The surface of the parts to be coated should be clean and free of any oils, solvents, etc. Best adhesion is a freshly abrasive blasted surface using 60 to 90 grit aluminum oxide at 60 to 80 psi. Placing Moly Resin™ over other coatings or finishes may produce less than desirable adhesion and color, however, some existing finishes work fine. Glass bead air-blasting polishes metal and may produce a surface poor for proper adhesion, therefore aluminum oxide in 60 to 90 grit is recommended. Best cleaning methods appear to be soap and water; however, a chemical cleaning with MEK, acetone, etc. is also acceptable. The dullest finish for each color is achieved by abrasive blasting before coating. This will give the best coat bonding and adhesion, as well as, uniform texture and best color. Sandblasting removes minor scratches and metal surface imperfections. Placing the lighter Moly Resin™ colors over existing dark finishes will not produce the exact color shade desired and the best appearance. You may have varied adhesion results over a blued finish as some are too smooth to allow proper adhesion. If you rough up or totally remove the blued finish with sandpaper, you may have acceptable adhesion. Chrome or nickel-plated parts should always be abrasive blasted for best adhesion. After sandblasting, rinse parts off with soap and water to remove sand dust and oil from the air compressor. In regard to air pressure used to abrasive blast the metal, use low pressure of 40 to 50 psi for aluminum and 60 to 80 psi on steel. For steel that is rusted, you may need to boost the pressure to 100+ psi, however, high air pressure over 80 psi with any abrasive media tends to crush and destroy the media and shorten it useful life. It is highly recommended to test spray a small scrap piece of metal to test your skill level and color.
After sand blasting and cleaning, the part(s) should be preheated in an oven long enough to get the parts to a temperature of about 100 f. Shake the bottle very well to remove all residue from the bottom of the bottle. Remove parts from the oven and lightly spray Moly Resin™ on the part(s) through an airbrush. Apply the coating from numerous angles and directions. Several light fog passes are more preferable than attempting to coat the part in one heavy coat. When warm parts are sprayed the liquid solvent will immediately be evaporated upon contact resulting in a very consistent finish. If parts cool down during spraying, you may return the partially sprayed part(s) to the oven for preheating back to 100 f. For a more dull or flat appearance, the parts may be pre-heat up to 300 f, however, this is not advisable with the semi-gloss black product unless a flat appearance is desired. The best semi-gloss appearance is achieved by pre-heating no warmer than 100 F. Please note that the temperature catalyst in the Moly Resin™ line of products is set to start the curing process at a temperature that is not harmful to aluminum, steel, other metals and many plastics. It should be noted that for the highest glossy sheen of black glossy Moly Resin™, you should spray the parts at room temperature.
After parts are coated with Moly Resin™ they should be cured in the oven at 300 F. as the minimal time and temp. Curing at 300 F. to 325 F. for 1.5 hours will make the coating harder. Glossy Black should be cured at 325 F. for 1.5 hours minimum. Heating metal firearm parts to 300 – 325 F. will not harm them. Please note that Moly Resin is not a paint and unless heated will dry but not harden. Parts should be coated in light oil immediately after cured and cooled. The oil will improve the appearance of the dry cured coating and prevent marks, etc. from occurring when handling newly cured parts for assembly. The grayish-black thermal cure product has a unique feature in that the standard curing process can be slightly modified to produce a slight green tint/hue desired by some military collectors. The appearance is very similar to old WWI and WWII military rifles turned slightly green by being stored in cosmoline. Special Curing Instructions for Grayish-Black Flat Moly Resin to create a greenish coloration for an old greenish military parkerized appearance. It is highly recommended to test spray a small scrap piece of metal to test your skill level and color.
Color Desired – Grayish-Black flat- Temperature 300 degrees- Oven time -1 hour
Color Desired – Green Hue/Tint – Temperature 350 degrees – Oven Time -1.5 hours
When attempting to create a green hue, periodically open oven to check color. The green hue will gradually appear. Curing Test: You may determine if the coating is properly cured by using a cloth soaked in MEK to rub over the surface of the coating. Note: Although MEK is the solvent for phenolic base for Moly Resin used in the manufacturing process, once the coating is cured, MEK will not dissolve the coating. If the coating is cured, you would only see a very slight transfer of pigment onto the cloth. If not cured, heavy coloration will transfer to the cloth and you will be able to wipe off the coating down to the metal below it.
A variety of plastic parts are currently being used on firearms. Some for merely cosmetics reasons and others for weight reduction, toughness, or simply ease of manufacturing. Although these plastic parts do not rust, they may become discolored or scratched. In addition, they may not match the other parts of the firearm exactly in color. The thermal Cured Moly Resin products have been successfully used on some plastics but there is always a risk in heating. Plastics that are unsuitable are clearly those that will melt, soften, or otherwise be damaged due to the curing temperatures needed to harden the Moly Resin. This is the risk you take in heating the plastic. You may wish to use the new AIR DRY Moly Resin to avoid possible damage due to heat. Some plastic parts will have the mold release agent still on them. The Air Dry coting will not adhere in these instances. The release agent may not be removed by the use of soap or other chemicals to dissolve it and remove it. One removal process that has been reported that is successful is to burn the release agent off of the plastic with a small propane torch.