.50 cal paint

Gent

I need to repaint a replica .50. I was wondering for those of you that have a real .50. What spray paint comes closest to the real color? I know Irac Inc says they use Krylon Ultimate Flat Black. Also, is the color on a real .50 a flat color or more of a satin?

Also, for those of you that have gas replicas. How do these paints hold up. I noticed recently Krylon and Rustolium have come out with a new High Heat spray paint. Anyone used those?

Thanks

flat

Real M-2's have a phosphate finish usually referred as Parkerized. It is a really dark gray, almost black but no quite. It is very flat. High temp flat black has been around forever for grills, stoves and such.

The BBQ stove paint is as close as you're gonna get without parkerizing the .50. The parkerizing is so flat you can use some parts as sanding blocks, maybe 300 grit or so. But parkerizing costs a lot to have someone do it, and you can do it yourself, but it will stink up your house and you need stainless steel tanks to do the parking in, which aren't cheap. For a .50, parking would cost about $300 plus shipping, more if you do it yourself, since you have to buy a beadblast cabinet to strip all the old finish, and the stainless tank, and more tools, and parking salts, etc.

Just get the stuff and park it. I've done a few real 50's, other guns and parts. Its not that hard. Its just stuff in water. Bring it to a boil and toss it in. Just like what they do to Crabs. Let simmer and when you pull it out spray it down with JB 80. Dont foreget to sand blast.

Parkerizing only works on steel/iron not aluminum. Most replicas on the market have a lot of aluminum parts, which would have to be anodized for a similar finish.

My experience with barbeque black has been that it's kinda fragile until it's 'fired on'.
Krylon ultra-flat black will fade slightly over time to a lighter grey but is pretty durable once allowed to fully cure.

Parkerizing can be done at home if the parts are steel.
Birchwood Casey makes cold-bluing products including Aluminum Black. Follow the directions and bead blast or sand blast the parts first for a rougher surface. That'll give you a flater finish and one that's more durable.

Most real guns, once they're in service, aren't an even color for long, so slightly mismatched colors are just going to give it a more authentic look.

B3.3T,

Yeah your right. All of my M2 replicas are full steel and casting. I forgot about the ones with aluminum all over.

Cheers!

http://www.duracoat-firearm-finishes.com/ would be the best. It stands up well to abuse.

Does this help you any?

i would say go with the duracoat, ive used it on a couple of my AR15's and its tough as nails.

Most military guns are parkerized. It is a process where either zinc phosphate or manganese phosphate is deposited on the steel itself. The color can range from medium gray to flat black. But it will work ONLY on regular steel, not aluminum or stainless steel.


Go the cheap route and get flat black Rustoleum.

I refinish firearms for a living. For a replica, do what Dieselsmoke suggested and go the Duracoat route. Also try Brownells.com. They have a bake on style that is very durable to simulate the Parkerized finish.

Dieselsmoke said:

DuraCoat Firearm Finishes would be the best. It stands up well to abuse.

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I used Duracoat #6 Parker to finish some guns. Very easy to use. Very durable finish.

I think the #6 is a little lighter than real parkerizing, If I were trying to duplicate a parkerized finish I think I'd mix it with #4 Mat Black.

I'm kind of new around here and not sure about the rules on posting pictures of guns. If you want a picture of how they turned out PM me an e-mail address and I'll send them to you.

I have four active M2 ground guns and one active M3 aircraft gun along with several .30's. If you are wanting them to look like origonal WWII stuff they are going to have a green brown tint, but it you was a present type park color they are going to be a off black. I actually had all my guns parked at the same government contractor that does 90% of all the complete M2, M16, M134 for a major firearms contractor for the US military.. My guess is if you us a flat back spay paint, as stated above, you will be pretty close to current mil spec parking color....

Plus 2 for duracoat

All the .50s I dealt with when I was in the Army were more of a gray.