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Best paint for steel targets


Flexmoney

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I used to run our local Steel Challenge match, and I'd buy all the paint for that match and for the other matches at the club as well. Having tried a bunch of stuff, I always went back to the 98 cent regular spray paint at Wal-mart. Sure, there are paints that are a little bit better, but a lot more expensive.

At the Area 5 match in Polo, IL they had some awesome stuff. I know it is expensive, but it works fantastically well.

INVERTED MARKING PAINT SPRAY

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Try a can. It has got to last a long time, as you only need a touch of it...and it's easy to aim. (I was shooting Alphas with the paint can all day...who doesn't love shooting Alphas ?!!?)

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on painting steel, what I've noticed is that most everyone places the can much too close to the steel when painting, and then it tends to run off. 8-12" seems to work the best and allows the paint to dry quicker and ensure that it does not run. people want to spot paint the hits instead of cover the plate, this leads to poor coverage.

1.00 cans work great if used properly. when the match is done if you'll invert the can and spray until no paint comes out they should last until they are empty and the tips will not clog.

trapr

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I am with you Flex, I hate paying big bucks for paint but the cheap paint doesn't work, so the moral of the story is don't be so cheap and buy the good stuff.

“You get what you pay for”

Genius !!!!!!

Off to the store to buy some 1943 WWII Surplus ammunition to put in my new Open race gun!

Just kidding good point!

We did get some, Gal cans cheap, and used a big paint brush, it worked well,,, but,, you still got paint on you,,, somehow,,, Paint is magic like that,,

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If you want fast drying use "flat" paints. The best stuff I have ever used is automotive header paint. It's bucks up but it is dry almost as soon as it hits the metal.

primers seem to work well, too.

-rvb

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Thanks for noticing...

<<<<<<<--------------

All part of that big red eye. :)

Now what just gotta figure out what chefcs5 was talking about on his stage when he was telling somebody you and I were "arguing" about something on the forum. laugh.gif

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Thanks for noticing...

<<<<<<<--------------

All part of that big red eye. :)

Now what just gotta figure out what chefcs5 was talking about on his stage when he was telling somebody you and I were "arguing" about something on the forum. laugh.gif

Haven't a clue... we haven't had any contrary words in months.:huh:

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on painting steel, what I've noticed is that most everyone places the can much too close to the steel when painting, and then it tends to run off. 8-12" seems to work the best and allows the paint to dry quicker and ensure that it does not run. people want to spot paint the hits instead of cover the plate, this leads to poor coverage.

1.00 cans work great if used properly. when the match is done if you'll invert the can and spray until no paint comes out they should last until they are empty and the tips will not clog.

trapr

Here in Great Falls anything farther away than 6" won't even get to the steel. Best so far is the Krylon with the angling fan tip. Something about living in an area with a 14MPH average wind speed.

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Much of the contents of an aerosol paint can is wasted on the propellant. I wonder if anyone has tried a small automotive detail spray gun and mini compressor? I would guess it would work better than the marker paint and your paint cost would be lower buying the paint in a 1 gallon cans.

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I haven't tried the marker paint yet but I will. So far the Rustoleum UC2 was the best I had found. Yes it costs more than the cheap but I really think we save money using it and for smaller matches without dedicated RO crews I think it's the way to go.

I'm not sure if it was his idea or what, but Sam Keen taught me a painting trick at a 3-gun match he was running that I felt worked really well for bigger matches with dedicated RO's. He had a bunch of cheap plastic paint trays, some paint pads, and and a gallon of white paint. We diluted the paint a bit to make it go farther and dry faster. One person walking down range would dip a pad in the paint tray and could then "butter" about a dozen steel targets as fast as you could walk by them. It worked especially well for this match where poppers were getting blasted by shotguns w/ bird shot so there was a lot of area to be repainted.

Probably wouldn't want a full gallon of paint sitting on every stage since they won't need it but I'm thinking you could probably get a couple gallons of paint and divide it into individual plastic bottles like empty gatorade bottles with the twist shut caps or something so the RO's could refill their trays as needed.

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Edited by John Heiter
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  • 1 month later...

I have seen the roller thing done with weenie rollers, and cut down gallon milk jugs. You can even buy paint that is not quite white/white at discount at times if it was mixed for someone who didn't want it. When the steel is all down, or not, you have one guy go through and roll em, and then another goes through and sets them up behind him. If they are not falling argets, just roll the face. It sure is nice to shoot a stage and all the steel is freshly rolled.

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