Finish

[bobehud 0]

Got my Hybrid yesterday....EVERYONE at my ffl had to handle it, hand cycleing the rounds they fly 12-14 and to thr right in almost the same spot in front and right of gun.

 

Want to Re-finish the Hyrid .I have had some experience with Dura-Coat but for it to be right..REALLY right you cant touch the thing for 30 days or.Just trying to see whats others have used and thier experience i am going to try for a two tone black flat black on hand gaurd it has an ACE folder The AR style six postion,and grip.Rest of gun in a semi-gloss.

 

ANY ideas thougts input on the finish would be great.Been on here three days and have offers of help twice good forum.

 

Thanks

Bob

Edited April 18, 2007 by bobehud

[Bad Bob 0]

Got my Hybrid yesterday....EVERYONE at my ffl had to handle it, hand cycleing the rounds they fly 12-14 and to thr right in almost the same spot in front and right of gun.

 

Want to Re-finish the Hyrid .I have had some experience with Dura-Coat but for it to be right..REALLY right you cant touch the thing for 30 days or.Just trying to see whats others have used and thier experience i am going to try for a two tone black flat black on hand gaurd it has an ACE folder The AR style six postion,and grip.Rest of gun in a semi-gloss.

 

ANY ideas thougts input on the finish would be great.Been on here three days and have offers of help twice good forum.

 

Thanks

Bob

FYI up front - I've always been an 'economy' builder, when it comes to things like the finish (I figure it's going to get used, & dinged, & scratched anyway). If you would like advice on the 'best' options, please ask for input from the professional gun smiths here, like Tromix & Red Jacket.

 

Having said that, I like the Dupli-Color "High Heat Ceramic" (1200 degree F) black paint for finishing metal. The key to success is having your parts CLEAN. That means, when you think it's clean, clean it again (I use carb cleaner, acetone, and boiling water, repeatedly). I've applied it over my own cold-blue & park jobs, and I like the results. On one FAL I did (applied over cold-blue, which was applied to a fresh bead-blasted surface), the finish came out looking almost parkerized. Very nice! You do have to bake it (for a low-cost & super-easy parts oven, see the thread at the top of this page: http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=14229 ). I have not had any of my gun/bore cleaning chemicals affect the finish at all. Word of warning - sometimes the finish comes out with a very, very slight purple tint to it. (I'm not sure if it has to do with baking temperature, humidity, batch variations at the factory, or what). On an AK, that possibility never bothered me - I always figured it would be a great excuse to buy some plum furniture (would that look sweet, or what? ;>).

 

Speaking of furniture, I absolutely love the Dupli-Color spray on truck bed liner for finishing furniture. It provides a GREAT, super-tough & durable finish. I've even applied it over brand new plastic furniture, because I like the result so much better than some of the factory plastic textures. Plus, if you want to vary the finish you can get with the spray-on bed liner, try swapping the nozzle on the spray can for one off a spray-paint can (I stumbled across this by accident). I got a finer (smaller grains/dots) textured finish that I liked even better!

 

Obviously, FYI, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.

 

OOPS! I should mention that I only use carb cleaner & acetone on blued or parkerized surfaces. If you are wanting to add a new finish coat on top of the factory Saiga finish, I would use something more mild for cleaning - like 90+% rubbing alcohol (which might still take some of the paint off) & boiling water...

Edited April 20, 2007 by Bad Bob