So i've had this aluminum-frame P-38 for some years, and i've always disliked the contrast between the frame and the slide-assembly. It was also quite worn-out externally, and i've long considered painting it (and various other guns), if only i'd get set up to do so. A couple months back, a friend offered to walk me through the process, using one of my guns.
Before any of that, though, i had a couple alterations i wanted to implement before i put paint to metal. First, i wanted to put a bevel on the magazine-well's inner edges to make magazine insertion easier. To this end, i just used a round file, a flat file, and sandpaper.
![Automotive exterior Bumper Vehicle Automotive wheel system Wheel]()
Second, i wanted to de-horn the edges of the grip and trigger-guard, which i did with some #220 emery cloth backed with a round or flat object, depending on the surface to de-horn. I'm not perfectly satisfied with my work (i wish i'd made it more rounded), but it's certainly better than the inconsistent, factory de-horning on the backstrap.
![Gun Trigger Shotgun Revolver Gun accessory]()
Disassembly was a bit complicated, but i separated everything that wasn't staked or peened in place. These were the locking pin on the underside of the barrel, the rest pin that holds the takedown lever inside the frame, and the rest pin in the safety lever.
So the day came to paint everything , and we started by figuring out which parts should be painted, then plugged the barrel, let everything soak in brake-cleaner, wired up each piece and hooked them onto his removable oven-fixture, sand-blasted the pieces individually, cleaned them off with compressed air, heated the parts in the oven to see if any more oil seeped out, and then painted them. At this point we discovered that the minuscule limit stop pin and extractor pin were missing; one was in the sand-blasting cabinet, the other was on the floor where we blasted the parts with air. With everything painted, we put them back in the oven at (i think) 250 degrees fahrenheit for 2 hours, then puzzled the gun back into one piece.
![Firearm Gun Trigger Airsoft Gun accessory]()
![Air gun Machine Shotgun]()
For the color, i went with Sniper Gray Ceracoat. In hindsight, it was a tad lighter than i wanted, but i still love the outcome. For comparison, the center mag in the following image is a P1 mag in its original finish, and the ones beside it are refinished.
![Strap Hardware accessory Metal Leather]()
As for the parts i couldn't detach, the locking pin defied expectations and came loose easily, but the two rest pins were a bit too abrasive. I tried blasting them with air, oiling them, and breaking them in, but the safety is still stubborn.
I also discovered that i maybe should have rounded off the corner of the safety lever, and maybe the barrel's forward corners of its upper rails.
Things i have yet to do:
* Maybe refinish the stocks in fakelite if i can coordinate it with the color with the metal.
* Color the sights, maybe with a glow-in-the-dark paint.
* Lighten the double-action pull.
* Order a Falco holster
Before any of that, though, i had a couple alterations i wanted to implement before i put paint to metal. First, i wanted to put a bevel on the magazine-well's inner edges to make magazine insertion easier. To this end, i just used a round file, a flat file, and sandpaper.
Second, i wanted to de-horn the edges of the grip and trigger-guard, which i did with some #220 emery cloth backed with a round or flat object, depending on the surface to de-horn. I'm not perfectly satisfied with my work (i wish i'd made it more rounded), but it's certainly better than the inconsistent, factory de-horning on the backstrap.
Disassembly was a bit complicated, but i separated everything that wasn't staked or peened in place. These were the locking pin on the underside of the barrel, the rest pin that holds the takedown lever inside the frame, and the rest pin in the safety lever.
So the day came to paint everything , and we started by figuring out which parts should be painted, then plugged the barrel, let everything soak in brake-cleaner, wired up each piece and hooked them onto his removable oven-fixture, sand-blasted the pieces individually, cleaned them off with compressed air, heated the parts in the oven to see if any more oil seeped out, and then painted them. At this point we discovered that the minuscule limit stop pin and extractor pin were missing; one was in the sand-blasting cabinet, the other was on the floor where we blasted the parts with air. With everything painted, we put them back in the oven at (i think) 250 degrees fahrenheit for 2 hours, then puzzled the gun back into one piece.
For the color, i went with Sniper Gray Ceracoat. In hindsight, it was a tad lighter than i wanted, but i still love the outcome. For comparison, the center mag in the following image is a P1 mag in its original finish, and the ones beside it are refinished.
As for the parts i couldn't detach, the locking pin defied expectations and came loose easily, but the two rest pins were a bit too abrasive. I tried blasting them with air, oiling them, and breaking them in, but the safety is still stubborn.
I also discovered that i maybe should have rounded off the corner of the safety lever, and maybe the barrel's forward corners of its upper rails.
Things i have yet to do:
* Maybe refinish the stocks in fakelite if i can coordinate it with the color with the metal.
* Color the sights, maybe with a glow-in-the-dark paint.
* Lighten the double-action pull.
* Order a Falco holster
