Repainting my stock, have a question to those that have done it

Bigragu I didn’t use any adhesion promoter on my stock after wiping it down with denatured alcohol just a bit of self etching primer on my moderator and probably didn’t need that being I didn’t go down to bare metal but better safe then sorry, sometimes I think some plastic almost seems like it bleeds oil depending on what it’s used for, don’t think the stock is like that though, at least from what I could tell before I painted mine, it was nice and dry.

Was the adhesion promoter clear or was it like a primer, guess it doesn’t really mater but I’m wondering if it acted more like a sealer on the plastic stock then a promoter so when you painted it the paint had nothing to adhere to, just a thought I had because if it scratches off so easily that means the paint didn’t have anything to bond to or with,kinda like painting glass, see if it wipes off easy with paint remover/thinner if so then you know the paint didn’t bond with the stock but that is what i would try on it to remove the paint to start with, just start on a small area and see what happens.

Sounds good Bigragu, kept us informed on what happens and if you can spray it off with the washer you know something is wrong depending on the washers PSI anyway.

Paint store employees cannot tell you what they do not know... so lets forget that and move forwards with a solution to the problem. Everything you did was correct except you skipped the primer step. So once you remove the old paint and prep your items again wipe them nice and clean with Denatured Alcohol - (denatured means all the water has been removed). Then you will use something like the product pictured below as your primer coat or even as you "adhesion promotion" coat, then primer if necessary, then paint. And yes when you spray your paint you will spray a tack coat, light coat, and money coat. I say primer if necessary because with the product shown below it is probably all you will need as a primer coat. But how are you going to know how it is going to work? You are going to do a test paint job on some plastic or whatever substrate approximates your gun stock first before you even think about putting any on your parts again. The test parts will tell you everything you need to know. This should get you started over in the right direction. 

Before you put anything on your stock parts again test your paint system on some junk plastic parts. I say system because all paints are part of a system. When I painted my Wildcat stock I used a SW Automotive primer and paint called Genesis. It is absolutely bullet proof...it is commonly used to paint over the road semi trucks that are expected to put a million miles on the road before being retired or totally rebuilt. I wanted something that would make my stock "Chuck proof"!

That’s Awesome, looks like you didn’t paint it at all, it’s nice when you can start from a clean slate. Now you need to post pics as you go, more work but we need to know and see how it goes.

Primer can says it all .

Ok now make sure you do your testing eg., spray some Adhesion Promoter on one of the plastic caps from one of your spray cans...then spray some Paint over it and see how it works out. Next, spray just some Primer on one of the plastic caps and then your Paint and see how it works out. Next, spray some Adhesion Promoter, then Primer, then Paint on one of the plastic caps and see how that works out. One of these three systems is going to end up being superior to the other two...and that's the one you run with on just one of your parts! If you get the adhesion you require then continue on to the other parts. Take your time and have some fun with this project... and then of course it will come out well. 

Congratulations on stripping off the paint that wasn't holding on with...I would have used one of my pressure cleaners that work at 4000 psi tip pressure and made short work of it also.

Good luck and remember, some day you are going to look back and just laugh your butt off thinking of all this.

Your "PLASTIC AND LEATHER PREP" looks like a real good product and yes it will do the same job as the Denatured Alcohol would do... it just cost a lot more but since you already have it go ahead and use it instead. (Save your alcohol for running a wet patch down your bore to get it squeaky clean after you use the Hoppe's Elite to clean your bore once in awhile).

And to answer your other question, I would use the Adhesion Promotor & Primer & Paint system to give yourself every possible chance for success! DO NOT use the dregs out of the bottom of your paint can to do your finish coats. If you are running low then chalk it up to experience and buy a new can. The reason being the dregs in the bottom of your paint spray can are not going to be the same as a brand new can... its like the last swallow of warm beer from a bottle. 

I think you would absolutely love the Duracoat spray paint from MidwayUSA... I know at $45.00 a can it is pricey but if we are in for a penny then we're in for a pound now, right? Anyway, remember to keep shaking the crap out of your spray cans while you are using them, and keep a soft cloth in your other hand to wipe off the spray tip now and then as you are working. This prevents a buildup on the tip that can cause it to "spit" on your paint job and make you want to smash something or kick a big dent in the garage door. And above all stay back 6 to 8 inches while spraying and give each coat plenty of time to thoroughly dry...which means when all the solvent has evaporated and its cured. If this takes you three days to do right oh well... better than having to do it all over another time!

All the best my friend, Chuck