Painting aegs

babyjames

how's everyone, finally getting the hang of using boards!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry to all who helped me out for not replying did try ended up replying two an add 2 years old felt like a di%k . One quick question can you use humbrol paints ( with a spray gun ) to put a camo pattern on a rifle ????

CrazyRabbit

babyjames wrote: »

how's everyone, finally getting the hang of using boards!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry to all who helped me out for not replying did try ended up replying two an add 2 years old felt like a di%k . One quick question can you use humbrol paints ( with a spray gun ) to put a camo pattern on a rifle ????

You can use Crayola (TM) crayons if you want. Doesn't mean it's going to look nice or stay painted.

gandalf

Defenderdude is the resident paint expert. I am sure he will impart words of wisdom when he sees the thread. Personally I don't like painted AEG's on the whole.

defenderdude

Gandalf; :)You flatter me but thank you nonetheless:o:o:o

Like Crazy says - you can use anything but the performance and finish will depend on the application and quality/type of paint you use...

Humbrol paints will be ok - I assume you mean the small pots of modelling paints usually thinned with white-spirit?

If it's these - they will work ok but are really more suited to application with an airbrush as opposed to spray-gun. Better to apply many thinned / light coats as opposed to fewer heavy coats. Thicker coats (if using 1 pack paints such as humbrol, krylon, Vallejo etc...) will crack and chip easier.

Another easier option is to use something like krylon or similar matt aerosol. The only problem is the colours are very limited and AEG's painted with them all have a "sameness" about them especially when too fussy. My advice is just stick to two colours and work on either stencils or masks to achieve an interesting pattern.

Chalky painted an M14 and kept it simple - concentrating on effect with fewer colours, 2 I think - not sure as I only saw the pic here, but the final effect/finish was fab!

If you have access to proper spray equipment and extraction, then consider some of the higher end finishes such as two-pack polyurethane but they can be very expensive and difficult to get. I have some small qty's of various colours in these 2 pk finishes so if you're stuck just give me a shout.

Practice on an old aeg or some springers or similar - get the finish right before you attempt it on your AEG.

Preperation is everything - make sure that it's 100 clean and in my experience the only good cleaner is something like Alcohol wipes, better still get some IPA (Iso Propyl Alcohol) - or some Vodka if you're stuck...:p

Be careful using detergents (unless 100% rinsed) as these leave alkali soaps/salts on the surface which cause the paint to fall off...

Although Silicone Oil is fantastic and fixes a myriad of problems with airsoft devices - it is a total ba$tid when it comes to painting. All is needed are a few molecules to give you finish defects such a fish-eyes and pin-holes in the surface. These are usually made worse by the application of heavier/wetter coats - so keep it light... and plenty of alcohol (wipes!:p)

hth

Stercus Accidit

I take it after the alcohol wipes we dry the aeg?

I dont imagine alcohol and paint leave a good finish.


I have to do this soon too, regular aul black though, for the newly modeled rpk receiver.

I'll be lightly sanding all over with fine sand paper, then using krylon matt black I suppose, two coats, then a varnish (recommend one please) to give a semi gloss finish, hopefully looking like a metal akm/ak74 receiver.

defenderdude

Motosam wrote: »

I take it after the alcohol wipes we dry the aeg?

I dont imagine alcohol and paint leave a good finish.


I have to do this soon too, regular aul black though, for the newly modeled rpk receiver.

I'll be lightly sanding all over with fine sand paper, then using krylon matt black I suppose, two coats, then a varnish (recommend one please) to give a semi gloss finish, hopefully looking like a metal akm/ak74 receiver.

No - if they are proper alcohol wipes then just leave them evaporate dry - it will only take a minute or two.

Regarding the AKM - if I was using Krylon I'd just give them the two coats (or however many it takes to get a finish - I've never used it myself), and I wouldnt bother with the "varnish" or lacquer. An aerosol clearcoat isnt going to give much more protection than you already have (or would get from an extra coat of the paint).

If you are after a semi-gloss finish, just get a black semi-gloss aerosol and forget about the lacquer:)
Be careful with the light sanding, - dont use anything coarser than a 400 grit paper - preferably 600 or finer. Every little scratch and imperfection will jump out at you when using the higher gloss finishes.

If you have a piece of the receiver that you want a good finish on - just lmk as I should be able to help

hoplite

Aidan do you have any tips on masking AEGs to get those cool camo patterns you do?

Masada

get a decent pic of the camo, print it on card or some sort of resistant paper, then cut out a certain colour, then make a seperate one for the next colour,.:) if ya cant get the pattern you could always draw it roughly, it dont have to be perfect., start with the lightest colour as the bottom layer so the next ones can cover it without needing a lot of layering.,
alternatively, Hand it to the genius that is aidan and bribe him with multicam goods or something.,:D

babyjames

Cheers lads thanks for the tips

Stercus Accidit

Defender,

what would you recommend to prevent dimpling of the surface?

I did a coat of spray paint, but it was very dimpled, it was a test spray but odd all the same.
Should I do lighter coats?

Its actually acrylic engine enamel, it was recommended to me so I decided to try it, would this stuff be completely useless?
I may well just get the krylon if this doesn't work well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2c0yC3bMUQ

/\ gives a good look at the receiver finish.

Plus makes teh rpk l00k leet!

As you can see the finish is almost matt, at least it looks that way to me, so any ideas on achieving that finish? Perhaps two coats matt black krylon?

Masada

did you use a primer? if you did you shoulnt get spots in the paint unless you applying far too much in one go, make sure to clean the gun down aswell before painting it coz the slightest spec of silicone oil will give you whats known as "fish eyes" in the paint. you can buy panel wipe in a motor factors thats perfect for it, its what body panels are cleaned with before painting and it drys almost instantly.,

Stercus Accidit

vtec wrote: »

did you use a primer? if ya di ya shoulnt get spots in the paint unless you allpying far too much in one go, make sure to clean the gun down aswell before painting it coz the slightest spec of silicone oil will give you whats known as "fish eyes" in the paint. you can buy panel wipe in a motor factors thats perfect for it, its what body panels are cleaned with before painting and it drys almost instantly.,

The can claims no primer is needed ffs, sounds like bs to me.

I sanded down with 400 grit paper, then cleaned the receiver.

It just seems to be the paint, I've done basic black coats before and never seen such a tendency to dimple, this stuff is a bit weird, and not suited to the job I suppose, poor recommendation then.

I'll try again with very light coats, but may just stick to regular black spray.

Stercus Accidit

Update, a couple of light coats later and things look more realistic, its a nice finish from the engine enamel, likely very tough and has smotthed out nicely now.

It may be a bit glossy for my liking, but looks like a top quality finish, and is a good look for an rpk receiver if not absolutely spot on.

Is there a way to subdue the finish slightly post application to a more matt finish?

Masada

in my expience engine paint has been pretty fragile, its only benefit is its heat resistance really. about that sand paper, thats way too coarse as a finishing paper, if you want the finish to be as smooth and fine as possible you'll need to use at least P1000 and use it wet with soapy water.

Id strip off what you did so far and start again, with a few little changes to the way you did it you can get a really nice finish.,

Stercus Accidit

vtec wrote: »

in my expience engine paint has been pretty fragile, its only benefit is its heat resistance really. about that sand paper, thats way too coarse as a finishing paper, if you want the finish to be as smooth and fine as possible you'll need to use at least P1000 and use it wet with soapy water.

Id strip off what you did so far and start again, with a few little changes to the way you did it you can get a really nice finish.,

Feck off

I may get 1000 now I suppose, 800 actually they had no 1000.

Well it seems tough now, but I imagine you could be right, it may be fragile.

Any advice on matting it a bit?

I used satin finish spray before, turned out ok, but wasnt so realistic looking.

Masada

ive actualy used a black satin acrylic aerosol in the past and it turned out very well,.,
you'll be able to get higher grades of paper in halfords or motor factors and stuff, we used to use 1200 as a flatening paper and finish with P2000 for a super smooth finish.

if ya dont like the finish of the satin you can get paints made up in different percentages of gloss to suit whatever your looking for, halfords tend to be a bit cr*p at it but theres specialist paint suppliers that also do aerosols. My local one has moved out to santry but im sure you'll find one in the yellow pages or something.,

oh and that wasnt meant as an insult,.:p just that its probably gonna chip off anyway so ya might aswell start over and get the best finish possible.,lol

defenderdude

Couple of things that might have caused the dimpling you talked about may have been silicone as Vtec said or the aerosol might have been low on pressure/high in viscosity giving the crap atomisation from the can, but impossible to say without looking at it/the finish...

Satin finish is like saying I want my hair short... how short?

varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and varies considerably in measured gloss results. Generally it's about 25-30 gloss units but some manufacturers claim that gloss as much as 30-60 is satin... (90 being full gloss)

The matting agent generally settles in the can - especially aerosols and needs the living sh1t shaken outta it to achieve an even dispersion and gloss.

Generally applying heavier films (building up) will lead to a higher gloss level and this is no worse than on black...:rolleyes:

Black tends to appear glossier than the equivalent level in other colours - satin will look really "shiney" I'd have thought. Go with lower gloss levels (5 to 15 %) eg. matt or eggshell glosses (again only descriptions).

800 grit should be more than enough for low sheen finishes - I'd imagine the metal/ profile isnt the problem as much as the atomisation/crapness of the paint/surface... Youre not looking for automotive mirror finishes and the low sheen will hide most of the crap/imperfections.

Allow the finish to dry for at least 24 hours before you take a critical eye to it - it may not be as bad as you first thought:)

If it's still crap - gis a shout and I'll coat it for ya with 2-pack paint (hard as the hob of hell):D, or if it will take 230C+ I can coat it with proper small arms paint as used by the mod etc...;) (might deform and melt tho:eek:)

Stercus Accidit

Thanks for the advice.

Its acrylic engine enamel.

Well I don't like the finish, its very plasticy, bloody acrylic enamel, never heard the likes of it.

So is it possible to do a single coat of enamel satin over the acrylic finish?

Satin as in, whatever comes in the can I buy

It dimples itself it seems, even on later coats a very slightly textured finish is left.

I may try a matt black layer actually, if I could get a gun metal grey it would be far better, or even a slightly greyed black.


So Richie, finish an enamel paint with 2500 grit?

And prepare with 1200 or 800.

babyjames

Howdy All Painted The Rifle Thursday Night. Used Matt Humbrol Enamel Small Tins I Use For Models Applied Same With An Airbrush Mixed 50/50 With Cellulose Thinners Finish Is Great Wrapped Some Cloth Sprayed In The Same Colours Around The Scope And Barrel Must Say Looks The Dogs Boll**s

Thanks For The Tips .:)

Masada

Motosam wrote: »

So Richie, finish an enamel paint with 2500 grit?

And prepare with 1200 or 800.

Id take it all back to the metal, use maybe a P600 to give it key but not leave any swirls, then primer, maybe 2-3 coats of that, then P1200 wet sand the primer to make it super flat and smooth. then its ready for the black you want on it. go to halfards and ask them to show you the samples book, see if you can find a grey you like and they can make it there., id rather black myself and if you go to a proper paint shop you can tell them how glossey you want it, i think about 20ish% would be about right, though the more gloss in it the more durable it is usually.,
you shouldnt need anything more than P1200 since your not going for a highly glossed finish. I used to use the P2000 for flatting after a car was laquered, when ya flat it you then polish it with compound and get a lovely glassey look and "hopefully" a seemless reflection.,

CrazyRabbit

I picked up some 'camo' paint in Duncannon.

It's made by Fosco Industries and is labeled "ARMY PAINT INDUSTRIAL` quick drying color olive drab, RAL 6014, NSN 8010-17-053-9532. "

Before I start spraying anything, I wanted to check if anyone here had any good/bad experiences with it, or had even heard of it before.

horgan_p

I spotted this too and asked the chap at the stall about it (he was buying stuff from me and i was trying to do a deal). he said its only for metal and meant for touching up vehicles.he didnt know what it would do to ABS plastic but "he wouldnt like to try it on one of them yokes" (meaning an AEG)

Personally , i'd try it on something like an ABS mag or some such first.

Stercus Accidit

Surely if you use primer, you wont melt anything

CrazyRabbit

horgan_p wrote: »

I spotted this too and asked the chap at the stall about it (he was buying stuff from me and i was trying to do a deal). he said its only for metal and meant for touching up vehicles.he didnt know what it would do to ABS plastic but "he wouldnt like to try it on one of them yokes" (meaning an AEG)

Personally , i'd try it on something like an ABS mag or some such first.

Well I only need to to cover two metal G3 mags anyway. Though I was thinking about the scope aswell and that's made of some really tough plastic...maybe ABS.

defenderdude

Like Horgan_p said - try it on an ABS mag or something. Should be fine Crazy, but keep the coats light - so as to allow the solvents evaporate off quickly and stop any potential attack on the plastic. Load it on and watch it wrinkle:eek: (perhaps):D
metal or plastic... in my experience - when it comes to aerosols there's very little difference in the paint.
They are nearly all acrylic/cellulose blends and pretty much use all the same solvent blends with various degrees of matting agents. Most of what's in the can is propellant with about 100ml being the actual paint.

I was looking at those cans myself - how much were they btw?

horgan_p

there was one for €9 euro anyway , i think the other was 8 ??

to be fair , the guy may not have known and was covering himself.

Stercus Accidit

Just finished attempt two, great finish

I used the engine enamel again, as a first coat, very lightly, as it has a built in primer.
I then did a few coats, lightly, of an automotive matt black.

I then lightly misted the gloss enamel over this, then the matt, then gloss, just misting it until I was happy with the matt/gloss mix.

The finish now due to the misting looks metallic, and I'm happy that it looks similar to ak finishes I've seen in photos.

I'll post pics soon.

Edit: new thread in reviews

ED E

On that note, hows my precious coming along Aidan? The CMAG arrived today, so all thats left now is to solve the strength issue and order the parts.

Fiach Dubh

Motosam wrote: »

Just finished attempt two, great finish

I used the engine enamel again, as a first coat, very lightly, as it has a built in primer.
I then did a few coats, lightly, of an automotive matt black.

I then lightly misted the gloss enamel over this, then the matt, then gloss, just misting it until I was happy with the matt/gloss mix.

The finish now due to the misting looks metallic, and I'm happy that it looks similar to ak finishes I've seen in photos.

I'll post pics soon.

Get those photos up quickly! I wanna see how it turned out

fletch...

good advise here lads and lassie's!
im painting my ssg, for masking camo patterns im using actual leave's for a natural mottled effect. you know how yer man did it in the movie"The Shooter".

hopefully will work out nicely, theres lots of nettles, ivy, bushes and long grass ect at the Orchard so thats what the camo pattern is being based on.
If it turns out rubbish il just sand it and start over.

heres a tip - go to a 2Euro shop and buy one of them kids toy rifles and practice masking and painting on that.

The Master

fletch... wrote: »

heres a tip - go to a 2Euro shop and buy one of them kids toy rifles and practice masking and painting on that.

Good idea must do that this weekend