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After wet sanding the primer with 320g, I applied 3 coats of satin nutmeg (looks to be semi gloss IMO). This has been drying for a week, so it should be ready to handle the masking tape now. It was dry enough for me to mock up the parts for this in-progress photo.
In addition to the masking tape, I'm going to try using some liquid mask for the small brown dots that run adjacent to the disruptive blotches. I was going to use the sponges and dab on the colour, but I think the liquid mask will give better control. I'll just peel it off with the masking tape.
Once the pattern is cut, I'll re-spray the same brown colour. This technique will mean any paint that creeps under the masking tape will be the exact same colour as the area masked off. It will also 'seal' the gap under the masking tape, so when the following light tan colour is applied, there should be no bleed through. In theory. Never actually tried this myself.
This was a kind of tedious step. The masking strips are laid on some wax paper, slightly overlapping. I then cut out the dark brown cam patterns, traced their outline on the blue tape, and then cut that out using an x-acto. The patterns can then be peeled off the wax paper just like a sticker & applied to the rifle.
If you are going to do this, give yourself lots of time and then double it. I started out OK, but found myself rushing near the end. If you have an eye for pattersn and cammo, you'll be able to spot right away that my templates have strayed away from the British DPM pattern. Since this photo, I've stuck them on the rifle and they look OK, not exactly what I'd pictured in my mind's eye. If I stay on schedule, I'll have the final photos posted next weekend.
Here's the pattern I'm using. Almost there, but still some finish work to be done. You can see at the green arrows a couple of examples where the tan paint has built up a ridge. This ridge, along with the rough texture, is what I'm going to knock back with some 600-1000 wet sanded. There's a few edges where the brown meets the tan that I will touch up with a brush using some of the decanted brown. I still need to do the small brown dots too. The paint looks much more yellow in the photos; in reality its really close to Brit DPM.
All the major components were sprayed separately, but I did try to line up the pattern between the bbl+receiver and the stock. The Bi-pod, scope, and rings I did not bother carrying the pattern through.
After the wet sanding that, I'll spray some clear matte coat and it should be ready for sighting in.
Thanks! I should close this thread with a pic of it all put together with the masking tape removed. I did have to strip the paint off the bi-pod leg extensions, as it was interfering with their retraction. If I were to do it again, I'd use my airbrush instead of the rattle cans, just to gradually build up the colour while keeping the paint coats as thin as possible. I would also take more time cutting the paint masks, so they could be more 'authentic' to the DPM shapes.
It was supposed to be a budget gun, and I kinda-sorta kept it that way. After reading other posts on the 597, I am regretting not ordering the VQ hammer when I started, but I may do so in the future.