[oOMeldrumOo]

I work at an auto body and because of which I have pretty much every blend of colours imaginable at my finger tips. Ive seen alot of different projects that have been power coated or anno'd but saying that, am I safe to start a paint job on one of my shockers without ruining it using automotive paint? Has any one tryed this before that could tell me if this will work and or if so maybe some tips/tricks?
Thanks all!

[americanidiot748]

well i painted a Tippmann 98 with Automotive Paint, i had to strip the powdercoat off and scuff the surface really good...






if you feel comfortable enough to strip your shocker (just the outside) or maybe just scuff the anno enough the paint has something to grab and hold on to

[mmain62]

I have painted guns before, and as long and they are fully stripped (of course) and taped off well I have never seen a paint job effect the guns mechanics. hope that helped.

[oOMeldrumOo]

Its not so much the mechanics that im worried about as much as the quailty of the finish on the marker. Will it fade, chip, scratch or even look good enough to be worth doing? Keep in mind there it nothing wrong with the anno on my marker currently. It will be taped up properly for sure if it happens. Are you guys sure the surface of the marker needs to be roughed up though? If it were primed do I really need to rough it up?

[Box]

If you clean the surface you want to paint real good and do a solid job you might not have to do anything to the body. Paint doesn't really stand the test of time with paintball guns, but if it looks like crap you could probably just strip the paint and then return to the anno underneath.

Ever use adhesion promoter? That might help here.

[oOMeldrumOo]

Yeah we have and use adhesion promoter alot around here. I might just wait to try it on a marker that doesnt have a very nice anno already. I think anno might be the way to go for me thinking about how car paint would react to the usual abuse of the sport on the marker over time..

[extra02]

I painted my ion fram at Carstar Auto Body when I worked there. It came out great had to paint it pearl white because thats what colour i was spraying that night but it looks great. The key is in the prep work, make sure you use a very thin coat of primer and scuff it up good before you start spraying!! Baking it in the booth helps out with chips apose to just painting it and letting it dry. Double clear if you can also.

[oOMeldrumOo]

Thanks for the info! Thats funny because im working at a Carstar at the moment as well. Now im just wondering how the paint job held up? Has it proven to be easy to scratch, chip, fade or just look bad over time?

[stevebski]

If you're truly worried about durability, get it powder coated. Automotive paint prepped properly and baked on is about as durable as anodizing is scratch free. If you beat your shocker to crap, the finish isn't going to last

[americanidiot748]

the paintjob on my 98 held up GREAT! i'm about to paint a Auto mag when i get a chance...it took hits really well and scratched not to easy, just take good care of it and it'll be fine, i personally wouldn't do something on the level of shocker first but find an old tippmann, automag or spyder to try your hand at it first...but you have to scuff it and prep it really well and double clear coat never hurt at all

EDIT: the finish on that Tippmann is not fresh out the paintbooth it was about three years old at the time of that picture (1 year of play and 2 just sitting in the gear bag) and the only chip i had from play was a very tiny one where the body sticks out above the velocity screw, and it was more warn then chip as when the gun got laid on its side that touched, i got a few more from it bouncing around in my gear bag, hope that helps

[oOMeldrumOo]

Awesome thanks guys! Im feeling pretty good about giving it a shot from what you all have been telling me. Although I may try and find some thing inexpensive to experiment with first. Thanks again!