Orlite Mag Re-finishing...

[DayWalker]

I bought a couple of Orlites at a local gun show and they were a little rough and discolored. Can I paint them and if so, what kind of paint? Thanks.

[Juiced8]

I use BBQ gas grill paint on my USGI mags then bake them in the oven for an hour or two at 400 degrees when I refinish them, they come out looking brand new and hold up very well. You may want to try that. Not sure if the plastic Orlites will melt though.

[UGACherokee]

Originally posted by DayWalker
I bought a couple of Orlites at a local gun show and they were a little rough and discolored. Can I paint them and if so, what kind of paint? Thanks.

Honestly, I wouldn't paint them:

The best hold on plastic that you're going to get is going to be general use primer applied to a pre-sanded surface, and even that is going to wear.

(Personally, I wouldn't put a painted plastic mag into my AR's magwell anyway, but that's just me.)

Use them as is, and don't worry how they look; if you've got to have a "glamour mag" to throw in your rifle for pics, get an NIW USGI mag ($30-$40)

[Juiced8]

USGI mags are painted from the factory.

[UGACherokee]

Originally posted by UGACherokee
Personally, I wouldn't put a painted plastic mag into my AR's magwell anyway, but that's just me.

Originally posted by Juiced8
USGI mags are painted from the factory.

1. USGI mags are aluminum, not plastic.

2. USGI mags are hard anodized (electrochemical) and coated in dry-film moly (lubricant finish), i.e. "not painted".

3. Original mags are done at a factory, not refinished with a $19.95 can from Bob's Gun Supply; that stuff flakes, and again, won't go in my magwell either.

4. Hard-anodized aluminum is tough enough for satellites; it doesn't need refinishing.

[Juiced8]

Originally posted by UGACherokee
1. USGI mags are aluminum, not plastic.

2. USGI mags are hard anodized (electrochemical) and coated in dry-film moly (lubricant finish), i.e. "not painted".

3. Original mags are done at a factory, not refinished with a $19.95 can from Bob's Gun Supply; that stuff flakes, and again, won't go in my magwell either.

4. Hard-anodized aluminum is tough enough for satellites; it doesn't need refinishing.

Easy there AR15 commando I pay $3.95 for a can of BBQ grill paint and it works out just fine. And "powdercoating" is painting it's just applied differently then baked.

[UGACherokee]

Originally posted by Juiced8
Easy there AR15 commando I pay $3.95 for a can of BBQ grill paint and it works out just fine. And "powdercoating" is painting it's just applied differently then baked.

"AR15 commando?" :wtf:

You are apparently this week's Ignorant Vizier of Bad Advice, but that didn't stop me from being polite to you.

And who said anything about powder coating, Ace? Anodizing isn't powder coating nor is the application of molybdum disulfide.

[Juiced8]

Originally posted by UGACherokee
"AR15 commando?" :wtf:

You are apparently this week's Ignorant Vizier of Bad Advice, but that didn't stop me from being polite to you.

And who said anything about powder coating, Ace? Anodizing isn't powder coating nor is the application of molybdum disulfide.

How are USGI mags annodized? Last time I remember the USGI mags finish wears off, annodization is the process of getting the finish in to the fibers of the metal and it doesnt wear off.

[UGACherokee]

Originally posted by Juiced8
How are USGI mags annodized? Last time I remember the USGI mags finish wears off, annodization is the process of getting the finish in to the fibers of the metal and it doesnt wear off.

The aluminum mag shell was dipped in an acid bath with a current running through it to form a coating of aluminum oxide. In other words, when you anodize an aluminum mag shell, the "protective coating" is coming from the aluminum itself.

That's the bronze "coating" on a USGI mag.

On top of the anodized surface, they apply dry-film moly -- molybdum disulfide -- which is a grey-tinted lubricant, and briefly heat treat it. Aluminum oxide -- the "bronze coating" is super hard, but porous which means that it will take and hold the dry-film moly, but not forever.

[Buckshot Bob]

I have orlite mags. I think they are alot better and smoother than cheap metal mags and GI mags are too expensive.
Dont paint them. I dought it will stay long on plastic. I'm a painter.

[DayWalker]

OK, this is what I did. On the the really rough Orlite's, I lightly sanded the area below the ridge and then doused them in Rem Oil. Now they are silky smooth.

[Buckshot Bob]

Good idea, I'm gona try that.