Bought a spray painted H&K VP9SK for $325. How to fix it... - Page 2

veprdude · October 22, 2019, 01:40 AM

So far the removable parts that I've cleaned with gasoline show no signs of distress and scrubbing with a toothbrush seems to have worked well. I may try cleaning the rest of it with gasoline.

The reason I chose gasoline first is because there are a lot of plastic parts (think fuel pumps) submerged that do not deteriorate. Also it's cheap to soak larger items. Not sure what kind of plastic polymer guns are made of but I know ABS plastic does not like acetone.

And yes, I did the cleaning outside. I'll post the end results.

tipoc · October 22, 2019, 09:51 AM

More cowbell!

tipoc

davidsog · October 22, 2019, 10:00 AM

Cerakote it.

T. O'Heir · October 22, 2019, 12:44 PM

Under no circumstances should an rotary tool, Dremel brand included, be anywhere near a firearm.
I'd be inclined to just paint over the red. However, if you opt for a solvent, try it on the inside of the panel with the VP on it first. A bit of emery cloth will work too, but it will scratch the polymer.

AK103K · October 22, 2019, 01:45 PM

As long as the paint isnt something permanent, like Aluma Hyde II, or something similar (Krylon "Fusion" might also be an issue with the polymers), Gun Scrubber, Hoppes, or a similar solvent, along with a toothbrush, or similar, thats on the stiffer side, should get most of it off pretty quickly. Dental type picks, patches, Q Tips, etc, are some other items that will make things easier.

It will likely take a little work, but from my experience, it will come off, and come off completely.

Your best results are going to be if you strip the frame and clean it, and the individual parts, separately. I think that will make things easier and will give you a better job.

ThomasT · October 22, 2019, 05:51 PM

I would use mineral spirits to try and remove the paint. It will not hurt plastic. I used to do home repairs and used several different solvents to clean up new construction.

What I found is that if the solvent has a warm feel on your fingers it is safe for plastics. But if the solvent feels cold it will melt the surface of the plastic. To see what I mean put a little acetone on your hand. It will feel cold. Mineral spirits has a warm or "not cold" feel to it. Good luck.

veprdude · October 22, 2019, 11:33 PM

So I finished removing the red paint tonight. Had good luck with gasoline on the removable parts and it was available and free. Afterwards I washed the parts with dish detergent. As expected the parts with surface wear appeared lighter and "dry" looking once the gas was stripped off. Most of this was from the pawn shop manager removing the red paint with some kind of abrasive. I think if I had removed all the red paint, there would not be the apparent surface wear.

veprdude · October 22, 2019, 11:40 PM

Rubbed the frame down with Hoppes 9, which is what I usually use to clean powder residue during cleaning. It brought some of the plastic luster back. I'm going to let the parts air dry over night and hope reassembly isn't a nightmare.

veprdude · October 23, 2019, 01:26 AM

Good disassembly/assembly video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E63SfM5JXMs

AK103K · October 23, 2019, 07:16 AM

Looks good!

And youre right, its a shame someone else tried something abrasive on it, or you likely wouldnt know it had been painted.

Paint is actually a good finish protector for hard use guns. Ive stripped guns I used for hunting and general work/truck use after 25 years of being painted, and the only spots that showed wear on the finish, and the wear was very minor too, was where the paint wore off from handling. Other than that, the bluing and wood looked new.

**Spats McGee** · October 23, 2019, 11:38 AM

Excellent job. It looks much, MUCH better!

veprdude · October 23, 2019, 03:36 PM

Got it reassembled. First time taking apart a striker fired pistol. Off to the range soon.

zoo · October 23, 2019, 09:05 PM

Looks great! I'd still try the denatured alcohol on the remaining paint around the trigger.

ThomasT · October 27, 2019, 12:38 PM

If the dry looking areas come back you might try to Armorall the gun. Be sure and hold on to it when you shoot it though.

**Spats McGee** · October 27, 2019, 01:59 PM

veprdude, I'm impressed at how well that came out.

buck460XVR · October 27, 2019, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spats McGee

veprdude, I'm impressed at how well that came out.

I gotta agree. I had my doubts.

shurshot · October 30, 2019, 06:47 AM

Nice job! Looks great.

October 22, 2019, 09:51 AM	#27
tipoc Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2004 Location: Redwood City, Ca. Posts: 4,114	More cowbell! tipoc __________________ 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it.

October 22, 2019, 12:44 PM	#29
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Under no circumstances should an rotary tool, Dremel brand included, be anywhere near a firearm. I'd be inclined to just paint over the red. However, if you opt for a solvent, try it on the inside of the panel with the VP on it first. A bit of emery cloth will work too, but it will scratch the polymer. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

October 23, 2019, 11:38 AM	#36
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	Excellent job. It looks much, MUCH better! __________________ I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.

October 27, 2019, 01:59 PM	#40
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	veprdude, I'm impressed at how well that came out. __________________ I'm a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. If you need some honest-to-goodness legal advice, go buy some.

October 22, 2019, 01:40 AM	#26
veprdude Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 430	So far the removable parts that I've cleaned with gasoline show no signs of distress and scrubbing with a toothbrush seems to have worked well. I may try cleaning the rest of it with gasoline. The reason I chose gasoline first is because there are a lot of plastic parts (think fuel pumps) submerged that do not deteriorate. Also it's cheap to soak larger items. Not sure what kind of plastic polymer guns are made of but I know ABS plastic does not like acetone. And yes, I did the cleaning outside. I'll post the end results.

October 22, 2019, 10:00 AM	#28
davidsog Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2018 Posts: 1,326	Cerakote it.

October 22, 2019, 01:45 PM	#30
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	As long as the paint isnt something permanent, like Aluma Hyde II, or something similar (Krylon "Fusion" might also be an issue with the polymers), Gun Scrubber, Hoppes, or a similar solvent, along with a toothbrush, or similar, thats on the stiffer side, should get most of it off pretty quickly. Dental type picks, patches, Q Tips, etc, are some other items that will make things easier. It will likely take a little work, but from my experience, it will come off, and come off completely. Your best results are going to be if you strip the frame and clean it, and the individual parts, separately. I think that will make things easier and will give you a better job.

October 22, 2019, 05:51 PM	#31
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	I would use mineral spirits to try and remove the paint. It will not hurt plastic. I used to do home repairs and used several different solvents to clean up new construction. What I found is that if the solvent has a warm feel on your fingers it is safe for plastics. But if the solvent feels cold it will melt the surface of the plastic. To see what I mean put a little acetone on your hand. It will feel cold. Mineral spirits has a warm or "not cold" feel to it. Good luck.

October 22, 2019, 11:33 PM	#32
veprdude Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 430	So I finished removing the red paint tonight. Had good luck with gasoline on the removable parts and it was available and free. Afterwards I washed the parts with dish detergent. As expected the parts with surface wear appeared lighter and "dry" looking once the gas was stripped off. Most of this was from the pawn shop manager removing the red paint with some kind of abrasive. I think if I had removed all the red paint, there would not be the apparent surface wear.

October 22, 2019, 11:40 PM	#33
veprdude Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 430	Rubbed the frame down with Hoppes 9, which is what I usually use to clean powder residue during cleaning. It brought some of the plastic luster back. I'm going to let the parts air dry over night and hope reassembly isn't a nightmare.

October 23, 2019, 01:26 AM	#34
veprdude Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 430	Good disassembly/assembly video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E63SfM5JXMs

October 23, 2019, 07:16 AM	#35
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	Looks good! And youre right, its a shame someone else tried something abrasive on it, or you likely wouldnt know it had been painted. Paint is actually a good finish protector for hard use guns. Ive stripped guns I used for hunting and general work/truck use after 25 years of being painted, and the only spots that showed wear on the finish, and the wear was very minor too, was where the paint wore off from handling. Other than that, the bluing and wood looked new.

October 23, 2019, 03:36 PM	#37
veprdude Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 430	Got it reassembled. First time taking apart a striker fired pistol. Off to the range soon.

October 23, 2019, 09:05 PM	#38
zoo member Join Date: October 2, 2019 Posts: 414	Looks great! I'd still try the denatured alcohol on the remaining paint around the trigger.

October 27, 2019, 12:38 PM	#39
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	If the dry looking areas come back you might try to Armorall the gun. Be sure and hold on to it when you shoot it though.

October 30, 2019, 06:47 AM	#42
shurshot Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2006 Posts: 1,819	Nice job! Looks great.