DIY Old School Mossy Oak Bottomlands hydro dip.

[Paulmyr]

I've been working on doing a  hydro dip with OS Mossy oak Bottomlands camo film on a old beat up Rem 1187 and a new Stoeger 3020.  I purchased the base coat, OS Bottomlands film, and film activator online from Big Brain Graphics for $115 including shipping.

The 1187 was in tough shape. The receiver and barrel had some mostly superficial rust from sitting in a gun case for and extended period of time. The gun was reduced to collecting dust because of moisture in the action tube .  During freezing temps the moisture would freeze and the action would not cycle properly. The action tube needed servicing badly. The problem was the cap nut on the action tube was seized and could not be removed. It is a stupid design where by a special tool or an extremely large standard screwdriver are needed to remove the cap nut. That was not happening in this case. I had to cut the stock down to enable me to grind flat spots on the nut to get a bite with a pipe wrench. It took everything I had to break it free.  I purchased a new stock and forearm as my brother liberated the forearm from this gun for his 1187. Once the cap nut was removed the spring could be accessed. When I pulled the action spring out it was covered in brown sludge. With that problem solved I proceed with my project.

I started the project by taping off areas that were not to be treated with the new camo. I used a combination of Gorrila and masking tape. After the taping was complete, the next step was sand blasting the barrels and the receivers. I purchased a siphon feed blasting gun and some medium grit aluminum oxide blasting media for around $100.

The blasting went fairly well. My only problem was waiting on my air compressor to cycle otherwise it would continuously run. The operating pressure of the blasting gun was between 90 and 125psi. My compressor maxed at 125psi. Blasting completed, I then scuffed the composite stocks and forearms with 800 grit sand paper.

Now it was time to apply the primer. The base coat instructions call for a white epoxy primer because it would make the colors of the camo stand out better. I purchased some from the local hardware store for around $20. I ended up using 2 cans.

Priming done, it was time for the base coat. I selected the aerosol can option from Big Brain and bought a cheap spray attachment to help with application. I used the spray attachment for the primer and the clear coat applications as well. The base coat seems to be a fast drying latex type material. The spray from the can comes out in fairly concentrated, thin, and highly pigmented solution so caution needs to be taken to avoid runs as the material cannot be wet sanded to remove flaws. The base coat is fast drying and ready for dip in approximately 20mins.

On to the fun part, the hydro dip. The OS Mossy Oak bottomlands film can only be purchase from Big Brain and there are license agreements that only the official OS Mossy Oak beige base coat may be applied. The film comes in a 36" by just under 10' roll.  I purchase these along with Mossy Sauce activator that's designed to be used with Mossy Oak Films. Shipping was extremely prompt from Big Brain and showed at my door from Louisiana  4 days after the order was placed. The instructions on the film roll says 90 degree surface water temp is optimal and gave a hydrating time on the film of 90 seconds before activation and 20 seconds to dip after activator is applied.  My dips were attempted in a water temp between 85 and 91 degrees as indicated by one my  brewing thermometers.

I purchase a cheap storage tote from Wally World for $8 to place in my bathroom tub to perform the dipping in. If you do this make sure the tote is pulled back away from the tub spigot after you filled it with water. Any drips that land on the film while hydrating will make it useless. I cut the center out of the tote lid and made a makeshift dam to help contain the film while dipping. I put the cut out lid back on the tote to help keep its shape when I put hot water in it.

I would recommend doing a couple practice dips with misc items to get the hang of how you film is hydrating and activating before you start dipping gun parts. They sell "speed shapes" for this purpose. I didn't buy any but will in the future. I used my phone case as the guinea pig.

  I found after a few dip attempts I needed to contain the film better as it had a tendency to explode after activation. I did this by using masking tape around the edges while cutting the film and not removing it after cutting. There is a great vid on YouTube where a guy goes through the Pros and cons of taping the edges and how films hydrate. My film didn't expand to much during the hydrating process so there was little to no wrinkling of the film and tape on the edges was feasible.

I've heard the film describe as a  pvc type product. The film turns to thin slimey mat while floating on the surface of the water. The ink/paint on the film is then activated allowing it to adhere to the base coat on the object being dipped. After the dip is complete the slime must be gently rinsed away leaving the finished product behind. Be careful to keep the rinse water temp lower than the dip water as fading will occur if hotter water is used.

I used the a rolling technique on all my parts except the barrels. There are videos showing this method on YouTube as well. Slowly roll the part across the film until coverage is complete and then allow the part to fall through the film. You must block off any large openings on the part as water pressure will push the film through the opening causing it to tear and release water on top of the film ruining the dip.

The barrels were held at 35 to 45 degree angle from muzzle to chamber and dipped muzzle 1st down through the film. Keep your finger out of the muzzle. Use a wire run through the barrel. Using your finger will tear the a
film releasing water on top of it and ruining the dip. Ask me how I know this.

After the dips were complete the part was gently rinsed with cold water in the kitchen sink using a light spray from the spray attachment on the faucet. This was not a quick process. Usually took about 20 mins to gently  get all the slime off. When the rinse is complete any tape on metal parts must be removed to prevent rusting.

If any of your dips fail. Wet scuff the surface of the part. Clean it. Reapply base coat and dip again. It's not recommended to do more than 3 make up dips before all the coatings and primer need to be removed and reapplied.
Now it's time for the clear coat. Retape any areas you wish to keep safe from over spray. I did 2 light coats to set the dip and then wet sanded with 800 grit to get a nice smooth even surface before applying 2  more coats. I went with 4 coatings as that's what was recommended on the bottle of automotive matte clear coat I purchased from the local auto parts store. After the last coat was dried, I wet sanded again with 800 grit  to remove the sheen and hand buffed with a microfiber cloth.

They are not perfect but I'm extremely pleased with the results. I would add, I think this OS Bottomlands pattern is a good choice for the beginning dipper. Its very receptive to touch up around the vent rib and other crannies the film had issues adhering to. A little of the base coat and some black with a touch of red mixed in goes a long ways in dolling up imperfections.

Here's a pic of the completed 1187. I'll post more pics of the process and the completed 3020 below.

[Paulmyr]

 The receiver of 1187 before blasting and after base coat was applied.

[Paulmyr]

Most of the parts after blasting and after priming.

[Paulmyr]

Parts after dip and before assembly. Also the finished 1187 receiver

[Paulmyr]

Pic of the tote used for the process.

[RiverBuck]

Nice job.
A shotgun that looks like that without knowing anything about its history gets top dollar on gunbroker.

[Tennessee Lead]

You done fine job!

[hillbillyfab]

Man I like that! Good job.

[Chief Razor]

Fantastic work!

[Paulmyr]

The completed 3020. And both guns together

I would like to add to all the above;
I blasted the parts in my back yard and a blasting cabinet is in the works as I plan on doing this again.

[Taxidermist58]

Looks great

[kayl]

Looks amazing! I'm still not crazy about the idea, but dang if it doesn't turn out great!

[huntrwilliams]

That looks awesome. We'll done.


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[jbrock7]

you done a amazing job guns look great!!!

[Sir-diealot]

You did a very good job, the prep work made all the difference, I have seen people do it without the prep work and it was a nightmare.