Painting synthetic rifle stock?

[FergusonTO35]

Hey guys. I'm not currently working on any of my Rugers but I guess this could apply to Rugers as well. My Howa 1500 barreled action is at E.R. Shaw being turned into a .257 Roberts. The rifle has a plain black synthetic OEM stock. I would like to paint it OD green.

I picked up a can of Krylon Fusion camo paint in this color. I've tried it on some plastic pistol grips and it seems to work pretty well. I lightly sand the parts, wash in hot, soapy water, then clean with dentured alcohol. Then I apply light coats of paint, allowing a week to dry beween coats. So far it seems three light coats of paint holds up pretty well to shooting and handling.

So, does this sound like a good plan for synthetic rifle stocks? Should I prep the surface to be painted differently? Should I sand between coats? Any advice is appreciated!!

 

[98Redline]

I am sure others will chime in soon however once the first coat goes on I would imagine that the prep between coats would be the same, regardless of the underlying material.

 

[contender]

Just a thought.
ANother option is a kit that is offered to where you "dip" the stock etc. I actually have a kit like that, but it's a camo design. I haven't tried it yet, but it doesn't seem to be all that hard to do if you wish. I can look into the name of the company etc & get you details.

 

[flageye]

This may be a helpful ink - http://www.camodipkit.com

 

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks, I'll check it out. What grit of sandpaper should I use to sand between coats?

 

[contender]

I found my kit, and it's from the company listed above.

 

[FergusonTO35]

I was looking at the stock last night and, overall I am pleased with the results. It has a fairly even matte green finish with a somewhat rough texture which is what I was looking for. In a few places I applied too much paint, the thick spots haven't adhered to the stock as well as the thinner spots. You can easily scrape it off with your finger nail. This weekend I'm going to sand it down and apply another really light coat. I have a couple of months before the action comes back so plenty of time to experiment!

 

[WOB]

Krylon paint of any flavor is not going to hold up long term, plus it has virtually no cleaning solvent resistance.

The most durable non-bake paint I have found is Brownells Aluma-Hyde II. It comes in lots of colors and after curing will hold up to anything less potent thatn MEK or acetone. Remove all the Krylon and sand the stock with 220 grit paper. Degrease with brake cleaner and apply the Aluma-Hyde according to the instructions. Two coats are enough and pay attention to the recoat instructions. Let cure for a week to give the epoxy base time to fully harden.

WOB

 

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks, if the Fusion is not satisfactory I'll use the Aluma-Hyde.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Last weekend I sanded off the excess paint and applied a very light coat. The results are much better this time, the paint seems to be "staining' more than "coating". I think I'll apply a few more very light coats, sanding between with 600 grit to remove the excess.

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

You might want to do several coats of clear once you get colors the way you like.

Getting a scratch in Kylon won't hurt your feelings near as much as a scratch in a $100 dip job.

Some folks repaint their synthetic stocks as the seasons change. Mostly varminter shooters, I think. That does give you another inexpensive hobby...

 

[FergusonTO35]

Yep, my thoughts exactly. I don't mind touching it up occasionally and its still way cheaper than buying a factory or aftermarket camo stock. I really don't even want a camo stock just something other than black. OD green is one of my favorite colors and I wish more factory stocks came in it.