Substitute finish on No.4 Mk2 project

[newcastle]

Got lots of bits for this project I'm doing. The FTR'd rifle was painted in similar fashion to teh No.4 Mk 2s I've seen. For some of the smaller items I get bands n stuff, what should I use to replicate this finish? They are a mix of blued and blacked but none seem to match the FTR paint job. Any ideas?

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[Peter Laidler]

There have been MANY threads on this forum regarding the beadblasting, phosphating and painting of the steelwork of these rifles during their sevice life and FTR. It was as simple as that.

[Thunderbox]

Look on eBay under "suncorite". A chap has got a pallet-load of litre tins at about £25. Its date-expired, but still seems ok.

The metal has to be extremely clean, and you ought to experiment with painting the suncorite on as, although its self-levelling, it can run into drips. The suncorite drys quite hard, but really needs to be baked on. When your wife is out shopping, place all the painted parts on a baking tray and put them in the oven at about 180o for an hour or so...

[Peter Laidler]

But quite useless without the proper key. So even if you can't or don't have the phosphating facilities, at least bead blast the surface. But remember that unless you do it fully, then it's second best

[newcastle]

it's going to be done in a garage in San francisco and I done have bead blasting capability, so it's going to be second best anyhoo. However, if I was this rifle, given a choice between living life in a plastic stock with bipod, camoflage tape and a scope mount, or being returned to a nice walnut home and being reunited with my rightful metal friends, even if they are painted differently, I'd be looking forward to the homecoming.

[Peter Laidler]

The sunkorite paint that TBox mentioned is just date expired by the look of it. My friend bought some for it's heat resisting properties for an MGB Exhaust manifold (and very good it was too.........) We took some to my friends chemistry lab at the Uni here and it was very wishy-washy thin compared to in-date paint. That's because the bulking agent and something else pretty technical had settled to a thick solid mass. If you can mix (as opposed to shake) the paint again then you're almost back to where you should be.

He mixed it using a mixing spoon held in a pillar drill chuck right down into the bottom of the can where it was thick and pretty well solid then turned the drill on and left running for 20 mts or so every now and then. After a few mixes, the viscosity was pretty well back to normal.

[newcastle]

I got a few parts from springfield sporters and luckily they all seem to have come from either a No.4 mk2, or another rifle that was FTR'd around that time and given the right finish. They were used so they even had a similar level of wear to the receiver. I'm waiting for a Faz rear sight form one forum member and I should have all the parts I need.

[jona]

Please note: Suncorite is considered HAZARDOUS and should be used only under the proper conditions, like a hazard suit with separate air supply and a paint booth that is up to OSHA hazardous Materials spec.

[tbonesmith]

What industrial paint products arn't hazardous?

[Peter Laidler]

I'll have to remember that next time I do a bit of sunkorite painting Jona. Where can I get one of these special suits, air supply and paint booth? Just joking but like everything, it needs a bit of care but no need to go ballistic. But any more dangerous than smoking - or driving?