Carbon Stock Refinishing..?

[Lobber]

Hi all, I'm curious if some of you may have some experience with any refinishing of stocks with a carbon fiber shell. I recently acquired an AG Composite stock at a decent price and am considering making a project out of refinishing it... The stock has a factory painted solid finish (looks fine, but pretty boring) and I'm wondering if I could sand that finish off to expose the Carbon underneath, then repaint into a 3-color camo, taping patches of the exposed carbon to use as the dark color (similar to manners).

Having never really worked with CF in this manner, I'm not sure if I'm setting myself up, or if this may be do-able..

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Dosh]

L, I've painted a few. Found several coats of satin clear urethane is very helpful in preventing chips. Perhaps there are some YouTube videos on this.

 

[Lobber]

Good to know. On the stocks you've done, have you sanded down to the bare CF? Any recommendations on that part?

 

[tobnpr]

Recommend you call AG to find out what they used for a coating, this will determine whether it needs to be stripped (and how to do it), or whether- and with what- might be used for overcoating without needing to strip.

Painting/coatings are universally all about correct prep, and compatibility.

For example, Cerakote cannot be overcoated (with anything), and must be removed by blasting prior to any new coating (including Cerakote again) to be applied.

 

[Lobber]

Recommend you call AG to find out what they used for a coating, this will determine whether it needs to be stripped (and how to do it), or whether- and with what- might be used for overcoating without needing to strip.

Painting/coatings are universally all about correct prep, and compatibility.

For example, Cerakote cannot be overcoated (with anything), and must be removed by blasting prior to any new coating (including Cerakote again) to be applied.

That's a good point. I think I'll reach out to them and see if they may have some info for me as well. Thanks

 

[hthunter]

I called them about an AG I wanted to refinish. They said It would be fine to lightly sand, paint, and then clear coat

 

[cohunt]

If its painted you may not like the looks of the CF underneath-- not all CF weave patterns are the same-- it could be very ugly/ uneven/ have fillers at seams etc.
The "pretty" ones are designed and manufactured with a "pretty" overlay layer for aesthetics

Also check with the manu for sure, mine said dura coat or AIR DRY cerakote do not use the heat bake on some as it could either damage the resins or make the filler swell and crack the outer shell.

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

Hi all, I'm curious if some of you may have some experience with any refinishing of stocks with a carbon fiber shell. I recently acquired an AG Composite stock at a decent price and am considering making a project out of refinishing it... The stock has a factory painted solid finish (looks fine, but pretty boring) and I'm wondering if I could sand that finish off to expose the Carbon underneath, then repaint into a 3-color camo, taping patches of the exposed carbon to use as the dark color (similar to manners).

Having never really worked with CF in this manner, I'm not sure if I'm setting myself up, or if this may be do-able..

Thanks in advance for your help!

I do a lot of AG stocks they flat black prime them and I do airbrush with duracoat works outstanding no bake most times I do a 3-6 color jobs grung type camo

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

I do a lot of AG stocks they flat black prime them and I do airbrush with duracoat works outstanding no bake most times I do a 3-6 color jobs grung type camo

a lot of Cos use there stocks and do paint them Proof is one that does there own paint jobs on AG stocks

 

[browndcm]

Hi all, I'm curious if some of you may have some experience with any refinishing of stocks with a carbon fiber shell. I recently acquired an AG Composite stock at a decent price and am considering making a project out of refinishing it... The stock has a factory painted solid finish (looks fine, but pretty boring) and I'm wondering if I could sand that finish off to expose the Carbon underneath, then repaint into a 3-color camo, taping patches of the exposed carbon to use as the dark color (similar to manners).

Having never really worked with CF in this manner, I'm not sure if I'm setting myself up, or if this may be do-able..

Thanks in advance for your help!

I worked in the development of CF Iin research in England for 6 1/2 years before i moved to Canada in 1972
My advice would be to either find out how to safely remove the existing coating without damaging the epoxy holding the CF fibres in place or if you sand you may disturb the fibres in the epoxy
CFis expensive and I doubt the stock is pure CF just a coating to stiffen it up to a high modulus
But good luck with your.project

 

[Lobber]

Thank you very much for all the input! That's all very helpful. I'll chat with AG and make sure it's possible to go what I'm hoping and go from there, but it really seems like it should work!

 

[cockednlocked]

If you talk to ag and the carbon isn't what you want you could do a carbon fiber wrap and sponge paint over the top to get the desired look and if it turns out bad it's easy to remove . I wrapped a bar and scope in multi-cam it was a pain in the rear but turned out good held up surprisingly well . I also wrapped a 45 in the leftovers

 

[Bruce Treloar]

Thank you very much for all the input! That's all very helpful. I'll chat with AG and make sure it's possible to go what I'm hoping and go from there, but it really seems like it should work!

I have made carbon stocks since 1970 finishing a lot though prefer to send unfinished. Here are a few tips and short comings of carbon.
There are so many types of carbon weaves, some for cosmetic appearance and others for strength but they all have similar problems like poor abrasion and heating up if left in the sun un painted .The fancy good looking Twill weave stocks are made for a cosmetic effect and left unpainted. If a stock looks like it's in a deep clear pool of water then it's usually resin rich. These are usually made with a timber core and 1/4 sq meter of carbon over. Look for an all carbon stock that has at least 2 1/2 to 3 sq meters of carbon in its construction but still light weight ( Not resin rich) This type of construction is made for strength and will be a more accurate shooter.

To finish do not sand the surface , fill any slight imperfections with an epoxy paste, when cured, rub the paste all over the stock. I use a cotton pad to remove surface paste and fill any holes. You can now lightly sand without breaking into the carbon or use a heavy undercoat or spray putty. Then lightly sand ready for the final coat. Take care to drill two !/32" breather holes in the forend under the barrel and in the butt to avoid expansion and contraction in all weathers.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

I do a lot of AG stocks they flat black prime them and I do airbrush with duracoat works outstanding no bake most times I do a 3-6 color jobs grung type camo

Can you share pictures?

This is NOT CF, but something I did a couple years ago.