Can Am Norc 1911 beginner build up and refinishing project. **FINISHED PICS**

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pavmentsurfer

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This was my first 1911, intended as a platform to learn the ways of the 1911. I decided to tweak it a bit with some drop in parts here an there. Then the plan is to re-finish it with some arma-coat. Thought it would be interesting to see what can come of a cheap norc 1911.

Heres how it started, just like all the rest:





Then I added a few goodies. Nothing really major. A Houge grip, skeletonized hammer, wilson beavertail, extended mag release from my SR-1911, dlask trigger and 3 dlask 8 round mags (not pictured)... Ill also have an extended slide release at some point. But not just yet.



The next step is the arms-coat. Ive NEVER done this before and bought a couple shake and spray kits direct from Arma-coat. First step is sandblasting though so here we are:


Arma-coat should be here next week and I can start figuring out how and where to spray it.
 
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nice! a good arma coat job with a previous sandblasting job is a very good start!
This could be one of the best norcos ever made.
 
Tracking says my Armacoat will be in on tuesday (after the holiday). So hopefully next week ill get some time to prep at least some of the pieces and get them sprayed. Can anyone give me any advice on what NOT to spray? Should I tape the slide notches in the frame? What about places like the bolt face area? Or where the hammer strikes the pin? Just curious if there is anything I SHOULDNT spray and what the best way to avoid them would be.

My plan is to do the frame first since its just one piece and its the only one im doing in FDE. It will be easier to learn on just one larger item then trying to get it all sorted out on a bunch of tiny ones with multiple colours.
 
Armacoat came in today as expected. Just need to call and get a few tips on application and hopefully I can start on the slide some time tomorrow. Ill post up pics as soon as something gets done.
 
I went down this road a few times and built some rather nice guns that all eventually got sold. Now I shoot a bone-stock 1911A1 from Auto-Ordnance and love the 1911A1 simplicity more than ever.

Hopefully you like all the stuff you are installing, but personally I would have shot it a bunch in stock configuration first before changing anything. YMMV.
 
I did shoot it a bunch before changing anything. I have a bone stock SR-1911 that I shoot more often. This project is just a low cost experiment to see what I CAN do. If I end up doing a good job I have lots of other guns id like to customize (mildly). The arms-coat is what im most curious about. Id love to do my .22, my 870 and part of my Vector. But I want to make sure I can do a good job and that it turns out how I want before I go spraying guns worth 4 times what this one is worth.

I talked to the main applicator guy at Arma-coat. He was awesome to talk to and answer all my rediculous questions happily. I now have a very good idea what to expect. Im hoping tomorrow ill have some time to pickup the necessary extra items (measuring tools and cleaners and stuff) and get the frame sprayed in the afternoon.
 
Step one: Frame
I started by liberally spraying the frame with brake clean, then scrubbing it in clean water with a plastic brush. Then drying it with my compressor. Then I let it hang dry while I mixed up the Arma-Coat.

I wanted to get the most matte finish I could and the arma-coat instructions say to mix at a 10-1 ratio to get a more matte finish. So, after trying super hard to figure out the math on that using TSP and TBSP... I managed to find the right ratio. But it meant id end up with 4oz mixed up, which is more than I wanted. But I did it anyway. 4tbsp of arma-coat barely makes a dent in the container they give you. There is DEFINITELY enough to do 4 or more pistols or a few complete long guns. The only limiting factor IMO would be the sprayer. But im sure you can pick up more of those on their own.

Once I had the arma-coat mixed up I started spraying light coats from about 12 inches away. At first I was worried, it looked like it was beading up in some places. But, between coats I used a heat gun and got the whole frame decently warm and after 2 coats the finish started to smooth out. After 3 coats it was looking good.

After talking to the guys at Arma-coat I decided to spray everything. Thats what they said to do. So I did. I probably sprayed the whole frame with 3-4 coats and the higher wear areas (trigger guard, front of the grip and bottom of the front of the frame) with 2 more just for good measure.

Heres how it turned out... sorry about the crappy iPhone pics. You get the idea though.





After I was done I probably dumped 1.5 oz out. Starting with 2 oz would have been better. But, with how much you get, its not a huge loss. I used the cleaner they supply to clean up the sprayer, jar and other stuff and it worked great. I think im going to do at least the slide, beaver tail, spring housing and trigger this afternoon. That way I can re-assemble the frame once its all dry. Might just do everything but I havent decided if I actually have the time.
 
Looks great! I wonder if you'll have to do some work to fit the parts back in. The stuff can't be too thick....
 
Looks great! I wonder if you'll have to do some work to fit the parts back in. The stuff can't be too thick....

What did you use for a sprayer?
 
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With green like that watch out they're gonna want to put your pistol in a Geico commercial. :p

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:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
Yeah, it looks kind of green, but I guess that must just be the effect of the flash. Can't wait to see this thing complete! I was thinking about paiting my Norc Police model, as well as my Government one, but I was also considering parkerizing them both with a matt finish. Midwayusa sells a kit for about $60, says it can do several guns. Does anyone here have any experiencing with DIY parkerizing kits?
 
Well, here she is. It turned out SO much better than Id expected.

I baked all the black parts in my oven for 1 hour at 250 degrees, then let them cool and there is NO scratching this surface as I was putting it back together. After I had re-assembled it all I soaked the whole gun with gun oil and cycled the action a pile. This was a suggestion from the guys at Arma-Coat. Apparently the oil will help the surfaces set together without wearing the surface off.

The gun is TIGHT. The slide to frame fit is now tighter than my SR-1911 (which really isnt saying much). I had to sand the finish off the safety pin as it wouldnt go through the frame with the coating still on. Other than that, no surprises.

Now for the pics:

All the parts finished:


After re-assembly



 
Very nice indeed! I always admire people who can do stuff like this. I wouldn't dare try this, at least not on my own guns! :p
 
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