The can says it will continue to cure each day...

Well, I sprayed two barrels and an upper yesterday.

When would be an appropriate time to throw the upper in a vice to attach a barrel?

When would it be appropriate to handle the sprayed barrels to attach them to an upper?

Thanks guys,
Scott

BTW...the matte black color is almost an exact match to bushy lowers, and the parts look great.

I would wait one week minimum before you do anything with them.

Haha, well I couldnt quite wait one week before SOMETHING happened to one of the barrels...

Some oil got on the front of it near the threads (no idea how), so now I am not sure if that area will cure properly.  I threw them in the oven at 90-100 degrees like the can said for a faster cure, so hopefully that will help the process along.  Hope they turn out alright...

Like he said. At least a week. Longer if you put it on thick. Upper blocks will dent it if you put it on thick and have to tighten the barrel nut to much. I had some handguards i painted that had a crack in them and oil bled out of the crack after painting but it cured and stayed stuck to the surface.

Air dry 24 hours and oven cure for 2 hours at 250 F. Oil it and use it.
I know it's not in the instructions, but the resulting finish is better than the 1 week air cure.

Aluma-Hyde is not designed to be oven cured.  It may seem cured at 90 degrees for two days, or oven cured for two hours, but it will not reach full hardness for a week.  Acetone or Lock-Tite will disolve Aluma-Hyde II in no time flat, even when cured fully.  If oil gets on it before it has cured for at least 24 hours, it likely will not cure.  I have done a whole lot of things with the stuff, and after 24 hours, or when it is no longer tacky feeling which may take more than 24 hours if humidity is high, it can be wiped down with CLP and still cure out OK.  I have tried ovens to speed it up as well as the can stated 2 days at 90 degrees, and it still abraded easily even though it seems cured.   Let it go a week at 90 degrees and low humidity and it will be fully cured.  After fully cured it is much more durable and less likely to scratch off than  when it is still green.
If you have an area of peeling, let it fully cure for a week, then remove the peeled area with 0000 steel wool and blend the area with good cover finish with the bare area.  Then degrease with alcohol (once fully cured, alcohol has little affect on it, but it will remove it when still green) and re-coat.  If you blend the edges good the new paint and the old paint will blend and leave a seamless finish.  Just be sure to let the new area cure again for another week.
 One thing I have learned with Aluma-Hyde II, it cannot be rushed.  

Really the best finish is what you get from Moly Resin. I've tried Alumahyde II and I just don't like it !
You have to wait like 2-weeks for the damn thing to cure !  sorry but I just can't wait that long.I don't
like the finnished product either ...  Works good on plastic tho...  I like the fact that you can start using
the Moly coated stuff right after baking it for an hour at 300 deg. dries in minutes after heating the part and coating it ! have to use an airbrush tho, it's easy. coated a bunch of parts with it, comes out good every time. (did my whole AK with it- in flat black) looks great !  now I have just about every color they make so it's there when I need it...  and the parkerized grey color they have  looks like the real thing...

Waiting isnt an issue for me...

I am down at school, and can only be at home on weekends.  Not planning on going home for another two weekends anyways, so the parts won't be touched.  The oil got on the surface AFTER 24 hours, and then I put them in the oven at 100 degrees, and told my dad to leave them in there as long as possible, pretty much until he needs the oven.  They will have ATLEAST 2 days of cure time in the oven, most likely more...  Either way, I won't have the ability to get my grubby hands on the parts for a while, so they should be completely cured by the time I get to them.

Color wise, the finish is perfect.  The upper now matches my bushmaster lowers so closely its unbelievable.  Can't wait to see it after I can put some CLP on it.  The barrels look better than any park job I have seen from any company, so I am very satisfied with how they look.  

Anyways, thanks for the help guys, its much appreciated.  Glad to hear my barrel will most likely be ok with the oil on it, but it seems either way, it will be an easy fix.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished products after I assemble them.


Also, would it help to line the action block with cloth when assembling the painted upper, or would that make no difference at all?

Scott