The Icing on the Cake...(Paint)
 

Okay; so we've dressed up the Guns and added every managable aftermarket part now what??, Oh yeah gotta put a new coat of paint because we like transition of colors and dont have the money to afford Color molded parts that the actual Firearms companies are bombarding us with; or maybe you wanna give it that certain camo finish that will make everyone wanna drool so much they leave slug trails and are easier to shoot in the field.
So what is the most durable coating that will not rub off prematurly ?
I ran across a website awhile back when I was making Knives as a Hobby; I was looking for a Desert Tan and Green to apply to blades to give them a little more oomphh. They stated that this paint was more for guns as it dried with a more flexible hold and not stiff where abrasion and friction ( daily handling ) would cause it to wear off the high parts. Okay a Day late and a Dollar short ( I'm familiar to this song) , I did not mark it to my favorites folder. 8 months later I am here getting into Airsoft and looking at all the black guns leaves you a little "tired"; You see some of the Camo jobs using Canadian tire paint or Military surplus paint and see all the crap results where the high parts have worn down. What do you do, and what brand would you use??? I know alot of you have more expierience here so I will now shut up and try to learn something.................... :smack:

Honestly Krylon Camoflauge Systems Spraypaint does wonders, and generally speaking if you prep the AEG enough it will take longer for the pait to wear at contact points.

Some of us don't want to hide the exposure to experience. Some consider this 'realistic'. Not sure you can see touch up job's at 10 meters but then some guys out there eat more carrots than others...

Oh wait - are we talking about fielding painted AEG's in the field over long periods of time? I was under the impression that it's what your supposed to do after you paint it.

NO NO, Poncho, you've got it all wrong. You upgrade it, paint it, stick it in your guncase, stick the guncase in your closet, and sit on ASC talking about how nice your gun is.

Bearbait 37, no matter what you do, or how you paint it, if you actually use it, you WILL have paint wear.

nothing looks better than a nice worn in paint job :grin: :grin: :grin:

Silly question but where did you guys got your Krylon Camouflage paint ? I just dropped by Wal-Mart and they only had regular Krylon.

Try Canadian Tire. Thats where I bought my Krylon OD paint. You might also want to check out Le Baron, I believe they also sell camo paints (not Krylon though).

Calisse! All those years now i've wasted...help me get them back, padre...

Don't forget guys - base layer of Tan first before the OD. Light to Dark!

Since I spend my days in a paint booth, I should really add that Krylon Tan is NOT a susbstitute for a primer. A proper primer preps the surface and greatly reduces chiping.

Sand
clean
prime
light dusting of tan (as poncho says, it really helps to bring out the OD)
olive drab coating

for a flatter look, spray your final OD from far away, like really far. The paint particles will slightly dry before they hit the part, greatly reducing gloss.

Guys I'm not trying to start a "Who-uses-their-AEG-the-most" argument here; i'm trying to learn as I go along with your expieriences as well as mine; bad or good comments aside; My AEG has never spent a day in its case but I am also not a Hardcore either. If I remember correctly I saw the Paintjobs at the 2006 Shotshow and the guns used were of the AR family ; I will check out their website again after I get out of this forum; Hopefully get a chance to get out and meet you all one day soon; Thanks Again ................

Okay found it, The place is "Predator Custom" and the coating type is called Duracoat, there are also Teflon coatings for your metal parts; this should take care of the high spots and contact points

I just finished pating my gun well not the gun since I ran out of tan paint but the accessories and what I did after applying my tan base is sprayed the OD from about 2 feet away so it would simply darken the shade. After that was done I did some OD stripes on top and the final result is perfect.

Just need to let it dry for a while now and get some more tan so I can finish the gun itself, some pics will be posted when it's done and whenever I can find the time to take good pics.

Droc: Thanks for the tip; however on the Primer issue, do you use the type sold from Auto paint shops or the regular generic brand from say "Canadian Tire"?

I make my own.
But if your after the best end product, then yah, UAP NAPA sells some acceptable ones. I suggest the two part ones(main + activator) and run through a spray gun, but thats not something everyone can do(though not impossible. Some discount automotive places sell compessors damm cheap...Same with spray guns. For this kind of stuff, you dont need a $700 spray gun, heck, I picked up a spare gun for $40 from princess auto, they arnt the best, but they work...I have seen half-decent airbrushes for $20. Its not needed, but its one of these things that once yo get, you'll find all kinds of thing to paint with it).
You should be fine with automotive primer from canadian tire. But if your painting a metal body, make sure you use a metal primer, if your using a plastic body, use a plastic primer. I highly suggest Dupont primers and paints.

If its a high solid primer, a quick run with fine steel wool after it dries helps.

I clean before priming. Usually with pure methel hydrate...and watch your fingers. Human oil is a bitch and can mess with spraying, so handel your parts with gloves.

but thats just me. I spray professionally, so little things that matter to me, you'll prolly never notice. Many get excellent results with plain cheap spray paint.

At $5 a can for the Krylon Camo - how can you go wrong. $20 after taxes get's you 3 colors that you can do a shitload with. I suggest yellow as well; Testors or Tamiya model spray paints work well.

A coat of clear matte preserves the job well too.