How to Paint Your Airsoft Gun

Every true airsofter has seen those really awesome painted guns, and many own one or more of them. The newb on the field walks up and says "how did you paint your gun?" and the answer is generally "Gamepod did it for $100" or "I did it myself." If you're the latter, and you want to paint your own airsoft gun and keep the price reasonable, here are some tips that will help you as you paint your airsoft gun.

Steps

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Not all airsoft guns look good painted. For example, G36s, MP5s, and other HK submachine guns generally looks their best in black. Some guns you might want to have painted are M16s, M4s, Sniper rifles, and SAWs.
Many designs are possible. For M4s and M16s and other variants of those weapons, the entire gun being painted is preferable, while as for SAWs and snipers, only plastic parts or "furniture" should be painted.^{[1]XResearch source}
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(if you want digital camouflage... check the bottom under Tips) When at the store, make sure you are buying spray paints and that every single color you get is flat. If you get shiny, your gun will come out pretty darn badly...
You want to prepare your gun so that it will not be harmed when you paint it. Do this after you have chosen a suitable place to paint. You will want to get masking or painting tape and lots of newspaper and place them on the ground making a "table" big enough for your gun and plenty of room for extra painting. Then get maybe a couple cardboard boxes or other strong, but recyclable thin constructs to lay your gun on during painting.
After laying out plenty of newspaper and taping it down so that it won't move, get your cardboard box and turn it upside down, making sure that your gun can rest on it without wiggling. Then put on glasses, and prepare to make your gun beautiful!^{[2]XResearch source}
you're going to need it.
Take tissue, and roll it (about two inches in height) and make sure you roll enough to get at least 4 mm once rolled. Place this in the barrel of your gun (make sure you have no battery, mag, or BBs in the gun. Also make sure you take off the sling, scope, and every other removable-without-screws part of your gun). Make sure, even if the tissue sticks out, that it won't fall out. Next take paper-towel and lay it over the mag-opening and tape it in place. Now cover any other holes in your gun (like on the M4, the open-ejection-port). Try to make it neat, because whatever is covered will not be painted, so in order to not have random streaks of paint-less gun present, you will only want to plug the holes.^{[3]XResearch source}
Don't use any other type of tape, as it may ruin your gun.
Take your lightest color (ie: tan) that you will be using, and holding the can pointed down or at a downward angle at about 8 inches (20.3 cm) from the gun, lightly spray your gun. Never hold you gun any closer. The coating should be light and may have patches untouched by the paint. If this is the case, DO NOT keep spraying in the same spot, NOR hold it closer. Just a really light coat for now. You can always come back and finish it. Spray the light color basically everywhere you want your gun to be painted, even if other colors will be added later. Now, depending on the weather, you will want to wait 20 minutes to 2 hours for the paint to completely dry. (if its hot and sunny outside, carefully take your gun outside, taking care not to touch any painted part, even if it looks dry, and leave it, with its box in the sun for about 20 minutes.)^{[4]XResearch source}
Come back when you're sure its dry, and, taking a blade of grass, tap the painted parts of the gun in inconspicuous locations to see if its really dry. Now tap a more prominent area, and one that has more paint. If its dry, lightly tap it with your little finger. If it's not sticky, tap it just a little harder. If it's still not sticky, lightly rub your fingers over the painted parts. If they feel smooth, then its dry. If its sticky, wait just as long as you waited last time, or you will regret it later. If it is ready, carefully pick it up and take it back to the garage. Now take the same color and go over an missed spots using the same caution. Some parts may take up to 5 times to successfully paint before they look their best. Still do not hold the can closer than 8 inches (20.3 cm), nor hold it longer. If you hold it longer than 5 seconds on any part at one time, you probably ruined your gun.
Once you finish the lighter colors, go to the darker ones, covering up the lighter ones as necessary. Never start another color until you have taken the steps in #10 to ensure its completely dry.^{[5]XResearch source}
Make sure its dry where you let it dry (ie: your room). DO NOT remove taped sections or the barrel plugs.
Remove the tape and, when removing the barrel tape, remove it from your gun, pointing down, so that dry paint doesn't fall into the inners of your gun.

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Question
Do I have to sand it down?
Community Answer
Paint generally sticks better on rough uneven surfaces, so yes, you can sand it down, but do with care or you risk damaging your gun. Sanding with fine sandpaper is a necessary step in any properly done paint job that you hope to last a long time, unless the sandpaper is too rough, it will not damage the plastic. Otherwise, the paint will stick fine to unsanded plastic (or metal), you just might have a problem with runs in the paint. If you follow the directions in this tutorial, you shouldn't have any problems.
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Question
What kind of spray paint should I use for the gun?
Community Answer
Matte spray paint. I recommend Krylon Fusion. Also, you might want to use a clear coat to protect the paint from chipping.
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Can you do any color on there?
Community Answer
Any color that you have and want to paint the gun should work. Make sure you follow the directions carefully.
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Tips

A paint like Krylon FUSION paint made to adhere to plastics is less work, looks better and comes in camo.
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Try to paint with clothes that you don't wear anymore or you may clean very easily. Otherwise, you'll regret the fact that you got paint on a very expensive outfit.
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Don't ever paint a friend's gun until you have practiced many times before.
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Warnings

When painting, avoid inhaling the fumes. Also, when finished painting, make sure you ALWAYS wash your hands (Take a shower if you had done the paint job with a short sleeve shirt or with shorts on).
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Even if the gun seems dry on the 1st day, don't be fooled. Just because the paint can says "Dries in 15 minutes; May handle after 1 hour", does not mean it's not completely dry yet. After drying for 1 hour and you decide to pick up the gun, don't be surprised if you see your hands stained with the paint and your hand prints on the gun.
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Don't paint on grass - it kills the grass. Lay out newspapers to paint on.
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Never play with your airsoft guns in an undesignated public area. Playing airsoft in an open public area or neighborhood may be cause for law enforcement to confiscate your gun at minimum or subject you to fines and or arrest. Not to mention the use of deadly force! Always play in a safe airsoft designated area away from the public in order to avoid unintentional injury to non players.
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Even if the gun is painted in a different color other than black, it's VERY dangerous to take it out to public, even if the gun doesn't even look real.
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It is a violation of U.S. Federal law to alter the orange tip on BB and toy guns. Federal law requires all of these types of guns to have these tips to indicate that it is not a real weapon IF you intend to sell or send the gun by mail or any other means of transfer. Altering them violates federal law, but local ordinances may differ. Seek out electronic copies of the United States Code readily available on the internet for further information. However, on an important note, altering the orange tip possibly subjects the user to serious bodily harm should a law enforcement officer mistake the gun for a real weapon.
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Things You'll Need

Gun
Paint (flat)
Cardboard box/boxes
Newspaper
Masking Tape
Paper towels AND tissue (Kleenex is fine)
the Sun
patience
self-control - specifically when you are trying to paint a certain part and it doesn't look like its getting painted enough. Trust me, it is.
1,000 grit sandpaper (In case paint is rough).