Brownells Aluma-Hyde II Epoxy Based Firearm Finish Spray Coating Protection Paint, Aerosol Can, 12 oz. (340g) Dark Parkerizing Gray

I purchased this to coat a raw aluminum AR-10 upper receiver that I scored a discount on. The instructions are easy to follow and it is intuitive for anyone who's ever spray-painted something.Curing it in the oven worked out best for me, and aside from some self-induced scouring (which was mitigated by a second coat), this turned out beautifully. It protects the aluminum as good as anodizing in this application.I was pleased that the coating was not thick enough to inhibit the function of the bolt on the inside of the upper, and I have never experienced a malfunction as a result of it.

I have a lot of experience using Duracoat, a similar resin paint for firearms. The biggest thing I learned using that is PREP, PREP, PREP. If there is ANY grease, the coating will not set properly. Plus depending on surface, I usually scuff it with 200 grip sand paper, then degrease again. I used this this Alumahyde for an AR setup to coat the Scope, caps, handguard, and muzzle device. I followed the same strict prep work I did for Duracoat. This was just much easier, as duracoat requires proper mixing with hardener, and an airgun setup. I didn't feel like getting all that out and set up for a small job, so decided to try this. I applied 2 coats of Alumahyde, with a hair-dryer heating for 5 minutes between coats to help it set up a little more before second coat. There is a smidge of orange peel in places, but I believe those spots are my fault, and would require close inspection to see. It has set for 24 hours now, and is easily handled. It surprised me how tacky the finish still is, but it does not take any fingerprints or the like. The directions say it takes 10 to 14 days to fully cure, so I will be patient and let these parts sit for the allotted time before I re-assemble the firearm. Duracaot is the same price, but requires a LOT more setup and cleaning of special equipment. Duracoat does come in Aerosol cans now, but that is literally TWICE the cost, and is only good for a few hours after cracking the internal hardener. This takes longer to cure, but for small jobs, if there's no rush, I would use this again. Lastly, I think this is only good for single color jobs. With the different curing requirements (2 coats in under 30 minutes, then 10 days or oven baking before any more coats), I think it would be too difficult to do multi-color camo jobs.

I love this dark parkerizing color. If you’ve ever had a refurbished surplus rifle like a Garand or 1903A3, this spray is very close to the parkerizing I have seen on those type guns. Matte finish with a medium dark gray/green color…more gray than green, but definitely has a green tint to it. I’ve used Aluma-Hyde II for years, works great if you get a good nozzle. Would love to see Brownell’s give this line of coatings a little love and come out with a few more colors, and maybe even upgrade those cans to better performing cans. Otherwise, with the right prep and spraying method, this stuff is great. I bake mine in the oven. It has proven to be very durable on everything I’ve put it on. I would say more durable than some of the cerakoted slides I have. Excellent gun finish. This would be really good for a vintage colt style clone upper/lower receiver set for say an M16 clone or XM177 clone. Good luck!

This isn’t my first time using Aluma-Hyde and I’ve always had good results. The biggest problem is user’s failure to THOROUGHLY shake the can, it takes AT LEAST 10 minutes of pretty vigorous shaking. Now 10 minutes of shaking a can is a whole lot more than people think, at best they’re doing 2-3 minutes. I use a timer set for 10 minutes and will still go longer, it’s actually painful to go that long but it works. This is Parkerizing Dark Gray, no it doesn't match the cap most aerosol paints don’t. Brownells had some Excellent YouTube videos on both how to prep and spray Aluma-Hyde and a video of all the colors sprayed out on magazines so you can get a good idea of how the colors look real world. The Dark Parker’s Gray is gray with a green tint and looks very close to a WWII era M1 Garand color.