Painting my M&P frame

[czar]

I thinking about painting my M&P frame in OD Green. Have anybody done this before that might have some tips to pass along? Or some pics? Thanks for the help.

 

[SpeedRacer]

What type of finish? Duracoat? Or do you actually mean paint?

On a side note...I too really wish S&W would make the M&P in OD green.

 

[czar]

Options? Duracoat, water-based Gunkote, Krylon?

 

[Guate_shooter]

KG Gunkote, there was a post of a similar topic not long ago about the best finish available.

Are you planning on sending it out to get done or doing it yourself, also are you refering to the slide or polymer frame?????????????????

attached is my mossberg 500c in kg od and my Stag Arms AR with the same paint on.

 

[czar]

the polymer frame. Try to do myself.

 

[Guate_shooter]

Well dont use KG then its only for metal, you can use either cerakote or duracoat, they can both be aplied to plastics, they are air dried but you can get the drying process faster by using a conventional stove oven at room temperature for a few hrs, its safe and wont mess the shape of it.

 

[rockmup]

duracoate also makes either a paint or a base specifically for polymers now too.
Make a stand for your frame out of wood. Put it in the over at 200* for 2hrs and you could be shooting in another Hr.

Good luck

 

[On Target Guns]

DuraCoat is the easiest product to use for thedo-it-yourselfer. It is a two part catalyzed finish. Imagine an epoxy that needs a hardner. It comes in many colors and in standard or SL (self-lubricating) form. You just need the standard formula for plastics and it's a little cheaper than SL. The downside to DuraCoat is the curing time. After 24 hours, the item can be reassembled and shot. You just can't put it through any extreme use (which means just about anyway in which you might want to use your gun) because the finish is still soft and can be damaged easily. Putting the item in an oven only speeds up drying time, but it doesn't do much for the rate at which the coating cures. There is a big difference between the two. DuraCoat is an excellent coating for plastics, but not so much for rubber. It reaches full cure somewhere between 3 to 6 weeks. It all depends on climate it seems and if you mixed the right amount of hardener.
KG's Stock Kote is an awesome product with rapid curing time and geat looks. The downside for KG air cure products is the complexities involved in getting it right. It is very tempermental and will run easily. There are ways we've learned in our shop to enhance the outcome. Proper prep is essential. I will tell you one thing for sure... it is tough when done right. I did an AK-47 for display at the gun shows. I did the rubber pistol grip and vertical foregrip in DuraCoat... it failed almost immediately on the rubber. No matter what we tried the rubber grip was like a no-stick frying pan for the DuraCoat. I got pissed and prepped the two grips again and pulled out the one bottle of KG Stock Kote that I had left...PURPLE!!! I shot the grips purple and put 'em back on the AK. Once my order came I wanted to bring the purple grips back to normal and give the rifle a more tactical look. I tried to sandblast the purple KG off, but couldn't. Just to see what it could take... I turned up the pressure to 95 psi and hit it with aluminum oxide. Still...NOTHING!!! The purple KG laughed at my futile efforts. With the dulled down surface, I shot the black Stock Kote on top of the purple and it stuck like hell to it. The grips still looked new to the day I got rid of it.
Cerakote's air cure line works well with plastics too. It gives plastic a factory look. It is easier to apply than KG, but it smells like fifty-five gallons of cat **** spilled all over the shop. Don't get too close to the open jar. Wear an approved respirator just to pour it and make sure you spray with the mask on too. This is very bad chemicals, so wear gloves too. It has a very different look than KG, but I think they are close in the happiness factor. It also requires more prep and is not so forgiving to the do it at home guy.
DuraCoat is the most at home user friendly product. It doesn't stink up the place and doesn't require as much prep. You can scuff up the surface and practically start applying. Of course you still have to degrease the gun you're doing. You can use non chlorinated brake parts cleaner for degreasing before spraying the DuraCoat. You can also spray it with a hobby airbrush. The other coatings like HVLP guns and have lots of wasted product blown away. DuraCoat in an airbrush goes a long way. Practice 1st with needle depth and pressure setting within spec while spraying a piece of test material. How you spray it (and this goes for all coatings) distance, speed, angle, and pressure...can make are break your results. Practice first and you won't be sorry. Check out my website for a lot of pics showing different coatings on different guns.