Double Barrel Dilemma

mudda2474

So here is my dilemma... I have a double barrel shotgun that I want to dip in an unusual camo pattern. I don't know if I should attempt to dip the entire gun at once or disassemble, dip it and just live with it not lining up. If it were a pattern like Realtree or something it wouldn't be as noticeable where it mismatched.
I have scoured the web and the only thing I found was a post on here by Jimskeet back in 2015 asking if anyone ever tried it.... but it never went anywhere.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the pattern and a similar gun:

WileECoyote

Always, always, always disassemble... COMPLETELY

If you do some planning and careful measurements, you can get the pattern to line up. If you are new to this, I wouldn't suggest this until you have a year into practicing. I don't know what your skill set is, but seeing as this is your first post, I will assume you are just starting out.

Take my advice, if that gun has ANY value whatsoever (sentimental, or monetary) take it someplace to get dipped. This is not as easy as YouTube makes it look.

PagesHydroDipping

Yes you will have to disassemble completely to do the proper prep work. I dip shotguns all the time with the receiver attached to the butt stock but that is as far as I go. But I would agree with wileycoyote that if you are new to this I wouldn't recommend starting off with a project like this.

MidOhioHydrographics

As a firm rule, all firearms must come to us 100% disassembled. All pins, springs, internals, mag tube followers, butt pads, sights, rails, etc. must be removed, no exceptions and we won't accept the firearm if it is not disassembled properly.

mudda2474

You are correct, no experience whatsoever. I have to learn to swim somehow.

Thanks to both of you for your input. I have given some thought to the worst case scenario ( having a chunky - half sticky, peeling mess) and if I have to media blast it and start over, I'm ok with that too. I think it would be worth it to try, even if its a catastrophic failure... just for the experience.

I had to buy the film myself because I couldn't find anyone locally who had it and now that I have it, no one will use my film.
SO..... looks like its all me
I have thought about it and I don't think I have a way to practically dip the entire gun anyway ( the barrel is 28" alone), so I guess its gonna be a disassembly. I have been putting camo tape on it for years...So having slightly different pattern orientations on the parts cant be much worse.

To PagesHydroDipping: When you dipped buttstocks with the receiver, did you prep the outside only or did you soak it in a parts cleaner?
I don't think there is enough lube inside my trigger action to leak out and contaminate my primer/paint/film...but like I said before. I have no experience with it.

My plan of action for prep after separating barrel, forend and buttstock with receiver still attached.
1.) Either scuff really well or media blast it with a fine media (haven't decided.. it has a ribbed barrel and I'm pretty sure its oxidized not blued)
2.) Clean it with Acetone or Denatured Alcohol.
3.) Toss it in the oven at maybe 200* for an hour or so, to see if any oils rise to the surface.
4.) Wipe down again and tape off (tolerance mating surfaces and triggers, so not to get primer, paint or film on them).
5.) Hang'em and shot them with prime and paint as per instructions.

I would like to try and do a good job the first time around if at all possible. so I appreciate your insight.

Let me know if you anything I am missing before this train wreck starts down the track (probably this weekend) LOL!

Thanks again !!!!

studebaker

Thanks @mudda2474 for joining the forum! Welcome. I do have a question for you. Where did you get the film that nobody will use to dip your gun? And who are the people that refused to dip it with that film? And what were their objections?

And take pictures of the bad dip so we can help you figure out the problem so it's not repeated the second and third time.

PagesHydroDipping

I would definitely blast the parts if you have access to a blaster. Your gonna get a better profile for the paint to bite this way. We soak all metal in acetone and spray, don't soak polymer just spray witha a degreaser and wash. Gas out all metal, we do 300° for 1 hour. If any oil comes to surface start back at step 1. Now its time for tapping.

smedlin

You can't just tape off the triggers and stuff.. you HAVE to remove them.

You WILL get paint/clear coat up in there if you simply try to tape them off...

WileECoyote

Why not just start with some speed shapes? if you have a complete failure, you have to strip the gun down and start all over. If you mess up a speed shape, you toss it in the garbage and start over?

PagesHydroDipping

I didn't mention in my post but like everyone is say you have to completely break it down every pin, spring, part Must be removed

mudda2474

Got the film (kit) from mydipkit. No one else carries it ( licensing )...Except 2 other places one is out west Wyoming or Montana somewhere and the other wants way more than I am willing to pay...in fact, it’s more than I paid for the gun 20yrs ago. It’s just an old shotgun it’s not a 50 BMG!!
One place said they have plenty of designs they can warranty but not a film they don’t have.... blah blah.
its ok though I have embraced it and am moving forward 👍

mudda2474

I do not have a blaster BUT... I could talk myself right into a bench top! Saw one at TSC that would probably do.

mudda2474

Good point on the triggers.

also I plan on measuring out how much I need for the gun first, then trying a couple other things first with the extra before the main train wreck 🙂

mudda2474

Thanks for everyone's input!
I'm sure that probably 85% of the people on here are pretty sick of all the suckers like me that get sucked into the YouTube videos and the Mydipkits, then find this site and start asking tons of retarded questions and often with ridiculously absurd expectations..... But in our defense, the whole Hydrographic thing is pretty amazing tech and people do make it look so easy! Couple that with shop or customer location limitations and the fact that some of the people out here charge a ridiculous amount for the work ( I fully expect people to make money on providing a specialized service, but sometimes its way out there), that's exactly how we wind up here.

That being said, I have learned an incredible amount of info in just a couple of days here, reading through discussions and wished like hell I knew about this before I ordered my stuff, I could have gotten better quality for my money in the long run...… BUT this forum doesn't exactly pop up on google when you first start looking for Hydro dip materials . Ebay and Amazon and YouTube do ! I think like me, people find this forum after pages and pages of searching through the muck. There should be a direct link on google as soon as someone types in "Hydrographic dipping" or "Camo my gun", that says look here first dummy !! LOL
Try to keep in mind....hell, we didn't know any better we were sucked in to the wizardry of it all !!!
Thank you all for your patience and help!

WileECoyote

People charge what they do, because it is not easy. Not because they are trying to rip people off. This should be a HUGE red flag to you, that you won't get the results you are looking for from a lower quality kit... AND you won't have the skills or material to fix it after its over.

NotSoFast

You said "I have to learn to swim somehow". True, but starting off with a double barrel shotgun that you are not sure if you have to disassemble is learning to swim with with cinder blocks chained to your feet.

No one says I hate the way my rusty car looks. I think I'll teach myself how to do body work, painting, shooting clear, and buffing to a mirror shine. By the way, that's exactly what you'd need to do to dip parts...plus the whole "dipping" part, which is the hardest part to learn to do correctly.

In our shop, we also make and install vinyl graphics. No one bats an eye at the $60/hour labor for installs. But I spend 6-8 hours on your gun plus materials and charge you $250, I'm trying to gouge you.

mudda2474

How is it that the only thing anyone seemed to take away from my last post was that I was somehow slighting any of you? I never accused anyone on here of anything at all ....In fact I was thankful for the info I received and all the info I found on the forum..... I even thought so highly of it I suggested that there should be direct links to it from other pages!!!
Look, I have POS shotgun I paid $100 for and have had camo tape on for decades..I just wanted to try hydrographics, I thought it would be cool. I wasn’t expecting to win any contests and  i certainly wasn’t coming here to have anyone tell me that I didn’t know **badword** about dipping...  I’m pretty sure I mentioned I had zero experience and I did say I was ok with re-sanding multiple times.... so It was obviously not that big of deal for me. Sorry to bother you or insult anyone with my ignorance.

Hey PagesHydroDipoing: Thanks for all your tips and not judging me for ignorance. 

WileECoyote

@mudda2474 seriously, no one was insulting you. We understand just trying this out and thinking its cool...  we ALL started that way. We are simply trying to save you a bit of frustration in the long run. What I was warning you against is having a $100 gun that you have to sand down 5 times, and still end up covering it with tape in the end. For what you paid for that shotgun, you could buy enough speed shapes to try and fail/succeed enough to know if you want to continue with this process. 

looch

@mudda2474 they are honest and speak the truth on here not like some of the other forums were they tell you that you can make a million dollars with spray cans. Please don't get offended and good luck with your dipping.  Post pictures of results 

NotSoFast

We were not insulting or slighting you. Please try to see it from our point of view. Dozens of people come here each week, none of them knowing the truth about this business. (And it IS a business, whether or not you do it on a scale to make money at it. The exact same tools, materials, and processes are required to dip car interior parts for a living or to do a Yeti tumbler for your mom on Mother's Day) Some of those people, myself included, continue to dip for years, wishing they knew what it takes to do this when we first started. The vast majority of the people find out how difficult and expensive it is after spending lots of time and money and can't/don't want to spend the time and or money to do it well consistently. They wish they knew then what they know now. They see a Youtube video or Facebook post and think it looks neat. They hear it's expensive, but wonder how they can do it "differently" and save money. They think they'll do some "trial and error" and just figure it out along the way. There are hundreds of ways to screw up a good dip. There's one way to do it correctly, consistently. Even after proper professional training, it usually takes about a year of practicing to get good at it. A couple more to get 'really' good at it. Even then, the best dippers still screw up a dip fairly often. You don't just trial and error yourself into this. \

Get some speed shapes. They are about $2 each and are reusable. Just paint over the mistakes and try again. Get some pvc pipe and try rolling a dip like you would on a barrel or stock.

But to be honest, not knowing you have to completely disassemble a shotgun to dip it is akin to not knowing you have to mask off the glass when you repaint your car. It seems to be general knowledge to those who are in the business, but it shows others how little you know (we all knew NOTHING when we started so it's not a jab at you).