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Posted: 6/29/2005 7:00:38 AM EDT
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Stickman, Thanks for all your write-ups and advice on Moly-Resin, I've finally got some on order and I'm picking up all the stuff needed this weekend. Couple of questions: I plan to parkerize then spray, it this a good idea or no? I got a Badger 350 air-brush(medium head), is there a better one I should get or will it do? What is the best de-greasing method? Brake cleaner? Should I bake the parts to get the grease to come out? Lastly, I'm buying all this stuff in the hopes that I can make some side money applying this finish, assuming that I can do a good enough job to charge for it, do you think there is a market for this? Thanks, Leatherneck Edited to add: Anyone who has experience with Moly-Resin or other coatings, I'd love to hear your advice too. |
What kind of metal are you planning on spraying? Moly Resin sticks to parkerizing like there's no tomorrow so it will work great, but if you're doing an anodized piece it's not necessary. Let me know. Hope this info helps you out. MJD |
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Thanks Highway. I know I have to get an FFL before I start charging, I am just wondering if it would be worth the cost of the FFL, though I would like to have one anyway. Do you know if I could just get a curios and relics FFL for that? Right now it will be my home-built 1911, all carbon steel and I'm considering practicing on some knife blades. If I find there is a market for this in my area I might go ahead with the FFL and start in on aluminum. I've heard that anodized just needs a good degreasing, is that right? Thanks again, Leatherneck |
I'm not an expert on FFL's, you might want to ask about that in one of the other forums. Yep, go ahead and parkerize that bad boy before you moly it. You could lightly sandblast the piece and skip the parkerizing if you wanted to. I think you'll get a better finish if you park it first, but that's up to you. Make sure you heat the parts before you spray them. I like to get mine up to about 150-175 degrees before I spray, it makes the flat black really flat. You are correct, anodized aluminum just needs to be degreased well. Make sure you post pics when you're done. Good luck to you! MJD |
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Leatherneck, I basically went the same route you are going. I wanted to do my own at first. Then my friends saw what it was and I began doing some of theirs. The next thing I know I got my FFL and began doing it for money. I have a very target rich environment for customers....I'm a Deputy Sheriff and lots of other cops guns now have been refinished by me in Moly-Resin. I have found it to be well worth the cost and aggravation of getting the FFL. Almost all of my business is word-of-mouth and repeat business. I am in the process of getting a small, inexpensive studio light set-up to take some quality photos for a brochure. Once I get that done I'll drop brochures and business cards off at the various LE Agencys and gunshops. It's been a pretty steady 'extra-job' for me. BTW......thanks Stickman for the fantastic write up/instruction you did some time ago....that is what pushed me to do it. Good Luck |
You may want to start making notes of temperature when you are spraying. A cold solution vs a warm solution gives a different look. A warm vs hot vs cold surface also gives a different look. The pressure and distance you are spraying also can give for a different look. Try it out, play around, write it down. Its much easier to go back to notes than it is to try and remember exactly what you did a couple months ago. Grab a notebook and just leave it with your refinishing supplies. |
That's very encouaging, thanks for posting. About how long have you been doing Moly-resin? Good luck with the advertising, I hope it takes off for you. |
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Leatherneck, I've been doing this for a little over a year now. The amount of business I have done has justified and paid for the sand blasting cabinet and compressor to run it, parts cleaner, airbrushes (Badger 350) and airbrush compressor, etc. I really haven't advertised outside of my Department much but I have had the word get around enough that several officers with several other agencies have called about it. My pricing is reasonable enough for the average cop to afford so cost isn't really an issue for them. Once my brochure is done and I start really 'gettin' after it' I fully expect to be very busy with it. A market that I have here are the waterfowl hunters......I've done several shotguns for them and so far the response has been favorable. I don't plan to get rich with this or even quit my 'real' job, but it's something that I enjoy doing and can make a little coin in the process. |
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TXPO, It's good to hear that I'm not crazy to think I can make a little side money on this. In a year I'd like to be where you are, not planning to quit my job either, but doing something I enjoy and actually making a little money would be nice. If I can just pay for my own gunsmithing habit and buy some cool new tools and toys, that'd be just fine with me. Thanks for the info and I hope things go well for you! Good luck with the brochures, I hope they really showcase your abilities. Thanks again, Leatherneck |
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When I first wrote the article about refinishing, I had one of the mods on this site go out of his way to make a bunch of ignorant comments, and let me know that this wasn't really refinishing. Its funny that he doesn't have much to say about it now. His issue was probably more with me being a cop than it was anything else, which is a shame as I think most cops here go out of their way to help people on a regular basis. Sorry for the hijack....  Feel free to email me direct if anyone ends up with any questions ([email protected]) |
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Stickman, Thanks for all your write-ups and advice on Moly-Resin, I've finally got some on order and I'm picking up all the stuff needed this weekend. Couple of questions: I plan to parkerize then spray, it this a good idea or no? Perfect! I got a Badger 350 air-brush(medium head), is there a better one I should get or will it do? NO need to spend more, that will work fine. What is the best de-greasing method? Brake cleaner? Should I bake the parts to get the grease to come out? I use cheap lacquer thinner, Stripeze (orange and blue can) from Walmart. Get in gallon cans only, far cheaper that way. Lastly, I'm buying all this stuff in the hopes that I can make some side money applying this finish, assuming that I can do a good enough job to charge for it, do you think there is a market for this? Thanks, Leatherneck Edited to add: Anyone who has experience with Moly-Resin or other coatings, I'd love to hear your advice too. It was mentioned doing it for LEO's... Duck hunters... it seems the best duck hunting weather it is misty. Perfect for rusting. Molyresin will do well, especially if you can do camo for them. I'm a Deputy Sheriff and lots of other cops guns now have been refinished by me in Moly-Resin. LEO's... it seems the trunk always leaks around the antenna wire. Go figure. And all that stuff in there, I know I left an AR-15 in here somewhere??? Perfect climate for corrosion. Yep, LEO guns need REALLY this. Coastal areas... I just did an upper for a friend that lives on a boat. It was mounted on his Cav Arms lower. This was his first AR, and he and his wife will both be shooting it. We chose a SS M4 barrel from Oly, I did the barrel assy with flat black, the upper rx itself, dust cover, fwd asst, trigger, hammer, disconnector, and other doodads. I've heard that anodized just needs a good degreasing, is that right? Right. Have fun, don't waste your money buying less than quart size. And you can't screw up... for example, you spray, and then find out you have a drip or it just doesn't look right. Drop it in a bucket of lacquer thinner and remove it. Until it is baked (cured) it will come off with a solvent. I admit to having to do this a few times. So, I wasted a little time, some lac thinner, and learned something. Big deal. |
I Just did the same thing for a few guys on a special boat team, did it end up looking like this....? 
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