How to Paint Your Firearm: Preparation 

Check out the rest of the series here- ru-vid.com/group/PLRNgjwKiAAECuJ9cYcTeaXLg-lvCTgIXq&si=BjPo60ykIeu-fLb-

These videos need 100x times the views that they have atm

This is probably kind of weird, but after spending a year in the auto industry I find it incredibly satisfying to thoroughly clean every new part I get with alcohol or acetone, because I was so used to dealing with truck parts that came to me caked with grease and grime. Good video.

Yes! More content like this please! RU-vid needs as much gunsmithing stuff as possible.

Gun painting with Caleb Ross only happy accidents happen.

I learned to cut up an old wire coat hanger & use pliers to make custom hooks when I was painting guns.

There are companies that make high temperature rattle can paints in different colors for barbeque grills. I've got one can in dark brown and one in a very light tan that seem to work well on the barrels I've tried them on.

Can i just say that calab has helped me with understanding guns, working on guns and he showed me a lot of stuff i wouldn't know otherwise. Thank you calab. Very cool

This is a really detailed and fairly complex breakdown on how to paint a rifle. The results will probably be really durable and sharp, and if that's what you're going for then fine. But as someone who's painted a lot of rifles in the past (in the military and civilian world) just wipe it down till it's dry and tape it off, then spray the damned thing... I tape off all the lenses (obviously) and any buttons on the optics, as well as any small labels which will help you remember what kind of battery the optic takes without you having to open the battery compartment. Especially any labels which remind you which way to turn your turrets or turn a power setting wheel. Then tape off any rubberized grips, butt pads, or rail covers. (maybe even remove your rail covers) Also, remember to tape off any mating surfaces. Those are precisely machined flat metal areas meant to mate perfectly with another mating surface, such as a mounting footprint for a red dot or scope. Odds are those are already mounted, and it won't be an issue for you. But if you're disassembling the rifle as seen in this video, it may be an issue. Metal to metal mating surfaces should be totally clean of any paint. Don't spray too close and don't do too thick of a coat. You're better off doing 4 or 5 light coats than you are doing 1 or 2 thick coats. Even a matte finish paint will look shiny if you spray it on too thick. A thin coat will also dry a lot faster, and then you can follow it up with another coat sooner. Versus doing a thick coat and having to wait longer for it to dry, and potentially ending up with poor results. For ideas on what colors to use, I suggest you walk outside or take a stroll in your environment of choice. What colors do you see? What colors would remain in the winter when the leaves are dead and trees are bare?... The colors that remain all year long are the ones that should be your primary colors, and primary colors are often (not always) applied last. For instance, if you're in the Midwest then the colors which remain all year long would be brown, tan, and a small amount of green because we have a lot of evergreens. Brown and tan would be the most common colors in both summer and winter, so those are the ones you'd want to focus on. Make sure you get the right color to match, and Brownell's Alumihide is awesome. But so is basic Rustoleum camo colors, and a few others. Which paint would be more durable?... Who cares! If you're serious about blending your weapon into the environment then you're probably going to do this a few times over the life of your weapon, and the paint job will look better as it wears out over time. This is a paint job, not a Cerakote finish. You're trying to blend your rifle into reality, so it shouldn't look like a weapon skin from COD multiplayer. My current go-to rifle had an evergreen paintjob, and now it's so worn out that it looks like I carried it through three tours in Afghanistan. That's a good thing. If I was going to use it with serious intent in a slightly different environment, I'd paint it again. ALSO: Tape off the muzzle device if it's expected to have additional mounting items like a suppressor. If you're running a SureFire Warcomp muzzle device, it's not going to mount properly to your suppressor if it's painted. Even if it does, it'll overheat and cook the paint inside the suppressor against the mounting surface. I also recommend not painting over your selector lever. You can, but you don't want to alter the frictional traits of an important surface like that. If you have (or plan to have) grip tape on any surface of your weapon, I recommend placing the grip take BEFORE you paint. Then you should probably tape over the grip tape before you paint, unless you want to make it a different color. But then do a very light coat only.

Great video. The facts on heat tolerance are good info. Thanks

I have used old, soft bristle, tooth brushes, to clean crevises on parts. Gets in tight spots, real good.

SAFETY 1st, and then cleanliness during and after prep allows the coating to perform its best. Many people look at high quality coatings and say "well they're all paint and paint is crap" Not true. Properly prepped items which have the coating applied as per their directions will perform very well.

Brake cleaner will blast oil off quicker, then finish with acetone. Scotch brite red pads from auto stores if you don’t have access to a sand blasting system

I use cardboard for firearm parts, but also for vehicle engines or really anything I need to keep track of different size parts /bolts.

Good stuff

When I spray, I go through the screw holes if you miss a bit the bolt covers it. Spray it, don't coat it. You're not rhino lining unless you are. I liked that look.. For the record, I like that old DPMS finish on their more high-end stuff. Where are you DP? Some of us miss you . More of your larger arm retailers need to follow the PSA model if you don't,t hey will take over the industry in a decade. Calab, you're not Steve, but you're growing on me.

We have successfully used old wire coat hangers to form painting hooks. Once bent with pliets into shape, they stay that shape! I have never heard of Iron Wire. I need to check into that stuff! You could always form a double, J hook, to insert into the throat of your foward rail, to hang it. Then no wire is in the way of your sprayed paint. I also up-cycled and old outdoor chair swing, frame. And converted it into my spray paint, parts hanger! Its big, but works!

I just finished spraying a 9mm AR that has Magpul furniture. I'm not sure if it was necessary but I sprayed all the plastic parts with Bulldog adhesion promoter. Haven't put it through much use yet to see how it holds up long term but I don't think it hurt anything.

7 days

If parts are anodized, maybe cleaning in a sink with water and dish soap first would really help minimize the acetone needed.

Damn.... now I have to alumahide my ugly guns! 😊

excellent video on how to make painting your firearm really, really, complicated!

I use crayons 🖍️ Crayola RULZ

Don’t sweat the details people, when the paint wears a little it looks better, like a well used, battle worn firearm. Just have fun with it, or leave it alone

What about using fine stainless steel wool to scruff the surface prior to painting? I dont have access to a blaster. Or should I just use acetone and spray?

Do you have any opinions on duracoat? I've used it once before and was alright. Only annoying thing is it takes about a month to fully cure

Teck question. Can you soda blasting? It is similar to sand just a lot finer. Thanks

Great Video💯💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

Whats the next best way to prep my SS etc, without having a sand blaster?

I've been using Cerakote C, the air dry version. Which one is the more durable, this or the Cerakote C?

Would this work for Glock pins and withstand takedown with the Glock tool?

I just taped over the glass and rattle canned mine.

Hello..... Is there anyway other than grit blasting!??

Caleb's hair is sponsored by Sex wax. Also brought to you in part from the makers of Sole Glow!

Not trying to be a turd but man I haven’t seen someone go into such detail about putting a part on wire, but I’m sure there is someone out there that needs it lol😂.

What no canvas or oil paints?

Would 220-320 grit sandpaper work well for prepping the surface?

You mentioned all kinds of steel and poly finishes but totally ignored PARKERIZED wps i have a 1911 parkerized is that a no go candidate for aluma hyde????

Will it bond to that Hogue rubber material?

Stranglehold Outdoors 🇺🇸

I didn't think acetone was a decreaser.

Where the toes at?

Shit, if i have to wear an apron, i aint paintin it.

Thanks for reacting to my facebook post nerd

If I leave my rifle leaning up against a wall, will it bend my barrel? 😉 😜

You could reuse the acetone if you have a solvent trap. 😂

That's cool, now spray paint it.

Smyth busters…WTH…😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

A wise person once said "Cleanliness is next to Godliness!"

Thanks, but not disassembling first lol

If s🅱️ec ops 🅱️ainted wieners like this you would all copy it. But since they use mesh bags and take the easy way due to not wanting to look like grill masters you all copy along. The 90% here will just do the lazy crap mesh or stri🅱️es, neither of which look like grill marks. Many have done cookout camo but most are afraid to show here due to fear of being picked on and that’s flavorless.