Cerakote????

[msinc]

First off, I am hopeful that I don't get banned for being "off topic", so if I do then everyone can have a nice life....cerakote is used on a lot of gun finishes, so maybe I am not too terribly out of line and here's my question: can anyone buy it or do you really have to do something special to be able to use the stuff??? I have heard that you have to go to their "school" to learn how to use it {mix in hardener, spray it on and throw the part in an oven??} and so you can purchase the stuff from a dealer. Don't get me wrong, I am not against going to school for anything, as long as it's really necessary and not just a jack for more money.
I like cerakote, it does what it is supposed to, but I just don't know about paying money to "join a club" so I can buy it, if that is true. Can someone please give me the straight scoop on cerakote??? Thanks in advance and any information is greatly appreciated.

 

[Mark M.]

Last time I checked you can buy it from Brownell's

 

[DaveTooley]

Never been to their class and have directly purchased a lot of Cerakote. In total I probably have 5 gallons in the frig. Now a good spray gun, respirator, blast cabinet with garnet or aluminum oxide, spray booth and oven are a different matter.

 

[hogpatrol]

Their website has a list of professional applicators. What the requirements are, I don't know. A friend of mine did his AR receiver and it came out looking professional. He did not go to their school.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

You have to go to their school to be listed as an approved applicator. Anybody can buy it direct.

 

[DaveTooley]

I was an approved applicator and had my name removed. Never went to their class

 

[Hino895]

4000.00+ to go to their school.
I was shooting powder coat in the beginning thinking the kids in there hotrod Honda’s would need to trick out there rides.
Problem was they had the cars but no money.
So changed over to Cerakote as all I had to do was add a spray rig.
And a FFL.
Been doing it almost 6 years now.
Only two dissatisfied customers.
No advertising almost all word of mouth.
But yes you can buy direct from Cerakote.
“If it can be cooked it can be coated”

 

[js2013]

I've used the oven cured version a bunch of times but they have an air cured version also. Never took the class just read the directions thoroughly. I'm a home hobbyist with a bare bones cheap setup but I've been real happy with the results of the oven baked stuff, both looks and durability (even on high wear parts!). Like most sprays prep work is everything.

I started with the brownells Cerakote kit (recommended) Mixing can be tricky as the ratios aren't a simple 1:1 but something like 20:1 so you need to measure carefully.

 

[Cigarcop]

Prep is the key...... it’s not Rocket Science!

 

[DirtySteve]

Like others have said.. A good sprayer, then prep. more prep. double check your prep. then spray and bake.

There are some great videos out there..

 

[mike a]

The barreled action is baked and the scope is the air cure. Watched a video, cheap spray gun from Harbor Freight. Pretty easy I think. Tough part is getting hung in the oven without a smear. Practice that unpainted first. Don't let mama catch you cooking it in her oven.

 

[antelopedundee]

Is that the same as something called Gun Kote? Had it on a handgun once and acetone took it right off so I Sent R Back and had it nickel plated.

 

[Jammer Six]

Why would you put acetone on a handgun?

 

[antelopedundee]

Why would you put acetone on a handgun?

I was using a small dab on a patch as a cleaner IIRC from 25 years ago. As a bench chemist I had access to all kinds of solvents. Course now one can buy solvents from WalMart, paint n hardware stores and the like.

 

[spife7980]

Anyone can cerakote, I got mine from brownells.
The instructions are pretty good and tell you everything you need to know https://www.cerakote.com/resources/...LITE_H-Series_Training_Manual_WEB_1-17-17.pdf

Prep is key, I like to give it a good long soak in acetone to get oils out and then only touch it with clean plastic gloves that wont get any residue on the part. Then blast the surface completely clean with 80-120 grit aluminum oxide. You want the sharp grit to give the cerakote something to stick to, bead blasting creates round divots that dont allow the cerakote to stick as well as it should. Ill then give it another soaking just for good measure to remove all metals and then preheat the part, the heat may let more oils out of the material which another soaking will remove. Keep doing this until you dont see oils leaching out anymore.

My blasting cabinet is an old trashcan to which I stretched cling wrap over half of if and held it down with binder clips. Then I just stick my arms under the towel and tuck them in and I can see the part to blast it through the cling wrap while keeping my media contained with the towel to be used again.

I just use a little cheap lowes sprayer and it works great

My oven is small so I can only do small parts less than a foot long but it was 40 bucks at target.

Im pleased with it though

 

[STOMP442]

It is fairly easy and straight forward to do. If I can do it, anyone can. Cheap spray gun and blaster from Harbor freight, mesh strainers, graduated cylinder and respirator from Amazon and someplace to bake it is all you need. I converted an old upright deep freeze that quit working into an oven and it has worked great for me. You can add or remove racks to hang from depending on what you are coating. Here is a few I have done without ever being to a class.

 

[js2013]

Is that the same as something called Gun Kote? Had it on a handgun once and acetone took it right off so I Sent R Back and had it nickel plated.

Cerakote is not the same as Gun Kote.

 

[eddief]

There are some very tangible benefits to becoming certified through the NIC class. You receive more than just learning to apply the product. Their facility is VERY nice and the folks there are top notch.

In the beginning everybody that used their product was "approved" and put on the original map. Then they started the classes and removed everybody from the applicator map until you took the class. After you leave NIC, you are "certified" to apply the product to the substrate.

Prep is key and there are a lot of little tricks you can learn. A good spray gun and dry air are key. If you are not coating in volume, you can get by with subpar equipment and get good results. If you are doing volume work, the quality tools are well worth it for the consistent results it will produce.

 

[CT10ring]

First off, I am hopeful that I don't get banned for being "off topic", so if I do then everyone can have a nice life....cerakote is used on a lot of gun finishes, so maybe I am not too terribly out of line and here's my question: can anyone buy it or do you really have to do something special to be able to use the stuff??? I have heard that you have to go to their "school" to learn how to use it {mix in hardener, spray it on and throw the part in an oven??} and so you can purchase the stuff from a dealer. Don't get me wrong, I am not against going to school for anything, as long as it's really necessary and not just a jack for more money.
I like cerakote, it does what it is supposed to, but I just don't know about paying money to "join a club" so I can buy it, if that is true. Can someone please give me the straight scoop on cerakote??? Thanks in advance and any information is greatly appreciated.

I cerakoted my rifles years, back, don't any longer as I moved & sold my gear necessary. It's not hard to do, check out online videos.
You'll need to blast your metal to get a "rough" surface, then clean with brake cleaner or similar. wear nitrile or similar gloves.
I built an oven out of a metal locker, insulated it, worked great. cures 2 hrs @ 250 deg as I recall. I had a great airbrush at the time & it worked well.
my suggestion- try all this on a "test gun" first. I did 6-10 rifles & really enjoyed the whole process. They also make a non-heat cured finish & it is great, too.
good for stocks, scopes, etc that you don't want to heat. I'm detail oriented, have painted alot, handy w a spray gun, so fun for me. also, if you make a mistake (say, a run or drip), just hit it with solvent, wipe off & try again. good luck!

 

[msinc]

Wow!!! Thanks for all the replies folks. It is greatly appreciated. I never thought this topic would generate this much attention, but I am glad that it did and I am hopeful that someone else {besides me} has learned something.
I have a hot bluing tank, I probably do more rust bluing than anything and I parkerize and charcoal case color. Aluminum is the metal I need to be able to finish. I have also powder coated and done a lot of painting over the years, but no matter how much or how many different things I do, I feel like there is always a lot more to learn. I know that cerakote is not like hard anodizing, but it is a viable finish for aluminum and other metals. Thanks again folks for all the replies!!!!!

Edit: the main reason I posted about cerakote is because I was told you had to be certified or attend their school before you could buy the stuff...I now understand that this is not the case and anyone can buy it.