gzo Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Anyone try Cerakote their own guns. Any gotchas ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvinc78 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Yes lots of people. You can PM DRobson on here he's been doing it for a while. He's pretty good at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full mag Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Follow the cerakote directions on soaking and out gassing, as of everything prep is the key. I don't do it in the house anymore (first time did it before I built a dedicated oven wife wasn't to happy), too much smell. I also have a small blast cabinet with dedicated media for clean blasting only, no oils or grease. After you blast or prep make sure you are wearing gloves so you don't contaminate your work. I have used a air brush and also a small hvlp depending on the size of the job. During one of my first jobs I did get a little water contamination through my air lines before I had a better filtration system for my compressor. One of the great little saver of that is the small disposable filter connected to your spray gun few dollar insurance for small amounts of condensation in the air line. Spray it wet but don't over coat it and get runs, you don't need a ton of coats but do look at you piece from all angles before you bake it unless you like to redo work. You also can go the route of air dry cerakote it holds up pretty well, I have a production gun that is finished with air dry, because I ordered the wrong product. Like I said prep is the key, don't cut corners. Feel free to pm if you have any questions and good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzo Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 The more I looked into the process, this looks like it best done buy someone that has the proper equipment and not so much a DIY project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzo Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 I dont think I would have an oven big enough for my rifles barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Cerakote is a little tough to do at hole unless you have the proper equipment. For a rifle barrel or something that isn't a rub part brownells alumahyde II isn't bad stuff for a home job and the prep work dosent need as much stuff and is used from a rattle can. For a pistol it isn't great as it rubs more than cerakote by far but for something like a rifle barrel that's not a run Part it works decent and isn't pricy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzo Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yes I would agree the more I looked into the process the more I realized that this better done by someone why the proper equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Follow the cerakote directions on soaking and out gassing, as of everything prep is the key. I don't do it in the house anymore (first time did it before I built a dedicated oven wife wasn't to happy), too much smell. I also have a small blast cabinet with dedicated media for clean blasting only, no oils or grease. After you blast or prep make sure you are wearing gloves so you don't contaminate your work. I have used a air brush and also a small hvlp depending on the size of the job. During one of my first jobs I did get a little water contamination through my air lines before I had a better filtration system for my compressor. One of the great little saver of that is the small disposable filter connected to your spray gun few dollar insurance for small amounts of condensation in the air line. Spray it wet but don't over coat it and get runs, you don't need a ton of coats but do look at you piece from all angles before you bake it unless you like to redo work. You also can go the route of air dry cerakote it holds up pretty well, I have a production gun that is finished with air dry, because I ordered the wrong product. Like I said prep is the key, don't cut corners. Feel free to pm if you have any questions and good luck Which HVLP gun(s) do you have? What tips do you use? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRobson Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 If you follow the cerakote instructions it's not too bad. The main part is the prep work. The biggest issue is the start up costs involved. If you're only going to spray one or two barrels then just pay somebody to do it. There is a learning curve with the spraying part because most people tend to coat it too thick. All that being said, I manage to get by with the bare essentials and have produced some great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I haven't tackled anything big due to lack of large oven but I'be done some small stuff ( AR15 lowers, handguards, etc ) and it is not too hard. It is just spray painting. There are a couple of keys to any painting job and prep is at the top. The idea of multiple light coats vs one heavy is also key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 If you follow the cerakote instructions it's not too bad. The main part is the prep work. The biggest issue is the start up costs involved. If you're only going to spray one or two barrels then just pay somebody to do it. There is a learning curve with the spraying part because most people tend to coat it too thick. All that being said, I manage to get by with the bare essentials and have produced some great work. Do you mind sharing what spray gun(s) you are using and what tips, if any? Especially for detail work getting into small tight areas and such? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointblanktx Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 What kind of oven are you guys using for the pistols/pistol parts? Can you just use one of the little table top ovens to make it a dedicated cerakote oven? I don't think the wife would be pleased to come home and see parts baking in her oven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I use a spray gun by Central Pneumatic ( Harbor Freight ) that is a 4 oz gun with a 1.0 mm tip. It was cheap but seems to work just fine. As for an oven, I use the kitchen one and it hasn't been an issue but my kitchen has really good ventilation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suncoastarmory Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Has anyone tried the spray can Duracoat product?Firerarms, Parts and Accessories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywalker40 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Did a shotgun with duracoat. Turned out well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full mag Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I am using a Ingersoll Rand 200G touch up gun with a .8mm nozzle size. It has been a great gun for me, plenty of adjustments in the gun and sprays very flat. I have never had any issue's keeping it wet when I spray but have never had any issues with runs. The best part is that it's only like 50 bucks on amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full mag Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 My oven is built out of a stack-on gun cabinet with some insulation I got off of amazon along with a 8 inch stove element. I bought a universal oven thermostat off eBay along with a BBQ thermometer to go on door. It's a pretty basic setup which cost about $225 to build. I have 2 racks in it so if I am doing a bunch of small parts and when I am doing long guns the bottom rack comes out. It holds temperature very well and the thermostat is also very accurate which surprised me to be honest. It only takes a few minutes to reach temperature and it's run off a 20 amp 220 circuit. Well worth the investment if you are going to do more then one or two guns. I will guarantee one thing, as soon as your friends see what you can do they will be wanting that good buddy discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan77 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 For the Barrel you would probably use Air-Dry Cerakote that has a higher temp rating, it does need an oven and you need a very limited supply of materials to do it. Also VHT Header paint from auto parts stores ($10 a can) appears to have similar properties to the high heat cerakote. Most of the work and results are in the Prep. The setup cost for me was buying a $8 Preval sprayer. I actually have HVLP and LVLP spray systems, but the Preval makes clean up so easy and the very thin cerakote is perfect for them. I've done a Glock, and number of AR-15 Recievers and parts, and Form 1 Silencers this way. Columbia coating sells the cerakote cheaper in smaller containers, the 2oz size is enough ($20) for most projects. Preval sprayer with suppressor baffles: The Tungsten Glock slide on left Two black Form 1 suppressors Various Tungsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinj308 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 That's a good tip on the Preval and Columbia Coatings. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suncoastarmory Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 That's a good tip on the Preval and Columbia Coatings. Thanks Agreed. Thanks for the tip. I have used the Preval for spraying stain leather holsters. Never thought using for Cerakote. Firerarms, Parts and Accessories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z40acp Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 For those that have done the cerakote, which color and or prep matches a stainless steel gun best? Like if you were doing a 1911 frame and wanted it to look just like stainless. Not tring to match the top, it would be black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 They do have a stainless color. I have not seen it in person but it looks close. You can make it more glossy by the ratio mix so that might make it look a little better. Sent from the range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRobson Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) I'm still on the cheap spray gun from cerakote. I used metal polish to lap the needle and tip together. I was too lazy to make a oven so I bought a electric smoker. The main things to keep in mind are prep, clean dry air, and run the mixed cerakote through a filter. Also, the bigger the oven the better. You want to keep the parts away from the heating element. Edited April 3, 2015 by DRobson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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