Richard in LA
Mag Whore
So I picked up a dozen 20 round AR mags that were in well used shape today, and decided to try my hand at refinishing them with Dry-Film moly, and take some pictures of how I went about doing it. I Didn't get a good picture of the overall condition of the mags, as I was disassembling them on the ride home from the store.
I found the CRC Dry Moly Aerosol lubricant at the Grainger store in Geismar, and it was $9.40 O.T.D. It can be found online, but there is a hazmat fee associated with shipping it, making it close to $25 or so if you only get one can. A word of caution, this stuff STINKS, it is very strong, and I would HIGHLY recommend against using it inside your home. I also used Acetone, a couple scotch brite pads, and some steel wool during the process.
First step was to disassemble the magazines, and scrub the magazine bodies in hot soapy water to get all the crud out of and off of them. The mag at the top is a Colt in very nice condition, used as a "control" to see the difference in the final results.
after drying off the mag bodies, I then (with appropriate chemical gloves) scrubbed them with 0000 steel wool soaked in acetone to remove any of the old dry film that wasn't adhered very well, along with any oil/grease. after they had dried, I wiped them down with a paper towel that was damp with acetone, and placed them on the newspaper to dry.
I followed the directions on the can, and sprayed thin, even coats from 8-10" over all the magazine bodies on one side. I put 2 coats on each side, before flipping over to do the other side.
After first coat:
2nd coat while still wet. I started to get upset when I first sprayed it on, as it was really dark, splotchy, and funny looking, but after the carrier dries, it lightens up in color, and evens out.
2nd coat dried:
the alloy followers were in pretty crummy shape, so I tossed them in my brass tumbler as it was sitting right there on the bench, and they came out nice and cleaned. I wiped them down with acetone as well before spraying to remove any grease/oils.
most of the information I have read about the dry film moly, says to bake/heat it after it dries for about an hour @150-200 degrees. This stuff STINKS, and there is no way in heck I'd bring it in my house, and put it in the oven, so next best thing was the top rack of the BBQ pit. I covered the rack wtih Aluminum foil, spread the mag bodies and coated followers out on it for about 30 minutes or so, flipping them a couple times.
after removing the parts from the heat and letting them cool, all that is left is to re-assemble them, and buff out any overspray or spots.
Close up of finished mag
and a comparison of the finishes on the Old 70's era Colt from 1st pic, brand new NHMTG/Colt 20 round Dry film, and the refinished mags.
I also sprayed a 30 round mag that had NO dry film left on it, in fact it was all gold anodizing. I did not clean it, or heat it, rather use it as a guinea pig to see if all the prep work is just overkill or not.
I found the CRC Dry Moly Aerosol lubricant at the Grainger store in Geismar, and it was $9.40 O.T.D. It can be found online, but there is a hazmat fee associated with shipping it, making it close to $25 or so if you only get one can. A word of caution, this stuff STINKS, it is very strong, and I would HIGHLY recommend against using it inside your home. I also used Acetone, a couple scotch brite pads, and some steel wool during the process.
First step was to disassemble the magazines, and scrub the magazine bodies in hot soapy water to get all the crud out of and off of them. The mag at the top is a Colt in very nice condition, used as a "control" to see the difference in the final results.
after drying off the mag bodies, I then (with appropriate chemical gloves) scrubbed them with 0000 steel wool soaked in acetone to remove any of the old dry film that wasn't adhered very well, along with any oil/grease. after they had dried, I wiped them down with a paper towel that was damp with acetone, and placed them on the newspaper to dry.
I followed the directions on the can, and sprayed thin, even coats from 8-10" over all the magazine bodies on one side. I put 2 coats on each side, before flipping over to do the other side.
After first coat:
2nd coat while still wet. I started to get upset when I first sprayed it on, as it was really dark, splotchy, and funny looking, but after the carrier dries, it lightens up in color, and evens out.
2nd coat dried:
the alloy followers were in pretty crummy shape, so I tossed them in my brass tumbler as it was sitting right there on the bench, and they came out nice and cleaned. I wiped them down with acetone as well before spraying to remove any grease/oils.
most of the information I have read about the dry film moly, says to bake/heat it after it dries for about an hour @150-200 degrees. This stuff STINKS, and there is no way in heck I'd bring it in my house, and put it in the oven, so next best thing was the top rack of the BBQ pit. I covered the rack wtih Aluminum foil, spread the mag bodies and coated followers out on it for about 30 minutes or so, flipping them a couple times.
after removing the parts from the heat and letting them cool, all that is left is to re-assemble them, and buff out any overspray or spots.
Close up of finished mag
and a comparison of the finishes on the Old 70's era Colt from 1st pic, brand new NHMTG/Colt 20 round Dry film, and the refinished mags.
I also sprayed a 30 round mag that had NO dry film left on it, in fact it was all gold anodizing. I did not clean it, or heat it, rather use it as a guinea pig to see if all the prep work is just overkill or not.
