subject: Diy Gun Protection [print this page] Applying a protective coating to your pride and joy can be an intimidating experience. It can seem to be too complicated an undertaking that would be way too easy to mess up. However, with the right preparation, doing the process yourself is entirely possible. A successful attempt will reward you with a rust-free, scratch resistant gun as well as save you the cost of having to get it done professionally.
A caveat on steel weapons: protective coatings are fine to apply and in fact work really well on blued guns. If your steel gun has not yet been blued, it would be a good idea to get that treatment first in order to maximize the protection.
The first step is to clean the gun thoroughly. Disassemble the weapon to its constituent parts and proceed to run a small cotton pad soaked in denatured alcohol all over every exposed metal surface. Be very meticulous when you do this. Your cleaning pad will pick up the residual dirt, grease and oil that have collected on your gun.
The first few swabs will turn your cleaning pad black or grey depending on the amount of filth on the gun. Repeat the process until your wiper ceases to change color. Only when the pad remains white throughout the whole process are you sure its completely clean.
With your chosen gun coating in hand, apply the initial coat in a large ventilated room. Use a gas mask or any similar accessory while you do this. If youre working with a blued piece of metal, you may be surprised to see the initial application vanish under the guns bluing. This is normal; it is no reason to panic. Wait the requisite amount of time your product recommends as curing time before you apply the next layer. Apply the coat twice more, making sure to wait for each layer to set correctly before proceeding.
People will usually limit the application of gun coatings to three layers since additional applications run the risk of discoloring the metal. However, if you dont mind the color change, you are free to exceed three applications.
Of course after continued use, the gun coating will eventually wear away. Luckily, re-applying the protection is a simple enough process. You just have to repeat all the steps mentioned here.
