Looking into metal parts refinishing uncovers many options. Normal painting is cheap and easy but does not hold up well and results in a mess to remove to try again. Duracoat is a good option but pretty expensive. My favorite option for barrel refinishing is cold bluing but I will cover that in a different post. Anodizing is expensive to outsource and expensive and dangerous to do at home. So I started looking at other options. One of those was high temperature ceramic paint. As it turns out Rustoleum High Temp Ceramic paint works very well. I will be using it to refinish muzzle adapters, and other parts. This is a good method for many parts including pump arms but I do not recommend this method for receivers because the heat cycling can affect the fit of the receivers and possibly ruin them.
The first step is to clean your part to remove any dirt and oils. For this I use acetone. After wiping the part down thoroughly with acetone allow it to completely dry. Then apply the Rustoleum high heat paint by simply spraying it on just as you would any other spray paint. After coating your part allow it to dry for two hours.
After allowing the part to dry for two hours it is time to bake the part to cure it. To fully cure the part it must go through three heating cycles. The first heating cycle is for one hour at 400 degrees. After heating to 400 degrees for one hour allow the part to cool back to room temperature.
For the second cycle heat the part to 450 degrees for one hour and allow it to cool to room temperature. Repeat the last cycle a second time. The end result is a professional looking finish that is durable and scratch resistant for a fraction of the cost of other coatings.
