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Posted: 11/3/2011 8:26:31 AM EDT
| Not wanting to start a huge discussion, but curious to any tips on Duracoating. I ordered the EZ set "before" doing research. Which was a mistake. Anyone have any tips on good airbrush set ups like compressors/guns, ect...thanks |
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i have done a ton of duracoat and will say this...BUY A NEW AIRBRUSH GUN!!! the one they send works well but i bought one 10x better for $20. the other one just doesnt seem to put out enough at one time. also make sure u sand and degrease well. degrease extremely well. dont get on skin it is a bitch to get off. and take ur time spraying. dont try to cover all areas with one pass. hope this helps and more questions feel free to email me on her or at [email protected]
i have done guns for friends, random ppl who have seen my work, and even for police depts. |
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i recommend harbor freight for cheap air compressor and sub $20 dollar gun.. i have one of those small airbrush compressor and it works ok, but i like my big thank 5HP air compressor :)
forget about the aerocans. like any finish, preparation is the key. i bead blast my parts before i throw on a coat of duracoat. after air drying for couple of hours, i throw it in the oven at lower temperature for about 6 hours..(i am over doing it).. i think i used like 290 degress (frmo duracoat site) if you don't have blasting equipment.. none teflon finish dno't even really need to be sanded.. just make sure get all the oil off with brake cleaner.. duracoat is pretty good.. but mix ratio is important so mix it carefully. (buy plastic cooking spoon at dollar store) |
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Anodized parts only need to be degreased and scuffed with a scotchbrite pad.
Last thing you want to do is have the person blast the anodizing off. TCPglobal has all the stuf you could ever want or need for airbrushing. Sandblasting is a whole different kettle of Fish. Setting up a sandblasting rig and doing it properly requires a large compressor. If anyone has any information to the contrary I wish they would chime in here. I have been goig back and forth on what I need to do to get it done properly. |
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A member pointed me to this kit, I picked it up today, sprayed some water to practice and i'll be doing my first duracoat when my rifle is back from the shop. I also picked up a airbursh size 65psi sandblaster brush, it may or may not be strong enough to do small parts. Time will tell
AB & comp kit |
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Quoted:
Anodized parts only need to be degreased and scuffed with a scotchbrite pad. Last thing you want to do is have the person blast the anodizing off. TCPglobal has all the stuf you could ever want or need for airbrushing. Sandblasting is a whole different kettle of Fish. Setting up a sandblasting rig and doing it properly requires a large compressor. If anyone has any information to the contrary I wish they would chime in here. I have been goig back and forth on what I need to do to get it done properly. i blast that anodize right off on the receivers ive done. i believe its just one of those myths. some think the anodize adds strength to the metal but its just a coating from what i understand. |
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Quoted:
A member pointed me to this kit, I picked it up today, sprayed some water to practice and i'll be doing my first duracoat when my rifle is back from the shop. I also picked up a airbursh size 65psi sandblaster brush, it may or may not be strong enough to do small parts. Time will tell AB & comp kit Interesting. Post your results in this thread. Quoted:
Quoted:
Anodized parts only need to be degreased and scuffed with a scotchbrite pad. Last thing you want to do is have the person blast the anodizing off. TCPglobal has all the stuf you could ever want or need for airbrushing. Sandblasting is a whole different kettle of Fish. Setting up a sandblasting rig and doing it properly requires a large compressor. If anyone has any information to the contrary I wish they would chime in here. I have been goig back and forth on what I need to do to get it done properly. i blast that anodize right off on the receivers ive done. i believe its just one of those myths. some think the anodize adds strength to the metal but its just a coating from what i understand. Also interesting. |
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Why would you want to take off the anodize???? WIkipedia says ...lol... > Anodizing increases corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than does bare metal. (it's a better definition of what I would have said.)
I worked for a private contractor that worked on Radars for the military and we had to make sure everything was anodized before paint or before putting anything together. Anodize is like a cure to the metal... I wouldn't remove it. Not saying that the guys who did are wrong. Just I wouldn't do it... my .02cents... ... |
| there are different forms of anodize. the black gloss annodize on my shotgun receivers is too slick for me. cant see how duracoat would even stick to it . if you have chips missing from the finish blasting is gonna be better than just hand sanding or spraying over it cause the craters are gonna show. |
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Most small compressors will run a airbrush no problem. Make sure you have a couple moisture filters in the line. For blasting, the bigger the compressor the better. Blast cabinets, make sure it has a light and some type of vac hooked up. You can drop a lot of money for a good cabinet.
Blasting: First I wouldnt recommend using glass, plastic, or sand for surface prep. Theses types of media have a tendancy to make dimples instead of scratches like alum oxide does. The small scratches give the coating something to bite on to. DuaCoat will stick to alomst any thing. I have seen home applied thermal coatings that I was able to scrape off with my fingernail. Most of the coating manufacturers recommend alum oxide or garnet in 120 grit size range. You can use what you want but I always follow the coating manufacturers recommendation. DuraCoat is an ambient cured coating and dosent require baking to cure. However baking will speed up the curing time. Steve does have a bake on version of DuraCoat but it is clearly marked. Becareful what you bake and at what temp/duration you use. (excessive heat will destroy optics, fiberglass, plastics, and electronics.) Becareful what solivent you use to clean with, test it on a small unseen area. Some solivents will damage plastic, rubber, and synthetics. Its your stuff and you can do what you want but personally blast everything at leaste lightly before coating. Just because you blast anodizing doest mean you have to blast it off. My best recommendation is for you to call or email the coating manufacturer and follow their recommendations or instructions. Good luck with your refinish, post some pic's when you get donw, if you run into any problems or have a question call or PM me. Joe |
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Quoted:
Most small compressors will run a airbrush no problem. Make sure you have a couple moisture filters in the line. For blasting, the bigger the compressor the better. Blast cabinets, make sure it has a light and some type of vac hooked up. You can drop a lot of money for a good cabinet. Blasting: First I wouldnt recommend using glass, plastic, or sand for surface prep. Theses types of media have a tendancy to make dimples instead of scratches like alum oxide does. The small scratches give the coating something to bite on to. DuaCoat will stick to alomst any thing. I have seen home applied thermal coatings that I was able to scrape off with my fingernail. Most of the coating manufacturers recommend alum oxide or garnet in 120 grit size range. You can use what you want but I always follow the coating manufacturers recommendation. DuraCoat is an ambient cured coating and dosent require baking to cure. However baking will speed up the curing time. Steve does have a bake on version of DuraCoat but it is clearly marked. Becareful what you bake and at what temp/duration you use. (excessive heat will destroy optics, fiberglass, plastics, and electronics.) Becareful what solivent you use to clean with, test it on a small unseen area. Some solivents will damage plastic, rubber, and synthetics. Its your stuff and you can do what you want but personally blast everything at leaste lightly before coating. Just because you blast anodizing doest mean you have to blast it off. My best recommendation is for you to call or email the coating manufacturer and follow their recommendations or instructions. Good luck with your refinish, post some pic's when you get donw, if you run into any problems or have a question call or PM me. Joe Great info! What are moisture filters/how does one get them in the line? Any recommendations for compressors or blasting cabinets? I was looking on Amazon at blasting cabinets, and they all looked really similar, unless you wanted to pay a ton of cash. |
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Moisture filters remove moisture and oil from the airlines, you definately need one. Mine are screwed into my hardlines.There are about 5 or 6 in my hardlines and one of the disposable ones attached to the guns. I got mine at Canfield and Joseph in KCMO, same place I got my cabinets. Most any place that has spray or air tools will have the filters. For a home hobby set up, the small ones will be fine. You could get away with one by the compressor and one of Lauers on the gun itself.
Keep in mind that I am set up as a business that runs all day so I run big Trinco industrial blast cabinets (dont remember the model number off the top of my head), with lights and an attached vac unit to control dust inside the cabinet. Only modificatrion I did was to switch out the glass for lexan to decrease the weight of the lid. Just make sure it will work )is big enough inside) and you can buy replacement parts for it like nozzles and feed lines are replaceable. I have a big up right that runs the cabinets and another one for general use. I did pick up a small portable think its a "Husky) a couple years back for general bs and if I need additional aiir. It doesnt have the umph but it works ok and runs on 110. Its been real handy for airing up tires and blowing out gutters. Only thing I dont like is the intake airfilter was garbage so I had to make one for it that isnt. Joe |
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