Painting Gear

[Cochise]

I'll be getting a black blackhawk dropleg magpouch and I want to paint it tan to better match my desert tri-color BDUs.  What paint works best on this type of gear?

I tried searching, but couldn't find a thread that covered painting gear...lots and lots of guns, but little gear.

[RickEJ6]

The typical walmart Krylon (like $3 a can) works fine. Rick

[Cochise]

This sticks to the nylon-like material of the gear?

[azsarge]

This sticks to the nylon-like material of the gear?

Yes, but you won't get great results.  First of all the coverage won't be great since you are putting a light color over dark material.  Second, it will wear off.

In my experience with painting black gear, you need to hold the can close so the paint hits the cordura while it's still in liquid form.  Flat paints such as the Krylon camo colors dry quicker, so you will need to get close.  After the wet paint soaks into the fibers  a bit, give it a few more coats from the normal distance (about 8-12 inches).  It will look okay.

For best results, wash that gear in some liquid dish-soap and hot water.  Rinse well and let air dry for a day or so (better make it 2, given this recent humidity).  Make sure there is no moisture, then go at it with the can.  You may want to pick up 2 cans, since you'll use alot.

[delta_echo]

This sticks to the nylon-like material of the gear?

Yes, but you won't get great results.  First of all the coverage won't be great since you are putting a light color over dark material.  Second, it will wear off.

In my experience with painting black gear, you need to hold the can close so the paint hits the cordura while it's still in liquid form.  Flat paints such as the Krylon camo colors dry quicker, so you will need to get close.  After the wet paint soaks into the fibers  a bit, give it a few more coats from the normal distance (about 8-12 inches).  It will look okay.

For best results, wash that gear in some liquid dish-soap and hot water.  Rinse well and let air dry for a day or so (better make it 2, given this recent humidity).  Make sure there is no moisture, then go at it with the can.  You may want to pick up 2 cans, since you'll use alot.

What about a primer beforehand? You think that'd make the overcoat stick better?

[azsarge]

This sticks to the nylon-like material of the gear?

Yes, but you won't get great results.  First of all the coverage won't be great since you are putting a light color over dark material.  Second, it will wear off.

In my experience with painting black gear, you need to hold the can close so the paint hits the cordura while it's still in liquid form.  Flat paints such as the Krylon camo colors dry quicker, so you will need to get close.  After the wet paint soaks into the fibers  a bit, give it a few more coats from the normal distance (about 8-12 inches).  It will look okay.

For best results, wash that gear in some liquid dish-soap and hot water.  Rinse well and let air dry for a day or so (better make it 2, given this recent humidity).  Make sure there is no moisture, then go at it with the can.  You may want to pick up 2 cans, since you'll use alot.

What about a primer beforehand? You think that'd make the overcoat stick better?

I find that using a primer doesn't help the paint stick any better.  The paint sticks to the primer better, but the primer only sticks to the nylon as well as the main color, so what you end up with is just more paint on your gear than you need.  It doesn't necessarily provide much colr preparation either, so it's basically a waste of time.

Remember guys, we're not talking about painting a solid surface here.  It's fabric, and it's VERY porous and absorbent.  You also have to be careful not to cake the stuff on.  I have seen too much gear that was utterly destroyed by painting it.  The stuff is best used sparingly!

Painting gear is meant to break up the outline by applying a darker color over a light color.  It is by no means an adequate way to change the color of the gear itself.  That said, I have had succes in painting some small 3 color pouches OD to match my smoke green Paraclete gear.  It worked ok, but the paint came off in some places.

Ian, you know it would have been easier to just get that subload in Tan, right?

[Cochise]

Ian, you know it would have been easier to just get that subload in Tan, right?

Certainly, but I didn't see that it was available

Good tip about the intent.  Seems like I could dust it with a color lighter than black, then put a few soft "stripes" in a lighter color, thus breaking up the black box on my leg

[azsarge]

Ian, you know it would have been easier to just get that subload in Tan, right?

Certainly, but I didn't see that it was available

Good tip about the intent.  Seems like I could dust it with a color lighter than black, then put a few soft "stripes" in a lighter color, thus breaking up the black box on my leg

Backwards.  Do the whole thing in Tan, then add the "stripes" with another color like brown.  The colors won't show up over the black, so you will need to use the Tan to prepare it for the other colors.

[Cochise]

Backwards.  Do the whole thing in Tan, then add the "stripes" with another color like brown.  The colors won't show up over the black, so you will need to use the Tan to prepare it for the other colors.

Makes sense.  Use the lighter color as a base coat at the same time adding it.

I guess Zebras ARE white with black stripes, otherwise how WOULD you paint them?

[Surplus man]

i build models and as far off as it sounds doing layers works, just keep doing coats of the stuff about every hour so it can dry properly until your holster is tan