Hydrotransfer - Design from the water bath

Make-up makes girls prettier. It's more complex with weapons and other stuff. Spraying with Krylon is always good, but coating with Cerakote works too. Hydrotransfer creates professional beauty on many parts because what goes on top is already graphically well designed. Harald Bernhard from Graz offers this service with WATER DIP DESIGN for weapons and weapon parts as well. We took a look at what's possible and talked to him about Hydrotransfer. The pictures in the article show all of his work.

SPARTANAT: You offer Hydrotransfer. What can you do with weapons?

Harald: You can coat a lot of things like grips, wood-plastic stocks, optics, up to complete weapons. SPARTANAT: How does it work?

Harald: First, like with a normal paint job, the part to be coated needs to be prepared by sanding or sandblasting. Then, depending on the surface, it is primed and the respective base color is pre-painted. After a short drying time, the film with the printed design is cut to size and placed on the water which is about 30 to 33 degrees in a boundary! In the meantime, I usually still fill in the holes in the parts to prevent air bubbles from destroying the pressure film or forming defects during the dipping process! After the exposure time, during which the warm water has softened the film, I spray the pressure film with a paint gun filled with its own activator. The activator now dissolves the top layer and the base coat during the dipping process, creating a perfect bond. Then I take the part to be coated and dip it at an angle so that no air bubbles form, and then rinse it with warm water until the dissolved film is completely rinsed off and only the pure pressure remains on the object.After drying, everything is degreased and sealed with clear coat (matte/glossy). But you can also use a clear coat in the Cerakote process. The biggest challenge is to find the optimal amount of activator, which varies depending on the pressure film. If you use too little, the film does not come off correctly and the pressure does not adhere properly; on the other hand, if you use too much, the paint and pressure will dissolve too much, causing it to run away. Dipping complex parts is also a challenge to ensure that the pressure does not tear, distort, or create air chambers where no pressure adheres. SPARTANAT: What kind of designs are available?