• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

.50 cal paint

Blackfox

New member
28
0
0
Location
SF Bay Area
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
 

B3.3T

Well-known member
1,293
92
48
Location
SW Ohio
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.
 

maddawg308

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
10,859
749
113
Location
Front Royal, VA
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.
 

hot rod deuce

New member
600
0
0
Location
Kasota, Mn
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.
 

B3.3T

Well-known member
1,293
92
48
Location
SW Ohio
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.
 

Jones

Well-known member
2,237
83
48
Location
Sacramento, California
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.
 

Blood_of_Tyrants

Active member
1,614
11
38
Location
Lebanon, TN
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.
 

jime

New member
340
1
0
Location
Centerburg, OH
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.
 

vafish

New member
15
0
0
Location
Northern VA
DuraCoat Firearm Finishes would be the best. It stands up well to abuse.

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.
 

joshgar8

New member
51
0
0
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
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....
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks