WS66 "Barret" in ACU

Beautiful. I'v always wanted to paint by pb marker but never got around to it and I am worried I will screw it up.

Thanks guys.

Jordan, it's not that hard.  here are the keys to making it look good:

1. Prep work.  Depending on your marker this may be easy or hard.  For mine, the original paint that was on the marker was really good and wasn't coming off at all so I just had to scuff it up with 800 grit sand paper and then clean it off with a degreaser to remove any oils (including fingerprint oils...so be sure to wear latex gloves when you're degreasing it).  Annodized markers or bare metal markers would get the same treatment.  As we know Tippmann paint tends to come off over time so most Tippmann owners who paint will strip the paint off completely using either aircraft paint remover (nasty, nasty stuff...wear gloves, a breathing mask, and do it outdoors far away from your house) or sandblasting.  Either way you want to completely take apart your marker so that you are just left with the two receiver halves when you strip or sandblast.  Once the paint is off, 800 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface and degrease.
   
   
2. Take apart what you need to in order to get the right look.  For my marker, I took out the bolt, striker, spring, stiker bumper, spring guide, and bolt/striker pin (remember it is a stacked tube blow back like a Spyder).  Once that was out all I did was take the optics off the marker and tape anywhere I didn't want paint to go.  Barrel end, optics lenses, tip of the muzzle break, quick connect fitting on the regulator, and feed neck. I put paper towels down the barrel to make sure paint didn't come through the barrel's porting and get on the bore. For a Tippman I would also be sure to mask off the inside of the receiver where the cocking lever comes out to keep paint from getting inside.  By doing the least amount of disassembly possible I got the pattern to flow very well across the whole marker.  Granted when I take it apart there are now areas that are still black so I have to reassemble the marker exactly the same every time.  This isn't a big deal for me (barrel is clamped in not screw in) but if it's hard for you to assemble certain pieces exactly the same every time (like screw in barrels) then keep this in mind when you're doing your layout.  Sometimes it's easier to have these pieces apart when painting because of that fact.
   
   
3. Patince.  Take your time.  The more you rush the worse it will look.  If you want to do something like mine you better be really paitent.  That marker has over 16 hours into it just placing or removing the paint masks that gave me that digi pattern.  That's not including the time it took to apply the paint, wait for it to fully dry (usually I waited a good 4-7 hours but you could probably wait only 3), and cleaning my airbrush and other tools between each color.  I started the project on Saturday morning and shot the last of the clear Tuesday afternoon to give you an idea of time involved.
   
   
4. The better the tools and supplies, the better the outcome.  I used an airbrush and Duracoat paint.  To me, this is the best combination to get good results.  Yes I could have just used Krylon spray paint but it wouldn't be as durable or had looked as good.  If you already have a compressor but don't have an airbrush you can get a nice dual action airbrush, air line, and a filter for the compressor if you don't already have one from Harbor Frieght for just over $30...assuming your compressor already has a regulator.  It might be just over $40 if you need a regulator too. The Duracoat paint with a 2 oz bottle of clear was $80 shipped.  That was one 4 oz bottle of green, a 2 oz bottle of tan, and a 2 oz bottle of that grey-green plus hardener.  I could probably do two markers with that amount of paint. Pricey?  Sure.  But the results were worth it.  Also, use the green automotive masking tape as it will stick real nice but not be hard to get off or let the paint blead through.

That's about it.  Take your time, remove the critical internal components, and mask off what you don't want painted.  If you use spray cans, use light coats to prevent runs. 

oldpbnoob wrote: Wow, I see some of these paintjobs and am astounded by them, not only because how good they look, but also at how I could never have the patience to do one of them.

Again, thanks. I am a very impatient person and the only reason I was able to do this marker is knowing how it would look when I was done.  Believe me there were MANY times I was thinking to myself "Is this really worth it?  I just want to be DONE!"  In the end, it very much was worth it.

Looks real good man