hope this helps someone. Edited by netramakin - 17 June 2007 at 9:16am
	"I'm a riddle so strong, you can't break me."

e-rok Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member 3 strikes and hes outta here Joined: 10 June 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 142	Post Options Post Reply Quote e-rok Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 June 2007 at 2:57pm
	yup thanks man i was maybe planning to coat my gun too

mod98commando Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum Member Joined: 10 June 2002 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4432	Post Options Post Reply Quote mod98commando Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 June 2007 at 11:01pm
	My guns are just about due for new paint so you had some good timing with this . Thanks for the info, I'll definitely make use of it.
	oreomann33: Everybody invades Poland Rofl_Mao: And everyone eats turkey Me: But only if they're hungary Mack: Yeah but hungary people go russian through their food and end up with greece on everyth

netramakin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 28 July 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 633	Post Options Post Reply Quote netramakin Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 July 2007 at 2:06pm
	Okay, I finally finished it...almost. I ran outta DuraClear, so a couple of my parts will have to wait a week or two but it looks alright anyway. I'll post pics in a few hours (I'm at work now ) but you can see some of them here (towards the bottom). I wanted to pass along a few other thoughts if you're considering DuraCoat, though. #1: Cost: As I detailed above, the airbrush/propellant was crap so I bought a sprayer and compressor for about $150 (though you can get a good pair for about $100 or a little less), I ran out of black at one point and the clear coat at another point, so I paid an extra $25 in shipping plus an extra $50 in material I didn't think I'd need. So, if you have a painting setup already, no problem there, but if you're not sure if you're ordering enough material, maybe step up to the next size. #2: Time: The most time consuming part for me was the masking. I had to create the stencils (if you're going standard camo, though, this part is easier), apply them and then protect all the parts that I didn't want to spray. If you're doing this during your work week, I suggest doing all your prep work the day before you plan to spray, so that you don't forget any parts and so you aren't rushing to paint as darkness approaches. It really sucks when you've used up the last of your material and cleaned out your tools, only to find you've got a part or two that you missed...even worse if you've already done a masking step. #3: Preparation: Painting is the easy part. You're going to want to make sure that your gun is as clean as you can get it before starting and stays that clean all the way through the process. Because of some of the mistakes I made, my gun ended up sitting around in various stages of finishing for about 3 weeks and because I didn't keep a lid over the box, some dust got onto the finish and made it a little less clean looking (though I think my painting skills were a bigger culprit). Also consider how you are going to hold the pieces that you are spraying and how you are going to hang/stand them to dry. (I found myself walking around my basement looking for open hooks.) I'd also pass along this advice: as soon as you use a bottle of material (like, when you're mixing), close it. Do this before you stand up, move or mix something, whatever. You don't want to spill any DuraCoat material and then have to wait a week to finish the job you were just about to start because no one sells it near you. Lastly, if I didn't mention it before, buy extra DuraCoat reducer. It's basically like thinner is to paint and it's very handy for cleanup, especially for your hands and your sprayer. As I said before, I'll post more pics in a little while and, if I think of any more tips or suggestions, I'll pass them along. Edited by netramakin - 18 July 2007 at 2:09pm
	"I'm a riddle so strong, you can't break me."