| Bowhunting.net
Patrick Gordon
DuraCoat comes in 75 color choices from Woodland Tan all the way through Lime! Yes, Lime! They also carry 20 CamoPaks with Peel’N Spray Templates or camouflage kits for your weapons. Ranging from snow to digital desert camouflage, you can find anything you may need. If you haven’t yet been to their website, take a moment and see the kits for yourself. They truly turn your weapon into a work of art when completed. DuraCoat sent me their Wilderness MirageFlage Camopak about
two weeks ago for my evaluation. Having
never used an airbrush before and possessing the artistic equivalent of a
turnip, I was pretty curious as to how this one would turn out. I flashed back to the big finger painting
accident of 1972 and cringed. Believe me,
if I can finish this project, so can you. I chose an older Mossberg 500 police model as my victim for
a first attempt with DuraCoat. I knew I
wouldn’t cry even a little if I messed this one up. It had the wood stock and grip and was
definitely in need of a new look. The
first step is the degreasing of the parts.
No dip tank handy? No
problem. They include a can of degreaser
and boy does it work well. I
disassembled the shotgun, cleaned all the parts, and degreased them as best I
could. It was time to pick the color
scheme and like it says in the brochure, anything goes. I chose black as the first color because
that’s what they did in the video. (Told
you I was creative.) Here is where
things started to get frustrating for me.
When they were handing out patience as a child, I was most likely out chasing
a squirrel or poking something spongy with a stick. I know nothing about airbrushes or propellant
and I was just happy to be painting. I
mean, I mixed the paint, attached the jar to the brush, and even figured out
that the propellant was for the gun and things were flowing well. They had included one of the small cans of
propellant and it said that it was possible to complete two firearms with
it. I personally went through 3 cans,
two small and one large before I got all 4 colors on the weapon. Propellant cans freeze very quickly when in
use. You must wait for long periods of
time while they defrost and that is where my patience ran thin. When I start a project, I like to keep moving
and the frozen can just wasn’t doing it for me.
This is where I made my first mistake.
DO NOT under any circumstance put the frozen propellant can into a bowl
of hot, warm, or luke warm water. It’s
stamped right there all over the can, “Keep away from heat.” I however was in a hurry and dropped the
first small can smack dab into the middle of some fairly hot water. The can hissed, wiggled, and groaned as the
gas expanded inside. I snatched the can
quickly from the water and after the hissing noises vanished, decided to give
it another shot with the airbrush. I
lost about ¾’s of the can in the first blast and half the paint I had
mixed. Here’s the happy ending to this
story. I called DuraCoat and after some
muffled laughter they sent me another two cans of propellant the same day. I experimented a little bit and found that if
you use just some regular cold shallow water in a pan, enough to cover the
bottom, it keeps the can from freezing quickly and it won’t cause any
explosions what-so-ever. I do suggest
that you get a couple of cans to work with right from the start. Once that was figured out, it was not hard at all to
finish. Each time you finish a coat of
color, you wait until it sets and then add a set of templates. I finished the black, put on the blue templates
sprayed the next layer tan and after it set, I put more templates on and
sprayed the shotgun green. It takes some
time and a good eye to get the templates straight and in line with one
another. If you look closely, you can
see that mine isn’t perfect, but I think it looks great regardless. An afterthought was that I could have set a
laser level up to shine on the shotgun giving me a perfect line to follow. I’m also not sure what it takes to get the
template into a pattern or groove on a stock or grip while keeping it
straight. I guess time and experience
may be the key to that one. Here’s how I scored DuraCoat Ease of use – 4.0 of 5 Company Assistance - 5 of 5 Quality - 5 of 5 End Result - 4.5 of 5 In conclusion, I really enjoyed working with DuraCoat. I learned a few things, made some mistakes, and ended up with a beautiful shotgun in the end. My friends agree that it looks and feels fantastic. I would use this product again on another weapon in a minute. Just a few tips:
In reply to Patricks request, DuraCoat has replied and will include the following instruction in every Package: DuraCoat Instructions 1) Degrease As in all finishes, proper surface prep is important. To ensure proper adhesion of the finish, all parts must be clean. We recommend degreasing with ACN, NST or our favorite, TruStrip as they leave no residue and dry fast. A clean surface is critical to your success so be sure to be thorough. Take your firearm apart as much as you feel comfortable. Remember: As long as your firearm is clean and free of oil, DuraCoat will adhere no matter how little you disassemble. 2) Preparation Surfaces can be blasted with 60-120 grit aluminum oxide but it is not required. Parkerizing or anodizing is recommended but not required for metals prior to DuraCoat application. Both of these preparations give the DuraCoat something extra to hang on to and will improve the durability of the finish. 3) Finishing Plug or mask areas you don’t wish to coat. Both plugs and masking tape are available
from LCW. DuraCoat can be applied to
bare metals, plastics, synthetics, and wood. Once your preparation is complete, begin the finishing process by thoroughly mixing your DuraCoat. Shake the container for 3-4 minutes after hearing the rattling ball. DuraCoat must be mixed with DuraCoat hardener at the ratio of 12 parts DuraCoat to 1 part DuraCoat hardener. Adding more hardener makes a glossier finish. Less hardener makes a flatter finish Optimum DuraCoat Hardener Ratio: 1:12 (1 part hardener to 12 parts DuraCoat) The best way to combine hardener with DuraCoat using
measuring spoons is:
NOTE: Once DuraCoat is mixed with Hardener, there is only a 6-8 hour pot life. Applying DuraCoat: DuraCoat can be
applied by airbrush, conventional automotive spray gun, HVLP systems or airless
paint sprayer. Fill your sprayer and
you’re ready to begin. Test your spray gun by coating a test piece of metal or plastic. If your sprayer does not spray DuraCoat evenly, add DuraCoat reducer (up to 20% by volume), increase air pressure, or both. Adding DuraCoat Reducer:
WARNING: Only use DuraCoat Reducer. Do not use any other reducer as this will cause a chemical imbalance which will compromise the DuraCoat. Spraying DuraCoat:
The optimum thickness is 1mil. A thinner coating will be required on tight tolerance areas and a thicker coating can be applied to high wear areas. (High wear areas are parts which rub on vests, holsters and slings. These parts include corners, hand guards, safety switch, etc.) Drying Time: Dry to touch:
20
minutes You can speed up the drying process by baking. This is recommended if you are applying a camouflage finish. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 110°F between camo colors. If you choose not to bake allow 2 hours between colors. After final coat has been applied, air dry overnight. At this point, the finish is cured enough for
light use. The finish will fully cure in
a couple of weeks. Note: Maximum resistance to abrasion, impact, and chemicals is attained
in three to four weeks. You may
speed up the initial curing process by baking for 1 hour at 110°F. This is the
same as overnight air dry. Parts can be
baked in a conventional oven. A custom
oven is available from LCW. Caution: Some items cannot tolerate
110°F. Bake these parts at a lower temperature for an extended period of time. Clean Up: Clean your spray gun and containers with DuraCoat Reducer immediately after use. DuraCoat will harden inside your spray gun if it is not cleaned out. Note: Shelf life of DuraCoat is 18 months if stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. Shelf life of hardener is 6 months if stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. Shelf life of hardener can be extended to 12 months and beyond if placed in a zip lock bag and placed in a refrigerator. Do not store with food. In both cases, the container lids, rims, and threads must be thoroughly cleaned prior to sealing the container and the lids must be on tight. Visit www.lauerweaponry.com for more DuraCoat products. Call 1-800-830-6677 for technical assistance.
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