Hydro dipping

[jonahpach]

My search for a solution to camouflaging a rifle stock has led me to "Camo-dipping" or Hydro dipping :

[img2=http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f268/ ... 1/003R.jpg][/img2]

http://www.hydro-dip.com/services.htm

[youtube][/youtube]

Despite the snickerings from the diehard purist members, I think it looks really neat and quite do-able. Anybody have any thoughts on this?? Experience?

Jonah

[xl_target]

I'm sure that applying a printed film to any surface is perfectly viable. However, the starting prices from that place seem a little high.

I have also been experimenting with Camo finishes lately. I wanted to mod a PC case and give it a military look for use with a simulator. I must say that it turned out reasonably well. As this was to be used in a WW2 simulator, I was going for the WW2, blocky,hard edge, camo look similar to the armored vehicle below. It took about 15 minutes for prep and about 20 minutes for the base coat to dry so I could mask it.


Here is the finished product:



I have been favorably impressed by some of the new Krylon Camo paints. For Plastics or metal, the new Fusion paints work very well; the pigments are fine enough to cover easily and the spray pattern from the new nozzles is excellent allowing you to get thin even coverage. The paint is dead flat and dries to the touch really quickly. The nozzles don't clog like most spray bombs. Paint goes on smooth and is self-levelling. It is really easy to get a professional look.
Plastic adhesion is excellent. Their new Camo line has excellent durability as well. As with any paint job, prep is important and the surface to be painted should be clean and free of grease and oils. I haven't done any firearms but have used the Krylon Camo system on a few items (both metal and plastic) and I have been very impressed with the durability, ease of application and the end result. The best part is that most cans of Krylon are about 4 or 5 bucks (US $) each. Even better is that if you don't like it, you can always strip the paint off and do it over. After the finished paint job has dried properly, it can be sprayed with a flat clear coating to protect the paint.

The main issue is that I have no idea what the availability of Krylon paints is (in India).

Krylon Camo Line fact sheet


Here is a Suzuki sidekick with a camo paint job using this setup:
http://www.krylon.com/projects/sports-r ... -sidekick/

Some techniques (from Krylon):
stencilling-Leaf camo (using appropriate colors)
Camo Stencils. You can make your own, e.g. if you want to do digital camo, etc.
Camo Painting Tips
How to paint Camo patterns

Some examples:
Camouflaging Rifles
How To: Paint Camouflage, Template and Freehand
Painting 101
Full Camo paint job

[hamiclar01]

Trawl through the pages of airgunbbs. there seem to be some people doing a reasonable DIY job there. Professional hydrographics being quite expensive

[The Doc]

My search for a solution to camouflaging a rifle stock has led me to "Camo-dipping" or Hydro dipping . I think it looks really neat and quite do-able. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

That shotgun stock looks nice after the camo-dipping. How does the camo-dip behave on the checkering ?

best,
Rp.

[xl_target]

While I am in no way putting down your idea, Jonah; I'm just wondering how worthwhile it is from a cost perspective to do this. You can have it professionally done at about $200-$250 for a complete shotgun. I can buy a used 870 express for that.
They want $99 for the dip kit. With paint and a little time, It would cost me about $20. Of course, I will grant you that the commercial patterns are really cool and would not be easy to duplicate with a spray can. Todays mottled and digital camo would take more time and a little more preparation.

Another big question would be; how durable of a finish does the dipping process produce?
See here: Unhappy customers

[jonahpach]

Hello xl_target,

I can see what you mean.. But here in India, a decent 50 year old rifle costs anything over $ 2000 upto $6000 and changing them frequently is not a viable option.. Only thing you can do is dress it up! One thing that bothers me is, If I drop the camo'ed rifle on one of my outings in the rainforests of our state.. and if it slides down a hill, I wont be able to find it too easily!

I am looking for bulk supplies (10m - 20m lengths of film) as those kits are really expensive

Jonah

[winnie_the_pooh]

How about camo tape?

Or you can try this http://www.truworth.in/do_sp_camouflage_spray.php