Is there any kind of spray on finish that I can put on a rifle till I can afford to have it finished by  pro?

yes sir, barbecue paint or engine paint works great, just degrease it, spray it on, and bake it per the directions

ALUMA-HYDE II

This stuff is cool!
Here is a link and another with a fellow who did his rifle with it www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117

www.headsbunker.com/html/2005/07/how-to-refinishing-with-alumahyde-ii.html

Quoted: ALUMA-HYDE II This stuff is cool! Here is a link and another with a fellow who did his rifle with it www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117 www.headsbunker.com/html/2005/07/how-to-refinishing-with-alumahyde-ii.html

Yep, good stuff. Takes about a week to cure but is very hard once set up. Warm up the can in hot water before applying...you will get better, more even coverage.

Be very careful with BBQ paint. I built an AR upper last year and finished the receiver with High Temp BBQ paint. It looked fantastic - until I cleaned the barrel. A little bore solvent got on the receiver and the paint came right off. I had to take it all apart and strip the whole thing down again. The second time around I used Aluma-Hyde II with a much better result.

It's really not too difficult to do a professional looking job yourself with MolyResin or GunKote.  Of course, you'll probably need a sandblaster, aircompressor and an airbrush.  If you're planning on doing more than a few rifles, it's not such a bad investment to buy the needed equipment and do it yourself.  It's definitely not rocket science but does take a little patience.

ETA: MolyResin and GunKote will hold up to harsh solvents which most paints won't.   Just try taking some brake cleaner to oven cured BBQ paint and see what happens! It'll run like a river.  This won't happen with GunKote or MolyResin!

When I use BBQ paint for an AK, instead of baking the receiver after I paint, I heat the receiver before I apply paint.  I used to bake after painting, but the last one I did was heated first then painted and it looks killer.  It looks a lot like parkerizing.  I wiped the whole thing down with an oiled rag and I like the way it looks a lot.

Quoted: ALUMA-HYDE II This stuff is cool! Here is a link and another with a fellow who did his rifle with it www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117 www.headsbunker.com/html/2005/07/how-to-refinishing-with-alumahyde-ii.html

You don't have to bake ALUMA HYDE?

Quoted: Quoted: ALUMA-HYDE II This stuff is cool! Here is a link and another with a fellow who did his rifle with it www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117 www.headsbunker.com/html/2005/07/how-to-refinishing-with-alumahyde-ii.html You don't have to bake ALUMA HYDE?

No, you don't have to bake Alumahyde but I believe you have to wait around a week (maybe less) before you can touch it.

I'm pretty wary of do it yourself finishes after what I've seen of them.  My brother refinished a couple of pistols with Brownell's baking laquer, and I'm not impressed at all.  Looked real good, but not durable at all.  I'm not sure what the difference is between that and Gun Kote, but I'd like to find a finish that lasts.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ALUMA-HYDE II This stuff is cool! Here is a link and another with a fellow who did his rifle with it www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1117 www.headsbunker.com/html/2005/07/how-to-refinishing-with-alumahyde-ii.html You don't have to bake ALUMA HYDE? No, you don't have to bake Alumahyde but I believe you have to wait around a week (maybe less) before you can touch it.

Very cool, I will apply that finish to my Romy kit then...
Any tips on how to remove the "paint" on the romanian kits? (without sandblasting)

Quoted: I'm pretty wary of do it yourself finishes after what I've seen of them.  My brother refinished a couple of pistols with Brownell's baking laquer, and I'm not impressed at all.  Looked real good, but not durable at all.  I'm not sure what the difference is between that and Gun Kote, but I'd like to find a finish that lasts.

I've heard bad things about the baking laquer before.  MolyResin is very durable from my experience.  Here's some characteristics of it that I pulled from www.molyresin.com


-Easy to Apply
-Dissipates Heat
-Self Lubricating
-Six colors available
-No Dilution Required
-Use Home Oven to Cure
-Low Temperature Curing
-Non-Reflective Appearance
-Rust and Corrosion Preventative
-Resists Temperatures 800 f+ and -125 f.
-Thin Flexible film allows reassembly of parts
-Can be applied to all metals and most plastics.
-Currently used by U.S. Government Contractors.
-Meets Mil-Specs for 60-day seawater immersion.
-All metals and plastics will match in color when coated.
-Can be applied over original existing finish or sandblasted surfaces.
-Currently used by numerous firearm manufacturers, gun shops and individuals.
-Meets Mil-Specs for accelerated salt spray tests equivalent to 30 years marine environment.
-Meets Mil-Specs for immersion in acids, powder solvents, paint removers, bore cleaners, etc.

I don't know if you can call it paint.  The finish on my Romy is more of a parkerizing.  It came off with an application of Birchwood Casey's blueing and rust remover.  Took it down to the bare metal.  Swap the remover on with a cotton swab or brush, wait a few minutes and then clean off residue with steel wool.  Worked like a charm.  So easy it almosts hurts.

Personally, unless you’re going to sandblast, I'd leave the original finish on- makes for a good base for the paint to adhere to. Just do a good job at degreasing.

I agree with Mach1.  BTW, the Romys seem to be just sand blastd and blued.  It may look like park, but I don't think it is.

Degrease it very well, clean off any rust (if any and re-clean).  Spray light coats over the rifle and hang to cure.

You may want to setup a stand so you can spray all sides without touching the steel.  I have used a halogen lamp for a heat source and also used a small space heater.  I used a thermometer right next to the item and then moved the heat source away until I reached 90deg F.

Then walked away for a week.  If you use a stand, you can rotate the item without touching the paint.

Quoted: Personally, unless you’re going to sandblast, I'd leave the original finish on- makes for a good base for the paint to adhere to. Just do a good job at degreasing.

Thanks for the help guys! I'll do some research if I should remove the "park/paint" the romys have or not... Most likely I wont and just degrease very well and sand the receiver just a little bit (its an Armory USA receiver which is heat treated and they have a glossy surface).