# Anybody using Ceracote from Midway?



## Sharps40 (Jan 7, 2010)

Anybody using this spray on-bake hard ceramic coating on firearms?

If so, what do you say about durability, looks, ease of application?  

Is it great stuff or is it junk enough I should stick to slow rust blueing?

V.R.


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## jglenn (Jan 8, 2010)

MUCH better than duracoat for durability.. bout the same as mixing duracoat but add the baking at 200 for 2 hours...

very thin coat compared to any other coating I've seen but tough as nails. Even their air dry is tough

we use either a HVLP detail gun or a air brush


will it compare to a good rust blue... no, but it a very good option... I love the graphite black color.

made by NIC industries which has quite a few more colors than Brownells offer

http://www.nicindustries.com/guncoater.php


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## Sharps40 (Jan 8, 2010)

Thank you Sir.  I appreciate the info.  Might give it a try on some old tools and see how it looks and then try it on some guns.

V.R.


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## MYCAR47562 (Feb 3, 2010)

is it wife's stove safe?


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## drsmile (Feb 6, 2010)

Anybody used it on suppressors?  I have a 223 can that I would love to change colors.  Will it hold up to the temps generated after a mag dump thru an AR?


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## jglenn (Feb 7, 2010)

hold up quite well as it's ceramic which most of the high temp header paints use.


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## Gunplumber Mike (Feb 8, 2010)

WARNING:  It is not safe to use an oven for cera-kote and then cook in that same oven.   Ask the folks at NCI Industries.  (Good folks by the way.)  Their number:  541-826-1922.


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## MYCAR47562 (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks gunplumber glad i hadn't done it already


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## Sharps40 (Feb 8, 2010)

Well fellas, bead blasting off all the cerama coat from Midway now.  It looks great but way too fragile.  The edges chip from contact with my ring and when loading shells thru the gate.  I even tried a clear epoxy top coat to toughen it up.  No dice.  I gave Midway my review, A for looks but would not recommend the home process and now that I've seen its fragility, just couldn't bring myself to sell a gun as refinished with this coating system.  On the bright side, I have an excuse to get a new compressor and get back to bead blasting those really rough guns before I rust blue them.

Good luck fellas, maybe the professional coating is tuffer but for me, slow rust blue is the way to go every time.


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## jglenn (Feb 9, 2010)

ahhhh you used the Wheeler Cerama coat


not the same as Cerakote from NIC industries.

you have to mix Cerakote. Brownells carries it  so you might try that brand. All my comments were about the NIC brand. Sorry didn't reliaze that Midway didn't carry the NIC stuff

http://www.nicindustries.com/firearm_coatings.php



give it a try you may like it.  Lot's of custom rifles these day coming with it


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## Gunplumber Mike (Feb 9, 2010)

Glass beading a surface before applying coatings is not good surface prep.  The beads polish the surface too much.  It would be much better to use aluminum oxide as a blast media no matter whether you use DuraCoat or Ceracote.  

I still like bluing best.  Too many people use the coatings as an excuse to undermaintain their firearms.


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## Sharps40 (Feb 9, 2010)

*To jglen*

Thanks for the update.  In any event, I got it cleaned off in 10 minutes with a wire brush no less.  A valuable but expensive lesson!  Glad I didn't sell the rifle, would have ruined my rep as middlin tinkerer!  I'm gonna give it the old 220 bootstrap and a good rust blue and get it back on the Swap and Sell.  I've had so much good luck with the beauty and durability of a slow rust brown or black that I'll stick with it.  Sure do miss the caustic bluing tanks though.  Dip, Dip, Dip and done!  The only spray coating I've used that holds up well enough to suit me is the matt clear brownells baking laquer.  I use it to seal and protect old actions when I retouch faded case colored actions with a faux case color finish.


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## ty1854 (Feb 10, 2010)

The key to any good coating is the prep work. Thoroughly clean the parts prior to blasting to remove all oil and grease from the parts. For blasting I suggest using 120 grit aluminum oxide at 20 - 60 psi depending on the substrate you are working with, this is very important! After you blast DO NOT us any chemicals on the metal just blow it off and bake in the oven at 250*F for about 30 minutes to make sure no oil seeps out of the part and to remove any moisture. Once the part cools you need to apply the coating in one wet pass (two max) this is where it gets tricky. Ceramic coatings are very sensitive to thickness. They will fail if you apply them to thick! You need to use a HVLP gun with a fine tip, I use a .6 myself but anything 1.0 or less will do. Now just replug the barrel on both ends and apply the coating in nice even strokes with about 20% overlap. Be sure to coat the recessed areas first so as to not get build up on the surrounding areas. Once the Ceramic has flashed off you cannot apply any more layers so be sure to work quickly as you only have about 15 minutes. If you get a run in the finish don't try to touch it up just wash the part off with acetone and start over at the prebake cycle. After you coat the part allow it to sit and air dry for 15-20 minutes before placing them in the oven to cure. I cure my parts at 250*F for 3 hours. Once the parts have been cured they are ready to be placed back unto service as soon as they cool.

If you have any other questions please let me know I will be happy to help.


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## workky (Feb 12, 2010)

Any of you guys got any before and after shots .
I need to do a slide on a P6 and a whole gun with something,have not decided which as of yet.

Great info,Thanks


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## Sharps40 (Feb 12, 2010)

*After Shots*

There is a photo of a Win 94 I did in slow rust black on my album.  Its the Pilkingtons solution.  It produces a very fine grane and durable black.  

The cerama coat from midway looked super on a Marlin, just wish it was half as durable as krylon spray paint since it is $30 for a 4 oz can.  

I saw a few handguns with Dura coat on them and done well, looked just like parkerizing.  Folks say dura coat wears pretty good.


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## jglenn (Feb 12, 2010)

nothing as easy as Cerakote will last near as long. I've seen lot's of 700 bolts done in it with no scratches from working the action...

pretty much mixed the same as dura coat but you have to bake it at 200 for 2 hours...  they do make an air dry but it's performance it's quite up to the baked version.



some good pictures of cerakoted rifles.

the black you see is what they call graphite black..it's generally a matte type finish but can be made to be a bit glossy( you can see this on some of the bolts.)


http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...h/true/Re_Let_s_see_your_Cerakote#Post3775570


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## bocephus1 (Feb 14, 2010)

what kind of ovens is everyone using,I'am thinking about building a oven to bake cerakoted parts in anyone have any tips ?
would a tall electric smoker work?


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## jglenn (Feb 14, 2010)

absolutely do NOT use you Kitchen oven due to the chemicals in  CeraKote

I've talked with NIC about this and they say NO way.


find a old beat up kitchen oven. 


any oven that can reach andf control 200 degrees for 2 hours should do fine for Cerakote.


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## bocephus1 (Feb 14, 2010)

I dont think shotgun barrels will fit in a standard oven.
I was thinking of trying something like this
http://www.cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html
do you think that would work for a long barrel,or is there something I'm over looking?


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## ty1854 (Feb 15, 2010)

I use a large industrial batch oven to cure the parts in. DO NOT use your kitchen oven! If you are interested in a large dedicated oven I can give you some information on a good oven supplier. They start at about $2000.00 and go up from there so they are not for the occasional user. You can build your own but you are still looking at $600.00 - $1000.00 depending on what tool and materials you currently have to use. If you want to build you own, I can point you in the right direction for that also. With that said I suggest the air cure Cerakote for the casual users.


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## Truegiant (Mar 16, 2010)

I had my good buddy Danny coat this one for me. Turned out nice.

Graphite Black / Sniper Grey


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## jglenn (Mar 16, 2010)

our heat box for cerakote is very simple and cheap   12x12x48 wooden box framed with 1x3s

we then lined the inside of the box with foil faced foam insulation board from Lowes or HD


cut a hole in one end and then used a Harbor frieght heat gun($10) to supply the heat. cut several hole in the lid to control the overall heat( closing them with duct tape or not)

easy to get 300 degrees with gun on low speed


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