[TRAPJAW]

So, last summer I found the DIY camo dipping kits on line and started watching all the videos. I thought to myself "man does this look easy".

So, after looking for almost a year for a project(just couldn't bring myself to experiment on one of my guns) I finally found a suitable candidate. I picked up an old Remington pump 12ga cheap that had seen better days. I picked up a synthetic stock for it, the wood is fairly nice looking so I didn't want to ruin that.

I did a few test pieces and they turned out alright. The base color is not quite right for Natural Gear(my camo of choice). So I need to do a little experimenting to see if I can get it closer to factory. But hopefully this week I'll be able to post up some pictures of what the end result looks like.

 

[good ole boy]

I,ll be lookin forward to seein em.

 

[buckhunter]

There is a fella on here that got into "camo-dipping", a year or so ago. He asked for some items to dip and I donated a scope. His stuff looks good, maybe you could pick his brain about starting out or get some tips.
http://www.huntingpa.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2632877&page=1

 

[Papsattic]

I was checking out the kits myself. Looked like a cool thing to get into. Looking forward to seeing your results.

 

[buckinnuts]

bought a kit from dip wizard..did a deer antler looked nice ...but getting ready to do something harder...just trying to get theright tank made ..heated of course to maintian consistant temp...ordered a few more patterns..hope to do my deer skull soone the a few guns!

 

[LifeNRA]

PICS!!! We need some pics!!!

 

[Adam]

I know a guy with a Benelli SBE that needs a new paint job... LOL

I've got the regular butt stock and "steady grip" buttstock and would like all of them to match.

Let me know when you're ready for another gun project, provided it's after turkey season, or at least after I'm tagged out.

 

[TRAPJAW]

You'd probably have to "settle" for a different camo pattern. The place I bought this from only has certain kinds, and Realtree and Mossy Oak aren't among them. They have some that are REAL close, but not the same.

Btw, why don't you just trade that POS? Just kidding.

Now for the update, I had to scrap the first test pieces. As they dried the pattern "washed out". Talked to the company and we did some trouble-shooting. They got back to me fast and they were really helpful. Turns out I was using the film upside down... DEE DE DEE I ride the short bus. Tried another piece tonight and it turned out good. Been drying for about 2 hours and still looks like when I took it out. I'll clear coat it first thing in the morning and try to take some pics.

If all goes well with this shotgun I'm most likely going to tackle dipping my whole 223 Savage, scope and all.

 

[Adam]

POS? That thing has killed more things than all of my other guns combined. All the rest of the guns are trying different brands or guns all the time and I just keep killing with my old SBE. LOL She's as reliable as the sun.

 

[TRAPJAW]

Figured I'd update this.

See at the top I thought this would be easy... Understatement of the year.

There is so much to the technique that I'm learning the hard way. So far I have yet to get a good print since my test pieces. There is just no margin of error with this stuff. You get an air bubble or a little water on top of the film and check please, you're done.

What did Thomas Edison say when asked about the light bulb... I didn't fail 10,000 times, I just found 10,000 ways that don't work.

 

[TRAPJAW]

So after 3 attempts I finally got the stock to look good. Now I just need to decide if I'm going to dip the rest of the gun. To say it's all about finesse is an understatement. The videos online make it look so simple, but the slightest little foul up and you're sanding it down and starting from scratch.

 

[Adam]

Looks good bud!

 

[TRAPJAW]

I am officially closing the door on this failure.

There is good reason they charge so much to camo a gun. I dipped the barrel last night and it turned out like garbage. I attempted it again today, after stripping to bare metal, and I could not keep from getting voids. It's just too bad that I went beyond the point of no return before I figured this out. I'm just glad that I did it on a beater gun instead of something I like.

My suggestion is that if you get the brilliant idea that you want to dip a gun pony up the dough and get it done right. With what I have into the materials so far I could have done probably one whole gun and another partial.

On the flip side of that coin I have a roll of Natural Gear film that I'll give someone a screaming deal on.

 

[TRAPJAW]

Here is the final update of this project. I finally got everything dipped sufficiently that I could call it quits and call it a day. Figures the receiver turned out decent on the first try. Had it gone like that all the way I probably wouldn't be so dejected. Still waiting for the magazine cap to harden, and I'm debating about finding a parkerized bolt for it. There are some color variations, if you think "something doesn't look right", that's them. Ran into problems that the paint in the kit doesn't go very far. I thought I would make due with Rustoelum. While it looked like it matched once dipped it turned out different. Moral of the story, stick with the paint you start with. Didn't realize there was that much of a difference until tonight when I assembled everything.

Guess it's time to move on to the next project... Thinking that testing thumb tacks on my office chair would have been less painful.

Here is what I started with.

You might be able to make out the pitting below.

Here is what I ended up with.

And some of the voids that I just could not resolve how to eliminate. Luckily they are on the bottom of the gun.

 

[good ole boy]

 

[HighCountry66]

Can that stuff be removed?

 

[TRAPJAW]

Can that stuff be removed?

Nope, permanent just like factory camo.

 

[Adam]

Eh, it's not that bad bud.

 

[buckinnuts]

here is my first real attempt at dipping...not bad i know where i messed up at..got in a hurry on the ak furniture..but looks ok ...the covers for my walkies came out better....about 4-5 more practices i think i might get it right

 

[buckinnuts]

Tried a few more...still wet in photos...picture frame is metal...so I think it came out good..need to order more supplies...lol