refinish options question

[Beepy]

Can you apply any of the aresol coatings like duracoat or gunkote on top of a blued finish? I want to re-do a blued pistol but I dont have the ability to bead-blast it to the bare metal. Are there any options?
Thanks

[BlackCat]

Lauer's website says you can, but I'm a touch skeptical.
I couldn't get Duracoat to adhere to a non-blasted stainless SP101 for SHITE, and since the adhesion is mechanical, why would blueing fare any better?

Now, assuming it DID, there's a "clear" duracoat color that would probably be ideal for the application, as I would always worry the blueing was rusting away under the coating. Maybe I'm a neurotic fruitloop, but that's how I'd play it.

[DYNOMIKE]

If'n you gotta "Q" about "Duracoat", may I suggest you give "Ricketts" a shout.
The guy knows his shiite about this stuff. And does outstanding work!
He is also a helluva nice guy and easy to work with..
He has just completed "another" project for me and I think it looks awesome!
The project in question is a .45, and should be ready for unveiling as soon as it's final re-assembly is done.:beer:

[gunplumber]

bead blast it - or better yet, sandblast at #80-#120



then guncoat. either several coats or purchase as a 30% solid and thin yourself.

I have coated quite a few guns and think my finish - at least from an application standpoint, is superior to gunkote - I have used gunkote for some odd-ball colors.

But I simply havn't found any "short cuts" to good surface prep. In fact, I assert that 75% of a good finished product is accomplished before you ever pick up a spray gun.

I just don't find the adhesion on a blued surface as a blasted surface. Perhaps that is because most blued surfaces are polished to some degree.

[Scott S]

Is it a matte or gloss blue finish? I used some Brownell's Teflon-Moly on a matte blue finish pistol frame and the finish is still holding nicely. The matte finish apparently offered enough "tooth" for the coating to adhere firmly. I degreased the frame like there was no tomorrow before applying said finish. Of course, your mileage might vary...

[tiblow]

Since finding the Files and reading, and reading, I learned to airbrush Gunkote myself and have done it many times now in the garage with great results!

Not to placate Gunplumber, but to acknowledge his expertise:bow:, he's absolutely right, to the "T," dead nuts on!!! You would be wasting your time and $ to try to just paint a blued gun (I presume you mean your BHP clone). Don't wreck a nice piece, find a metal fabracation shop, sandblaster shop, airport hanger-plane repair shop, gunshop or gunsmith who has a blast tank and blast it with sand like GP said, or if you Gunkote it, you should use alunm. oxide grit. Glass bead will work but you must use the KG's KPhose chem. b/f Gunkoting. I've posted many times to do an excellent prep b/f doing any painting, and that goes for using Alunmhyde II, or Baking Lacquer as well. Look in the yellow pages for these catagory's and call around you'll find one. I've taken parts of guns to all these type of places and they sometimes won't even charge you much or at all......

My.2 cents:wink:

[Beepy]

Boy Tiblow, you're dead on..... I was seriously thinking about giving that BHP clone a go over. For some reason that pistol just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy:wink: I like old style combat pistols. I have a nice colt s. 70 combat commander that i use as a carry gun that was given to me on my 21st. I also have a cz75b in 40. But for some reason that BHP is just nice! It fits great i can do controlled pairs like nobodys business. I am probably going to get flamed by the 1911 45 crowd...... But I LOVE the BHP! So to that end I was hoping to do a cheap refinish (due to limited college money and all that) I have no prob doing the work my self, however facilites are the problem. I was also thinking of getting new sights put on, this would involve either milling the front of the slide for front sights or restaking a new one on. Should I get the sights changed before the blasting or after? Since this is going to be a carry piece as well I was thinking of the AO 24/7 big dots or something like that.... Thanks