Gunsmithing Spray Screw Finish

Question: I am having trouble using the bake-on finishes on screws. My problem is getting the finish on the screw head without gumming up the threads. I know I can tape up the body of the screw but that takes too much time and some screws are really small. Do you have a better solution?

Answer: There are a number of ways you can deal with this. One is to take a small cardboard box and punch a hole in it just large enough for the shank of the screw. Push the screw in until the head is flush with the surface of the box and then spray it. Another pretty quick way that will generally keep most spray off the threads is to use an old fashioned wooden clothespin to hold the screw. You can even use a small round file or rasp to contour the clamping surface of the clothes pin to better encase the screw shank.