Anybody applied a Urethane finish to a Rem 700 black plastic grip cap and forend?

[VaniB]

Well, here I am months later with my finally citri-stripped, sanded, and MinWax stained 1970 BDL stock. As for my old thread about finding a pro to do it for me?... I'm him! lol. Ok, so far/so good. (But don't ask me how well the Home Depot citri-strip worked! Damn government! lol) I've decided to apply MinWax "Wipe-on-poly" gloss finish I bought at Lowes. My question is, can I apply that stuff over the black plastic so it looks good? I intend to start with applying 2 poly urethane coats on the plastic pieces and the stock, and sand the coats lightly from the 3rd coat on, between each coat. A week later (after about 8 - 12 coats) when I'm done applying it and sanding between coats, it will look as clear and smooth as the wood stock I hope. I ask this because I realize poly does NOT absorb into plastic. It is designed to absorb into the wood not plastic.

I'm going to keep applying the 8-12 thin finishes with a lint free rag and keep lightly sanding it between coats until the poly fills the wood grain pores and I end up with a smooth and even gloss finish.

 

[dolek]

I have never used that finish on a stock ,mostly on interior trim . I found it to be more like a plastic layer,not like the claimed hand rubbed finish . As to sticking to plastic,I have no clue...but I think it will be fine if the plastic is clean.

I was not aware they made an exterior version . Maybe it will be more like a hand rubbed finish ?

 

[VaniB]

I was not aware they made an exterior version . Maybe it will be more like a hand rubbed finish ?

It's not for exterior work. Click on the youtube video and go to 3:25 minutes to see how the stock can look.

The only issue I have with all these youtube videos I've watched is that nobody ever applies the poly finish (or tru-oil for that matter) to a stock with plastic grip and forend tips. It's always a 100% all wood stock they are showing.

I

 

[RWO]

I think you are laboring under some misconceptions about Wipe-On-Poly. There is no need to apply 8-12 thin coats and sand between. There is no need to treat the plastic separately from the wood. For a fool proof and durable pore filling scheme, do this:http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/1_20waltcunfin.html Use oil-based, gloss Wipe-on-Poly. Ignore the plastic while doing it. Just keep it wiped off after every sanding cycle is finished.

It will take about 4-5 cycles of sanding-in per the above procedure to achieve filled pores with a very smooth surface. Let cure for a couple of days after the last cycle. Rub down gently with 4/0 steel wool to remove any trapped dust or other surface irregularities. Apply straight finish( unthinned) with a dauber made from lint free cloth( old T-shirt) wrapped tightly around some cotton balls. Make it about the size of your thumb. Fill it with finish and apply to the surface so that it leaves a uniform coat as you drag it across the wood and plastic. If you can see pores in the wet finish, you have not filled them completely so wipe it off and do another sanding-in cycle. Try to apply with minimal overcoating. Once everything is coated nicely, set aside for 24 hrs. The finish is largely self-leveling and is about 36% solids so apparent uneven coating as applied will largely disappear as it cures. Sand the surface lightly per the instructions on the can and apply the 2nd and 3rd coating. 3 should be enough to allow safe rub-out. Strive for even and uniform application making sure the dauber does not go dry as you complete the coating. Let cure a couple of days and you can then rub out with wet-or-dry paper and soapy water to get the gloss level you want. It is available in 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 grit at your local auto paint store. Be careful on edges to avoid cut through. If you do cut too deep, a couple of coats of finish will fix it.

RWO

 

[VaniB]

I think you are laboring under some misconceptions about Wipe-On-Poly. There is no need to apply 8-12 thin coats and sand between. There is no need to treat the plastic separately from the wood. For a fool proof and durable pore filling scheme, do this:http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/1_20waltcunfin.html Use oil-based, gloss Wipe-on-Poly. Ignore the plastic while doing it. Just keep it wiped off after every sanding cycle is finished.

It will take about 4-5 cycles of sanding-in per the above procedure to achieve filled pores with a very smooth surface. Let cure for a couple of days after the last cycle. Rub down gently with 4/0 steel wool to remove any trapped dust or other surface irregularities. Apply straight finish( unthinned) with a dauber made from lint free cloth( old T-shirt) wrapped tightly around some cotton balls. Make it about the size of your thumb. Fill it with finish and apply to the surface so that it leaves a uniform coat as you drag it across the wood and plastic. If you can see pores in the wet finish, you have not filled them completely so wipe it off and do another sanding-in cycle. Try to apply with minimal overcoating. Once everything is coated nicely, set aside for 24 hrs. The finish is largely self-leveling and is about 36% solids so apparent uneven coating as applied will largely disappear as it cures. Sand the surface lightly per the instructions on the can and apply the 2nd and 3rd coating. 3 should be enough to allow safe rub-out. Strive for even and uniform application making sure the dauber does not go dry as you complete the coating. Let cure a couple of days and you can then rub out with wet-or-dry paper and soapy water to get the gloss level you want. It is available in 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 grit at your local auto paint store. Be careful on edges to avoid cut through. If you do cut too deep, a couple of coats of finish will fix it.

RWO

Thanks, but none of what you provided applies to my project. My stock is already sanded, has min-wax pre-conditioner applied, and has been meticulously stained for an evenly darkened finish. (3.5 hours worth of touch up & making sure) I had researched extensively before starting my project, and the vast majority of tutorials are like yours and exclude a stain finish, and they always assume I want the natural wood color. I'm not knocking your attempt to help, merely saying that the tutorial link doesn't apply to what I'm doing.

Because filling in the open wood grain with the sanded wood particles was not possible using pre-conditioner and stain, I'm electing to apply as many coats of poly, and sand between coats until the wood grain is filled in. Again, I just need to know what to expect with the black plastic which doesn't absorb poly. Thanks again.

 

[Fast14riot]

Plastics are my area of professional experience, honestly I've never had any of those types of finishes stick very well to plastics, typically flakes off after a while. If the pieces are smooth/gloss, I would consider just polishing it alone. Depending on what type of plastic it is, there can be different ways to polish it. For harder plastics (PMMA, etc) I like the Novus system. For some softer materials like ABS, PVC, it takes a little technique but a hard muslin wheel and black compound can work, but dont dwell in one spot too long.

 

[VaniB]

Plastics are my area of professional experience, honestly I've never had any of those types of finishes stick very well to plastics, typically flakes off after a while. If the pieces are smooth/gloss, I would consider just polishing it alone. Depending on what type of plastic it is, there can be different ways to polish it.....

Amazing!.... Last night I read 12 full google pages of refinishing a Rem 700. In those 12 pages of topics, I found two threads asking my same exact question right there in the topic title, (just like I did in my topic title) and everybody responding in those threads went off into a tangent about how to work on the wood stock without answering the question. lol I suppose I can easily mask off the plastic, but I'm afraid that after applying the clear finish I will remove the tape and see an ugly ridge right there where the tape ended.

I've had no problem polishing the black plastic with flitz for a mirror shine.

 

[Fast14riot]

The ridge shouldn't be too bad, especially if you allow for run over when polishing the plastic where it meets the wood.

 

[Fast14riot]

Also, are you sure the forend tip is plastic? I know the grip caps are, but I've seen a number of old 700 stocks (my dad has one like you describe) where the finish is applied right over the tip.

 

[Bc'z]

Not that I know anything about paint. lol
I use Spraymax aerosol 1k plastic adhesion promoter mask stock so just plastic to be sprayed is exposed. 1 "LIGHT" coat is all you need. Less is more in this application, multiple coats is a guarentee for failure.
You can also get a product called "Bulldog"
for spraying out of a spray gun, agian less is more. Also you could apply a lil bit to a lint free rag and wype it on.
Any of the products I mentioned should work in promoting adhesion on plastics.
Should allow adhesion promoter to flash 10-15 minutes @70°
Look on Amazon or contact TCP Global.

 

[Bc'z]

Also, are you sure the forend tip is plastic? I know the grip caps are, but I've seen a number of old 700 stocks (my dad has one like you describe) where the finish is applied right over the tip.

Mine too on my CDL stock peeling off with thumb nail

 

[VaniB]

Also, are you sure the forend tip is plastic? I know the grip caps are, but I've seen a number of old 700 stocks (my dad has one like you describe) where the finish is applied right over the tip.

Yes, I can confirm it's plastic because I've had to sand off a deep scratch. The Remington factory had used an epoxy type finish that was sprayed over the entire stock including the black grip and forend. That top coat finish the factory used had the brown-red coloring added to it. (ie; The factory did not stain the wood in that color. The color was added to the clear coat) This is why most old Remington stocks have a transparent brown-red tint over the white spacers. (which looks better to me anyway then would bright white spacers without the tint)

Thanks for bringing it to my attention that the poly-Ur would not stick to the plastic and would likely eventually cause problems. I wasn't sure.

 

[VaniB]

Not that I know anything about paint. lol
I use Spraymax aerosol 1k plastic adhesion promoter mask stock so just plastic to be sprayed is exposed. 1 "LIGHT" coat is all you need. Less is more in this application, multiple coats is a guarentee for failure.
You can also get a product called "Bulldog"
for spraying out of a spray gun, agian less is more. Also you could apply a lil bit to a lint free rag and wype it on.
Any of the products I mentioned should work in promoting adhesion on plastics.
Should allow adhesion promoter to flash 10-15 minutes @70°
Look on Amazon or contact TCP Global.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is the solution to applying the wipe-on poly over the entire stock including the plastic parts, without having to mask those parts and end up with uneven surfaces or ugly lines showing on the final smooth gloss finish caused by the masking tape edges.

I had no idea that such a product existed until you brought it to my attention. I just exited reading pages of questions and feedback about the Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter product at Amazon. It seems that this product is available at the local Auto Zone Stores for about $10, and it is the solution.The feedback I read at Amazon seems to indicate that it applies clear with a very slight haze. But once I put the clear minwax wipe-on poly over it, the haze disappears, and the poly will stick to the plastic with the adhesion-promoter on it. I will buy it, and experiment spraying it on a small area of the plastic grip cap, applying a coat or two of the Minwax wipe-on poly on top of it, and seeing how it looks when it dries.

 

[Bc'z]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is the solution to applying the wipe-on poly over the entire stock including the plastic parts, without having to mask those parts and end up with uneven surfaces or ugly lines showing on the final smooth gloss finish caused by the masking tape edges.

I had no idea that such a product existed until you brought it to my attention. I just exited reading pages of questions and feedback about the Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter product at Amazon. It seems that this product is available at the local Auto Zone Stores for about $10, and it is the solution.The feedback I read at Amazon seems to indicate that it applies clear with a very slight haze. But once I put the clear minwax wipe-on poly over it, the haze disappears, and the poly will stick to the plastic with the adhesion-promoter on it. I will buy it, and experiment spraying it on a small area of the plastic grip cap, applying a coat or two of the Minwax wipe-on poly on top of it, and seeing how it looks when it dries.

No worries.
I have no personal experience with
Dupli color.
Spraymax is tried and true, the spray top is adjustable for pattern control, they make an assortment of products for the automotive hobbyist, and professional alike.
I highly recommend them.
I used thier 1k adhesion promoter to "smoke" a windscreen on a Porsche, spot in plastic bumpers of different materials, and smoking taillights.

 

[dolek]

Thanks for explaining this Bc'z . I have often wondered about this ,never thought about adding an adhesion agent .

 

[Bc'z]

Thanks for explaining this Bc'z . I have often wondered about this ,never thought about adding an adhesion agent .

Remember when using 1k adhesion promoter
THIN to WIN!

 

[VaniB]

No worries.
I have no personal experience with
Dupli color.
Spraymax is tried and true, the spray top is adjustable for pattern control, they make an assortment of products for the automotive hobbyist, and professional alike.

Here's the reason I decided against using anything other then the Dupli-Color adhesive spray;
I use the Amazon website often just to read many available feedback posts by the customers who bought a particular product. After reading many pages of questions, and many pages of feedback about "Dupli-Color", I was able to find 2 instances of people who needed it to apply & show clear. For most people this doesn't matter. For many people buying an adhesion product, the clarity doesn't much matter, because the majority of people are intending to spray an opaque color paint over it. But I need the black plastic to be seen and show clearly and beautiful. The spraymax and other more expensive products had much less reviews for me to go by. If my test spots with Dupli-Color don't work, then I'll be trying the Spraymax product next.
Thanks again!

 

[Bc'z]

Here's the reason I decided against using anything other then the Dupli-Color adhesive spray;
I use the Amazon website often just to read many available feedback posts by the customers who bought a particular product. After reading many pages of questions, and many pages of feedback about "Dupli-Color", I was able to find 2 instances of people who needed it to show clear. For most people this doesn't matter. For many people buying an adhesion product, the clarity doesn't much matter, because the majority of people are intending to spray an opaque color paint over it. But I need the black plastic to be seen and show clearly and beautiful. The spraymax and other more expensive products had much less reviews for me to go by. If my test spots with Dupli-Color don't work, then I'll be trying the Spraymax product next.
Thanks again!

No worries mate.
Last thing either one of want to see is unsatisfactory results.

 

[Bc'z]

Here's a scope someone asked me for a recommendation on what to use I'd say he knocked it out of the park!!

 

[dolek]

Here's a scope someone asked me for a recommendation on what to useView attachment 1167533 View attachment 1167534 View attachment 1167535I'd say he knocked it out of the park!!

Wow, that is impressive .