ALUMA-HYDE II 12 OZ. MATTE FDE AEROSOL

If you're like me and refuse to pay for Cerakote but still want your rifle to look sharp and stay protected, Aluma-Hyde II in Flat Dark Earth (FDE) is a fantastic alternative. It’s the rattle can that doesn't feel like a rattle can. The finish is durable, chemical-resistant, and looks great—especially if you're into the tactical aesthetic. The FDE shade is very close to standard mil-spec tones, so it blends well with Magpul gear and other FDE accessories.I've used it on several rifle builds and parts—lowers, handguards, even scope rings—and it’s held up beautifully. It has shrugged off cleaning solvents, rain, range grime, and the occasional bump into truck beds and steel targets. The key is in the prep and patience.Tips for a Clean FDE Job:Prep Thoroughly – Degrease like your warranty depends on it. Use acetone or brake cleaner, and wear gloves so you don't reintroduce oil from your hands.Shake the Can… A Lot – This stuff separates. Shake it for a full 2-3 minutes before spraying.Multiple Light Coats – Resist the urge to blast it all at once. Go slow with multiple light passes for best coverage.Cure Time – Let it cure for at least a week. It may feel dry sooner, but it continues to harden and becomes much more durable after a full cure.Follow these tips, and you should have an awesome-looking project that lasts a long time at a great value. This stuff works well.For the price and performance, Aluma-Hyde II FDE is unbeatable. Just be patient—and don't forget the painter’s tape.

I don’t normally leave reviews, this may actually be my first ever review. I’m not leaving it because of the $24 I paid for the can, I’m leaving this review because of the time and prep that goes into it, and the dissatisfaction that I’m back to square one.I made this purchase for AlumaHyde on Dec 29, 2023. The can was stored in the house since it showed up. It’s Jan 7,2024 today.After watching every single video from Brownells, on how to use this product, what to do and what not to do. I prepped my oven at 200 degrees for fast cure, i got my table out, and made my makeshift paint booth in the garage, I got my propane heater out and brought the garage to well above 70 degrees. All excited to paint my receiver. Prepped the receiver by cleaning it with acetone. I shook the can for 3 minutes, and shook it again for another 3 minutes to make sure it was good and mixed.I went to test spray the can before staring on my receiver. The very first spray from the can was fizz. It wouldn’t spray. I spent the next 90 minutes or so trying to get the can cleaned out. I used a clean out nozzle, held can upside down until it was just air, spray through clean out nozzle again. The best I would get was a decent spray 80% of the time, but could never get a clean spray long enough to feel comfortable painting my receiver. I called it quits and started looking at the can closer, and see a date on the bottom of the can that looks like 04/xx/23. Is this expiration date? I do t know if it’s expiration date or manufacturing date. I’m attaching a picture so others can see the date.I’m going to purchase another can (or 2?). I’ll update this review after I’ve tried again with a purchase direct from brownells, and not through this reseller to try again.

The item had a defect and the vendor was easy to work with to resolve the issue. Above and beyond to make it right. I will purchase from this vendor again. Easy 5-star review for the service provided!

I'll start off saying I have 10+ years of painting experience: rattle cans, airbrush, airless, cup guns you name it. I read the reviews (many of which described the very problems I end up having) and figured I was up to the challenge. I could tell this was going to be a fairly finicky product to I watch all of the offical brownells videos before hand.So far starters product came plugged. Shook the can for a soild 15+ minutes and used a clear out nozzle to try and clear the blockage. Used over 1/4 of the product just trying to get it to spray. Finally got it to spray fairly well after a solid 30 mins of cleaning. I should have known to abandon ship there but I'm fairly stubborn and also want to make things work. I attempted a paint a lower and wouldn't ya know it, can clogged halfway through again spray huge globs in the process. Hrs of prep ruined and half a can of acitone later Ive got it mostly (may have to have it blasted to get it back to a usable state) Completely unusable product, I advise you actually listen to the reviews and stay far away from this. Huge waste of time and money.

We have to set up artificial environ to use this product with heat and dehumidifier in the paint box (our box is not big enough to hold those items we have). Fortunately, we just needed a tiny bit of this product as it is just about useless for us under normal environ/circumstances.

I cleaned out the nozzle as always but it kept spewing out small thick bubbles. I made it work but i wish it was a smooth layer.

Does what It's advertised to do

I watched a ton of howtos online before purchasing the alumahyde. I shook the can for approximately 10 minutes. Thankfully I tested it first on an old a2 front sight.First, all of the resin came out. Then the paint came out in a watery stream like a garden hose making it impossible to spray paint in a uniform fashion.Attempted to let the seller know to get a replacement but they seemed to say it was user error and have not offered a replacement.I wouldn't buy from this dealer again.