I have two synthetic stocks that I need to spray paint with Krylon. One already has a gel-coat (black) on it and the other is only primed. I want to achieve a smooth glossy finish. At the end of fall, I will most likely have them professionallt painted using auo paint and a clear coat, but for several reasons, I can't do that right now.

Having never done this before (and not having a spray booth), I was wondering if you gentlmen could give me some tips or words of wisdom?

Regards,
Kory

Kory,

I painted some Browning A Bolt Factory stocks many years ago. They were just fading.

I did not want them to be all shiney etc tho, so I had them painted with a can of spray paint from Walmart that is normally used for spray painting grills etc. It has some spackel in it, so it has a textured finish, and is a mattish black. I wanted the textured finish, so that is was actually easy to hold onto in cold weather.

Since I had tons of experience building model airplanes for many years, and helping kids build model cars, I guess I had enough spray painting experience for paint out of a spray can.

I just hung the stock on a coathanger in the garage, and just sprayed down the length of it, starting before the start of the stock and ending after the end of it, so that you don't have paint build up on the ends. I just let it dry overnight and then re applied another coat in the morning, let it dry all day and then did a last coat in the evening.

The textured paint really does not need an undercoat( primer) if you are staying with the same color. These stocks were done 8 to 10 yrs ago, and look like I did them last week, still after that period of time.

Don't know if that helps out at all... if it does, I hope it turns out well for you. As for me, I am too cheap to take something like that to someone to have a synthetic Stock 'professionally" done on a hunting rifle.

I have also done the same for several friends on laminated stocks they just wanted to be straight matte black, but did not like synthetic. One went to Montana and the other to Minnesota, but both guys were very happy with the results.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

Seafire,

Thanks, it was very helpful. Any hints on how much free space I need around the stock to prevent overspray on other items? I was spray painting a model rocket many years ago in the garage, and I somehow managed to get paint on my car across the garage. It is amazing how far the spray will travel.

I will probably use Krylon. I don't like synthetic stocks either (these are my first two), so I'm hoping with a glossy finish it will feel more like a glossy wood ginish like my Remington 700 BDL.

Regards,
Kory

quote:

Originally posted by Kory:
Seafire,

Thanks, it was very helpful. Any hints on how much free space I need around the stock to prevent overspray on other items? I was spray painting a model rocket many years ago in the garage, and I somehow managed to get paint on my car across the garage. It is amazing how far the spray will travel.

I will probably use Krylon. I don't like synthetic stocks either (these are my first two), so I'm hoping with a glossy finish it will feel more like a glossy wood ginish like my Remington 700 BDL.

Regards,
Kory

Try hanging an old sheet or a drop cloth from rope and clothes pins to make a cheapo paint booth...and park your car outside when you spray!

FWIW if you want to fancy-up a synthetic stock send it to Trebark and have them install their "Second Skin" camo job. Hard to beat for the price. www.trebark.com/second_skin/

Kory - I did a synthetic stock by using similar procedures to that of Seafire and Rick. I hung the stock on a hanger attached a tree limb (out of the wind) and sprayed it with grey primer; then used a can of "trunk liner" spray, which comes out in little "tuft balls" over the dryed primer coat (looked like the "devil"). Finally I sprayed two coats of "clear coat" (all Wal Mart specials) over the "tuft balls", which made them lay down. It looks like a more expensive stock and has a nice textured feel to it. I also put "sealing foam" in the stock to "deaden" the "tupperware" sound. Plenty cheap and can be made smooth if you skip the trunk spray and sand between coats. Good luck - Mags

try the new krylon fusion paint it acctually bonds with the plastic to make it part of the stock, regular krylon will chip off because it can't bond. The fusion paint is specifically designed for plastics, it is also what the marines are using for camo on their guns, that was according to the krylon rep i spoke with.

Kory,

Rick gave a good suggestion. Yeah I'd move the car out of the garage. You don't want to have dust flying around as the paint will pick it up, and it will be on the stock.

Hanging an old sheet is a good idea. Of an easier way is just have an old newspaper. I'd tape an old newspaper to the wall about the size of a sheet, and then hang a coat hanger about 12 to 18inches from the wall.

Just take complete downward strokes, from before the beginning of the stock and until after the end of the stock. Keep the spray nozzle at least 10 inches or so away from the stock or you will get paint globbing up. If that does happen, a little thinner on a cleaning patch will take that off. Make sure the thinner is not going to harm the makeup of the stock. Test it out with a drop or two inside the barrel channel. Have a rag to wipe it off quickly.

I guess I know more about spray painting than I really think about, as I did the background sheet/newspaper thing and also knew not to have dust flying around it. In college, I worked at a General Motors assembly plant in New England, and 6 months of that time was on the spray line, spray painting new cars.

I am still wondering if the gloss will make you satisfied. Another thing to think about, is that for $65.00 you can get a laminated stock that is pretty close to being finished from Boyds Gunstocks (www.boydboys.com). I always buy most of the Ruger rifles I own with the synthetic stock so I can get a stainless action. Then I buy a laminated stock from Boyds. They are pretty easy to finish. Beats the daylights out of a synthetic stock in my book.

Whenever they let us post pictures in here, or I figure it out, I will have to get myself a digital camera and start posting some of the stuff I have finished like that. I consider myself a real novice, but the things I have tried have actually turned out real well. So I think that shows that it is not rocket science.

keep us posted on the results,

cheers
seafire

Thanks everyone for you great suggestions.

Seafire, I'm not a big fan of synthetic stocks either, but I chose the McMillan Hunter Class B/R stock because I couldn't find anything in a reasonable time frame that was shaped like that and didn't need many hours of fitting. The other stock was specially built for me and is also a B/R stock, but weigh 20 lbs. I don't know if I told you this before or not, but I'm am partially handicapped and have a partial retinal detachment, so I need to keep the recoil to an absolute minimum. I plan to use this stock for a 6PPC and maybe 6BR in the future. I tried using muzzle brakes, but they effect my sinuses in a very strange way. The concoscione (sp?) wave feels like the aftermath of getting punched in the nose.

Regards,
Kory

Hey Kory,

Don’t feel bad brother, many of us are handicapped also...but not physically!

Have you ever looked into those mercury filled recoil absorbers? I’ve never used them but know people with shoulder problems that have and they seem to work really well for them. They take the “sharpness†out of the recoil and turn it into more of a blackpowder type “push.â€

Brownells sells them. Take a look on their web site and if you want one I would be more than happy to get it for you using my dealer discount which will save you about 25% to 35% off retail depending on the model.

Hi Rick,

I was told that they only effective on heavy recoil rifles & shot guns, but if you think they will work, let me check them out in the catalog and I'll let you know. Thank you very much for the offer.

I suspect that it won't be very effective on the 20 pound rifle, no?


Regards,
Kory

quote:

Originally posted by Kory:
Hi Rick,

I was told that they only effective on heavy recoil rifles & shot guns, but if you think they will work, let me check them out in the catalog and I'll let you know. Thank you very much for the offer.

I suspect that it won't be very effective on the 20 pound rifle, no?


Regards,
Kory

I don’t really know buddy...but if you think you want to try one out let me know and we’ll get er done for ya!

I’m an old Montana boy myself. Used to own 40 Acreas just outside Helmville in Powell County...just south from the Bob Marshall/Scapegoat areas.

Thanks, I'll let you know.

I'm a California boy. Just moved here two years ago from Los Angeles. I love it here, but also miss L.A. a lot.

Kory

If you want to eventually use automotive grade paints then you can do that now. Any automotive paint supplier can give you a small quantity of paint in a special jar that accepts a pressurized top making it an instant spray can. Just be sure that they strain the paint and mix it with enough appropriate thinner to spray well. I just use a small detail gun for spraying stocks.

If I were you I would definitely try the Fusion paint that bwanajcj was talking about or some professional setup. I purchased an unfinished synthetic stock from Brownell's and primed and painted it with regular Krylon, and it's not very durable. Eventually I'm going to have to bite the bullet (figuratively speaking...) and sand it all down and do it over again.

quote:

Originally posted by Kory:
Thanks everyone for you great suggestions.

Seafire, I'm not a big fan of synthetic stocks either, but I chose the McMillan Hunter Class B/R stock because I couldn't find anything in a reasonable time frame that was shaped like that and didn't need many hours of fitting. The other stock was specially built for me and is also a B/R stock, but weigh 20 lbs. I don't know if I told you this before or not, but I'm am partially handicapped and have a partial retinal detachment, so I need to keep the recoil to an absolute minimum. I plan to use this stock for a 6PPC and maybe 6BR in the future. I tried using muzzle brakes, but they effect my sinuses in a very strange way. The concoscione (sp?) wave feels like the aftermath of getting punched in the nose.

Regards,
Kory

Kory:

I have a good friend that lives in Billings that is real active around town in High School sports, is a wrestling and football coach for high school kids, etc. He knows a lot of people thru those kind of activities. He also knows several doctors.

One of his doctor friends ( who is an audiologist) has a research grant from the Federal Government, where they are doing tests on people who have had hearing loss from the continued use of synthetic stocks.

Believe it or not, what started the study originally is that they were finding that a wood stock, will absorb alot of the harmonics endured during recoil. Laminated stocks are the best for this.

What they found out tho, was synthetic stocks absorbed none of the harmonics and pass it directly to the cheek of the shooter, which in turn radiates it on that side of the face. Without giving an anatomy and physiology lesson here, it affects the anvil in the ear as being over its harmonic tolerances, and results in it loosing its sensitivity. That cumulatively causes it to have nerve sensitivity breakdown, and hearing loss occurs, and at time, severely.

People who are being tested in the study, have constant "ringing" in their ears, etc. It was found originally that shooters were suffering hearing loss on their shooting side and it did not matter whether they were always wearing hearing protection or not. What they did find they all had in common was the use of Synthetic Stocks.

Most people I am sure would take that as outlandish, but I have a medical background and know where that is entirely a strong possibility.

The ear loosing sensitivity, because of the vibration of the stock during recoil is just like someone starting to loose vision or have it getting blurry by getting hit in the head often.
Say the body can absorb the blow, but the retina can not take the continual vibration before one finds it out of wack. Having partial retinal detachment, you can relate.

So getting a concussion, and it effecting your sinus is exactly the same thing.

I know that those who are shooters ( which is most of them) that are involved in the study from the staff side, and they are telling a lot of people they know, have winged using synthetic stocks, regardless of how heavy and how little the recoil might be. All have gone back to using Wood or laminated stocks.

I have rifles in the same brand ( say Browning) that I have synthetic and laminated stocks for.
I have loaded them up and shot them using both stocks and looked at feeling the difference.
Surprisingly I can feel the difference a lot. Even on very downloaded ammo, I still feel the difference because I am looking for it. I actually close my eyes and then shoot the rifle, paying attention to the recoil, instead of thinking about what I am shooting at. ( for the trolls on here, I am doing this safely in an area where I am not going to shoot someone, so go hassle someone else.)

Just thought you might find this interesting, and this is a study being done in Billings Montana.

cheers
seafire

seafire,

This is really interesting stuff. I have Tenitius (the ringing in the ear deal) and after a shooting secession I have always just assumed that the report of the weapons was what caused it to get worse for a few days after.

Do you know when their study might be published?

Seafire,

You are 100% correct. I have said this for years, but could never prove it because I did not have the background or the equipment to do so. But I can feel the difference. People are starting to understand this and this is one of the reasons that laminated stocks are making a comeback in the B/R world.

Thanks,
Kory

Rick & Kory:

I will email my friend Dana in Billings and see if I can get some information on the results of the study or else get some contact information for you gentlemen to give the center doing the study a call.

I have pretty much converted to laminated myself.

Cheers
seafire

Getting back to painting, I've had very good results using Liquitex and an air brush. You can get the paint and materials at about any artsy craftsy store in the colors you wish to duplicate or mix.
I try to get the person to bring to me some foliage which I match colors with and also to use as masks.

After the priming and color I then spray the whole thing with a clear flat poly. Looks good and has show to be pretty tough.

Don