Powder Coating a Pistol?

[gdmoody]

Has anyone here ever done any Powder Coating on a pistol? How do you think it would work if you did it?

I recently bought a CZ-82 that is a little "rough around the edges" and I was just wondering how it would function with a powder coat finish. I know it would probably look good, and I could have a choice of colors (blue, green, red, yellow). Here is a link to the thread that shows how it looks now: http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=73087

My brother has all the stuff to do powder coating and he once did an old beat-up single shot shotgun and it came out pretty nice. I was just curious if the pistol would function properly afterwards. I know the shotgun did. This pistol shoots so good that I want to give it a new finish and was just thinking out loud.

[LDBennett]

There are a couple of problems.

First is that powder coating has a measurable thickness that might interfere with putting the gun back together and/or it operating freely.

Second is that powder coating is a plastic. Get it hot enough and it will burn or at least discolor.

Perhaps one of the coatings designed for gun use would be a better choice. Some are ceramic based. Checkout Brownells web page.

LDBennett

[USMCSpeedy]

You might want to try Duracoat instead. If done right, its a finish that will last a long time and isn't near as thick as powder coating. http://www.duracoat-finishes.com/

[Agentwil]

I really like Duracoat. Spend the money for the complete kit including the training DVD so it comes out like it's supposed to. I have seen some hack jobs so take your time if you plan on doing the job yourself.

[Helix_FR]

I have powder coated a couple guns. Only the slides and never anything internal. My BIL does it professionally (he does car parts) so it really turned out nice. LD is right, cleaning chemicals, and over heat will discolor Powder coat. You will never be able to melt it off but a overheat will break the bond to the metal and it will start to peel. I don't think the slide on a 82 will ever get that hot but cleaning chemicals will turn a gloss finish dull. The extractor slot will also become a problem area, there will be no way to keep the powder from entering that area. After its done curing you would have to clean out that area with a file and a dental pick. If you change your mind after powder coating, its a long hard task to remove it. You can't reheat it and wipe it off, once its cured, its cured. You would have to bead blast it. So what I'm saying is, if you do it, do it right and do it once, second chances in powder coating are time consuming and expensive.
DuraCoat too is a good option but bead blast before you put it on, the steel that CZ uses in its slides doesn't take well to bonding chemicals w/o some heat and some surface area to bite into.
I'm with ya on the poor finish on your CZ. I have a 83 that had blood pitting and pealing also. I blued mine (hot blue, cold blue doesn't take to well) to fix that uglyness. (I can send you a picture if you like to see what the blued slide and frame will look like).
Though your finish is rough, you'll find that the 82 is a sweet shooting pistol.
Good luck.

[gdmoody]

Helix, I would like to see a picture, you can PM it to me or just put it on this thread, thanks. My brother also powder coats car engine parts and I would think that a car engine would stay hotter longer than a pistol would. He did the heads and intake manifold on his race car a while back and they still look good;

USMC - thanks for that link. I had not even thought of Duracoat and with them I could still have my choice of colors. That John Deere Green and Yellow look good!! The slide green and the frame yellow - Yea, right!!

I think I will look into getting some gunsmith to do it for me as I am not very good at things like that.

Thanks to all of you for the comments.

[Helix_FR]

Your brother is right, it won't stay that hot so long plus depending on type of PC used (polyester, poly-hybrid, trucoat etc) you'll get different responses to heat. Most poly based coating won't respond to heat until they reach their original cure heat (around 400) but many go beyond that.
What on your CZ is so bad? Is it the slide or the whole thing?
I'll just post mine here. CZ steel back in the day (mine was made in 1982) yours is older, blues much like rugers blue now. Not true black, kinda have a slight purplish tint to them but it looks nice.

[Helix_FR]

Originally Posted by gdmoody

That John Deere Green and Yellow look good!! The slide green and the frame yellow - Yea, right!!


Thanks to all of you for the comments.

Believe it or not I have seen people post their duracoat jobs on other forums and wonder why no one responds when they ask "hey what do you think? I think it looks cool." Well maybe its b/c you successfully turned your handgun into a clown

[gdmoody]

That is a good looking gun, I truly like those wood grips. I am going to look into the Duracoat - in basic black!!

[davisdrafting]

Try Guncoat, its easy to use just clean, blast, clean, clean, clean, bake, spray and bake and your done! although it won't cover up any deep imperfections, unless you go super flat and texture it.

[wpage]

There are many options out there. Try brownells they have lots of choices...
www.brownells.com