Painting your firearms
I know there are several techniques for changing the appearance of your firearm; however my favorite way is to paint the firearm. I like this technique because if you paint your firearm yourself you will always have an original work of art, because no two paint jobs are 100% exact. Another reason I like to paint my firearms is to add some personal touches. By doing this it is hard for people to steal your firearm and get away with it. The little details that no one would ever notice unless you knew they were there.
Painting your firearm is seemingly simple and is not too expensive. Before you paint your firearm do some research, find a painting technique that works for you. In this article I will share with you my own personal technique that I have adopted several years ago.
Disclaimer: You should always research any project fully before starting it, what works for me may not work for you. Every person is different so every job will be different.
Painting your Firearm-Stock only
Materials Needed:
· Favorite Spray Paint and one Flat Clear Coat Paint
· Any stencils that you may choose to use
· Wire Hanger (for stock to hang on)
· Tools (to take apart firearm)
· Wool Brush/SOS or Scotch Bright Cloth
First, using your tools you need to field strip your firearm. Remember where every little screw and bolt goes, because we do not want anything to go back together wrong or break. After you have successfully taken your firearm apart, then you must take your stock and sand it down with the SOS or Scotch Bright Cloth, this scratches the stock enough to remove the factory clear-coat enamel that protects your stock, and it gives the paint something to cling to.
First, using your tools you need to field strip your firearm. Remember where every little screw and bolt goes, because we do not want anything to go back together wrong or break. After you have successfully taken your firearm apart, then you must take your stock and sand it down with the SOS or Scotch Bright Cloth, this scratches the stock enough to remove the factory clear-coat enamel that protects your stock, and it gives the paint something to cling to.
After you have sanded your stock, take a clean cloth and dust off your stock removing all debris that may stick in your paint. Then, hang your stock on the wire hanger about shoulder level with your body. Follow the directions on your spray paint and paint one layer/coat at a time. Do not touch the stock while it is drying, it will leave nice little fingerprints all over your firearm.
Repeat this step until you are happy with the look of the stock. Do not spray heavy coats on the section of the stock that the barrel goes. Each barrel should be a floating barrel and once your firearm is back together you should be able to slide a dollar bill between the barrel and the stock.
Once your stock is painted, you should take the flat clear coat paint and give one or two coats to protect your newly painted stock from chipping. Let dry for a couple of days without touching it. As soon as you are positive that the stock is dry take it off of the hanger and reassemble your firearm. Be careful and make sure everything is properly assembled. With firearms it only takes one mistake, and you will be seriously hurt or killed.
Painting Entire Firearm
Materials Needed:
· Favorite Spray Paint and one Flat Clear Coat Paint
· Any stencils that you may choose to use
· Wire Hanger (for stock to hang on)
· Tools (to take apart firearm)
· Wool Brush/SOS or Scotch Bright Cloth
· Painters Tape
· Bore Plugs
Take your tools and remove anything that you do not want painted. Use the tape to tape up every moving part. You do not want any paint getting on moving parts because it will jam up and stop working. An example of a moving part would be the action of the firearm. Also, you need to take the bore plug and plug up the end of your barrel. If paint was to get inside your barrel it will mess up your rifling`s or shotgun bore and may cause your barrel to explode.
Once you have the moving parts taped up and the bore plugged, you need to use the same process for painting your stock. Only add one layer/coat at a time make sure you do not touch the firearm until it is 100% dry.
Stencils
If you choose to use a stencil, make sure the stencil is the final thing to be added to your firearm. Place your stencil on a completely dry stock and hold firmly against the edges to create a clean line/edge and apply paint.
Have fun; enjoy your newly modified firearm and safe shooting.
