Refinishing alloys?

[Grayfox]

I recently bought a Hy Hunter Frontier Six Shooter (actually made by J.P. Sauer and Sons) in .22 LR caliber. These were imported in the 1960s. I paid $30 for it.
Its actually a decent gun and shoots pretty well. However, the finish is badly worn and the poor thing looks like poop.

I want to refinish it. Unfortunately most of it is made from some sort of what I believe to be aluminum alloy.
The cylinder, hammer and internals are steel. That I can deal with. The barrel is a steel sleeve with an alloy shroud.
I tried touching it up a bit with Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black. Results were less than good. It comes out spotty and uneven.
Understand that I don't want to spend much money on this gun and I would rather do it myself. So any commercial refinish is out of the question.
So, any suggestions?

 

[Grayfox]

Further research leads me to believe the alloy may be Zamak.

 

[stansdds]

Seems to me these made extensive use of cheap metal for non-stressed areas, like the barrel shroud. That metal was zinc based, so yes, it's Zamak. It is possible to blacken Zamak with a zinc blackening compound, Caswellplating.com does have a DIY zinc blackening solution that is suitable for beginners, so you might try it.

 

[Breakaway500]

You could use a two part urethane primer.I recommend Transtar brand. (Amazon)
This paint sticks very well to most surfaces, including non ferrous (and ferrous) metals.
Prep the gun with a alcohol bath then rough up the surface with 400 grit sandpaper.Clean again.Then paint with light coats in a heated and ventilated area.
Ive done a few guns like this and it holds up very well as long as you don't use Hoppies or other agressive solvents to clean it.
Just some Ballistol works fine.

 

[Grayfox]

I'm trying to keep this on the cheap. Right now it looks like I'll be going with Brownell's Aluma-Hyde spray. But I was wanting to check on alternatives.

 

[Racer X]

I'm trying to keep this on the cheap. Right now it looks like I'll be going with Brownell's Aluma-Hyde spray. But I was wanting to check on alternatives.

exactly what I was going to suggest. I have a JC Higgins/High Standard 9 shot 22 revolver that was my dads. It needs a refresh, and I'll do satin black alumahyde on the alloy frame.

Everybody loves to shoot it, and that makes it priceless.