refinishing aluminum parts

[lanceriley]

Im not sure if im posting this in the right thread... but here goes.

there are lots of bake-on finishes nowadays. im just curious. if you bake your carbon steel / stainless parts say.. 300 Celcius in an oven ... won't it affect strength of materials?

if it were an ar15 reciever... won't the reciever warp since it's aluminum? Or won't the steel wire break? or melt into the aluminum?

[Hawkmoon]

What bake-on finish requires 300 degrees Celsius? That sounds VERY high.

Even so, the melting point of aluminum is 660.32 °C (1220.58 °F), so you'd be well below the point where you have to worry about melting anything. Loss of temper might be a concern.

[log man]

Let's see 300C.= 572F. ouch that's hot, wouldn't melt anything though.

LOG

[lanceriley]

ooops... Is it 300F? I was refering to alumahyde and gun kote.

[Hill]

Ya, 300 degrees fahrenheit. Use celcius and boil/bubble the new paint.

[lanceriley]

*** Ya, 300 degrees fahrenheit. Use celcius and boil/bubble the new paint. ***

hey... twas a serious question. I really wana try no need to bash me in.

so at 300F won't I warp the ar15 aluminum reciever? or will I distemper carbon steel slides?

[pa_guns]

Hi

Standard bluing takes place at 300 F or so. People have been doing that to steel pistol parts for a *long* time.

Aluminum is a different animal. You would have to look into the specific alloy they are using on the AR15. My guess is that you are ok ...

Bob

[Hawkmoon]

Heck, I roast Thanksgiving turkeys in aluminum throw-away roasting pans at more than 300 degrees. They're nothing more than heavy aluminum foil and they don't melt.

[lanceriley]

ah so it's ok.

so the wire hanger or my holder won't stick to the ar15 aluminum reciever?

My reciever is actually an ELISCO. They're Milspec in everyway. Originally an m16a1 reciever issued to the military during the 70s. Got it's way into civilian hands... got an amnesty for it so now it's a registered lower reciever.

Im from the Philippines by the way.

[Hawkmoon]

Looking at Brownells, Gun Kote requires 300 degrees F., but AlumaHyde only calls for 90 degrees F.

[lanceriley]

yep was thinking of doing gun kote this time

[pa_guns]

Hi

Aluminum melts at 1,200 F. You are *not* going to melt aluminum in an oven. You can melt in on a stove top with the fire turned up all the way and nothing in the pan. Takes about a half hour though. Don't ask how I know this :scared: :scared: :scared:

The bigger question is about the heat treating on the metal. Steel is definitely heat treated for some applications, the same goes for aluminum. I do not know if AR-15 receivers are heat treated or not.

Bob

[lanceriley]

my first project will be the Ar15 reciever. we know it's an aluminum alloy. and since aluminum melts @1200F i'll probably be safe @300. as far as i know AR15 reciever do not have stress in them. so i'll probably be ok. Im just afraid to do it on a 1911 since there are lots of stresses in a 1911 slide and frame.


so can i use an old oven toaster?

[hutch1510]

it will have no effect on it what-so-ever.................

[pa_guns]

Hi

Toaster ovens are great for "cooking" slides and frames. A few hints:

1) get an oven thermometer so you *know* what the temperature is.

2) Don't let the slide or frame "see" the open heating elements. Have a tray or piece of aluminum foil in the radiated heat path.

3) Do it outside - curing gun paint smells ...

If you have a garage sale toaster oven go for it ...

Bob

[lanceriley]

**** 2) Don't let the slide or frame "see" the open heating elements. Have a tray or piece of aluminum foil in the radiated heat path ***

what do you mean by "not see"? the tray at the bottom would be considered not "not seeing". what about the top heating element? should I Loosely wrap the "reciever" in aluminum foil?

If in case the foil touches the painted frame, won't it have burn marks?

Im asking this coz there was a website wherein he demonstrated heating using a toaster oven. baking a ar15 reciever lying down. but didn't cover it with foil. exposing one side directly to the heating path.

thanks for the reply. I really appreciate the reply.

[pa_guns]

Hi

The paint you use is normally a black color. Black soaks up infrared radiation from the heating element. You can get a "hot spot" on the side of the slide or receiver towards the heating coils.

Regardless of how you do it, you need to support the part you are "cooking" with wire. If you just set it down on a grid or tray it will glue it's self to the tray. If you put some aluminum foil under your wire support, that will take care of any hot spot problems.

Bob

[lanceriley]

I was going to make a wire frame support. it won't touch the tray. so there is no direct heating from the bottom just the top.

so I guess i'll just have to frame the top with alum foil? right?

[pa_guns]

Hi

The little oven I have has an open wire tray in the very bottom and elements on top and bottom. I use a setting that does not turn on the top elements (or maybe they just burned out... :D ). The only thing I have to worry about are the bottom elements. A little aluminum foil takes care of that. If you need foil on top and bottom, you are working to hard. :D

Bob

[lanceriley]

Hi

The little oven I have has an open wire tray in the very bottom and elements on top and bottom. I use a setting that does not turn on the top elements (or maybe they just burned out... :D ). The only thing I have to worry about are the bottom elements. A little aluminum foil takes care of that. If you need foil on top and bottom, you are working to hard. :D

Bob

hahah thanks for the advise. I guess im really working too hard.

[toolman]

+1 on the oven thermometer, never trust the dial on the oven. I do enough cooking to be able vouch for that.