DIY Shotgun Camo Paintjob Chronicles

[870BkWht]

Well as I mentioned in my other post I have started my project this evening/early morning. I thought there might be some interest from some to see where I started and we will all figure out where Im going when I get there.  I will add more pictures to this post as I get further along in the process.

I started by removing the barrel on the gun and I also got out the other barrel to prep it also.  I have 2 barrels for this gun, one is the stock 26'' and the other is a 23'' custom sleeved turkey barrel that my father had made years ago.  This gun used to be his gun, but as he has slowly lost his hearing, he just gave me the gun.  He also painted the stocks on the gun around the same time the custom barrel was made, but his paintjob was getting ugly and needed updated.  He never painted the barrels or the receiver so Im curious how this will all turn out.  If all fails, Ill start over.

I whipped out the 80 grit paper and went to work on the stocks.  I fully expected walnut under the paint, but it looks like birch or something other than walnut.  I worked the paint off all the way to bare wood, then I moved on to the receiver and barrels taking off old small rust spots and also the parkerized finish that came on the gun when he bought it.  I just worked it enough to rough it up and give the primer something to bond to.

Then I donned the plastic gloves and cleaned and wiped it down with alcohol to remove dust, any dirt, and most importantly any oils from my hands.  I masked off all the nooks and crannys where I didnt want paint to be.  This is as far as I got tonight, but when tomorrow comes, its outside to start the primer coat.  

Dont mind my makeshift clothesrack in the background, this is part of the mancave and a temporary staging area until I start the actual painting.

[nyhunter]

Looks like your ready. Only 1 question why not take the trigger assembly and bolt out ? Those are important parts that I wouldn't want gummed up. "Just a thought"

[FullChoke]

Looks like your ready. Only 1 question why not take the trigger assembly and bolt out ? Those are important parts that I wouldn't want gummed up. "Just a thought"

I completely agree with this. I would also remove the breech bolt and forearm assemblies. This will make it much easier to paint.

FC

[870BkWht]

Update:

After looking alittle more into it, I had no reason to disagree with anyone and decided to remove the trigger group assembly, bolt, and forearm.  I remasked off everything and hung it all back up outside.  The humidity here is rediculous so its going to be awhile before its all dry and ready for the base coat, but so far so good.

I primed all surfaces to be painted then it set for about 2 hours and sanded down the wood with 220 grit to account for the swelling of the wood and the raised grain.  Now its a waiting game.

Below is the paint I will be using along with some other paints for fininshing details which havent been purchased yet.


Prior to painting this is what she looked like in the sunlight.


Post primer coat, Now hanging in my basement over a dehumidifier.  It will remain like this until its dry and ready for a base coat.  Might be a few days, but I can wait.

[TrackeySauresRex]

  can't wait to see the finished product. I'd been thinking about doing this for a while now. We have a couple of threads going on now on painting, and I'm wanting to do it even more.

[albrubacker]

can't wait to see the finished product. I'd been thinking about doing this for a while now. We have a couple of threads going on now on painting, and I'm wanting to do it even more.

[Old Gobbler]

I did the same to my sons Winchester youth pump - cleaned down the gun with accetone an d coated with Duplicolor Hi temp header epoxy and the base coat - then made a MO bottomland clone paint job with Krylon - top coated it with clear flat finish

I look forward to seeing your camo as it progresses 

[870BkWht]

Well the primer coat has finally dried and I decided it was time to lay down the base coat.  I discovered a fantastic product at the hardware store that everyone needs to know about even your not going to paint a gun.  This is a handle that will fit over any can of spray paint or clear coat.  It makes using a can of spray so much easier.


I have laid down the khaki flat for the base coat.  Its hanging up in the basement now and depending on weather/humidity, I will start to lay the camo and details down tomorrow.  Im still considering how Id really like the final product to look so Im still considering stencils, gathering leaves for overlay, etc.  Shannon if you have the time, would you post a picture of the shotgun you painted for your son?  I have tossed the idea around of doing a bottomland/treebark kind of pattern, but would like to see how you did yours.

[gobblergls]

I've all but finished a diy paint project which is in the 20 gauge section.  Here's a site for stencils.
http://www.potato-gun-plans.com/category/paint-military-camo-stencils/  I detail in my last post an easy method to make and apply stencils.  Good luck.  Gil

[bigredneck61088]

I paint my guns, atleast my low cost ones... heres my 1300 camo paint job if u need any ideas. Best thing about paint is when it wears off you can respray it!!!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Crappiepro]

Looks good so far! Can't wait to see more of the progress and the finished paint job!

[870BkWht]

So the base coat dried and I was itching to get some detail on this gun.  I started by making some stencils with packing tape, thin cardboard, leaves from the yard, and an exacto knife. 




Then I started making overlays with sticks and evergreen twigs from the yard and the neighbors fallen hemlock trees.  I also used a few japanese maples twigs but you cant really see it in the paint.



Then I laid the stencils I made and painted some oak and maple leaves with the flat earth brown and the primer red/brown.  Going for a fallish kind of look due to not being able to find spring greens in flat paints.  Spring or fall, I believe it will blend in fine.

I also took a black colored pencil and outlined the leaves and added a little detail to make the oak and maple leaves stand out.  Now Im not totally finished, as I might add some more detail on it, but Im limited because I dont want to pay 10$ a quart on getting paint mixed to paint tree branches, trunks, etc.  I could use acrylic craft paint, but I just dont think it will stick and dont want to squander my efforts. 

Can anyone thats done this tell me what kind of sealer or matte finish they used?  I looked at ace and found some deft, also looked at walmart and found some Krylon matte satin finish, but I still need some ideas on this part.

Overall its been really fun, gun looks better than I first started.  It didnt quite match what was in my mind's eye, but Im satisfied.

[allaboutshooting]

I painted a number of guns years ago. I tried putting clear matte finish over a couple but never found any that were really acceptable and finally just decided to leave the matte finish of the paints as the final finish. That worked very well. Any scratches just added to the camo effect and when or if the finish became too worn, I could just repaint it.

I think yours looks good and congratulate you on your efforts and your recording of it step by step. Very nice.

Thanks,
Clark

[FullChoke]

For any detailing, get a few bottles of flat enamel model paint from a craft store in your choice of colors. They are normally used to paint models of tanks and other military equipment and besides having a flat finish, they are available in more subdued colors.

FC 

[BHMTitan]

Can anyone thats done this tell me what kind of sealer or matte finish they used?  I looked at ace and found some deft, also looked at walmart and found some Krylon matte satin finish, but I still need some ideas on this part.

I found / used a flat clear coat spray.  My advice is to only use 3 or 4 thin coats of the clear, and let dry completely between coats.  I found that more coats eventually lead to a white, powderly look to the clear coat.

Here's the results of my DIY paint job:
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,14182.msg157152.html#msg157152