Aluma hyde II q?

[wonderwolf]

I'm looking at trying aluma Hyde ii and was curious if anybody has experience here with it. Is it OK to use break cleaner as a surface prep and what's the word on the clear coats...is the matte clear coat really matte? Does it cause any amount to of shine that may show up in say night vision?

[John 242]

We use a Brownells product called TCE to degrease our parts but have also used acetone. Both can attack plastic parts and will probably damage cured Aluma Hyde, stock finishes, etc. so be careful.

The main ingredient of Brownells TCE is Trichloroethylene (90-99%).
The main ingredient of CRC Brakleen is Acetone (80-90%) with Toluene making up 1 to 3%.

I use non-chlorinated brake cleaner for general degreasing. I'll sometimes follow that with a spray bottle with acetone in it. That may not be necessary. We will sometimes use denatured alcohol after acetone prior to rust bluing because we believe it doesn't leave a film.

For painting with Aluma Hyde or Gunkote, we blast the part with clean 120-grit aluminum oxide, spray the part down with TCE and follow with a hair dryer to evaporate any solvent from cracks, crevices and screw holes. If you see wetness that doesn't evaporate, you have oil contamination. Repeat and try again. Oil contamination will ruin the paint job, cause the paint to fail to peel/chip and will result in dogs and cats to living together.

As far as the clear matte being matte enough and how it interacts with night vision, I can't answer that. The colored cans of Aluma Hyde look matte enough to me. They're not shiny.

[415m3]

I've used Alumahyde II for several projects and have found the following:

1) Clean the parts very well with non-chlor brake cleaner. No oils left is the key
2) Warm the AH-II in a bowl of hot water and shake well
3) Heat the parts if possible (approx 150-200deg)
4) Spray the parts while the AH-II and parts are warm. Closer is glossier, farther away is more matte. I like about 6-8 inches distance
5) Let the parts cure for 2 weeks. Yes. 2 weeks. It doesn't harden until about day 10.
6) If prep was good, and I follow these directions, the finish is VERY hard and stands up to most solvents other than brake cleaner.

This recipe closely matches Bulgarian and Russian AK finishes.

[Clark]

Brownells raised the temperature needed for Aluma hyde II. It never gets warm in Seattle. I made a cardboard paint box with hot plate separated with a drip proof baffle. This is sticks, cardboard, and staple gun technology. I do probe with a cooking thermometer and cover in blankets. The barrels are suspended with bailing wire and can be rotated by rotating the wire anchors [stick] above the box.

245825

I only paint 3 or 4 rifles per year.

Brownells has given me a lot of advise on this and sent me clean out nozzles. Love those guys!

[nicholst55]

We use a Brownells product called TCE to degrease our parts but have also used acetone.

The main ingredient of Brownells TCE is Trichloroethylene (90-99%).


TCE is a carcinogen (known to cause cancer), so be very careful using it. Production of it was halted several years ago, but there seems to be an adequate supply on hand to last for some time. Anyway, wear the proper PPE (respirator, gloves, eye protection, and apron). Only use it with proper ventilation.

[Tripplebeards]

I was going to try alumina Hyde and bought a bottle of Oxpho blue from them instead to do an old lee enfield sporter. I ended up blued the whole gun! The barrel looks better than ANY bluing I’ve seen on higher end firearms. It’s ALOT of work though. The biggest chore is steel wooling between each coat till the finish looks completely even. About 45 min plus every time. Your arm will get a work out. It was on my bucket list to cold blue a firearm. I did all the little parts, bolt, and magazine as well. I also refinished the stock set, acraglass bedded the forearm, polished the trigger so it brakes at 3.5 lbs, and did a three day gunslick foam treatment and brass brush scrub on the bore till it came out squeaky clean. The gun looks like new. I was going to buy a no drill $25 B Square scope mount for it but never got around to it. I wanted to throw an optic on it to see the accuracy potential after I glassed the forearm to free float the barrel. The guy I got it from said it shot tight groups to begin with.


I did another one last week...a 1907 bsa Shtle mk1 ***. A rare bird that the front stocks been sporterized as well (that I can’t find parts for) and had a Williams peep sight drilled and tapped on it. I filled the screw holes on and blued the whole rifle since it was pretty ruff. It looks great now but not as nice as the long branch below...

http://i.imgur.com/n21bUtX.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/R4e2t6y.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/B9njimj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ytgq6kf.jpg

[Der Gebirgsjager]

That rifle came out nice, Tripplebeards.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Plus one on the drying time of Aluma Hyde II. It takes longer than one would think to really harden up. I used it on a Star Mod. B 9mm pistol about 8 years ago. I degreased using lacquer thinner, and semi-gloss black. At the time it was available in gloss, semi-gloss, or matte. The resulting finish has proven very durable and rust resistant. To me, it's not as attractive as a good blue job, but I do believe that it holds up better in the long run if properly applied.

[Steve E]

Nice looking rifle triplebeard.
Back about 92 or 94 I took an AR upper receiver and degreased it with carb cleaner and heated it a little and sprayed it with ALH II and let it hang for about a month (I forgot about it) and the finish has held up fantastic. Still looks great after almost 30 years.

Steve.........

[Blazenet]

I use acetone to clean, never had any problems