Results 1 to 15 of 17

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    5,596
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Refinishing AR15s with Norrells Moly Resin

    I've been asked a few times about refinishing AR15s. I don't claim to be an expert, but mine have turned out well, and seem to be holding up to wear quite nicely. Here is how I do it.

    To start, I picked up an airbrush kit. I had been told that ANY basic airbrush would work fine for spraying Norrells Moly Resin, so I went with the most basic version I could find. Oddly enough, that also meant the cheapest version I could find. Out to the local stores, and the Testors kit pictured below is what I am using. As it turns out, this little cheapo airbrush works very well.

    Inside the box will be a small air canister, go ahead and pick up a larger can while you are there. Sooner or later you will need it, and the middle of a project is a bad time to go low on air...

    Price for Testors Airbrush Kit-$20-25
    Price for large air can- $6-7

    Name:  airbrush picture.jpg
Views: 9888
Size:  59.8 KB
    Last edited by Stickman; 2 December 2007 at 11:57.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    5,596
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Next on the list was to actually get some product to spray. After checking around and reading just about every review I could, I decided that Norrells Moly Resin would be the best finish for me.

    http://www.johnnorrellarms.com/


    Colors

    Prices (including shipping)
    $ 25.00 / 8 ounces
    $ 50.00 / per quart
    $150.00 / gallon

    Available Colors



    NEW Color ! GLOSSY BLACK
    Very Glossy black that looks like an expensive black "blue-job" wet with oil.

    BLACK Flat
    Black in coloration with a non-reflective dull matte appearance. This a slightly darker shade compared to the above Grayish-Black Moly Resin™. Norrell Manufacturing supplies this Mil-Spec finish to the sub-contractors that manufacture US SOCOM (U.S. Special Operations Command) products for H&K and the U.S. Military such as the sound suppressor for the H&K Mark 23 SOCOM .45 Cal. pistol used by the Navy Seals and Special Forces. It is also used by a number of firearm manufacturers. Our most popular color.

    BLACK Semi-Gloss
    Black in coloration with a slight gloss that is similar in appearance to the H&K (Heckler & Koch) type finish. Good match to H&K, UZI, and other similar semi-gloss black guns.

    GRAYISH-BLACK Flat
    Dark gray-black coloration with a flat appearance. This duplicates the appearance of the early original Colt AR-15/M-16 finish. This is the same product that is purchased from us by the U.S. Military to refinish Colt M-16's.

    GRAY Flat
    A match to older gray military parkerizing including some very early Colt M-16 rifles. Gray flat in coloration with an almost unnoticeable (except under certain lighting conditions) a very slight tint of green. This is a lighter shade of gray than our Greenish-Gray.

    GREENISH-GRAY Flat
    This is an exact Mil-Spec color match to the U.S. Military parkerizing seen on older military firearms there are turned slightly green due to storage in cosmoline. Base color is grayish-black flat.

    GREEN Flat (Olive Drab)
    Olive (flat) drab green that is a match to U.S. Military OD green. Also used by a well-known U.S. handgun manufacturer for their .45 cal. pistols and shotguns.

    TAN Flat, BROWN Flat, and OFF-WHITE Flat
    Basic Camo colors (Tan is new U.S. Military mid-east desert tan 30118 color fed standard 595B)

    STAINLESS STEEL
    Powdered stainless steel metal mixed with clear phenolic Moly Resin. Gives the appearance of brushed stainless steel when applied over any type of metal. A pleasantly surprising match to real stainless. Used primarily to color match small parts such as scope rings, bases, and other parts, etc. when they are not available in stainless. For best match to brushed stainless, this coating is recommended to be sprayed over a smooth non-abrasive air blasted surface.

    CLEAR COAT
    Moly Resin phenolic resin with no coloration pigments or additives for lubrication. Can be applied over a cured colored Moly Resin coating or to bare metal.


    Name:  NORRELLS PICTURE.jpg
Views: 9676
Size:  53.4 KB
    Last edited by Stickman; 2 December 2007 at 11:58.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    5,596
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Last on my supply/ shopping list was degreaser and gloves. Actually, for a degreaser I picked up a bunch of carb cleaner cans for $1 each. They grab all the oils out of the steel, which is exactly what we are looking for. They also evaporate quickly, which is nice when we are trying to get work done.

    Latex, or a similar type of glove is recommended so you don't paint your fingers. More important than you coloring your fingers, is that the oils from your hands/ fingers gets all over the metal as you are trying to spray it. This negates all the hard work you did on degreasing. Kind of pointless to not wear gloves...

    Price for Carb cleaner-$1 each
    Latex or dish gloves-$1 for a few pair


    Name:  CARB AND GLOVES PICTURE.jpg
Views: 8873
Size:  58.9 KB
    Last edited by Stickman; 2 December 2007 at 11:50.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    5,596
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    So right now we are in the realm of $45-50 for our gathered supplies. Not bad, but spending the cash is the easy part. The hard part is actually refinishing your AR (or other weapon).

    Don't sweat it. Using Norrells is easy and simple, but like every finish, it is only going to look as good as you care to make it. Prep work is the key to ALL refinishing. You wouldn't paint your house with paint flaking off, just like we won't apply a finish until our base is ready.

    The first step is cleaning your AR15 as well as you can. The insides should be fairly clean, but the outside is where we need to really clean everything. Areas to pay special attention are going to be your brass deflector, around and behind your D-ring, and your front sight assembly.

    Clean these until you are no longer getting anything off. Not exactly rocket science it it?


    Here is the AR15 we are going to refinish...


    Name:  UNFIINISHED RIFLE PICTURE.jpg
Views: 10059
Size:  65.3 KB
    Last edited by Stickman; 2 December 2007 at 12:00.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    5,596
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    DISASSEMBLY

    We are at a point where we can go two different ways with our refinshing. We can take everything apart, or we can break down what we feel is needed.

    For this example, I figured I would pull apart what I felt was needed to make this a quality refinish, but without getting carried away and making this an all day job.

    Norrells comments that a weapon does not need to be torn all the way down, and that it can actually be coated in its assembled form.
    QUOTE

    **Taken from Norrells website**

    Firearm Disassembly:
    Moly Resin™ may be used for cosmetic refinishing and/or as a protective coating against the elements. When used solely as a cosmetic finish, it is unnecessary to completely disassemble many firearms to refinish. In many instances a large sub-assembly of parts may be coated without disassembly.

    At a minimum, I would recommend taking off the stock, pistol grip, and handguards. If you are afraid to pull any of these pieces, I would encourage you to visit AR15.com, and check out the assembly/ disassembly pages. If you are looking to coat the furniture, I would still recommend pulling them off.

    This is the lower receiver after being refinished, you can see I pulled the stock, buffer tube, pistol grip, handguards, mag catch, rear takedown pin, and safety (selector switch).


    Name:  STRIPPED LOWER PICTURE.jpg
Views: 9291
Size:  37.4 KB
    Last edited by Stickman; 2 December 2007 at 11:51.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    5,596
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    DEGREASE

    Now is the time to get out the gloves, and start spraying things down. I would do this outside if you value your brain cells. Don't go easy on anything, it is only a buck for the can, and it is important to get all the oils out of the metal and finish. Spray it all down, then spray it again. Pay particular attention to the areas where there are cracks, joints or seams. Your front sight assembly, Delta ring, and the inside of your ejection port cover are all areas that will need special attention.

    Once you have it all degreased, hit it one more quick time, just to make sure.

    Are you finished? Are you sure? If you have any doubts, now is the time to go back and recheck. If you are doing a weapon that may have been in grease or cosmoline, you may need to preheat it in the oven. Leaving it in the oven for 30 minutes will bring anything out of the pores that may be lurking about.

    If you look close, you can see fingerprints on the upper portion of the carry handle and sights. This would be a mistake to spray it in this condition.

    Name:  FINGERPRINT PICTURE.jpg
Views: 9139
Size:  57.7 KB
    Last edited by Stickman; 2 December 2007 at 11:51.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •