Repainting my stock, have a question to those that have done it

Bigragu I didn’t use any adhesion promoter on my stock after wiping it down with denatured alcohol just a bit of self etching primer on my moderator and probably didn’t need that being I didn’t go down to bare metal but better safe then sorry, sometimes I think some plastic almost seems like it bleeds oil depending on what it’s used for, don’t think the stock is like that though, at least from what I could tell before I painted mine, it was nice and dry.

Was the adhesion promoter clear or was it like a primer, guess it doesn’t really mater but I’m wondering if it acted more like a sealer on the plastic stock then a promoter so when you painted it the paint had nothing to adhere to, just a thought I had because if it scratches off so easily that means the paint didn’t have anything to bond to or with,kinda like painting glass, see if it wipes off easy with paint remover/thinner if so then you know the paint didn’t bond with the stock but that is what i would try on it to remove the paint to start with, just start on a small area and see what happens.
 
Imold, I am going back to that paint store with the bottle cover of my Bully and scratch the paint off in front of them. If they tell me they made me a custom paint not for plastic or tell me I should’ve primered it first I’m grabbing someone at the collar and pulling them from behind the counter, lol!! 



Keep you posted. I have a feeling the new pressure washer I got two months ago is going to get used today.
 
Paint store employees cannot tell you what they do not know... so lets forget that and move forwards with a solution to the problem. Everything you did was correct except you skipped the primer step. So once you remove the old paint and prep your items again wipe them nice and clean with Denatured Alcohol - (denatured means all the water has been removed). Then you will use something like the product pictured below as your primer coat or even as you "adhesion promotion" coat, then primer if necessary, then paint. And yes when you spray your paint you will spray a tack coat, light coat, and money coat. I say primer if necessary because with the product shown below it is probably all you will need as a primer coat. But how are you going to know how it is going to work? You are going to do a test paint job on some plastic or whatever substrate approximates your gun stock first before you even think about putting any on your parts again. The test parts will tell you everything you need to know. This should get you started over in the right direction. 

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Well, wouldn’t you know it. Chuck, Imold, and the rest that offered suggestions, thank you, BTW. Guy behind the counter was dumbfounded when I scratched off the paint in front of his eyes. I asked him if maybe they should have told me to primer it first, and he said that the adhesion spray was the primer. When I asked him why there was no wordage of the word “primer” on the can, he then walked over and grabbed me a can of primer, for automotive plastics and vinyl. Then he says to apply that adhesion spray prior to the primer coat(after I’ve cleaned the whole stock off of course).

what a waste of time!! I have a third left of that custom paint. Hope I have enough.





keep you posted
 
Before you put anything on your stock parts again test your paint system on some junk plastic parts. I say system because all paints are part of a system. When I painted my Wildcat stock I used a SW Automotive primer and paint called Genesis. It is absolutely bullet proof...it is commonly used to paint over the road semi trucks that are expected to put a million miles on the road before being retired or totally rebuilt. I wanted something that would make my stock "Chuck proof"!
 
Ok now make sure you do your testing eg., spray some Adhesion Promoter on one of the plastic caps from one of your spray cans...then spray some Paint over it and see how it works out. Next, spray just some Primer on one of the plastic caps and then your Paint and see how it works out. Next, spray some Adhesion Promoter, then Primer, then Paint on one of the plastic caps and see how that works out. One of these three systems is going to end up being superior to the other two...and that's the one you run with on just one of your parts! If you get the adhesion you require then continue on to the other parts. Take your time and have some fun with this project... and then of course it will come out well. 

Congratulations on stripping off the paint that wasn't holding on with...I would have used one of my pressure cleaners that work at 4000 psi tip pressure and made short work of it also.

Good luck and remember, some day you are going to look back and just laugh your butt off thinking of all this.

☺️
 
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Found these cheap plastic buckets I had, so using these as the test pieces. Question, Chuck- what happens if the middle bucket(primer and paint only) and the right bucket(adhesion promoter, then primer, then paint) both work at the top coat not scratching off. Which do I pick? Is it always better to have the adhesion promoter in the mix?

thank you
 
Your "PLASTIC AND LEATHER PREP" looks like a real good product and yes it will do the same job as the Denatured Alcohol would do... it just cost a lot more but since you already have it go ahead and use it instead. (Save your alcohol for running a wet patch down your bore to get it squeaky clean after you use the Hoppe's Elite to clean your bore once in awhile).

And to answer your other question, I would use the Adhesion Promotor & Primer & Paint system to give yourself every possible chance for success! DO NOT use the dregs out of the bottom of your paint can to do your finish coats. If you are running low then chalk it up to experience and buy a new can. The reason being the dregs in the bottom of your paint spray can are not going to be the same as a brand new can... its like the last swallow of warm beer from a bottle. 

I think you would absolutely love the Duracoat spray paint from MidwayUSA... I know at $45.00 a can it is pricey but if we are in for a penny then we're in for a pound now, right? Anyway, remember to keep shaking the crap out of your spray cans while you are using them, and keep a soft cloth in your other hand to wipe off the spray tip now and then as you are working. This prevents a buildup on the tip that can cause it to "spit" on your paint job and make you want to smash something or kick a big dent in the garage door. And above all stay back 6 to 8 inches while spraying and give each coat plenty of time to thoroughly dry...which means when all the solvent has evaporated and its cured. If this takes you three days to do right oh well... better than having to do it all over another time!

All the best my friend, Chuck
 
Chuck, I feel like I just served another apprenticeship, lol. Never realized all the cool facts here that you’re giving me, and it all makes sense. Especially carrying a towel for the spitting paint! So true!



Thank you for your professional advice.



That stuff from Midway, yes, i think I would like that product a lot. The scope I have that I’m painting my stock to match, has its own tone of flat dark earth, different from the Magpul. Maybe I might pick that stuff up to try on my Benjamin synrod one day, when I get tired of the black. Thanks for the link.
 
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Stock parts all cleaned, de greased, sprayed with adhesion promoter, and primered. Going to let it sit 24 hours before prepping for the final paint.

chuck, if you’re out there, I asked the input of the guy that made up my custom match paint in the auto Paints department. Well, I TOLD him my steps based on your advice, but after the primer I was going to do a slight scuff with 400 grit wet sandpaper. What I got stumped on was after the wet sand, what do I wipe the stock parts down with immediately prior to applying the top coat, and he handed me this canister of ACRILI-CLEAN Wax and Grease remover. He said it isn’t so chemically harsh to ruin the primer coat, but it’ll clean up all sand dust, any fingertip oils, etc.

before I apply it I thought I’d check in with you. I asked about just rinsing it off with water, and he said unpainted primer acts like a sponge and will hold moisture in, so not a good move.

i had a fresh can of top coat made while I was there, cause I think the first can will only have enough to basically dust all three pieces and won’t be enough for two to three solid coats(you call it money coats, lol). Anyway, let me know if this stuff is all it’s cut out to be.

thank you.