DIY Multicamish Rattlecan Rifle Painting
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 5:34 pm
I'd like to consolidate and share my method of quickly reproducing a Multicam pattern with spray paint for weapons painting. It isn't a perfect reproduction, but is much easier and faster than applying five different layers of pattern stickers. This method was adapted from 4track of Lightfighter.net, without whom I'd have never gotten the results I did.
Paints used:
Aervoe 1082 Light Sand
Aervoe 968 Field Drab
Aervoe 951 Light Green
Aervoe 952 Dark Green
Krylon 4292 Brown
To my knowledge Aervoe does not (currently) make a proper dark brown. Their closest color was 999 Earth Brown, which is a sort of a reddish cinnamon brown. It's a fine color but dark brown it is not. Krylon 4292 Brown was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Krylon sprays more forcefully with a lot more 'throw' than 'spill', to relate it to flashlight beams. Aervoe was the opposite.
The stencils used set this apart from other techniques. They were created from three glass leading blanks, sourced from a local craft store. I traced the shapes from a Multicam assault pack, and combined the edges of many shapes to create a long continuous line down the middle of one of the blanks. They cut very easily with a soldering iron using a razor knife tip. Don't use any other soldering tip, a regular razor knife, or try heating a regular razor knife between cuts... even the thin conical "stencil cutting tip" included my kit didn't work well. To save you the frustration, use the razor knife soldering/burning attachment. The heated razor knife cut quickly and smoothly, and allows for cutting tight, flowing curves. I cut my stencils on top of a similarly sized pane of glass out of a cheap picture frame.
To prep the rifle I degreased with 91% rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. I wet all exterior services thoroughly, wiped it down with a lint-free cloth, and repeated once more. Tape off any surfaces you don't want painted, especially suppressor mating surfaces (muzzle devices/collars) and optic markings/glass. On my personal rifle I didn't bother sealing around the ejection port cover, sealing the muzzle, sealing between the upper and lower receiver, or taping off any control components on the lower. On our duty rifles I did tape off the muzzle devices, suppressor mating collars, etc. If you have a critical reason or care especially, mask/tape... otherwise, it doesn't matter.
I started with a solid base of Aervoe 1082 Light Sand. Standard rules of spraying apply: don't spray too close to the surface, allow some overlap in your spray pattern, don't spray too thick. Remember, most of this base layer is getting one to four more colors on top of it. Remember to spray under movable components (under BUIS, under both/all safety positions, etc.) Let the base layer dry in the sun or in front of a standing space heater until it isn't tacky. I didn't wait for coats to cure totally before applying the next coat.
Paints used:
Aervoe 1082 Light Sand
Aervoe 968 Field Drab
Aervoe 951 Light Green
Aervoe 952 Dark Green
Krylon 4292 Brown
To my knowledge Aervoe does not (currently) make a proper dark brown. Their closest color was 999 Earth Brown, which is a sort of a reddish cinnamon brown. It's a fine color but dark brown it is not. Krylon 4292 Brown was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Krylon sprays more forcefully with a lot more 'throw' than 'spill', to relate it to flashlight beams. Aervoe was the opposite.
The stencils used set this apart from other techniques. They were created from three glass leading blanks, sourced from a local craft store. I traced the shapes from a Multicam assault pack, and combined the edges of many shapes to create a long continuous line down the middle of one of the blanks. They cut very easily with a soldering iron using a razor knife tip. Don't use any other soldering tip, a regular razor knife, or try heating a regular razor knife between cuts... even the thin conical "stencil cutting tip" included my kit didn't work well. To save you the frustration, use the razor knife soldering/burning attachment. The heated razor knife cut quickly and smoothly, and allows for cutting tight, flowing curves. I cut my stencils on top of a similarly sized pane of glass out of a cheap picture frame.
To prep the rifle I degreased with 91% rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. I wet all exterior services thoroughly, wiped it down with a lint-free cloth, and repeated once more. Tape off any surfaces you don't want painted, especially suppressor mating surfaces (muzzle devices/collars) and optic markings/glass. On my personal rifle I didn't bother sealing around the ejection port cover, sealing the muzzle, sealing between the upper and lower receiver, or taping off any control components on the lower. On our duty rifles I did tape off the muzzle devices, suppressor mating collars, etc. If you have a critical reason or care especially, mask/tape... otherwise, it doesn't matter.
I started with a solid base of Aervoe 1082 Light Sand. Standard rules of spraying apply: don't spray too close to the surface, allow some overlap in your spray pattern, don't spray too thick. Remember, most of this base layer is getting one to four more colors on top of it. Remember to spray under movable components (under BUIS, under both/all safety positions, etc.) Let the base layer dry in the sun or in front of a standing space heater until it isn't tacky. I didn't wait for coats to cure totally before applying the next coat.