The folks at NIC Industries related that Hydrographics can be applied over Cerakote then a Cerakote clear can be sprayed on. Anyone try this yet? Interested in the results.
Thanks
Thanks
Gunsmithing Hydrographics over Cerakote
- Thread starter Full Bore
- Start date
It may work ok, but why not just bead/sand blast, prime, apply the proper base for the specific pattern, apply the film and clear...like it should be done. Modern paints and primers rely on both a mechanical and chemical bond. I would think applying in any way other than the recommended method would only a potential reason for adhesion problems and possibly a lack of warranty from the company that does it. Just make sure they'll stand behind their work and go for it if that's what they say will work. I just don't see it being much more time or trouble to start from scratch. FWIW
Thanks Mike, I'm the Cerakote applicator and Hydrographic "dipper" that I work with is gonna do the "dippin." NIC told me that a few places out there are using the Cerakote for base and clear however they haven't done any research on the prep/ bake recommendations. I'm looking for the corrosion protection of Cerakote with the detail of a graphic.
Shouldn't have any problem with adhesion as the Cerakote Crystal Micro Clear is designed to be applied over polished metals.
Full Bore - did you ever give this a try? How did it turn out? I'm considering doing this exact thing on a project, but concerned the film won't take the heat well or will have issues adhereing to the Cerakote long term.
I have always been told that it can't be done, that Duracoat or something similar had to9 be used as the base. Maybe not?
I've heard conflicting things so wondering myself if anyone has done it. One I heard said that nothing would stick to Cerakote once it's cured, including more Cerakote. Someone else said that is crap and they put additional layers over fully cured Cerakote frequently with no issues.
Hi All
We are a Certified Cerakote applicator and yes we have done Cerakote both as a base coat for the Hydrographic and using both the old air cured Micro Clear as well as the new heat cured Armor Clear .
The myth about having to use a primer base with a automotive paint and clear (Duracoat is in the same class, it is a Sherwin Williams industrial Auto paint) is just what a lot of Hydrographic places want you to believe. The reason is because ounce for ounce those paints are a lot cheaper in price for those coaters than buying Cerakote ( on top of being more labor intensive for the prep work).
Yes Cerakote does require some different application techniques than Auto Primer and Base BUT using the heat cured Cerakote with the heat cured clear actually give a much stronger mechanical bond (there is no true chemical bond between Hydrographics and any other coating since it is applied when the paint base is completely dry) and the coatings will melt into each other and give you a "shrink warp" effect on the surface when cool.
You still need to sand blast the surface BUT the nice thing about Cerakote is that no need for primer coat, no special masking required as it is designed to be coated inside and outside the firearm (extremely thin coats of less than 0.001 inches thick). SO in the long run Cerakote ends up being cheaper to use even though the material costs are higher AND you get your entire firearm inside and out protected by a ceramic based wear resistant coating.
Hope that helps answer the questions ...... and YES it is very durable and wear resistant as well as having a much better adhesion than the Auto Paint method.
BUT ( and this is a big BUT)
The coater using Cerakote for Hydrographics has to be someone who is meticulous about prep and having contamination free air as Cerakote is more sensitive to surface contamination prior to being fully cured. If anyone has their hydrographics peeling off Cerakote then the prep work was done poorly or not at all.
We are a Certified Cerakote applicator and yes we have done Cerakote both as a base coat for the Hydrographic and using both the old air cured Micro Clear as well as the new heat cured Armor Clear .
The myth about having to use a primer base with a automotive paint and clear (Duracoat is in the same class, it is a Sherwin Williams industrial Auto paint) is just what a lot of Hydrographic places want you to believe. The reason is because ounce for ounce those paints are a lot cheaper in price for those coaters than buying Cerakote ( on top of being more labor intensive for the prep work).
Yes Cerakote does require some different application techniques than Auto Primer and Base BUT using the heat cured Cerakote with the heat cured clear actually give a much stronger mechanical bond (there is no true chemical bond between Hydrographics and any other coating since it is applied when the paint base is completely dry) and the coatings will melt into each other and give you a "shrink warp" effect on the surface when cool.
You still need to sand blast the surface BUT the nice thing about Cerakote is that no need for primer coat, no special masking required as it is designed to be coated inside and outside the firearm (extremely thin coats of less than 0.001 inches thick). SO in the long run Cerakote ends up being cheaper to use even though the material costs are higher AND you get your entire firearm inside and out protected by a ceramic based wear resistant coating.
Hope that helps answer the questions ...... and YES it is very durable and wear resistant as well as having a much better adhesion than the Auto Paint method.
BUT ( and this is a big BUT)
The coater using Cerakote for Hydrographics has to be someone who is meticulous about prep and having contamination free air as Cerakote is more sensitive to surface contamination prior to being fully cured. If anyone has their hydrographics peeling off Cerakote then the prep work was done poorly or not at all.
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Thanks for the input Dan!! I have just started playing with Cerakote on a few of my guns and other items and it definitely takes some practice. I've noticed the sensitivity to surface contamination as my oven wasn't completely clean on my first few coatings & I could tell in the final result. I've got a couple of major gun projects (or money pits as my wife calls them) that I'd like to add the hydrographics to so your info is extremely helpful. I want these projects to be perfect, so I'm sure I've got a lot of practice ahead of me.
Dan do you have a website or contact info? I am going to want to get a shotgun redone probably next year and the ideal of cerakote dip then cerakote clear sound like the perfect solution. You can pm me the info if you want.
Hi Dan, I too am interested in your contact info for some projects I would like to work on next year.
Well, I decided to give it a shot. I stripped my LCP down to nothing over the weekend and will be Cerakoting the slide & barrel and doing a Cerakote base on the polymer frame with a digital ACU dip. With different materials, colors and cure temps (plastic vs steel), it will probably be a week or two before I get to the finished product, but I will post some pics when it's done.
Hey all sorry about the delay getting to you guys as you can tell super busy and also moving to a new location and with all the heavy equipment we have it is gonna be a long move.
Right now our website and email server has been pulled down as we are doing upgrades so best way atm to contact is calling (760)388-5766 or email at [email protected] once the website is back up.
So if I don't get back to you right away be patient as this move is a major undertaking with the lathe, mill, compressor paint booths bluing tanks etc that has to be moved.
Thanks
Right now our website and email server has been pulled down as we are doing upgrades so best way atm to contact is calling (760)388-5766 or email at [email protected] once the website is back up.
So if I don't get back to you right away be patient as this move is a major undertaking with the lathe, mill, compressor paint booths bluing tanks etc that has to be moved.
Thanks
I haven't checked this thread for quite a while... but any way as for the results, we tried it and it can be done.
We started with a pile of prepped AR magazines and tested the process with both H series and C series Cerakote. We tried the H series in various stages of "cure" from tacky (from 15 minutes in the oven) to allowing it to air dry. Without going through all the boring details, we were able to dip to H series by removing it from the oven while the coating was tacky and dipping it immediately then baking the product. Once baked, Micro Clear was applied. Honestly, it's a pain in the ass and we decided to dip to Duracoat and then use a Cerakote clear.
Perhaps some of the scientists out there will come up with a more reliable process.
The last gun that we dipped with a Cerakote clear is a competition 12ga for a customer that block shoots. There's some pics on our FB page, Full Bore Firearms.
We started with a pile of prepped AR magazines and tested the process with both H series and C series Cerakote. We tried the H series in various stages of "cure" from tacky (from 15 minutes in the oven) to allowing it to air dry. Without going through all the boring details, we were able to dip to H series by removing it from the oven while the coating was tacky and dipping it immediately then baking the product. Once baked, Micro Clear was applied. Honestly, it's a pain in the ass and we decided to dip to Duracoat and then use a Cerakote clear.
Perhaps some of the scientists out there will come up with a more reliable process.
The last gun that we dipped with a Cerakote clear is a competition 12ga for a customer that block shoots. There's some pics on our FB page, Full Bore Firearms.
