Repainting a gun
 

So I bought my gun already with a nice paintjob on it. Although it is quite nice, not the whole gun is painted with the same consistency so I'm thinking about repainting the whole thing in the same kind of colors (woodland). Should I take the paint off or could I just paint on top of it and we wouldnt see what's under?

I would strip the old paint off first. I wouldn't want to have a thick layer of paint, unless you don't mind that. Also another benefit is the trades and lettering will be more visible.

Depending on the thickness of the paint, I'd paint over it. If it's too thick, sand it lightly. If you want a camo paintjob that will look worn and dirty, that will be perfect.

For the places you can't sand take paintthinner on a q tip and just wipe off what you can.

I've been told WD40 works well on metal, any truth?

i myself just went through this process. I redid the whole look on my WE 1911. it was all dark gray, and now it has 2 tones of gray, some black, and i polished some parts to a mirror shine. Pics will follow, but thats another story in another thread..

All of this to say that doing what i do in life and in all modesty, i have a very good knowledge of paint and how it should be done if you want a professionnal result. For ANY paint job, i would HIGHLY reccommend getting rid of ALL the old paint first. Yes its long. Yes you have to be meticulous. But its the difference between amateur and professionnal looking.

sand it off with 600 or higher wet-dry sandpaper. that way you dont scratch your metal with a thick grain sandpaper.

The reason why i would take it all of is that first, it ensures a completely clean surface to paint on. gets rids of any scratches in the old paint, etc. Before painting, you have to make sure your surface is extra clean, free from any dust, dirt, oil, etc. Stripping it to the raw metal is the best way to make sure of that. And since you have the option, you don't want to leave a old layer of paint under a new one...

If you wanna go lazier then that, you still have to sand the old paint first to get your paint to adhere better.

You wont get any paint off with WD-40. its not a thinner. its a temporary lubricant.

Plus my advice, stay away from wd-40 for anything other then a temporary lubricant, like loosening a bolt or such...

If you want to completely strip off all the paint, soak the piece in brake fluid. That's what I use. And it's safe on plastic and metal. Search for "stripping paint" on here because there is a few good guides to help.

that will prolly leave a stain.

Never heard from anyone complaining about staining before. Have you tried this method?

I have never seen any staining while using break fluid to remove paint. Although I am somewhat suspicious that the fluid itself weakens plastic material somewhat.

I just personally wouldn't trust brake fluid. I once spilled some on the grill of my car and it melted the grill..
I spent hours on hours over the last two days stripping a plastic body with steel wool. But if I ever have to do it again I'll be buying a hobby sandblaster. My regular sandblaster is too strong for plastic.

For metal parts the brake fluid is perfect.
For plastic, go to Walmart and buy a jug of "SuperClean". It is some purple industrial-grade cleaner. Work prefectly on any plastic I found so far (I completly dipped my G36K in it to remove the 3-4 previous paintjobs of the other owners...) DON'T let it touch aluminium or any metal. It literally melts aluminium like butter (tested it... it completely disolved a whole Coke can over the night).

If the first paintjob is properly done and light enought, you can so a second overlay, even more if you want the same colors... you can use the old paint as a basecoat and work from there.

Personnally, if i can, i stay away from any chemical liquids to get rid of paint. just my preference.

Sand to the plastic/metal and get some paint thinner for the fine stuff. Wash with dish soap before you paint, remember to spray from a few feet back. More light coats of paint equal more compliments;)