Basic13 3 Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) Im sure this isnt the first time someone has said this but I just wanted to share my results with everyone. I Converted my Saiga 308 about 1.5 weeks ago. I waited the entire 7 days that the duplicolor engine enamel(low gloss black) directions state. The paint was still soft after that full week and ended up scratching WAY to easliy when I re-installed the FCG. I decided to strip the paint off again and start from scratch. -sanded and used brake cleaner to prep the metal. -sprayed with "self'-etching" primer and then went grocery shopping with wifey and did some other chores. ] -After about 4 hours I sanded the primer with 400 grit sandpaper then swiped it with mineral spirits-very lightly. -After the mineral spirits dried (a couple minutes) I sprayed with the Duplicolor engine enamael (low gloss black) -After about an hour, making sure it was NOT tacky I popped it in my toaster over @ 250*F for roughly 1 hour (give or take 10 minutes) I let the rifle cool down for about a half hour and then gave it a test with the finger nail.....NO indent with the nail! I reassembled the rifle and it left extremely very light scratches that did not penetrate through the base coat. All this work was done in less than a day...Just thought I'd pass on my success with baking paint. P.S. I used a small toaster oven, only the receiver part was inside the over. I placed the oven outside so that it could vent all the fumes. I would not suggest using your wifes brand new over or doing this inside due to VOC's released by the paint. P.S.S. I read online that you really should stick around 180*F. I would keep a close eye on the paint to make sure that it is not bubbling up. I figured the extra temperature would not hurt as the door was opened so the heat was not really staying inside as well as it would have with the door to the toaster oven closed. Edited March 20, 2011 by Basic13 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) You should use only 200 degrees for 20 minutes or so. The paint will bubble if the paint is too freshly applied and you have used two coats or more ... wait 10 minutes between coats (2 coats will be fine) and 3 or 4 hours before baking it , and it will be OK. Always make sure to clean up with CLP . Edited March 21, 2011 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
S_Mitch 0 Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 I waited about 30 minutes after applying the final coat (3rd) of engine enamel before baking. I used a $10 harbor freight heat gun to keep the section of the receiver I was painting at about 200-220 degrees for 20 minutes. I let the paint cure overnight since I had finished painting late in the afternoon. The next day, I couldn't dig a fingernail into the coat no matter how hard I tried and I went on to install the fcg and grip with no scratches. I don't think I will be going back to letting paint cure on its own for a while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vulcan16 971 Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 A good hair dryer also works well for curing paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Czar 1 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Im sure this isnt the first time someone has said this but I just wanted to share my results with everyone. I Converted my Saiga 308 about 1.5 weeks ago. I waited the entire 7 days that the duplicolor engine enamel(low gloss black) directions state. The paint was still soft after that full week and ended up scratching WAY to easliy when I re-installed the FCG. I decided to strip the paint off again and start from scratch. -sanded and used brake cleaner to prep the metal. -sprayed with "self'-etching" primer and then went grocery shopping with wifey and did some other chores. ] -After about 4 hours I sanded the primer with 400 grit sandpaper then swiped it with mineral spirits-very lightly. -After the mineral spirits dried (a couple minutes) I sprayed with the Duplicolor engine enamael (low gloss black) -After about an hour, making sure it was NOT tacky I popped it in my toaster over @ 250*F for roughly 1 hour (give or take 10 minutes) I let the rifle cool down for about a half hour and then gave it a test with the finger nail.....NO indent with the nail! I reassembled the rifle and it left extremely very light scratches that did not penetrate through the base coat. All this work was done in less than a day...Just thought I'd pass on my success with baking paint. P.S. I used a small toaster oven, only the receiver part was inside the over. I placed the oven outside so that it could vent all the fumes. I would not suggest using your wifes brand new over or doing this inside due to VOC's released by the paint. P.S.S. I read online that you really should stick around 180*F. I would keep a close eye on the paint to make sure that it is not bubbling up. I figured the extra temperature would not hurt as the door was opened so the heat was not really staying inside as well as it would have with the door to the toaster oven closed. Where do you get the "self'-etching" primer? Auto parts store? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Basic13 3 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Yes. That is the only place I know of to get it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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