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Old October 8, 2005, 06:55 AM   #1
briang2ad
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Dura-Coat? Is it real?

I cannot believe that a finish that is not prepped by blasting and not baked on can last - anyone use this stuff?

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/

I just did Gun-Kote a while back, and the blasting and baking is the tough part. Wassup with this?

Thanks.
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Old October 8, 2005, 11:43 AM   #2
Wildalaska
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Quote:
I cannot believe that a finish that is not prepped by blasting and not baked on can last
It doesnt

WildgetaprojobAlaska
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Old October 8, 2005, 01:35 PM   #3
cntryboy1289
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well, let's see here

I blast the guns I work on all the time, but I haven't oven cured them all and the ones that weren't oven cured cure themselves in about 2 weeks if you let them dry without using them. So, that part of it does work. As far as not having to be blasted, I painted guns for a while before I started using Duracoat and never had access to a blaster. None of them had problems because I completely degreased the metal after scuffing up the metal with 300 grit paper, so I feel pretty safe without blasting as well.

Hope this gives you an idea that it can work. I painted guns for a couple of years without the aid of a blaster or oven. I just had to choose my paint wisely so thatit didn't hve to be oven cured. The Duracoat is the best stuff I have found so far. It will air cure or oven cure to a tough as nails finish as long as you do your part and completely degrease the parts first. Go ahead and scuff the metal first like I did, this will give it a little better tooth as well.

If you don't feel safe trying it out yourself, find a smith that has a blasting cabinet or a local body shop, they can usually blast the parts for you for aorund $30-40 which shouldn't be too much to spend to alleviate your worries over not blasting. Good luck with it.
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Old October 10, 2005, 08:01 AM   #4
briang2ad
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Wow!

I used Gun Kote recently and it turned out fine, but they DO NOT recommend diong it without blasting and baking. And the blasting is tricky - you must use 120 MESH Al Oxide - not cheap, and not something you can buy locally. If I could have bead blasted, and used something else, I would have!

I ended up going to a local blaster and paid them $25 a pistol to blast. The nice thing is that they are Pros, and did a really good job. Also Gun Kote has a spray on parkerization that prtotects against spread of rust even if you bust through the finish.

I would just love to see Duracoat vs. Gun Kote as far as finish and durability. Hard to believe that something that you just paint on is as durable.
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Old October 10, 2005, 09:42 AM   #5
Trapp
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If you read about the duracoat more, it Recomends blasting, baking, and even Parkerizing. I have done it all ways, including no prep except degreasing. I have even painted plastic with it. Also you don't just "paint it on" it has to be sprayed on. I have had no issues at all with the coating, even on plastic. When it is fully cured you have to scratch/dent it hard enough to scratch/dent the plastic to do any damage to it.
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Old October 10, 2005, 04:01 PM   #6
jeff_troop
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i don't know about duracoat but gunkote works for me on ar's and custom mausers. i don't bead blast. just clean with mek and paint. can't say how it holds up to abuse... but it hasn't come off and has stood up against the cleaning fluids i use.
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Old October 10, 2005, 04:13 PM   #7
briang2ad
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ease of use...durability

Trapp:

How does it hold up if you just paint? (Of course I assume spray)

What do you use for parkerization?

What do you blast with? (This is crucial)
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Old October 10, 2005, 06:11 PM   #8
cntryboy1289
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duracoat

I use 70 grit aluminum oxide to blast my parts with. I park my guns first which will give you the tooth I like for the paint to adhere to. I use a manganese parking solution to park mine with. Like I said in the last post I made, if you just want to degrease the parts and spray the paint and allow it to cure for 2 weeks, you should be good to go.
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Old October 10, 2005, 06:40 PM   #9
Trapp
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1. Holding up fine, all of them, been 6 months.....

2. it was a parked Rem 870

3. Don't know, It was an old blaster (hadn't been used in YEARS) the grit (looked like sand, but a little finer) was caked up, so I dried the grit and got the blaster working. Honestly I don't think it matters.......long as it doesn't eat away too much metal....
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Old October 31, 2005, 02:11 AM   #10
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Has anyone tried the Tenring TR Kote? Their site says it was developed for Navy Seal weapons. It requires blasting and zinc pre-park, too.

Nick
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Old November 1, 2005, 09:18 PM   #11
Mac's!
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The last that I heard, Gunkote was the only resin based finish that was able to pass the Navy Machine Gun Firing Test. I've been using it for our finishes for about twenty five years and see no reason to change. I looked into Dura-Coat but they were not able to furnish me with any specs, test results or qualifications. I got more tech answers from Sherwin Williams than from "them". (Rumor has it that it's made by Sherwin Williams)
I always apply Gunkote over fresh zinc park or properly prepped Stainless and Aluminum. I don't like glass beads for blasting because they seem to polish the edges too much. Sand will sometimes "eat" edges. I use a product called Black Beauty and am happy with it. Gunkote is a "Thermal Setting" resin, meaning it has to be heated to activate the curing process. Yes, it will dry with out heat curing but will not be as hard. Have fun and keep yer powder dry, Mac.
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Old November 1, 2005, 10:20 PM   #12
cntryboy1289
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heard that rumor before

From what I hear, the rumor is just that, a rumor. This isn't the sherwin Williams Prolene paint. I use the duracoat myself and realy like it. I have used Gunkote and like it as well. It makes no difference to me whether or not one or the other passes the Military's seaspray test or not. My guns don't go through that type of environment to begin with. I haven't had any problems when I ask duracoat a question about any of the specifics of their product. They have been more than helpful when I have called and asked a question, even to the extreme of finding me someone that can answer it for me, and I have asked some doosies before.

As far as it goes, I have used it to paint more than 100 guns and as of yet, none have been brought back to have anything touched up or repaired on them. The one thing I like better about duracoat is that it doesn't require you to use as much heat to cure it, only around 120*F which makes it a lot easier to use. I have an oven that I built to cure it and could have built one just as easily for the gun kote application, but I just like the duracoat better.
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Old November 2, 2005, 12:47 PM   #13
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I have never used Duracoat before so I can not attest to it's worthiness compared to Gunkote. My point was that when they attempted to sell me on their product, they would not or could not supply me with any durabilty and/or chemical resistance specs. I need more than "It will not rust". I have refinished firearms for Customers from all fifty states and some of them are subjected to extremely harsh environmental conditions. I need to be able to answer a hunting guide from Alaska if our finish will be damaged by salt water spray at 33 degrees, etc. With Gunkote I can do that because the company supplies me with that information. (http://www.kgcoatings.com/specs.html)
As I said, I have never used Duracoat and can not make a comparison. I am NOT insulting the finish and might even consider it as an alternative....if they published some specs. I have been re-finishing firearms for over twenty five years and plan on another twenty five. I need to be confident that the finish will last as long as I do. With Gunkote, I am.
Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
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Old November 2, 2005, 05:56 PM   #14
joecad
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i used gun kote without

i used gun kote without blasting to do my slide......it seems fine to me.....however i did completely clean and degrease it first. i also did 2 coats and bake and waited another 2 weeks and did 2 more coats and baked.
so far no apparent problems. i will be doing the frame as soon as i get the time
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Old November 6, 2005, 10:46 AM   #15
Unclenick
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I've answered my own question: Close examination of TR Gun Kote reveals it is an O.E.M. version of KG Gun Kote. Tenring.com does have somewhat more detailed instructions (alternative blasting media, what brand of air brush to use, etcetera) so it is worth a look. They also sell the product for a couple of dollars less than going direct from KG.

Nick
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