# Best rattle can



## poolecw (Oct 19, 2013)

What is the preferred rattle can to use?  I've got an old Marlin 795 that is starting to rust up.  I want to give it a digital camo job so that I can gain some experience with technique before moving on to a digital camo job on my XD45 using duracoat or ceracoat.  its just going to be a guinea pig.

While I'm not expecting long term durability, I do want to use the better of the common rattle can brands.


----------



## wareagle700 (Oct 19, 2013)

Brownells Gun Kote is the toughest rattle can I have used. Its does require baking though.

Brownells Alumahyde II is tough also if you prep your parts and let it cure right.


----------



## jglenn (Oct 20, 2013)

I've grown to like Alumahyde quite a bit. If I'm going to bake a finish then it's cerakote ( but that is not a spray can application)

if you let Alunahyde II sit for a couple of weeks you'll be happy with its durability


----------



## Stroker (Oct 28, 2013)

I've done several old rifles and a shotgun. I scuff everything with 00 steel wool and degrease everything with denatured alcohol. Next I put down several light coats and one final heavy coat of flat black 1600 degree engine paint as a base. I use  Rustoleum exterior for my final finish with color choices determined by firearm use. Mother nature provides me with the templates for the leaves and such. I'm sure someone sells templates for the digital pattern you desire. Take you time to allow the paint to dry between coats and plan out your next step or template layout/location. It usually takes me 2 or 3 weeks(part time) to complete one firearm, but everyone who sees them thinks they look great and are professionally done.


----------



## getaff (Jun 6, 2016)

Is the Rust o Leum any good or Krylon?  I priced the Aluma Hyde and that is some expensive stuff.  Almost 70 for a project


----------



## roperdoc (Jun 22, 2016)

I have used the rustoleum on a couple of 870s for deer and duck hunting. Clean them well and wipe down with a degreaser before painting . Neither gun has been babied, and after several years they have not required a touchup. The rustoleum multicolor in sandstone or grey work well in conjunction with their camo colors and give a textured grip.


----------



## Big7 (Jun 22, 2016)

http://www.bing.com/search?q=MSC+SU...=&ghc=1&cvid=66775B53C88C4B2CB9D5C2CBF2402909

Hammer finished paint. don't need cooking and covers a lot of flaws and dings.

This micrometer from my set is 30+ years old.
They have been used in a shop environment that long.
Not a scratch.
You can see the hammer finish and you can
get just about any color you want.


----------



## GLS (Jun 23, 2016)

I have used Rustoleum rattle-can and Duracoat Shake and Spray two part kit. Don't sell rattle-can spray jobs short.  They can be durable if properly applied and far easier to repair than any other coating.  Key is preparation, metal etching primer, and keep your hands off for a month until it cures.  Here are some tips I found from a body shop painter.  
This is a good place to repost this info from a professional painter and his advice on rattle-can jobs.    The big points are attention to preparation and allowing the paint to cure for at least a month (if you can) before use.  Here’s what he had to say:
"Thanks for answering my question and I'll explain why I asked you. I'm a bodyman/painter by trade, I've been doing it for about 20 years. I've mainly made my living doing custom work like airbrushing, handlettering, pinstriping and graffics. Bikes, brain buckets, boats, etc. I experimented A LOT with different types of paints over the years for different types of appilcations. I'm telling this about myself so you don't think I'm some Joe-Blow giving bad advise about paint, which I see plenty of on this forum. So when ever I see someone having a paint related problem, I usually like to chime in and give my two bits.

I've never used Rustoluim BBQ paint myself, but what happened to your paint job I don't really think can be blamed on the paint itself. I'm assuming that the BBQ paint is probably an enamel based product and when it was fully dried it would have stood up to giving it a quick wipe down with oil. I think you just did it too soon, the oil started breaking down the paint and interrupted the drying/curing process. That's probably why it continued to leave black on your hands for days after.

I'll give you guys a little painting 101. There basically two types of paint out there, one-part and two-part paints. One part-paint is a paint that dries through evaporation; the one-part means there is nothing to add to it, the one-part is the paint itself. Two-part paints cure through a chemical reaction, they have to have an activator(also known as hardener or catalyst) to make them cure. The first-part is the paint and the second-part is the activator. One-part and two-parts apply to all paints weather it is latex, laquer, enamels, urethanes or epoxys. Two-part paints with be more durable in the long run and will be highly solvent resistant compared to one-part paints. Notice I said one dries and one cures...

But not everyone wants or is going to spray two part-paints, esp when spray bombs are quick, easy and cheap. But I'll give you guys a few pointers to make spray bomb paint fairly durable. 

I noticed a few people were saying that Rusty brand BBQ scratches easily and flakes off. I'm guessing people are spraying it over bare metal, even if the directions say you can, it's probably not a good idea. As far a I know, there is no true DTM(direct to metal) paint on the market in a spray can. You have to get into two-part paints for a true DTM paint, even then it's not always 100% it's not going to flake off. Check out local auto-body supply stores and look for metal-etching primer in the spray can, it's usually farily cheap and it goes a long way.

Here are some simple steps to make sure your paint job will turn out great.

1-Degrease. Do this as many times as nessecary, also never let the degreaser dry. Wipe the excess off or blow off with compressed air.
2- Scuff/sand areas really well.
3-Blow off with compressed air; if you don't have an air compressor, compressed air in a can works very well(the stuff from computer stores).
4-Tack surface
5-Etch prime all bare metal.
6-Spray paint according to diections.
7-Let it become dry to the touch.

The last step is the hardest step of all, but simply put...KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF IT FOR 2-3 WEEKS, even better a month. I know this part is espially hard when you just got done building your new gun. Even two-part paints take 3-4 weeks to FULLY cure. I like to paint snowmobile hoods during the summer and bike tanks during the winter, it gives the paint time to fully cure and give the customer their moneys worth. But it is the hardest thing to get through to my customers; when it gets all nice and warm, that's when everyone wants their bikes painted."
Gil


----------



## Steve762us (Jun 24, 2016)

Gooooooood info, GLS!


----------

