Brownells Aluma-Hyde II Epoxy Based Firearms Finish (Semi-Gloss Black)

Used this for painting a .22 barrel assembly. As with all painting, success is in the prep work. Poor prep, poor results.I started cleaning my part with acetone. From this point, only handle the part with clean gloves or paper towel. I then blasted with 80 grit aluminum oxide and blasted the part with air from compressor to remove leftover dust from blasting. Masked and hung parts from coat hangers. Preheated the parts a bit with a hair dryer. While doing all of this the can of aluma-hyde was on my stove under the heat lamp (maybe around 120 degree F). I then painted as directed, and hit with hair dryer after every coat. Maybe 4-5 minutes between flash off between coats. I ended up with maybe a 15% orange peel effect, barley notifiable, but it was likely just poor painting technique on my end.I have the parts two weeks to cure hanging over a 100 degree F boiler in my basement. They are installed now, and the finish seem tough. No blemishes yet.

Brownells ALUMA-HYDE II (Gloss Black)Used this to refinish the badly pitted barrel on a Universal M-1 Carbine. I can say that this product delivered excellent results – when USED PROPERLY! First and foremost is the prep of the item to be coated. I filed out all the pits which luckilly looked worse than they were. Then it was sand, sand and more sanding with automtive grade paper going all the way down to 1000 grit. In between times I'd shake the can of ALUMA-HYDE as the opportunity presented itself leaving the can cap down and up every other day. The day of spray (and pray) came – first off I thoroughly cleand the barrel using Brake Cleaner Spray, holding itmuzzle down so the solvent would run off. Then a good water rinse followed by drying with a lint-free, CLEAN cloth. It was then put in an oven pre-heated to the warm setting. As the barrel was heating I put the can of ALMUA HYDE into a pot of hot-to-the-touch water, taking it out after a few minutes, shaking it and repeating the process as the barrel warmed for about 30 minutes.Then it was out of the oven and spray: I had zero problems with the spray head and I think this was due to the extensive mixing action done to the can. I only needed a few light passes and it was on. I have a wall heater in my shop and hung the barrel in front of it to circulate warm air. I doubt this is necessary but it does speed up the cure time.This is to me is a good product but it is not a magic one: you need to put effort into getting it done right! Have patience, follow the directions and you should get a good result. As it happens I bought this product from a source other than Brownell's and saved myself almost eight bucks in shipping costs.

I used this on aluminum grip frames on the old model Ruger Single Six and an old model Ruger Blackhawk .357. Following directions to the letter is the key to a smooth finish and proper adhesion. One can could’ve coated an entire shotgun had I wanted to. Good value and super finish. Shake it, warm it up, shake it again

I was really happy with how my last two projects turned out, I'm anxious to see how semi-gloss black looks. This seller shipped quickly. Follow-up note: This semi-gloss is pretty glossy, makes me wonder how glossy a full gloss is. It went on nice, don't overload it!

I don't know how durable it is because it hasn't been on long enough, but I spent three days sanding and bead blasting an expensive item only to ruin the finish with this product. As other reviews have mentioned (I should've listened), the spray tip and aerosol can is inconsistent, despite shaking well and perfect temperature. Cheap nozzle threw droplets instead of a nice, smooth finish. Ruined a nice item that I had 20 hours of paint prep into. Will never again use this product out of an aerosol can.

Overall the product is a great one-part spray coating to achieve a fairly hard and durable surface. Heating it to fully cure is advised. This specific black in my opinion is too glossy to the extent that when finished the item looks like it was spray painted with a regular thick spray paint which can appear “cheap” or not great for quality firearm parts. I experimented and found that if I coated the parts, let them dry for a day or two and then lightly take a scotch bright pad to the surface I was able to smooth the surface texture and also flatten the gloss to more of a traditional-looking firearm finish. I followed this by baking the parts in an oven for the recommended bake time which helped even out the surface to the extent that you couldn’t practically see any faint lines from the scotch bright. Finally a little gun oil on the surface make it all look appropriate for a firearm. In short, if you don’t want a cheaper glossy look I advise you to purchase a flat / matte finish coating or at least more of a satin finish.

I loved the product and the finished product. Highly recommend.

Good, easy alternative to duracoat. Not as durable in my experience, but more durable than regular spray paint. I do bake to cure, and get decent results. Made a mistake and had to soak off an ar lower in acetone. Applied on raw aluminum, it came off of flat surfaces pretty easily after a long acetone soak. but in the nooks and crannies, it stuck very well.Other reviewers were accurate, you might want to pick up spare nozzles.