Best degreaser for paint prep?

[SHIVAN]

I just want to break the black outline some for a hunt in Wyoming high country/sage brush.

Going to go with a khaki base coat and use some "army green" to accent...and some faint black. Just to try and tap the colors of the Seclusion 3D Open Country on the left below:



It won't matter too much as Antelope have eyesight like humans using 8x or 10x binos...

[PRGGodfather]

Well, that pattern looks amazingly similar to how these two rifles turned out...



Here is the recipe, and you always use the mesh bag for accents later. The mesh gives it a very reptilian look, and we all know snakes have natural camouflage:

The trick is go from dark to light -- in a reverse stencil.

a.) Pick up some Krylon Camo Ultra-Flat in Olive Drab, Brown and Khaki.

b.) Degrease the entire rifle and kit with acetone.

c.) Mask off the areas on the scope you don't want paint to adhere. (I used Teflon tape, since it doesn't stick, and pipe tape where I needed it to stick).

d.) Paint the entire piece in OD green, top, bottom and sides. Wait 5 minutes so the paint looks flat/dry to the touch.

e.) Paint the bottom 3-4" of the piece in brown, including the bipod legs. Then paint some vertical and diagonal stripes in brown in those areas that need the outline broken up. Wait 5 minutes so the paint looks flat/dry to the touch.

f.) Find some vegetation in the backyard as a stencil, but don't go too busy. Some basic Y-branches make the starker contrasts in the smaller areas, and the leaves can work on larger areas.

For the most part, whatever you have in your AO works best. Mesh bags leave a scaly effect.

Leaves work, too, but they blow around a bit when you spray over them. If you want leaves, I recommend using artificial leaves with wires, so they hold shape.

g.) Hold your vegetation (stencils) about 1/2" from the piece (but do NOT touch the rifle), and burst spray the Khaki onto the vegetation from no more than 4-5" away, paying special attention to the areas where the OD and brown overlap. (That way, you will get a two-tone effect in those areas the vegetation covers).

Also, be sure to avoid symmetry, since it does not occur in nature.

When possible, spray in the same direction of the stencil. If you're holding it vertical, pulse spray vertically. If holding the stencil horizontal, spray horizontally, etc.

h.) Make sure you address the areas that are in front of the gun, like the muzzle, front of the stock, bipod feet and scope cover when it is open. (We have learned that lighter camo is better, so that's why we end with Khaki).

i.) Stand about 6-10" above the piece, and dust some brown on the top, which looks like dirt on top of the piece.

j.) If for some reason you don't like your first run, you can always try it again. Total cost is about $15 USD for the paint and acetone, and about a half hour to an hour of time. You can easily paint three guns with that much paint.

A friend of mine practiced on an e-tool and an ammo box, before trying his rifle. You may want to try it out on something besides your rifle the first time.

You may want to practice a bit before you do it for real -- but it's a LOT easier than some people would lead you to believe.

Lighter is better, but YOU get to decide how tan or green you want it to be. It's totally subjective. Look around your AO -- you'll see plenty of light and tans, but NO black or OD green...

Also, you can spot paint or repaint whenever you want! Just use acetone to take it off, if you don't like how it turned out. The paint gives some decent rust protection, too.

Have fun, and be safe!
Alan

[K.L. Davis]

I have looked on there website and there's nothing hazardous, toxic or corrosive in it. I wish someone could cite a reference to prove that it corrodes aluminum instead of hear say BS.

Hummm... the pH of Simple Green is 9.5, it is classed as an Aqueous Alkaline solution...

From the Simple Green website:

Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green® on aluminum?

When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green® Cleaner/Degreaser, Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates, and Pro Series™ Simple Green® Automotive Cleaner have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green® product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

Simple Green has also developed break-through water based cleaners that are safe for use on metals, plastics, rubber and high tech alloys. Extreme Simple Green® Aircraft & Precision Cleaner and Simple Green® Pro HD are available on both the industrial and retail markets, respectively. These products were initially developed for the aircraft industry and extensive testing shows that they are safe and effective on a variety of metals and other sensitive surfaces even in the most extreme circumstances.

Simple Green® Stainless Steel One Step Cleaner & Polish is another option for cleaning polished aluminum. This product is designed for light duty metal cleaning and polishing.

[Narph]

Lacquer Thinner, acetone, carb cleaner, brake cleaner (same thing)...

I usually default to lacquer thinner or carb cleaner, and be sure to wear gloves.

[MX5]

Obviously Krylon won't hold-up as well as epoxy, conversion or baked finishes. However, it's likely the best for it's price point, availability & ease of use. Further, it holds-up very well for an air dried product - dries quickly, can be re-coated in a minimal amount of time without a reaction & cures somewhat over the next few weeks.

Nicks, scratches & wear marks actually add to the 'break-up effect'. Look closely at the fur of wild animals & see the wide range of minute color variances present. This is where you'll find tiny amounts of black - a color that is typically rare in nature. Tiny amounts, spread out over a wide area break-up & subdue colors, just like the scratches on your camo'd AR.

Another advantage to Krylon is that if you change your mind or preference, an AR can be disassembled & the paint can be stripped-off with lacquer thinner & a stiff bristle brush in about an hour or so.

[ARin]

hot soap and water scrub, then acetone.

[Razorhunter]

Shivan,
There are many degreasers on the market, which are "Synthetics Safe" (meaning they won't harm wood finishes, plastics, or any synthetics), but many degreasers will harm your finishes.
Birchwood Caseys "Gun Scrubber" has been around for a long time, and I'm sure most people have seen it. There are now TWO versions. One is the regular (which may OR may not harm your finish), and there is also the NEWEST version, "Synthetic Safe Gun Scrubber".
As was mentioned above, the auto parts store has two types of brake cleaner. One is usually in a red bottle, which is the good old fashioned chlorinated stuff, which CAN harm some finishes, and the other is usually in a GREEN bottle, and is NON CHLORINATED.
Basically, you want your degreaser to be NON CHLORINATED.

SO, to sum it up, I have found TWO options which are totally safe to use:

1. Non Chlorinated Brake Cleaner ("BrakeLeen is the product you will usually see in the green bottle)

2. Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber SYNTHETIC SAFE Degreaser.

The brake cleaner many times works a little better, and is MUCH cheaper than the Birchwood Casey stuff...

[MX5]

I hate to beat the dead horse & many suggestions have been offered here. But, look to the major manufacturers of paint systems for metals. These have typically been automotive & aircraft refinish systems. Lacquer thinner & a handful of grease/wax removers is what has been recommended for decades because they simply work the best. You'll be applying paint onto a non-sanded, non-primered surface, most of which is metal. You spend good money on weapons & ammo - use a good chemical cleaner. It doesn't have to be an expensive grade of lacquer thinner & the grade found at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. is sufficient. Avoid water based solutions on metals due to microscopic corrosion that ends-up under your final finish. Stay away from mineral spirits - it leaves residue. I was a professional refinisher for 20 yrs. before I changed professions & I've been using this method of cleaning /prepping metals for paint for 34 yrs. - it works.

3 yrs. ago, in my current profession, I was involved in inspection of metal parts at a machine shop in FL that had been exposed to minute amounts of water due to a weather related event. These were 2 parts for 2 military weapons systems (1 part each) that they were contracted to manufacture from prints. The parts were nearing completion when the exposure took place & were scheduled to be sent out for MPI & final finish. Prior to sending them out we had them inspected & they were rejected due to microscopic corrosion due to exposure to water. Now these could very well have been bead blasted again, MPI'd & finished, but we didn't want to spend additional money if they were going to reject the lot. They were rejected & the shop destroyed $30,000 worth of machined weapons parts for the US military.

On this forum we're real big on mil-spec parts. This is just 1 example of a parts lot that was rejected & destroyed for exposure to the same amount of moisture you would use with a water based cleaning solution. It's very minute corrosion, but it failed their standards nonetheless. Make your choice accordingly.

[M4QUADRAIL]

Make sure if you use Duracoat to use their cleaner! I have seen Duracoat lift and bubble with other cleaners and never while using their product!