The original bluing is maybe 70% and the info I can find on Durabake claims you can apply directly over good bluing but is better to beadblast first. Without access to beadblasting, is it better to scuff or sand first or will it take to the bluing just fine?
How critical is major disassembly? I’m down to receiver barrel assembly but do I need to remove the front sight assembly, etc?
Are there any other tips or advice you can give me? This is my first try at this and any advice, no matter how simple is appreciated.
I haven’t used that specific product, but I wouldn’t remove the FSB or GB. If you paint the entire barrel, you’ll just have to scrape the paint off as you press the stuff back on… seems counterproductive.
The factory parks the individual pieces, installs the hardware onto the barrel, then paints it AFTER it’s all assembled (and it isn’t even super critical to get 100% - as an example, I got an unfired, numbers-matching Bulgarian AK74 kit; the FSB had a shadow where the paint missed).
Yes, I’ve used several different coatings before. What I’d recommend for most would be Alumahyde II. You don’t have to bake it but it’s tougher and better if you do (~200F for 5 hours or so–a faster alternative to air drying for a couple weeks).
Do you mean bluing or parkerizing? Only Yugo and Chicomm AK’s are blued.
In regards to surface prep, yes, bead blasting first is always the best option for consistency across materials but depending on the surface it isn’t always needed. I’ve AHII’d across many surfaces and not seen too terribly many problems.
No, only field stripping is required. No need to remove the FSB or any of that which requires a shop press.
With any coating I do have several tips:
-Degrease well
-Degrease again
-Don’t handle metal with bare hands after degreasing or you’ll end up with fingerprints on the finish (non-powdered gloves are usually fine).
-Gently heat items before you spray them either with an oven, heat gun, or hair dryer to ensure even coating.
-Small parts are easily baked in Goodwill toaster ovens, larger items will require fullsize ovens (and they’ll stink up the house for a while).
If you want to be really thorough, also consider the following
[ul]
[li]blast with aluminum oxide, not glass beads
[/li][li]parkerize it first, then degrease and coat over the park
[/li][/ul]
Do you mean bluing or parkerizing? Only Yugo and Chicomm AK’s are blued
Yes, mine is Chinese and it’s blued.
I’ve already got the Durabake because I bought it a year ago to use on another project which I sold before I refinished, so I’d like to use it unless it is a poor product and not recommended.
Being that it is blued, do I need to strip the bluing first or will a scuff with scotchbrite be sufficient? The Durabake instructions claim you can apply over good bluing, but I’m skeptical.
I understand that prep is key, so I’ll be careful with that, but blasting and parking then refinishing is more than I can realistically do on my own. Hence the reason I was willing to try the bake on type finishes.
Are they a poor choice? This is not a presentation piece, I just want to cover some areas where the blue is thinning to prevent rust. Improving aesthetics is really just a bonus.
There’s no problem with a baked-on finish. Just apply it over a decently prepared surface. Maybe poke around for a garage or auto skills center that will let you blast it. Media blast it, then degrease the heck out of it with trisodium phosphate and compressed air. Should be good to go then.
Brownells and MidwayUSA both have some how-to videos. It’s not really any trickier than painting a car or finishing wooden furniture.
