I'm planning to DuraCoat a few pieces using their aerosol products. Has anyone used it and if so, what's your results?

Like with everything else, prep is important. Also less is more. What they say about not handling it right away is also real. Let it sit for a week, preferably in the sun.

I am not a huge fan though. Prefer Cerakoat when affordable. I applied Duracoat to a couple rifles and it stared flaking off in 6 months. It is no better than any other spray on finishes but you have a lot of color choices.

Good points. I was considering professional Cerakoat until I saw $300 for a rifle. What prep did you do?

Degrease the hell out of it. If there is any oil residue it will not stick permanently. Then sand it and use air to blow it off. They recommend #600 grit, but I went with fine and then ultra-fine. Then I cleaned it with acetone and let it completely dry off. Use non powdered gloves and don't get fingerprints all over parts.

Remember when you apply it, apply a light coat and keeping it moving. Then repeat after it air dries.

Take the masking tape off right away after it is sort of dry. I made the mistake off leaving it on for too long on a barrel and a small chunk of paint came off with it.

Krylon can lessons that might be helpful for Duracoat:

Brake clean or electrical parts cleaners in a can do a great job for degreasing.
Have your rifle/parts warm. Paint in a warm room or on a good 75+ degree day.
Lighter coats (my guess, and only a guess) is that Duracoat may be a heavier bodied paint. Fewer coats should result in more of a matte finish and probably be more durable.

I'm not sure about sanding. The black finish on a lot of ARs is pretty rough. Sanding perhaps where the original finish is glossy and/or on wider flat areas, and only enough to put a light cross-hatch on the surfaces. I shouldn't think you would sand so much as to create much dust. So many nooks and crannies on an AR and optic. [shudders]

I didn't sand a rifle that I Krylon painted and while not indestructable, has been very durable. Allowing the rifle to cure fully before handling (a week or more) is pretty important.

Some of the items I'm working on on have no finish. One item will be parkerized before application. Duracoat doesn't recommend brake cleaner, although I'd be tempted but, I'll just follow their directions and use their product. Yes, three layers..about 3 mils. My biggest concern is the keymod rail. How the heck do I get it on the inside without over spraying the outside?

Gotcha. Thank you.

I wouldn't so much worry about getting the inside of the handguard painted as that is in a shadow and otherwise hidden by the barrel. If you want color on the barrel other than what goes through the key-mod holes, the best bet is to paint it with the hand guard uninstalled. Reassemble, and paint the rest.

What does duracoat recommend for degreaser? MEK? Gloves and a respirator!

I'll be outside, in August. Should be nice and dry then. Mask and gloves definitely...and a hat. Duracoat locs? They have a whole page dedicated to just prep products. http://www.lauerweaponry.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=914

Dura Coat aerosol used to be oven cure, is it still that way?
The 2 part stuff will cure without baking.
I played with it for a while, what has already been said is true. It is soft until cured, it will chip, prep is everything.
They used to recommend fresh parkerizing as the best base for duracoat.
I have a few colors around somewhere, the hardener has hardened, but the colors are still liquid.
If you want it, let me know and we can work out a way to get it to you.
I think I have a cheap harbor freight airgun setup you could have.

Dura bake was oven cure. And they now have rattle cans of the stuff so no airgun or hardner mixing needed.

If you are going to do mag dumps you might want to use Dura-heat on the barrel.

I found there was too much in the can. I did 2 toys and had a lot left over. You have to use it or lose it! It doesn't last long after the can is mixed

That's quite generous of you. I'll gladly make the trip up for that. Some of my parts won't be getting oven cured for sure because the mfg specifically states "DO NOT...." The rattle can stuff includes the hardener and it's all air cured.




Right. I might need that on one piece. The others won't be mag dumping. Mostly cold barrel until the kill shot(s).

That's why I'm planning on doing 3-4 at one time with the same colors.

If you want to take a trip down to Tacoma you can use my blast cabinet.

That is the best prep I've found for paint. Nice even texture that paint sticks to very well.

On your raw receiver, Dreadi, that would be optimal.