Refinishing Procedures
Pretreatment: All Metals
The surface of the parts to be coated should be clean and free of any oils, solvents, etc. Best adhesion is a freshly abrasive blaster surface using 60 to 90 grit aluminum oxide at 60 to 80 psi. Best cleaning methods appear to be soap and water; however, a chemical cleaning with MEK, acetone, etc. is also acceptable. The dullest finish for each color is achieved by abrasive blasting before coating. This will give the best coat bonding and adhesion, as well as, uniform texture. Sandblasting removes minor scratches and metal surface imperfections. You may have varied adhesion results over a blued finish as some are too smooth to allow proper adhesion. If you rough up or totally remove the blued finish with sandpaper, you may have acceptable adhesion. Chrome or nickel-plated parts should always be abrasive blasted for best adhesion. After sandblasting, rinse parts off with soap and water to remove sand dust and oil from the air compressor. In regard to air pressure used to abrasive blast the metal, use low pressure of 40 to 50 psi for aluminum and 60 to 80 psi on steel. For steel that is rusted, you may need to boost the pressure to 100+ psi.
Application Procedures (except AIR DRY Moly Resin): All Metals
After sand blasting and cleaning, the part(s) should be preheated in an oven long enough to get the parts to a temperature of about 100 f. Shake the bottle very well to remove all residue from the bottom of the bottle. Remove parts from the oven and lightly spray Moly Resin™ on the part(s) through an airbrush. Apply the coating from numerous angles and directions. Several light fog passes are more preferable than attempting to coat the part in one heavy coat. When warm parts are sprayed the liquid solvent will immediately be evaporated upon contact resulting in a very consistent finish. If parts cool down during spraying, you may return the partially sprayed part(s) to the oven for preheating back to 100 f. For a more dull or flat appearance, the parts may be pre-heat up to 300 f, however, this is not advisable with the semi-gloss black product unless a flat appearance is desired. The best semi-gloss appearance is achieved by pre-heating no warmer than 100 F. Please note that the temperature catalyst in the Moly Resin line of products is set to start the curing process at a temperature that is not harmful to aluminum, steel, other metals and many plastics. Springs are not annealed (softened) at temperatures of 300 f or less.
Curing Procedures (except AIR DRY Moly Resin): All Metals
After part(s) are coated with Moly Resin™ they should be cured in the oven at 300 F. for one hour. Heating metal firearm parts to 300 f. will not harm them. Please note that Moly Resin is not a paint and unless heated will dry but not harden. Parts should be coated in light oil immediately after cured and cooled. The oil will improve the appearance of the dry cured coating and prevent marks, etc. from occurring when handling newly cured parts for assembly.
AIR DRY Application and Curing Procedures:
The AIR DRY Moly Resin coating has a catalyst that is cured by oxygen rather than heat. It is designed to be used on stocks, scopes, plastics, and any part that you are concerned would be damaged by the 300 F. temperature needed for curing
the thermally cured Moly Resin coatings. The coating is not suitble for barrels, receivers and other large metal parts. Prep the parts to be coated with AIR DRY Moly Resin the same as the standard thermally cured coatings. You will also spray the same way too except you may create the sheen you want by the preheat temperature.
Glossy - Do not preheat and spray the part at room temperature in medium to heavy passes.
Semi-Gloss - Preheat the part to 100 to 120 degrees F. and spray in medium passes.
Flat - Preheat the part to 140 to 160 degrees F and spray in light fog passes.
It will be dry to touch in about 30 to 45 minutes and dry throuhout in 90 minutes. Maximum hardness is acheived after several hours. You can accelerate the curing process with a little low heat, if you like. Air Dry Moly Resin is water based so you may thin and clean up with water when needed.
Pretreatment, Application and Curing of Plastics.
A variety of plastic parts are currently being used on firearms. Some for merely cosmetics reasons and others for weight reduction, toughness, or simply ease of manufacturing. Although these plastic parts do not rust, they may become discolored or scratched. In addition, they may not match the other parts of the firearm exactly in color. For example, the Colt M-16/AR-15 stocks are fiberglass with a black coating. If you scratch through the black coating the light colored fiberglass will show. If you want a perfect match of color between metal parts and plastic parts, Moly Resin™ has been formulated to adhere and cure on most plastics. Plastics that are unsuitable are clearly those that will melt, soften, or otherwise be damaged due to the curing temperatures needed to harden the Moly Resin. This is the risk you take in heating the plastic. You may wish to use the new AIR DRY Moly Resin to avoid possible damage due to heat. Some plastic parts will have the mold release agent still on them. The Air Dry coting will not adhere in thse instances. The release agent may not be removed by the use of soap or other chemicals to dissolve it and remove it. One removal process that has been reported that is successful is to burn the release agent off of the plastic with a small propane torch.
Refinishing Tips
Heat:(except AIR DRY Moly Resin): Preheating your part(s) before spraying will eliminate the possibility of runs. If you do have runs or "wet spots" instead of a dry smooth appearance when spraying, you are either spraying too close to your part(s), your part has cooled down, or you are spraying too much Moly Resin™ on the part(s). It should be noted that Moly Resin™ can be sprayed on parts at room temperature (no preheating) and then cured at 300f. If you do not preheat, you may find that you get what are called "fish eyes" in the paint industry. Fish eyes are very small spots that do not allow the spray to cover the metal and are usually caused by oils, silicones, or other impurities on the metal surface. Preheating allows the resin to cover these impurities.
Airbrush:
The best sprayer for Moly Resin™ will be an inexpensive external mix airbrush. They usually run from $15 to $50. and can be found at discount stores and hobby shops and are powered by a aerosol can of air, air tank, spare tire, or air compressor. The external mix airbrush mixes the air and Moly Resin™ on the outside of the airbrush. External airbrushes are much easier to clean than internal mix airbrushes. In addition, internal airbrushes are usually more expensive. A Badger Model 350 airbrush is an excellent choice at your local hobby shop.
Adhesion:
Failure to adhere to surface when cured is due to insufficient shaking, incorrect curing temperature, using glass beads, the presence of grease, oil, or spraying over an existing finish not suitable for adhesion.
Clean Up:
After spraying, run acetone or MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) through the airbrush to clean the tip. Acetone and MEK can be purchased at your local hardware stores or solvent supply houses. Do not run "rubbing alcohol" through your airbrush to clean it or use it to dilute or thin Moly Resin™ . Rubbing alcohol has 10% to 30% water added for medicinal purposes. Do not mix or clean your airbrush with any solvent that has water. The water will immediately react with uncured Moly Resin™ making it hard to remove from the airbrush. AIR DRY Moly Resin is water based and may be cleaned up and diluted with water.
Thinning:
Moly Resin™ may be thinned, diluted or cleaned up with MEK. Thinning is normally only needed if the lid on the bottle is left off allowing the liquid solvent to evaporate, however, you may leave the lid off the bottle if you wish to thicken the solution. AIR DRY Moly Resin is water based and may be diluted and cleaned up with water.
Agitation:
It is very important that every time you use Moly Resin™ to first vigorously shake the bottle until all residue is off the bottom. The residue is the lubricants and color/tinting agents. Failure to shake properly will produce inconsistent coloration, clumping, and clogging of the air brush.. If you have any clumps that are not broken up by shaking, you may strain the coating through a standard paper paint filter funnel. Straining the coating through a paint filter is especially useful with the Stainless Steel Moly Resin as the powered metal tends to clump if not aggressively agitated.
Touch Up:
Moly Resin™ may be applied over an existing cured Moly Resin™ finish. Cured parts or complete firearms may be retouched by simply wiping the surface with alcohol, acetone, etc., preheating, and applying Moly Resin™ very lightly with an airbrush over any marred or scratched surfaces. Cure at 300 f. for one hour for thermally cured Moly Resin.
Color Match:
Moly Resin™ colors may be mixed together to create the perfect shade for your project. Due to the variance in factory Colt color shades, it is usually easier to refinish the entire firearm rather than experiment with blending.
Rusted and Pitted Parts:
There is no chemical reaction required between the metal and Moly Resin™ for it to adhere as required with blues, parkerizing, anodizing, plating, etc; therefore, Moly Resin™may be applied over rusted or pitted areas that have been cleaned and filled by soldering, brazing, etc.
Firearm Disassembly:
Moly Resin™ may be used for cosmetic refinishing and/or as a protective coating against the elements. When used solely as a cosmetic finish, it is unnecessary to completely disassemble many firearms to refinish. In many instances a large sub-assembly of parts may be coated without disassembly. You may sand blast, preheat, spray, and cured as one large piece since the airbrush will allow you to apply a coating to internal cavities and parts that you find difficult to disassemble. For example: A revolver can be cosmetically refinished without removing the hammer or trigger mechanisms. The hammer can be left in the forward position and sandblasted, then cocked and again sandblasted. The sand can be washed out with water and blown out with air pressure. After preheating, the hammer can be sprayed in the cocked position and then allow to go forward and sprayed in the closed position resulting in all visible parts being coated.
Sand and Other Abrasive Materials:
The most appropriate material to abrasive air blast your metal surfaces will be particles that are not round like glass beads. Fine sand and other fine commercially available abrasives should be in the 60 to 90 grit size. Glass beads merely polish the surface and will not produce a surface with good adhesion properties.
Spray Booths and Paint Masks:
As with all spray paints and aerosol coatings, the use of either a standard automotive paint mask (organic fumes) or fresh air ventilation, or both, is strongly advised. The fumes should not be inhaled on a continuous and repeated basis. See Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for more information. A spray booth is not needed but is convenient especially in foul weather. A spray booth can easily be made out of a few 2x4 studs and clear plastic sheeting and constructed in the corner of your garage or shop. A simple inexpensive squirrel cage blower can be used to draw the over spray and fumes from the booth to outside air.
Ovens:
A home-cooking oven can be utilized to provide the curing heat. Simply support the parts with metal hooks from the upper oven rack for preheating and then for curing after spraying. A more convenient method is to build a vertical oven using a "school locker." A vertical oven allows you to hang barrels and complete barreled receivers easily along with smaller parts. An inexpensive toaster type oven can be purchased at your local mass merchandiser and then disassembled. The heating coils can be installed onto the inner walls of the oven.. The thermostat and timer can be placed on the outside. If you decide to build such an oven feel free to contact us if you need additional information.
Other Applications:
Moly Resin™ is currently being used as a coating by manufacturers of shooting glasses, caustic chemical valve and automotive parts manufacturers, gunsmith schools, as well as, for surgical tools. The applications are numerous and varied.
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