Firearm Paint Removal

[AZ_Five56]

I just picked up a MK18 pistol yesterday, but it needs quite a bit of cleanup. The previous owner broke out the rattle cans and spray painted the gun. He cleaned most of it off, but there are still some large spots that need cleaning on the lower, and it's in all the cracks and crevices of this thing.

Has anyone done paint removal before? I imagine that paint solvents wouldn't be too harmful to the finish, but I'm looking for recommendations on the right way to move forward. Any recommendations for materials and techniques would be greatly appreciated.

[ex462]

Have never tried it on a firearm,but I know brake fluid stripes paint.you might try it on a piece to see how it works.

[AZ_Five56]

Have never tried it on a firearm,but I know brake fluid stripes paint.you might try it on a piece to see how it works.

I wouldn't have thought of that. I'll give that a try on a little piece of the lower to see how it does. Thanks for the recommendation.

[freefly]

Spray on paint stripper and some nylon brushes (and thick rubber gloves). Then follow up with some acetone. You can use acetone for the entire job, but it will just take a bit more elbow grease. Brake cleaner works great as well to "rinse" all of the stripped paint/gunk out of the nooks & crannies.

[muta4warrior]

I just picked up a MK18 pistol yesterday, but it needs quite a bit of cleanup. The previous owner broke out the rattle cans and spray painted the gun. He cleaned most of it off, but there are still some large spots that need cleaning on the lower, and it's in all the cracks and crevices of this thing.

Has anyone done paint removal before? I imagine that paint solvents wouldn't be too harmful to the finish, but I'm looking for recommendations on the right way to move forward. Any recommendations for materials and techniques would be greatly appreciated.

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Gunk makes a carb cleaner that comes in a gallon can that makes short work out of Krylon paint.

[Ballistic Therapy]

Laquer thinner will work fine on the metal parts.
Just put some on a rag and wipe the paint off.
I wouldn't use it on the plastic though.
Vegetable oil works on plastic sometimes. Other than that I would use Goo Gone or alcohol.

[AZ_Five56]

I'll break it down in the next week or so and have at it. I have plenty of lacquer thinner, brake cleaner, carb cleaner, and other similar stuff, so I should be in good shape. I'll just need to pick up some little nylon brushes for cleaning in all of the cracks.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I was mostly concerned about preserving the factory finish. I didn't want to experiment and end up stripping off the anodize or something.

[freefly]

I've stripped the paint off of numerous ARs, and the spray-on paint stripper (aircraft stripper) is typically the quickest method (albeit messy). It will not harm any factory anodizing, and I've also used it to strip paint off of plastic grips, stocks, and rail covers without issue. The only "household" product (chemical) I know of that will take off the anodizing is lye-based oven cleaner. So, stay away from that.

[sonofbp]

lacquer thinner and scrub with various plastic brushes

before/after of an upper I snagged from another member of the old AZS site

once all the paint was off I just sprayed it down with WD40 to re-oil the original metal finishes and wiped it down

[AZ_Five56]

lacquer thinner and scrub with various plastic brushes

before/after of an upper I snagged from another member of the old AZS site

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once all the paint was off I just sprayed it down with WD40 to re-oil the original metal finishes and wiped it down

Wow! It cleaned up really nice!

I just picked up some Rust-Oleum Aircraft Remover and some brushes, so I'm going to give it a go in the next couple of days.

[sonofbp]

I was surprised how well it turned out, it must have been the 4 layers of crylon protecting the original finish all those years lol.
I've heard good things about the rust-oleum aircraft remover but already had the lacquer thinner on hand so I gave it a shot and it worked very well and was happy with how it didn't stain or remove any of the original finish.
hope it turns out well for you

[AZ_Five56]

I gave it a go with the Rust-Oleum Aircraft Remover, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It's more of a foam than a liquid, so I didn't even smell it when a sprayed it outside unlike if I was using solvents.

Below is what it looked like when I applied the stripper, and then you can see the before and after of the lower. It could still use a little touch up with some lacquer thinner and a fine brush, but I was pretty happy with the initial results.

[AZ Husker]

Did you use it on the grips too? Looks very nice! Beware of brake cleaners on your furniture!

[AZ_Five56]

Did you use it on the grips too? Looks very nice! Beware of brake cleaners on your furniture!

Yes, I sprayed it all over the grip. It didn't affect it at all. I was going to try a spot of the stripper on the braces rubber to make sure I don't melt the who thing. So far so good.

[AZ_Five56]

I finished up the paint removal this morning and got the MK18 put together with it's new lower. I'm very happy with the results, and I appreciate all of the suggestions for getting the paint removed.

The key with using the aircraft remover is just to let it sit on the paint for 20-40 minutes as directed. On thicker areas, I had to follow up with a second pass, but I didn't have to let it sit as long for the follow-up. I used some little disposable horsehair chemical brushes to scrub away the paint, but I'm not sure if something else would have worked better. I know that I really could have used some little round brushes to get in the holes on the handguard. That was hell.