11 replies to this topic

[Twitch 0415]

This is for all you guys that are looking for a top coat that will help increase grip on smooth surfaces. It will be great on the Kpup grips, on magazines, etc. I have made custom grips for my Kpup stock but they are smooth as the skin on a baby's ass. So far all I had found were products that were either too thick (rubberized undercoat, bedliner) or would leave a sharp gritty finish (duplicolor sand spray, bed liner, etc). These would probably work if that is what you like. There was a tv infomercial advertizing a rubberized spray on leak sealer. They even sprayed a screen door and secured it in a boat. I thought that this stuff would be good to try, but @ $19.95 per can plus shipping and handling I didn't think that $29.95 was worth it. Yesterday I was @ my local Advance Auto Parts and they had a display of a new Rustoleum product that was exactly what was needed. I bought it. Like 13.59 plus tax. Directions said it was paintable after it dried. 1st coat dry to touch in 2 hours and fully cured and paintable after 24 hrs. I did some trials on extra parts and I like the way it works. Pics show buttstock with 1 coat and 2 coats and then painted. Also a Tapco SAW grip w/2 coats and paint. Take a look and decide for yourself.

Attached Files

•  test coating pics 002.JPG   201.14K   11 downloads
•  test coating pics 004.JPG   130.85K   8 downloads
•  test coating pics 005.JPG   117.07K   6 downloads
•  test coating pics 006.JPG   163.25K   2 downloads

[ChileRelleno]

It looks great, probably feels great too and I hope it works for ya.
Did you prime the pieces with anything?

Last time I tried that, I couldn't get any of it to bond to plastic., first scratch/cut and it'd start to peel off.
Granted I didn't do any type of priming, other than general cleaning prep.

[EWOKETEER]

It'll be interesting to see how it holds up...

Edited by EWOKETEER, 08 September 2012 - 10:17 PM.

[Spacehog]

Same here. I have tried "Plasicote" with good surface prep and as soon as it was scratched it wanted to peel. Hopefully the product will cross link and bond to the surface better. Lets us know how it holds up, but so far it looks great.

[Twitch 0415]

It amazingly does feel good to the touch. It doesn't have a rubbery/spongy feel to it but it seems to have a "warmer" feel to it. These were just test pieces to see how the product worked. The real torture test will come when I finish my 7.62 Kpup. I increased the size of the grips using automotive products. The key to getting anything to stick to plastic is getting all of the mold release agent off and then giving it a surface that will bond with the topcoat. I have always scrubbed plastic parts with a stiff brush and shampoo. After that I will wipe them down with alcohol or mineral spirits. I let them soak as much as possible. Then I sand with 180 grit to give the paint something to adhere to and also use an adhesion promoter during the process. I have used plastic cote on things and it didnt stick. They dont tell you that smooth plastic wont hold any type of top coat. My Kpup stock had all the previous process done then I used a lacquer based primer surfacer sanding between coats to remove imperfections. It's final sanding was done with 220. It is ready for this to be sprayed, but I still havent figured out the color scheme yet. I'm leaning towards water dipping.

[-Indy-]

Topic moved at OP's request.

[ChileRelleno]

It amazingly does feel good to the touch. It doesn't have a rubbery/spongy feel to it but it seems to have a "warmer" feel to it.
These were just test pieces to see how the product worked. The real torture test will come when I finish my 7.62 Kpup.

I increased the size of the grips using automotive products.
The key to getting anything to stick to plastic is getting all of the mold release agent off and then giving it a surface that will bond with the topcoat. I have always scrubbed plastic parts with a stiff brush and shampoo. After that I will wipe them down with alcohol or mineral spirits. I let them soak as much as possible. Then I sand with 180 grit to give the paint something to adhere to and also use an adhesion promoter during the process.

I have used plastic cote on things and it didn't stick. They don't tell you that smooth plastic wont hold any type of top coat.
My Kpup stock had all the previous process done then I used a lacquer based primer surfacer, sanding between coats to remove imperfections.
It's final sanding was done with 220. It is ready for this to be sprayed, but I still haven't figured out the color scheme yet. I'm leaning towards water dipping.

I scrubbed my parts clean with Scotch Brite pads and mineral spirits. Didn't hold.
What particular primer did you use?

I've been wanting to try Performix Plasti Dip on a couple of things.

Been using it on shark fishing tackle to cut down on the electromagnetic field of the large metal tackle.
Works great, sticks to bare metal and anodized & painted surfaces.

[Lead Poison]

That looks great man. Good idea.

[Twitch 0415]

Thanks Lead. I did a little test to see how it holds up. Took it out in the driveway and pulled it across the concrete. Didn't come loose or break down. I took a Bud Light Platinum bottle cap and had to scrape very hard to cut through the coating.

[Potus2000]

That's a really nice look. I've got an XD that needs a face lift. this might just be the ticket. Thanks for the post!

[ObiWanBonJovi]

I scrubbed my parts clean with Scotch Brite pads and mineral spirits. Didn't hold.
What particular primer did you use?

I've been wanting to try Performix Plasti Dip on a couple of things.

Been using it on shark fishing tackle to cut down on the electromagnetic field of the large metal tackle.
Works great, sticks to bare metal and anodized & painted surfaces.

mineral spirits will make things worse, by pulling more of the release agents from deep within the plastic. I paint a lot of plastic automotive parts and have had every problem you can think of.
to get proper adhesion on plastic, best results come from roughing surface with scotch brite. Washing with an ammonia and not a solvent based cleanser. bake at 200 degrees for a half hour, to evaporate any release agents freed up by the scuffing, then re-wash with ammonia based plastic cleaner. The best homemade plastic cleanser I've found is made from 8 parts distilled water 2 parts isopropyl alcohol and 1 part ammonia. Then a good acrylic adhesion promoter(available anywhere that sells automotive paint) your topcoat should then stick to just about any plastic. A waterborne primer sealer can also aid in coating troublesome plastics, when the solvent from the topcoat can sometimes bite in and resurface more release agents.

[Twitch 0415]

It's good to get additional techniques for solving some of the issues we get confronted with. Thanks for your additional input.