Metal finish

publius · April 3, 2008, 02:33 PM

Refinishing a Savage 24 that went through Katrina and was given to me after the owner heard the gunsmith's repair bill. I have sanded all pits out and polished metal. Now I need to know what coating to use. KG, Durabake, or Duracoat. I have no experience with do it yourself metal finishing so could you tell me which is best and why? I want to use black if that matters.

Dfariswheel · April 3, 2008, 05:45 PM

Duracote is the one most mentioned as a good finish, and it requires no baking.
It does take a few weeks to reach full hardness, but is usable in 24 hours?? or so.

Another good one is Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II, which is also a non-baking finish that has a great reputation.

Lauer Duracoat also sell an inexpensive airbrush set for use with their finish.

Scorch · April 3, 2008, 11:50 PM

You could also buy a can of bake-on GunKote from Brownell's and get the finish you want after a couple hours in a hot oven.

ShovelheadDan · April 4, 2008, 06:28 PM

A couple more are John Norrell's Moly Resin which comes in many colors and
Wheeler Engineering's Cerama-coat which is flat black.
They are both spray and bake and are both good durable finishes.
You will need an airbrush for the Moly resin and the Cerama-coat comes in a spray can.
Sand blast or bead blast, spray on the finish and bake in your oven. You can use your kitchen oven for either, unlike powder coating (unless you like everything you cook afterwards tasting like plastic)

Doyle · April 5, 2008, 07:14 PM

The problem with a bake-on is that a rifle like the Savage 24 probably won't fit in your household oven. You need to see if you can find a friend in the pizza business.

KMO · April 7, 2008, 05:01 PM

I haven't tried any of these do-it-yourself coatings, but they do seem interesting. I dropped off the slide from my 1911 just today to have it powder coated by a professional shop. It was parkerized, but looking pretty shoddy. I heard that a parkerized finish is a great base coat for nearly anything else, so I tried some satin black spray paint on it as a temporary coat. It looked nice, but spray paint does not hold well when peppered with ejected .45 casings. So, I'm leaving my job to a shop, but I'm curious to hear how this do-it-yourself project comes out for publius. Let us know...

publius · April 7, 2008, 05:30 PM

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm in the middle of a massive gun cleaning right now. Only about 20 more to go, then I will do the paint and let you know how it turns out.

KMO · April 8, 2008, 05:37 PM

I know we're all waiting for publius to tell us how his do-it-yourself coating job comes out, but in the meantime, I got my 1911 slide back from the shop today. For $35, they put a satin black powder coat on it for me. Dang! It sure looks nice against the stainless frame with black rubber panel grips. If the cost for having a shop do this is similar around the country, why do it yourself? Those do-it-yourself kits probably cost more, and I didn't stink up my wife's oven.

ShovelheadDan · April 11, 2008, 11:25 AM

Yeah, wives can get their panties in a wad about stuff like that.
Its rare to find one with a sense of humor.
My last one was kinda anal about her oven.
Being single, I can rebuild a chainsaw on the kitchen table and leave it for a week and never hear a peep. Can't beat it.
Course there are downsides.

radom · April 12, 2008, 02:19 AM

wives, I still recall the time I was out back feeding the horses and the wife got home and checked why her oven was on and found a dozen fal mags in there. was not very pretty at all.

ShovelheadDan · April 12, 2008, 08:55 AM

yep, I hear you, brother, no sense of humor. I guess if you lucked out and got a good one, they can be a real blessing but I wouldn't know that firsthand.
Then, again, I was young and can see now that I wasn't so great myself. I hadn't learned yet that keeping a marriage going takes work and compromise.
I've been single now for 25 years and have had lots of girlfriends and have learned a thing or two about women and believe I could be a real good husband.
If you have one you genuinely care for, you know what she likes and a good one is really not that hard to keep happy. Once you let them know what you will and will not put up with, you treat them like a queen and keep them happy and purring and it's all good. Of course, being single, you're not stuck with them and you know that when you get tired of them, you can send them on their merry way. That makes it easier to put up with them.
But now I'm old and ugly and can't buy a second look from one.

lon371 · April 13, 2008, 06:38 AM

What part of the country are you in? $35 sounds like a good price.

ShovelheadDan · April 21, 2008, 09:42 AM

Powdercoating is another spray and bake finish you can do yourself. It takes specialized equipment, of course, but if you are into metal finishes for your cars, bikes and such, it is worth looking into. The plastic powders come in lots of colors. BUT you need some kind of oven (not the one in the kitchen) to cure the parts in.

publius · July 5, 2008, 04:23 PM

Got a buddy taht has a powder coating set up. Never thought of that route. i guess it would stand up to friction and solvents fine?

April 3, 2008, 02:33 PM	#1
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	Metal finish Refinishing a Savage 24 that went through Katrina and was given to me after the owner heard the gunsmith's repair bill. I have sanded all pits out and polished metal. Now I need to know what coating to use. KG, Durabake, or Duracoat. I have no experience with do it yourself metal finishing so could you tell me which is best and why? I want to use black if that matters.

April 3, 2008, 11:50 PM	#3
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	You could also buy a can of bake-on GunKote from Brownell's and get the finish you want after a couple hours in a hot oven. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

April 7, 2008, 05:01 PM	#6
KMO Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2008 Location: Northern Arizona Posts: 949	Trying Powder Coat... I haven't tried any of these do-it-yourself coatings, but they do seem interesting. I dropped off the slide from my 1911 just today to have it powder coated by a professional shop. It was parkerized, but looking pretty shoddy. I heard that a parkerized finish is a great base coat for nearly anything else, so I tried some satin black spray paint on it as a temporary coat. It looked nice, but spray paint does not hold well when peppered with ejected .45 casings. So, I'm leaving my job to a shop, but I'm curious to hear how this do-it-yourself project comes out for publius. Let us know...

April 13, 2008, 06:38 AM	#12
lon371 Senior Member Join Date: September 1, 2007 Location: S.Indiana Posts: 252	kmoffitt What part of the country are you in? $35 sounds like a good price.

April 3, 2008, 05:45 PM	#2
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Duracote is the one most mentioned as a good finish, and it requires no baking. It does take a few weeks to reach full hardness, but is usable in 24 hours?? or so. Another good one is Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II, which is also a non-baking finish that has a great reputation. Lauer Duracoat also sell an inexpensive airbrush set for use with their finish.

April 4, 2008, 06:28 PM	#4
ShovelheadDan Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Texarkana, Ar/Tx Posts: 44	A couple more are John Norrell's Moly Resin which comes in many colors and Wheeler Engineering's Cerama-coat which is flat black. They are both spray and bake and are both good durable finishes. You will need an airbrush for the Moly resin and the Cerama-coat comes in a spray can. Sand blast or bead blast, spray on the finish and bake in your oven. You can use your kitchen oven for either, unlike powder coating (unless you like everything you cook afterwards tasting like plastic)

April 5, 2008, 07:14 PM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	The problem with a bake-on is that a rifle like the Savage 24 probably won't fit in your household oven. You need to see if you can find a friend in the pizza business.

April 7, 2008, 05:30 PM	#7
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	Thanks for the replies guys. I'm in the middle of a massive gun cleaning right now. Only about 20 more to go, then I will do the paint and let you know how it turns out.

April 8, 2008, 05:37 PM	#8
KMO Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2008 Location: Northern Arizona Posts: 949	I know we're all waiting for publius to tell us how his do-it-yourself coating job comes out, but in the meantime, I got my 1911 slide back from the shop today. For $35, they put a satin black powder coat on it for me. Dang! It sure looks nice against the stainless frame with black rubber panel grips. If the cost for having a shop do this is similar around the country, why do it yourself? Those do-it-yourself kits probably cost more, and I didn't stink up my wife's oven.

April 11, 2008, 11:25 AM	#9
ShovelheadDan Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Texarkana, Ar/Tx Posts: 44	Yeah, wives can get their panties in a wad about stuff like that. Its rare to find one with a sense of humor. My last one was kinda anal about her oven. Being single, I can rebuild a chainsaw on the kitchen table and leave it for a week and never hear a peep. Can't beat it. Course there are downsides.

April 12, 2008, 02:19 AM	#10
radom Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2000 Posts: 1,357	wives, I still recall the time I was out back feeding the horses and the wife got home and checked why her oven was on and found a dozen fal mags in there. was not very pretty at all.

April 12, 2008, 08:55 AM	#11
ShovelheadDan Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Texarkana, Ar/Tx Posts: 44	yep, I hear you, brother, no sense of humor. I guess if you lucked out and got a good one, they can be a real blessing but I wouldn't know that firsthand. Then, again, I was young and can see now that I wasn't so great myself. I hadn't learned yet that keeping a marriage going takes work and compromise. I've been single now for 25 years and have had lots of girlfriends and have learned a thing or two about women and believe I could be a real good husband. If you have one you genuinely care for, you know what she likes and a good one is really not that hard to keep happy. Once you let them know what you will and will not put up with, you treat them like a queen and keep them happy and purring and it's all good. Of course, being single, you're not stuck with them and you know that when you get tired of them, you can send them on their merry way. That makes it easier to put up with them. But now I'm old and ugly and can't buy a second look from one.

April 21, 2008, 09:42 AM	#13
ShovelheadDan Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Texarkana, Ar/Tx Posts: 44	Powdercoating is another spray and bake finish you can do yourself. It takes specialized equipment, of course, but if you are into metal finishes for your cars, bikes and such, it is worth looking into. The plastic powders come in lots of colors. BUT you need some kind of oven (not the one in the kitchen) to cure the parts in.

July 5, 2008, 04:23 PM	#14
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	Got a buddy taht has a powder coating set up. Never thought of that route. i guess it would stand up to friction and solvents fine?