ar15 rattle can paint, prep, and stencil questions

[Bajchi]

i want to do a camo on some of my ar15s and am too poor for cerakote or the like but the last time i rattle canned my ar and tried to stencil it it tore the paint off
i prepped with brake cleaner which was a good time for other reasons but none the less the paint didnt stick to the anything once i used a stencil it tore right off with it
i was using some high temp engine paint

i my wife has one of those vinyl cutters that you can use to cut designs and it has a stencil specific material that doesnt seem to stick that aggressively

i wanted to know what paint other people are using and how they the prep for rattle can and how if at all you around a stencell tearing your paint off or any other general pointers

[dwcopple]

Hose the gun with brake clean. No more touching. Gloves only. Rustoleum camo and krylon work equally well. Spray and wait, spray and wait. Easy as pie. I paint A LOT. Never had an issue.

[Bajchi]

are the polymers safe to spray? magpul or mft and the like

[dwcopple]

Yep, hose em down. Non-chlorinated

[dice]

I clean with denatured alcohol. It's a little less harsh on pretty much every surface, and cleans just as well. Never had any issues with paint sticking.


Dice

[elwarpo]

Brake cleaner is not the best choice as it will damage plastic and leave a residue. 90% rubbing alcohol works better and is much less toxic and can be used on metal and plastic.

Did you read the instructions on the rattle can label? All paints have a recoat window. It is usually listed as recoat before x hours or after x days. If the paint is partially cured and you spray a new coat on the solvent will attack and weaken the coat below it and you lose adhesion.

I always recommend a primer, for plastic parts, remove them and spray with plastic adhesion promoter. You find this at auto parts stores to prime plastic bumpers. It is designed to stick to plastic and for paint to stick to it. For metal parts, a primer is also recommended as most paints can not stick to the anodized finish. The other option for metal parts to help mechanical adhesion (versus chemical adhesion of some primers) is to rough up the surface (by hand) with a bit of 600-800 grit sandpaper. Do not use lower grit sandpaper as the gouges will be too thick for the paint to hide. This is just a light sanding to rough it up, not to remove the finish. Wash with alcohol afterwards to remove dust and other contaminants.

The key to a good paint job is surface preparation. The prep should take much longer than the actual painting.

[dirtmcgirt76239]

try the krylon fusion its for wood, metal, plastic everything, it holds better on plastic where old style stuff flakes off.

I have not done a gun, but have sprayed plenty of plastics with it, and metal with good results.

[Blue XJ]

I painted my 80% with a rattle can, I scuffed the surface first with a scotch brite pad, then wiped down with rubbing alcohol. I warmed the lower with a heat gun, and then used self etching primer, I let that dry for the time stated on the can, and then used BBQ paint for the top coat, it suggests baking it to cure it, I just left it out in the sun on a sunny day to cure. I've used it a few times and cleaned it a few times after and it's holding up just fine.

[dirtmcgirt76239]

Brake cleaner is not the best choice as it will damage plastic and leave a residue. 90% rubbing alcohol works better and is much less toxic and can be used on metal and plastic.

Did you read the instructions on the rattle can label? All paints have a recoat window. It is usually listed as recoat before x hours or after x days. If the paint is partially cured and you spray a new coat on the solvent will attack and weaken the coat below it and you lose adhesion.

I always recommend a primer, for plastic parts, remove them and spray with plastic adhesion promoter. You find this at auto parts stores to prime plastic bumpers. It is designed to stick to plastic and for paint to stick to it. For metal parts, a primer is also recommended as most paints can not stick to the anodized finish. The other option for metal parts to help mechanical adhesion (versus chemical adhesion of some primers) is to rough up the surface (by hand) with a bit of 600-800 grit sandpaper. Do not use lower grit sandpaper as the gouges will be too thick for the paint to hide. This is just a light sanding to rough it up, not to remove the finish. Wash with alcohol afterwards to remove dust and other contaminants.

The key to a good paint job is surface preparation. The prep should take much longer than the actual painting.

The clear adhesion promoter works great. Fixed many plastic car parts over the years with that.