Concept FS2K (F2K)

[dirtdart]

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I can do it in photoshop, just not quite sure how to make it a reality.

Skull-O-Flage

FS2K.jpg

[tialloydragon]

Go to a place that does custom airbrush work on motorcycles. My late friend used to do it for a living, and painted a few of his guns. I bought this from his estate after his passing:

[tialloydragon]

Go to a place that does custom airbrush work on motorcycles. My late friend used to do it for a living, and painted a few of his guns. I bought this from his estate after his passing:

[dirtdart]

Sorry you lost your pal.

Thanks for the suggestion. That's exactly what I will do!

[imschur]

Hey we have similar tastes.

I like this in guitars

[djv38]

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I can do it in photoshop, just not quite sure how to make it a reality.

Skull-O-Flage

That looks sweet!

[brickwurx mfg.]

We can do that type of airbrush work no problem! The issue is with the finish. Good Automotive paint like House Of Kolor will need a clear coat finish similar to what you have seen on the pics in the before posts. While this is not a big deal on many rifles and shotguns, clear coat was not designed for serious abuse on a tactical weapon. If you want one as a collectors item, we can do it. But the longevity of clear under severe use and heat is questionable.

Your other option would be to have a vinyl print formated just like a vehicle wrap on durable flexible vinyl. This will mold to the gun, use your digital art, and allow the weapon to have a "skin" verses a painted finish. You can leave things with a satin finish and still return your weapon to factory if needed down the road.

[dirtdart]

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Good looking guitars man!

Thanks djv38,
It's not complete yet. I would like to add the Grim Reaper in there somewhere, just can't find a spot that doesn't take away from the skullz. One person commented that they could not make out the design and thought it was just a smoke cammo pattern. I think he was using a older crt monitor. I'll increase the opacity of the skullz in the image to make it obvious, then post here. The actual application on the gun will be subdued.

Brickwurx,
After airbrushing the graphic, would the duracoat hardener suffice as the protective clear coat?
Funny you should mention vinyl wraps. I'm in the market for a vinyl die cutter/plotter. Just something small for personal jobs.

I like the idea of the wrap and the ability to restore if ever I want, but I didn't think the vinyl would adhere this gun's surface.
Also, wouldn't the shape of the gun make for a cut-path nightmare?
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[fltsrgn]

What would it look like if you cut BACK on the opacity, making the skulls a bit harder to see and more of a cammo look. The hint of skulls within the smoky-like pattern might work.

[brickwurx mfg.]

The material of the weapon would allow the vinyl to adhere very well. The only trouble you may have would be the FN logo and lettering stamped on the side. Heating the vinyl would allow a smooth transfer with minimal imperfections if any. As for the plotter cutter, they have become very inexpensive in the past few years. Stick with a name brand like Roland and you should be good. The tough part is learning to manipulate EPS format work that will cut properly on the machines. Since your images are a pattern and do not require straight lined art, a print and cut combo machine should work easily.

A car wrap type of machine is much more expensive, around 13,000 plus. We have vinyl and aluminum cutters here. Printer cutters for vinyl wrapping hasn't been a big enough need for us to shell out the bucks. But we do have guys that can print this type of work for us. I will check on a format able size and cost, this way you or other FN forum members could request a specific pattern and we could have it plotted once, then offer that design to other customers.

As for painting, I would be very careful. Even with a great clear coat finish, nothing will stand up to barrel heat long term. It could also drop the value of your weapon. Another option would be to have the weapon wrapped in plain satin white vinyl. Then have an artist go to town. You could then clear it and if the need arises, remove it later. That may be the best of both worlds! Custom work thats not permanent. You could buy this in square feet from a distributor, just make sure you get a very thin mil to work with that is heatable and manipulates edges easily.

The wrap would be the least expensive option. Plus, once programed into the printer cutters, we could offer many different designs for this and other rifles. Its worth checking into. I will see what I can come up with!