Ok so I’m debating on just taking this back to all black…but before I do that I was hoping that one of you artistically inclined folks could possibly throw out some suggestions on how to cover/unfuq this before I go through all that pain. Thanks for the input in advance…
S/F,
Nick
PS for the record I didn’t realize the paint was gonna turn out as light as it did plus my wife got into helping me with it and when I realized I didn’t like it I didn’t want to say anything…:help:
Usually paint cans say, after an hour, you have to wait 24 hours to apply another coat, so why not just paint over with another color?
Or you can hose it down with brake cleaner or something, then respray it or keep it black.
What color did you use, and what kind of paint?
Why not leave that as a base coat and add other colors to it? I would pick colors and a pattern that I wanted to try out and go for it.
The color is different but not bad.
Strippers may leave some in cracks and crevices. At this point you may be better off just hitting it with a can of black of the same brand. You have a good base for just going about any color otherwise. Have you thought about any other colors? At least it won’t be as hot in the sunshine;) I’d just spray it again with flat tan or brown of same brand.
Does your wife like it?
+1 on this, you have a pretty good start for a kick-ass camo job with that base color. You do not have to be an artist to do a decent camo paint job, and you’re already over the biggest hurdle, which is bringing yourself to spray painting you rifle in the first place.
That color looks like it will be an excellent base-coat for whatever comes next. All is not lost. Do and learn.
Check out the refinishing thread on TOS under armory. There are some awesome examples of rattle can jobs and sponge techniques.
I too, suck at arts & crafts. That’s why I went cerakote on a 1911 and an AR. It cost a little more, but it saved a lot on the “aggravation factor.”
I’m with everyone else, just do a nice multi-camo paint job on it. Put a few shades of tan and brown and maybe another green, and it will look very nice.
That’s what I was kinda leaning towards was laying another coat on, but I didn’t really know what would look “good” over the top of it. If you guys could throw out specific brands/colors it would be appreciated. I have no eye for this kind of thing. Thanks again for everyone’s input.
Something along the ‘Lueopold Brown’ would look good on there. It’s a dark brown color. I’m unsure as to what the Krylon version is as I use Duracoat on all my stuff.
Without knowing what type of paint you used, it’s difficult to recommend something. You don’t want to mix paint types- don’t try to paint over enamel with acrylic and vise versa.
Simply get paints of the same brand you previously used and go to town. I’d get at least one shade of green lighter and one darker. Mist the lighter green from the bottom and the darker green from the top. Blend the shades together. Keep the patches large and round and the coats thin. Don’t be afraid to paint a layer over a layer. I call it my “Wolf Pattern” because wolves are light colored on the belly and darker on the back. Here’s a couple of rifles I did in browns
This is just one way to fix your paint job. There are many others. Go to the “Painted AR” sticky in the Custom Build Forum for inspiration
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?5102-Painted-AR-s-show-em-off!
You don’t need to make it fancy or use a complicated pattern. Myself, I like the simple ones best
I have not used the sponge techniques, but I’ve painted a few guns. I’ve only used Krylon, they make a decent assortment of colors, I can’t speak about other brands. I do not try to duplicate any specific pattern, because I, too suck at arts & crafts, so I’m just looking to break up the outline with natural colors. 3 colors is a good start, a tan, a brown, and a green. More colors/shades make it better, IMHO. I’ll try to get photos to download of my 870, it’s the only gun I still have that I’ve painted.
I’ll tell you what I do, but this is all stuff I got from articles & the internet. Don’t worry about screwing up, if you really do, you can paint over everything & start again.
Start with a light color base layer like you have. Pick colors that match the environment you’ll be in, or what you think looks cool, it’s your gun. I use stencils cut from cardboard, & mesh. The carboard stencils do not lay flat, which gives a “blurry” edge to the shapes, which adds to the camo effect. I cut a lot of stencils, some with tiger stripe style lines, some with GI woodland style shapes, some with starburst shapes, anything will work. Variety is important. Use the stencils to put color patches on the base layer. You can overlap the stencilling for a “busier” camo.
The mesh is used in the final steps to take away sharp lines & blend colors. Use it anywhere on the gun to add color & minimize lines & large solid color patches.
A “mist coat” can be applied at the very end by holding the can about 12" away from the gun, this again reduces sharp lines. It will produce a “spotty” effect, but the spots will be very tiny. I prefer a lighter color for the mist coat, as I usually end up with more dark color that I want. If your camo is looking too light, you could use a darker color to make it more to your liking.
You have a light color base coat, which is good. It’s easier to go with a dark color on top of a light color, not so much the opposite. Keep that in mind when applying colors.
+1 for Mistwolf. Lots of good ideas and instruction in the Painted AR’s subsection. Aervoe paint is also a good choice.
Ah, it’s cute!
(That’s what your wife was going for, right?)
I think it would be a good base for multicam, AOR pattern or maybe some kryptek type pattern.
A can of Tan, maybe a can of brown paint. Never get closer than 15" to the rifle - the spatter coat you’ll get will end up working really awesome - you can combine that with some masking to get some patterns, but even the diffuse patterns and up looking really good at distance and up close.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get some paint this weekend and I give it a whack I think ive got some good ideas now…thanks guys!
Yup. Aervoe works nicely. For the below, I sprayed 8-10" wide bands of color over the entire weapon. Then I used other colors sprayed onto cotton balls to blot the weapon for accent colors. If it helps, take a look at Multicam, or some other camo pattern that you like. Use it as a rough outline if you are having a hard time figuring out where to dab or how to get started.
