DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A REAL STEEL COLT ALONG W/ ALL REAL FUNCTIONING PARTS, DISASSEMBLY FOR AN AIRSOFT RIFLE WILL BE DIFFERENT.

I originally wrote this for ARFCOM (AR15.com) back in April of '07 but figure you guys would like to see this if you already haven't. I'll post the how to and then follow up w/ shots that others have taken using this how to along w/ additional photos.

Okay guys I've taken lots of requests on making a how to on rattle canning the ol' rifle and some even wanted me to do it. Problem is by the time some could get the rifle to me it wouldn't be cost effective. (Going through an FFL and all). Therefore I'm posting this DIY step by step in order to try and help some that may want to take this project upon themselves. I can answer any questions some may have by having you email me or IM me or posting in this thread. I plan to do some mags down the road but for now I'm happy w/ just having the rifle. One thing should be noted...I am going to attempt to lay down some Alumahyde II Matte Clear to help protect the finish. I have heard mixed reviews on this stuff so I may try it on a mag first...so there is no guarantee if anyone tries the AHII before I do it. Some may have already tried it and feel free to chime in.




PHASE 1

Okay so lets go over the list of items you'll need.

-A rifle/object/whatever you're painting
-Wal-Mart brake cleaner (costs less than $2 and degreases your rifle)
-Some heavy duty gloves...to keep your greasy paws off the rifle
-Manilla folders (wal-mart or wherever)
-Ink Pen
-Exacto knife
-Hanger
-Cloth patches...to plug the muzzle
-Something to rest the rifle on while painting
-Paint


For the paint you will need to find these Krylon Ultra Flat colors...I found them at ACE Hardware Online

The colors you need will be these.

-Brown #8142

-Khaki #8141

-Medium Brown (Coyote) #8147

-Sand Dune #8148

-Satin Hunter Green #2424





PHASE 2

Okay now that we have the items needed done. You need to prep the object that is being painted....in this case a rifle.

I actually broke down all my parts and stripped most of the rifle as I wanted to get a good base coat on everything.

To do this I threw on the gloves and began hosing down the parts with brake cleaner. Make sure you are outside when you do this and where gloves, mask, and eye protection.

Once everything is degreased and dry you need to begin painting.

For the first coat I threw on some Khaki. I used about three to four light coats. Light coats is the key to keeping the Krylon from running.


REMEMBER!!! BE SURE AND ROTATE THE FIRE SELECTOR SWITCH SO YOU DON'T HAVE A BLACK SPOT UNDERNEATH WHEN YOU GO FROM SAFE TO FIRE OR VICE VERSA!!!!










Once you have applied each coat and allowed proper time to dry, reassemble the rifle and take a deep breath.

You seriously have completed the most mentally challenging part of the whole ordeal. The rest just involves taking your time and doing it right!

Here are pics of the rifle assembled!





PHASE 3

Well I realized that this base coat was too light for the base coat of Multicam so I need to throw some satin green on there. This should be done by misting the satin green onto the Khaki. In the pics I will show what happens when you mist too much and therefore have to redo it with more misting..only using khaki to lighten it up. Keep doing this until you get your desired effect.
















PHASE 4

Now you need to begin prepping yourself for the next phase of the Multicam Rattlecan Project. In this phase you will need the manilla envelopes, exacto knife, and ink pen. It also helps to have a patch of Multicam or print a large piece of the design off your printer/computer. This will help you free hand the stencils.

Cut the manilla envelope in half as you're only going to need one piece at a time. I originally was putting two large designs on each piece but found it better to just use one large design for each piece...that way you don't actually spray two designs at the same time.

So take your pen and start drawing/free handing the patterns. These don't need to be large as your rifle/object will probably not be that large.

After drawing them out to your satisfaction place the sheet on a surface that gives a little but you don't mind cutting up and cut out the shapes.

This is the end result in what you should have. The shapes do not need to look exactly like mine as the more variety the better but should give you an idea of what to do. Also I found that you only need 5 or 6 patterns and then you can rotate, use half a stencil or all of it to make your pattern on your rifle.















PHASE 5

Now you're ready to start laying on the colors. At this phase you can choose two different ways of going about it. You can lay down the Medium Brown first....or you can lay down the Satin Green patterns first. It is entirely up to you. I chose to lay down the Satin Green first, as my Medium Brown paint had not arrived in the mail yet. When painting on the patterns you should have your gloves on, lay the sheet as flat as you can on the rifle and then hold the can approximately about a foot away from the rifle. Just make sure you don't spray too much on the rifle that you don't intend on spraying w/ that color. Also it should be noted that the sheet/template will not lay perfectly flat as your rifle is not flat. I honestly think this is a good thing as it allows for colors to blend and keeps you from having to nice of defined lines.





PHASE 6

At this phase, upon proper drying of the Satin Green pattern you are ready to throw on the Medium Brown...or if you chose the Medium Brown coat first...then you're ready for the Satin Green....in my case...the Medium Brown. Once again same as the Satin Green process. Just make sure you're doing this randomly and spread out. If you truly study a large piece of Multicam you will notice that the colors are not evenly dispersed which adds to its effectiveness.

Here goes the Medium Brown.










PHASE 7

Upon drying it is time to throw down some Brown. For this phase you will want to use some of the smaller templates you cut out. Once again...BE RANDOM!!!...and use the same process of applying as the other colors.

Here is the Brown applied!








PHASE 8

The last phase is the Sand Dunes color. I actually used White in which I went back and misted with Khaki but I should have used Sand Dunes....but I did not have it. In your case...stick with the Sand Dunes. I will be going back and toning the white down more in a bit but not during this tutorial. Once again...use the small templates and be random!!!


[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/IMG_1083.jpg[/img]









At this point your object/rifle should be looking pretty darn sweet and close to Multicam. If it's too bright at first let it dry...it will dull up a little bit. If it's still too bright LIGHTLY mist it w/ some khaki to tone it down!


The end result should look something like this!

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/MulticamRifle2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/MulticamRifle1.jpg[/img]




A COUPLE THINGS TO REMEMBER!

I did not paint in my bathroom...the fiance would of killed me. Simply hung there to dry and photo ops.

Go slow and take your time.

It's Krylon...if you mess up...wipe it off or paint over it!

Once again it's Krylon, don't expect it to hold up to extreme conditions

I recommend against using blue painters tape. It is too strong for the Krylon and will strip the finish (the paint...not your park)

I have not tried mags yet so those will come soon.

I also have not tried the Alumahyde II Matte Clear yet...that will come soon too.

Don't get frustrated if you don't get it on your first time...PRACTICE ON SOMETHING ASIDE FROM YOUR RIFLE AT FIRST!



Some more pics of it....

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/OutdoorBorder.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/multicam1007.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/IMG_1137Wrap.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/IMG_1138constitution.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/IMG_1177_ed.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/IMG_1313.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n226/muhtalicbloo/IMG_1377.jpg[/img]

What some other members have done using this...and they've put out some Darn good results!!!

[img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/smartb0mb/ACHFront.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/smartb0mb/ACHRear.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/smartb0mb/ACHSide.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/4262/frontshotun0.jpg[/img]

ew.

That was very unnessacery Halo Storm.

Great guide LEO5.0. It's one of the best painting guides I've ever seen. Simple, easy to follow, and has pictures.
Thanks for sharing your guide.

I usually use krylon matte clear for protecting my paint jobs, it works pretty well.

I nominate for a pin.

_________
Say LEO5, how does the krylon last on your AR. I've got a Bushmaster Ar I've been wanting to duracoat, but I'm still deciding on whether to krylon or duracoat.

This post has been edited by bat21win: Jul 24 2007, 03:00 PM

Bat: Thanks. I took quite a bit of time writing that out and taking pics back in the day. It's fine w/ me if they wanna tack/pin it.

ew? great post man. we appreciate your input.

LEO, holy crap dude, that is incredible. I am very happy to see such a great outcome on that project. Keep up the good work...I wish I had more than 1 gun so I could do that lol.

Pinned

Hey bro,

Thanks! and thanks for the pin.

Hey the nice thing about Krylon...you can always remove it

I'm probably gonna do my G17 the same eventually. I have the frame painted OD and through various classes the paint has really worn down and is in need of touching up.

Nice guide!

BTW what is that last gun? Looks like a M14 and a L96 mated and had a child, although pretty sweet

Thanks SVT.

It's an M1A w/ a JAE100 Stock (the stock alone costs around $700 )

Beautiful.
Nicest looking rifle I have ever seen. I've got some awesome ideas, thanks!

Why thank you very much. I could make it so much more beautiful if IL allowed NFA items. So for the NFA look alikes I'll stick to airsoft. Glad I could help!

High quality paint job complimented by a high quality guide. Doesen't get much better than this!

Why thank you!

Wow, great guide. Way better results than the other multi-camed rifles I see floating around. This is the stuff that forms were made for.

Thanks Wire. I agree...(not trying to brag about my how to thread) but relatively speaking posts like this and other threads that get tacked are the main reason I visit forums. Honestly I wanna get 100 quality posts in so I can sell stuff on here but it's hard to when I'm a Newbie and all the stuff I need to know is already tacked (as it should be)

Nice guide. Have I seen this on LightFighter?

Yes. I got banned from there a short while back b/c they think that I bash Larue gear. Basically they're wrong and I've never bashed his gear. The man himself I do not like for various reasons that I wish not to talk about. Funny thing is they banned me on LF for something I said on ARFCOM. M4C also banned me for the same reasons. Be very careful in your dealings w/ Larue is all I gotta say.

PM me if ya want the details but I'm not gonna discuss it any more out in public.

Thanks for the compliments btw.

Wow dude that is the coolest paint job I have ever seen ...and actually I was wondering how that could be done because I saw that painbt job in GRAW on the MR-C

I think im gonna paint my M-4 now lol

TacOps...thanks bro. Honestly just take your time and since it's Krylon...if you mess up...just paint over it or remove it.

I doubt I'm gonna paint my Airsoft rifle. I've got a G&P SR16 metal body on the way and I'm doing all kinds of external mods right now and it's almost too nice to throw some krylon on. Then again I said that about my real steel AR and look what happened

Great guide, now I need to mutlicam a few things.

Honestly...the worst part is building up the courage to lay down some paint...especially on a high priced item. After that, I find myself looking for more things to paint.

Thanks!

I know how that goes, I may just send my rifle to get that Crye film put on it so its not actually painted, although I need to see how much that would cost becuase its not cheap.

I can tell ya how much it costs for a regular AR....

(that was my plan til I heard the price and then figured I would just do it myself)

From Dynamic Finishes...I called them

$300 for the AR, $60 for optic and at that point I stopped asking as I had rail covers, BUIS, grips, etc to still add on top of that.

Therefore I tried this DIY setup.

Not to mention you'd be w/out your rifle for 6-8 weeks and shipping is not cheap.

I worried the first time I painted my rifle. But I found that all my worrying was for nothing. It was amazingly easy.

This post has been edited by bat21win: Dec 18 2007, 07:58 PM

If I was a Multicam man, you would be my massiah Leo. If I ever decide to go with MC, I'm DEFINATELY doing this. Best painting guide EVAR.

This post has been edited by azoneman: Jul 26 2007, 10:42 PM

Haha thanks guys!

Yes...$300 ...I thought it was down right theft for something like that. I am thinking about gettin my 6005 dipped however. Also possibly my G17. But even then a pistol cost over $100 IIRC.

Just google "Dynamic Finishes" and you'll find their price list.

NICE GUIDE! if I wasn't selling my M15 then I would totally try this.

At first, I was thinking "Oh man, this isn't gonna be pretty..", but in the end it was perfect. I'm not really into Multicam, but you made it look pretty nice.

wow very nice dude :) I might have to experiment .

This post has been edited by MSG_Josh: Jul 28 2007, 12:10 AM

Very clean and professional work. I might have to try that on my SERPA just for and giggles. Oh, and I'd like that pm about LaRue, I've become quite fond of their mounts and have been considering their LT-100 Acog one for a long time. I'd be very disappointed to here that Mark is alittle shady.

Effing badass!

I'm actually considering doing this, but not on a rifle - rather, on my Xbox 360 case. The internals are all being repaired right now, so it's a good a time as any to paint the exterior case.

Thanks all and I'm glad you all like it. Once again please let me know if you have any questions or need any help locating the paint.

does that krylon work well on plastic?
I want to multicam my nice metal m4 but I want to try it on my crappy plastic gun first to see how well it will turn out.

BTW great paintjob, it look GREAT!!!!

Where could I get the Krylon paints

Sorry for not posting a link sooner guys. Here is where I got all my colors. They ship UPS Ground from Florida.

Ace Hotline Krylon Products page

Can I get Krylon in england? btw awesome paintjob

Yep
www.wolfarmouries.co.uk
They're based in London
Just search Krylon, they have 8-10 colours

if only I had found this guide about 3 months ago :(.... Oh well I will just have to repaint my m14. Thanks so much for the guide....lol had you not been interested in something I wanted to sell I would never have seen this thank you so much.

That looks very nice! Very good painting. You do other things with spray paint?

This post has been edited by Viper818: Aug 8 2007, 12:04 AM