Why is my Duracoat not very Durable??

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Why is my Duracoat not very Durable??

Posted: 2/22/2007 12:29:38 PM EDT

I dont understand. I did a pistol in pink for my girlfriend. Here is what I did.

1. Bead blasted it with my sandblaster.
2. Roughed it up with steel wool
3. Wiped it down with mineral spirits.
4. Let dry for an hour.
5. Mixed the duracoat, hardener and reducer, in recommend ratios.
6. Applied thin with my airbrush.
7. Applied 2nd coat an hour later.
8. Let cure for a week.

As soon as I put the magazine in it, it just scraped off like chalk... WTF?

Is it just not durable, or did I do something wrong?

Posted: 2/22/2007 9:16:11 PM EDT

[#1]

Sand blast, don't bead blast.

Don't use steel wool afterwards.

If you use mineral spirits/ paint thinner, make sure you wash it afterwards with acetone, MEK, or lacquer thinner.

I use Norrells, and have no problems.

Posted: 2/22/2007 9:42:26 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
I dont understand. I did a pistol in pink for my girlfriend. Here is what I did.

1. Bead blasted it with my sandblaster.
2. Roughed it up with steel wool
3. Wiped it down with mineral spirits.
4. Let dry for an hour.
5. Mixed the duracoat, hardener and reducer, in recommend ratios.
6. Applied thin with my airbrush.
7. Applied 2nd coat an hour later.
8. Let cure for a week.

As soon as I put the magazine in it, it just scraped off like chalk... WTF?

Is it just not durable, or did I do something wrong?

Use at least 120 grit aluminum oxide to blast.
Do not use steel wool
Do not use mineral spirits. Use Acetone or MEK
Check your mix ratio
Need to let it cure for three weeks not one before use. Will become fully cured in four to six weeks.

Wear rubber gloves from the time you blast to the time you paint. Do not touch the part without gloves on.

Most failures of Duracoat are operator error.

Posted: 2/23/2007 5:55:15 AM EDT

[#3]

The most important part is to make sure you have no oil residue on the part...thats why they are saying not to use mineral spirits. Regular steel wool has some oily stuff in it and if you use it, you are effectively rubbing oil all over it.

Posted: 2/23/2007 5:59:13 AM EDT

[#4]

Mineral spirits leave a residue? I thought it evaporated..... Is there anything better to use?

Posted: 2/23/2007 7:55:05 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Mineral spirits leave a residue? I thought it evaporated..... Is there anything better to use?

MEK or Acetone

Posted: 2/23/2007 7:57:35 AM EDT

[#6]

as stated, you can use MEK or Acetone to clean everything. You can get this stuff from Lowe's pretty cheap. I have used carb cleaner and had good results ($1 per can at Walmart). On smooth steel surfaces, I have used just 150 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface, then wipe it clean with MEK.

Posted: 2/23/2007 7:58:31 AM EDT

[#7]

I just used the Trustrip and wore gloves and sprayed my upper, lower and barrel wit h3 coats and it is fine.....granted I sprayed it a week ago tonight and havent taken it out shooting, but it seems to be holding.

Posted: 2/24/2007 6:46:47 AM EDT

[#8]

i have done my pistol now going on 8 months and i have dropped it, grinded against my counter top and the only thing that has come off is on the barrel lug, where it scrapes against the slide. this is an old pic, i will take pics this weekend to update.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Why is my Duracoat not very Durable??

Armory » Refinishing

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