Shadow 2 Cerakote and chipping

[Denato1]

I recently had my shadow 2 Cerakoted. I had the urban gray and it was flaking off something serious. I get the pistol back from the store, take it home, and reassemble. A couple days go by and I finally have time to Dryfire. 1 Dryfire session and the magwell looks like this and cerakote has started to come off the front from holster wear. I thought cerakote was more durable then this. For what it cost I would have had the gun finished a different way, unless this is considered excessive wear.

 

[Taroman]

Was the company doing the work trained and certified by Cerakote?

From the appearance, surface prep bay have been improper.

[MemphisMechanic]

You’re showing us the inside of the magwell. Not holster wear.

 

I’ve done many guns in cerakote myself:

 

 

Cerakote is tough. Quite tough. But it is very picky about two things:

 

(1) Mixed to the correct ratio with the catalyst and baked at the correct temperature and time.

 

And more importantly?

 

(2) Surface prep. The surface MUST be sandblasted with A/O or red garnet of a very specific grit so that there’s the right amount of tooth. Period.

 

This would be why cerakote is flaking right off the inside of your frame/magwells/slide after coating. Sandblasting the inside of a magwell to roughen it up isn’t a great idea, so the applicator won’t.

 

If the surface has been prepped right, doing something like dropping the gun on gravel or having a screwdriver slip will gouge down into the finish. But it won’t chip off.

Because sandblasting the inside of a magwell is a horrible idea, I don’t coat that surface. Since they did? I’m not surprised to see it flaking off.

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by MemphisMechanic

[Denato1]

here is the holster wear after only 20-30 draws. I dont mind wear but I just thought this was excessive for the amount of use

[07yzryder]

My 1911 looks like that but I have 2-3k draws on it. based on the poster above id say ratio was off.

[MikeBurgess]

what color is that? the metal flake looks larger than what I have seen in the pictures of metalic Cerakote on line also it looks much shiny-er (sp)  so I'm wondering if it is one of the other paint on finishes and not actually Cerakote, like Durakote or KG Gunkote or something else. some of the others go on a bit thicker and are less durable to wear. 

[dansedgli]

8 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said:

 

Because sandblasting the inside of a magwell is a horrible idea, I don’t coat that surface. Since they did? I’m not surprised to see it flaking off.

 

 

Why is blasting inside a magwell a bad idea? 

[WhiteDingo]

7 hours ago, MikeBurgess said:

what color is that? the metal flake looks larger than what I have seen in the pictures of metalic Cerakote on line also it looks much shiny-er (sp)  so I'm wondering if it is one of the other paint on finishes and not actually Cerakote, like Durakote or KG Gunkote or something else. some of the others go on a bit thicker and are less durable to wear. 

 

I'm betting it's the aftermarket Gun Candy additive to Cerakote clear, it gets sprayed over a black base coat. I've not had great results with that at all. It is much pickier to spray with the H series clear, the manufacturer even recommended just using the C series, which sort of ruins the point.

 

It may just be the pictures, but that flaking appears to have a base coat underneath, which is on par with my experience with the Gun Candy. The top layer doesn't adhere as well to the base layer as you would find when doing correctly applied multiple layer Cerakote without the additive.

 

For decorative applications, the Gun Candy goes over great.

[MemphisMechanic]

13 hours ago, dansedgli said:

 

Why is blasting inside a magwell a bad idea? 

I like it when my mags drop free.

[MemphisMechanic]

@WhiteDingo I’m going to have to agree with everything you said above.

[Denato1]

thanks everyone for their opinions. I am going to talk to the company who did the cerakote.  I am not expecting anything from them, just conformation  that this Is what I should expect and Ill let it Wear. 

[Hennig]

I think I posted this elsewhere? Facebook? But it appears as though they are using a pearl clearcoat (Guncandy at a guess?) over a black base. Its the bond between the base and top coat that is failing. Clears over base never hold up as well as a straight H/Elite series job in my experience ... which is why I dont do them any more.

[Denato1]

1 hour ago, Hennig said:

I think I posted this elsewhere? Facebook? But it appears as though they are using a pearl clearcoat (Guncandy at a guess?) over a black base. Its the bond between the base and top coat that is failing. Clears over base never hold up as well as a straight H/Elite series job in my experience ... which is why I dont do them any more.

Thanks for the info. The company asked me to bring it in to be looked at. I have decided to to go with it and use the pistol for what it is, a tool for shooting.

Thanks again