Weapon painting for some is a hobby, for others a business, and for some it’s just a way to get aesthetic satisfaction. This lesson looks beautiful and solid. However, skeptics ask: “Why paint? After all, weapons are sold already painted. A waste of time, effort and money. ”
Why paint weapons
Each weapon owner can answer this question himself. This is especially clear to those who often use firearms. With active use, the weapon loses not only a decent appearance - you can still put up with it, but also a protective coating. As a result, the metal begins to become corroded, oxidizes, and rusts. In a word, it loses its working capacity.
Partly painting weapons is the occupation of gunsmiths. When assembling weapons, it may turn out that the receiver, for example, used in the assembly, will be uncoated. It was done that way from the beginning, so cheaper. What to do with her now? As an option - to oxidize, but it is difficult and expensive. And if you still need color in contrast to black? Should it be plastic or aluminum? But the price of powder coating does not seem already high, if you know what difficulties may arise!
Another moment is a wonderful opportunity to repaint your favorite gun in the color that you like. Highlight your favorite offspring against the background of another, alien weapon. In this case, it is always possible to improve the resistance to corrosion and mechanical damage.
The meaning of painting weapons is not only in the foregoing. For example, camouflage coloring of a weapon is blurred against the background of protective clothing. From a distance of two hundred meters or more, without optics you will not see if a person is armed, and, if so, with what. In contrast, black weapons are clearly visible on the figure and from 500 meters. Therefore, some decide to paint it, in order to lubricate the silhouette of the weapon against the background of the shooter.
There are many tips on how to paint weapons and what paint to apply. Among the many proven colors stand out gun paint "Onyx" and "Fosco".
"Onyx"
The paint is based on the recipe of the Izhevsk arms factory. It was developed in 1970 and is used as a base coat for products of Kalashnikov Concern JSC. The paint protects the metal from corrosion and mechanical damage. It is moisture resistant, withstands temperature and pressure differences. It is believed that imported analogues of such paint are practically absent. In the manufacture of paint "Onyx" materials are used brand DuPont (USA).
When working with paint, you should perform such actions in a certain order:
- Chemical surface treatment from traces of combustion of gunpowder, various contaminants and grease.
- To mechanically clean the surface with fine sand paper or other abrasive. It is necessary to bring all parts to full purification from the previous coating, from traces of contamination, residues of chemicals and so on.
- If there are signs of corrosion on the surface, they should be removed with a special tool.
- Degrease the surface.
- Shake the paint bottle thoroughly for five minutes.
- Apply paint in a thick layer, without smudges. To achieve uniform application of paint, an airbrush or airbrush is used.
- It is recommended to apply "Onyx" in 3-4 layers, to withstand the interval between painting at fifteen minutes.
- After painting, dry each part at normal temperature for forty minutes.
The painted and dried part must be “baked” in the oven for 40 minutes, at a temperature of 150-170 degrees. You can use a home oven. It is necessary to monitor the ventilation of the room. If it is not possible to use the oven, then you can “bake” with a technical hairdryer, setting it to a maximum temperature of 200 degrees.
Fosco
Fosco is a Dutch tactical equipment company (division of Van Os Imports). The paint developed here satisfies army needs with its color scheme. The palette corresponds to the codes of the paint that was used or is used in different armies of the world. Here are the original army and combat colors. The paint is appreciated by the reenactors, exactly repeating the army colors of the paint, including during the Second World War. The paint is of high quality. It is made in the form of a spray, which makes it easy to apply it to weapons, equipment, glass, plastic, textiles, tools and equipment.
Paint review
Take for example the black weapon paint Fosco:
- The common volume is 400 ml.
- Dries quickly, pre-setting in just fifteen minutes
- Resistant to dust within twenty minutes after application.
- Forty-five minutes after painting, it does not stick.
- After another 16 hours, it acquires heat resistance (up to one hundred and ten degrees).
- The color picker matches the RAL color classification
The color of the paint is determined by the color of the cap or by the information on the bottle. It also indicates both safety measures and instructions. Another advantage is the safety cap with a lock, which prevents the cylinder from opening or opening it to children.
Powder coating
Powder paints are used for painting products from non-ferrous and ferrous metals. Due to its cost, powder coating is particularly popular. Painting technology is a universal alternative to other methods.
Powder coating, the price of which starts from 1,5 thousand rubles, has the following advantages:
- Resistant to all kinds of exposure factors: chemicals, gasoline, ultraviolet.
- It is steady against temperature difference.
- Shockproof, abrasion resistant.
- It does not need a preliminary primer.
- It has excellent quality when applied in just one coat.
- It has a huge range of color and decorative features.
The price depends on the type of paint (shagreen leather, plain, antique or metallic), staining small parts by the piece.
Camouflage
Painting weapons in camouflage is becoming more popular every year. To achieve this, three types of spray paint are needed: beige, brown and dark green (or olive). It is still important to have construction adhesive tape with you.
Before painting, weapons must be disassembled and cleaned. Due to the remaining dirt or dust, the paint will not lie evenly. It is important to remember that work with aerosol should be performed outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
When applying camouflage, the ratio is important. At least 51-55 percent should relate to the color prevailing in the area, and not more than 25 percent - to the secondary color. Other colors can be distributed evenly, except black. Fragments of this color cannot occupy more than 10 percent. Otherwise, the enemy will be easy in determining the distance and direction of the target.
To summarize: if you don’t figure out how to paint a weapon in camouflage and distribute the paint incorrectly, you get a beautiful, but useless tuning. It is more practical to make the transition from light to dark tones. Otherwise, repainting dark places to light will be quite difficult.
Camouflage Painting
The painting of weapons in camouflage itself consists of the following:
- The base color is applied - beige.
- After drying the beige color, you need to apply a picture for camouflage coloring to the weapon. To do this, glue the cut pieces of duct tape onto the surface of the weapon. Following is applied brown paint.
- Without removing pieces of tape, glue new pieces, it is possible larger than the first, and cover with dark green paint. If you wish, you can add stripes of black, matte paint.
- The weapon is left to dry, for example, at night. After removing the adhesive tape - and the pattern is ready.
When painting, remember to use a respirator, rubber gloves, and a protective mask. You need to work in accordance with the instructions on the spray can of paint.