How to properly paint a handgun?

C

Chris Redfield

Inactive
Hello everybody,

First of all,I apologize for making thread about blank gun since this forum is about real guns,but I really need your help since I don't know where else to ask this.

I'm planning to buy 9mm blank gun since that's the most ''realistic'' thing I can buy in my country as a civilian because of the strict laws.

I found one model that I really like,but the problem is that it has chrome finish.

Believe it or not,I browsed over 30 different stores to find black version,but nobody have it in stock,or they don't ship in my country so I thought of painting it.

I spent some time researching about painting techniques when it comes to painting handguns and I've heard some very different stories.

Some say it requires a lot of knowledge,baking in oven,special paint that is expensive as well as appliances for protective coats and others say you only need a bit more quality spray paint and that's it.

I'm confused because of that and I don't know what would I need to buy to make it durable and resistant to wearing as possible.

I heard that I need some preparations like sanding it with fine sandpaper and cleaning the gun so that the paint ''sticks'' better.

I would like to paint it in semi-glossy black and that it lasts around 7-8 months (or more if possible of course) of moderate handling before it becomes to show off signs of wearing.

If it's not a problem, I would kindly ask you if you can tell me thing or two that I should know about this little painting project and I mean some general tips that will guide me through process?

I know this is pretty dumb question/request,but I don't even know where to start since so many people saying such a different things like the one I mentioned above,so any help is very much welcome.

Thanks
 
I recently painted an airsoft gun - not chrome, just addressing the preparation and application side of it - and just wiped it down with brake cleaner, then followed the directions on the spray can.
If I were going to use the gun, I would have partially disassembled it for better coverage, but didn't bother in this case.
 

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First of all,sorry for a bit late response,my ISP had issues with internet service so I wasn't able to reply on your comments.

@Bill DeShivs,@eflyguy I manage to find version that is not chrome,but sort of a metallic matte,color is stated as ''white'' and it looks very much like inox.
Will that has to be removed as well like chrome or can I paint over it without making any preparations like sand blasting?

@RickB I'm planning to disassemble it,although everyone on Youtube that made DIY videos with painting a gun simply painted ''outer'' parts without painting things like metal below barrel on receiver that is hidden until you disassemble it.

And how exactly do people clean guns that are painted with spray cans?
If some of the cleaning solutions get on the paint,wouldn't they dissolve the paint and make a mess?

Also,what kind of paint do I need to look for-acrylic,alkyd resin,nitro,water based?
Any special paint with particular ingredients or something like that?
I know I may overthinking this,but there's really a ton of selection of various paints and I'm not sure will some be much better than others.
 
There are paints specifically formulated for guns. Ceracote, Duracoat, and similar. All require quite a bit of surface preparation- usually bead blasting.
i'm sorry, but you aren't going to get any kind of lasting finish with spray cans. Why not just leave it alone?
 
I've painted a 1911 once, (guncoat), and it came out pretty good. The only bits I'll suggest is:
  1. sand blast the frame and slide if possible.
  2. degrease with acetone, heat the parts up a bit and then degrease again.
 
@Bill De Shivs I know there are paints that are special made for firearms like the one you mentioned,but unfortunately I can't get them in my country and the only way to get them is ordering them online.I checked out how much would it cost me and it's around 90$ for "all in one" set directly from Duracoat's website.Here is the link for that set:
https://www.duracoatfirearmfinishes.com/duracoat-shake-n-spray-finishing-kit-p/sns.htm


I was hoping there's some cheaper option like spray can paint that is universally designed for metal surfaces that you can buy in local paint store.
I know that paint won't last forever,but I don't have problem with more often painting if needed.
One of the reasons for painting it and not leaving it in factory color is asthetics because I plan to make custom build version of Samurai Edge 92F from Resident Evil.
I would also use it as display when I'm not using it.



@totaldla unfortunately I don't have option for sand blasting as it would cost 3 times more than gun itself and not to mention that I have to send it to another city to get it done and regular post don't send weapons so I'd had to pay extra for special shipping service.
Is there any possibility to paint it without sand blasting like using sandpaper to remove original finish or something like that?

As for degreasing,I have acetone and I can degrease it,but to be honest I can't see any grease on the gun except above the trigger.
I can still do it if needed tho.
 
Moving to the Smith, since this discussion isn't really about a semi-auto handgun.

Mr. Redfield --

You haven't told us where you are, so we don't know what is available to you, or if you can purchase paint and supplies from the U.S. You don't have to tell us, but keep in mind that mst of us are in the U.S. and we can purchase coatings such as DuraCoat that are made specifically for use on firearms. DuraCoat offers a liquid metal prep that is supposed to improve adhesion of the finish coating without requiring sanding.

It might help if you would at least identify the blank gun you want to refinish. All the blank-firing guns I know of are make of Zamak, which is an alloy that's basically zinc. "Inox" to me means stainless steel. I very much doubt that anyone is selling blank guns made of stainless steel.
 
@Aguila Blanca Sorry,I wasn't sure where to open this thread so I tried to play on ''safe'' and put in under semi-auto handguns.

Oh,I'm from Croatia (South-Eastern Europe).
Sure,here is my blank gun model:
https://blankgunarmory.com/firat-magnum-92-front-firing-blank-gun-9mm-semi-automatic-satin/

Description says it hold 9 cartridges,but it's probably a typo since it can hold 15.
Actually,yes that's correct,blank guns are mostly made of Zamak.
When I said Inox I meant it's color looks like Inox finish,although believe it or not there are few German blank gun replicas that are made of stainless steel.They are produced by company named Rohm and there are only few models on market that aren't cheap Zamak,but real stainless steel instead.
I must say I'm really impressed that you know blank guns are made of Zamak.
It's not really a common thing to know even when it comes to gun enthusiasts.
 
HEllo Chris from Croatia, I will attempt to tell you what has worked for me. I know others here may cringe, but I was surprised with the result. A few years ago, I was "mocking up" a handgun build, which I was ultimately going to use a black finish. In an effort to help me visualize the end product, I bought a 5 dollar can of "satin" barbeque paint. This is a high heat finish. In preparation, scuffed the parts thoroughly with a scotch brite pad, then degreased with lacquer thinner and let dry. I warmed the parts to approx 125 degrees F, and gave it 2 coats. I will eventually go about getting the correct finish on it, but today, it still looks good. Yes it was test fired many times. You can see that the finish is not durable as a proper gun finish, but it served the purpose which was a temporary coating. If you view it as a temporary coating, it should serve the purpose.

Good luch

Rich
 
Chris Redfield said:
Sure,here is my blank gun model:
https://blankgunarmory.com/firat-mag...tomatic-satin/
Click to expand...
I not only know that most blank guns are made of Zamak, I also have that same pistol.

I'm an NRA instructor for the Basic Handgun class. I have made it my personal rule to not bring any real firearms to my classes, even as class instructional props, because of an incident in the past where -- despite a rule that students were not supposed to bring any guns or ammunition to class -- a doofus had a 9mm cartridge in his pocket and when a demo gun was being passed around he just had to see if his cartridge would fit in the gun.

It did.

So I only use completely inert "blue guns," airsoft guns, and blank guns as my class props. The only exception I've made is that I wanted to show what a top-break revolver is and how it opens. I couldn't find an inexpensive replica anywhere, so I paid $25 for an old, broken top-break revolver in some obscure .32 short chambering. I figured it was extremely unlikely that anyone would have a .32 short in their pocket -- and, to be sure, I filed down the firing pin to where it can't reach the primer of a loaded case anyway.

Back to the Beretta blank gun. I don't remember, but I may even have bought mine from the same vendor as your link. When I called to order it, I happened to mention to the woman that it was for use as a classroom prop. She got all excited, gave me a special price because I'm an instructor, and she volunteered that they sell them painted orange for use in classrooms. So I bought the orange model. And it's BRIGHT orange.

The paint is fairly thick. I don't think it's Gunkote or DuraCoat or any special firearms finish. I'm sure it's just hardware store aerosol enamel paint, but it's holding up fine. Of course, I don't shoot it -- but it gets passed around in classes and handled a fair amount. The key is going to be preparation. As the post above mentions, scuff the surface, and degrease thoroughly.
 
@redlightrich,thanks a lot for advice.While I was digging up useful information I read that high heat resistance finish could be also used as at least temporarily solution for painting firearms and it's seems like it's not that unusual method judging by various forums.

@Aguila Blanca that's awesome!
You made a good decision not to bring real firearms into your classes.
Accidents happens to lifetime professional firearms experts and I can only imagine what could happen if someone is curious and not careful enough with live rounds.
If that guy fired live 9mm round it would very likely killed him or someone near him since the barrel is blocked and materials (zamak) won't be able to take pressure even if it wasn't blocked,but you already know that.Point is that accidents easily happen and safety should always be number one priority.

I would like to ask you something since you're an NRA instructor.
You said you don't shoot that replica blank gun,but judging by your expertise and knowledge,what's the difference in shooting that blank gun and real 92FS except of course much higher recoil?
Does it feeling very similar to shooting real handgun or is it different in many aspects after all?
Since I probably will never have a chance to use real firearms due to being civilian I would like to know how realistic is shooting from that replica compared to real 92FS?

As for paint,I may found solution that is available for purchase in my obsolete country.
It's some kind of military camo paint made by Finland company/group NFM that is used in 50 military and law enforcement agencies worldwide including NATO.
Here is a link if you want to see more specifications and info about that paint:
https://www.finnprotec.fi/webshop/tuote/nfmecpaintall-in-oneset9pcs/2206
(paint description should be on English despite being a Finish webstore)
I found it in my local store for good price and I will probably go with that option,but I'm not sure about it's durability since they stated on their website that is easily removable with paint remover.
Paint remover has purpose to well...remove paint of course,but I'm not sure how long would that paint last if I handle and use the gun few times a month?

Also,since you have great knowledge about firearms as well as blank guns,I would like to ask you is it possible to polish barrel on that blank gun model?
Since I want to build Samurai Edge replica polished barrel is must have detail.
However,I don't have any electric tools like grinder and I was wonder can I simply use polish paste for aluminum and microfiber cloth and get good results with long hand polishing?

Sorry for a long post and questions,but you're the only person that I've spoke with that have good knowledge about blank guns.
I'll understand if it's take too much writing and time for my questions since you're also a forum staff and probably have more work here than others.

Thanks
 
First of all, I would recommend that you use something that's actually meant for painting guns in order to make it look as authentic as possible, like Duracoat or Cerakote. Those will stick to any abrasive finish, so all you'd have to do is scuff up the chrome a bit with a 3M pad or some sandpaper to make it abrasive, then spray some Duracoat over it.

Also, if you don't mind my asking, whatever happened to your old friend Rebecca Chambers? ;)
 
Cerakote will not "stick" to chrome in the long-term, even if "roughed up" first. The Chrome plating has to be stripped, chemically, and completely.

Duracoat is reported to be the same.

You might as well go with rattle-can spray paint.
 
Forte S+W I found some paint made for firearms that militaries and agencies use worldwide.
Price is good and it's used by military since it's designed especially for firearms and it's available in my country so I think I won't find better deal than that.
As for Rebecca she's last seen in CGI movie Resident Evil Vendetta (2017) where she was seen working on some university as professor studying virology.
There were leakes online that Capcom is making new Resident Evil game that will feature her as main character on some university where new outbreak occurred,but Capcom didn't officially announced anything.However it's very possible that it's true since hackers leaked tons of Capcom info, spoilers and future titles that were all correct.
Sorry for off topic.


eflyguy my gun don't exactly have chrome finish.The only version they had left was some imitation of inox color or as manufacturer stated "white" color.However it looks more like metallic/inox than simply white.
 
Bill DeShivs would using sandpaper help to remove original finish on my gun since I don't have access to sand blasting?
Also,before I paint it,should I apply some kind of primer on the gun before applying the paint itself?
Is that necessary or optional since I read that it's a ''must do'' thing on various metallic objects?
 
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