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Posted: 12/14/2004 9:34:13 PM EDT
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I’ve got a project that I’d like to finish with GunKote. My question is - how much odor does the stuff give off when you bake it and does it leave any residual smell in the oven when you’re done? I really don’t want to drive my wife and dogs out of the house from the smell and then have her make me buy her a new stove after screwing up the one she already has. hanks |
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I was told I was wrong on this question once before........., but my gunsmith swears the guys that make GunKote (which he uses quite often for refinishing) say you should NEVER use their product in the wife's oven. He has a seperate oven for use with this product. I have e-mailed them directly this am and will call once they get open and get back to ya, fwiw I trust my gunsmiths' comments over those here and there is a decided lack of information on GunKotes' web-site about this issue, this is there tho: THE FUMES AND VAPORS FROM GUN KOTE, LIKE ALL CHEMICAL SPRAYS FROM PAINT TO INSECTICIDES, ARE TOXIC WHEN INHALED IN EXCESSIVE DOSES! PLEASE, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, USE GUN KOTE SAFELY, IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA AND DOWN WIND FROM PEOPLE AND PETS. Let ya know what they have to say..... Mike |
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Okay, I spoke with the nice guy there at KD, IF you intend on fixing up that knife blade, barrel or other gun part and don't intend on making a habit of it, AS LONG AS the little woman is gone for the day or for atleast a few hours after curing is scheduled to be done..... a toaster oven or your stove will be okay to use. IF you intend on using the GunKote often, the rep. suggested you have a dedicated oven, toaster or home-made oven to do your cooking in, which I guess is why he (my gunsmith) said not to use it in your personal stove/oven. The guy there says after the curing is done that the oven can be used for food within an hour and NO bad fumes should be present. He did ask if the little woman was gonna be around while I was cooking a barrel and suggested ya send her on a shoppin trip to preclude any "what the hell is that smell" and "your gonna ruin my oven" comments. He also mention that air freshner NOT perfume might help clear the kitchen air and warned the perfume might get ya into the dog-house......  So there's the whole story on GunKote, hope this helps, Mike |
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+1 on the last few comments. I use GunKote. It is very good stuff, when applied correctly. Like anything else, if its done wrong, it won't work well. I bought a toaster oven at a garage sale for $2...and yes, its a WORKING toaster oven for $2. I use it to bake all my small parts, outside on the driveway using an extension cord: works great. I use the home oven for the large stuff, which is about twice a year. When using the home oven, I close room doors, crack open the front door, and open a kitchen window where I place a large floor lan, on high setting, to exhaust the fumes while curing. This keeps fumes from going all over my house and gets the majority of smell removed as it is made. If you decide to go into volume baking, or have the money and space, you can buy a used electric kitchen oven/stove for little money. These are light, easily moved outside, and operate on 110V, allowing for extension cord use without problems. I have seen good, working electric oven/stove sell for around $50 at garage (moving) sales. Sure it costs money, but to have the work done by someone else will approximately cost you initial equipment cost. You can use the equipment again; once you pay someone to do the work, you have to pay them again. Besides, you can always sell the oven/equipment and make a few bucks back on the deal, and have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself. |
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Thanks guys. That's what I was afraid of. I only have one part, 2" x 12" that I need to finish but from what you've all told me it sounds like I either need to rethink the finish I use OR wait until my wife goes to visit her relatives. BTW, when you bake GunKote, or any of the other heat setting finishes, can you lay the part directly on the metal rack in the oven or should it be supported in some way so that none of the coated area is touching anything? |
| If your part is that small I would get a cheap toaster oven and be on the safe side. When I bake mine in my toaster oven I don't smell a thing. They recoment you hang your parts from a rack but when I do my knive I prop one end up through the holes and let the edge rest on a pan. They say to preheat your parts to 100-120 degrees but I have had better luck with 150 or a little higher. Hot enough where you can barely hold on. You might be able to just lay it on a rack too when you preheat your parts that hot because it dryes right away but I haven't tried it yet. Good Luck. |
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I used this in my oven. A few times. And now I don't dare putting any food in it. The whole house smelled like burned crayons for about a few hours during and after it is baked. Results can vary. I have a few jobs that turned out very nice and very scratch resistant, and a few others that didn't do so well. I think surface prep is a big part of it. Edited for spelling. |
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A toaster oven will not hold at a constant temperature. There is no harm in using the oven in the kitchen. Most of the solvents are gone before you ever get that far. It is almost dry on contact, parts can be handled in a few minutes. In the oven you are just curing the finish. The smell is very slight. Do your spraying (which is what releases most of the solvents) outside. |
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Quoted: A toaster oven will not hold at a constant temperature. I have an oven thermometer in mine and it hold a very constant temperature. Only fluctuates 5 degree's. If your parts will fit use a toaster oven. Just make sure you get a thermometer and go by that as the temp settings on the dial are inaccurate. |
I had the same thought, a "gas" grill.  No I haven't read the instructions yet (cause I haven't purchased it yet). So what's the skinny on using a gas grill?Thanks for your help. |
Yes, I used their canned stuff a few times with varied results. I believe the recommandation is a beat blasted surface, but I believe you can do it with a rough sanded surface but with 3 coats of spray separated by 30 minutes instead of 2. I can post some pictures if you guys want to see the success and failures. |
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Hey, I have a couple questions as I embark on my gunkote project. You all seem very knowledgeable. (Yes I read the directions on the can) 1. Do you really have to sand off the old finish first? 2. What will happen if you don't bake it on? I ask because some of the accessories I want to gunkote aren't "oven-safe".... so to say. Thanks in advance. |
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If the old finish is parkerized or anodized then it is better to leave it as Gunkote sticks to it better than bare metal. If it has bluing or paint then you need to sand it off before applying gunkote. It will not properly cure if you don't bake it and it will rub off with most solvents until baked. I would use aluma hyde II on anything you can't bake. The Gunkote in the spray cans is hard to work with, it's too thick and there isn't enough pressure in the cans to fully atomize it. You may be ok on larger parts but it's almost impossible to put a nice thin coat on small parts or around pin holes and tight fiting areas. The nozzles clog up constantly. Badger makes an external mix airbrush for under $30 and you can get a cheap refillable airtank at walmart... this will be much better than the aircans and the finish will come out looking more like anodizing than paint and with little chance of screwups. In the long run the airbrush is cheaper as it doesn't waste near as much of the gunkote. The spray is very fine compared to that of the cans. Generally you can do a barrel and several small parts with 1 oz Gunkote and an airbrush, but you'll use half of a spray can just doing a barrel. |
You will hear more failure stories with your chosen product than you will with others. If you not are squared away with refinishing, I would consider using another product. |
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