I picked up a couple of in-the-white lowers and uppers recently, and was considering just having them cerakoted instead of annodized. Does anyone have any experience with this?
I’ve had plenty of bolt rifles done in Cerakote, and I love the stuff, but I’ve just never done it on an AR, much less an in-the-white part.
Thanks,
Dan
Just make sure you prep the surface properly. This will actually be a stronger finish than Anodized.
How did you come to get an un-annodized receiver? 
I don’t know if he has 80% lowers, but you can buy 80% lowers anodized or in the white. Now you can buy 80% receivers for a 1911, 10/22, AR-15, and a DPMS style .308. I like them because no FFL is needed.
Doesn’t the anodizing make the surface of the aluminum itself harder? Seems like cerakote on top of ano is the way to go. Better than Cerakote over untreated aluminum. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not an expert in metallurgy or materials science.
You are correct about the hard anodizing. It makes the aluminum far harder than just putting a ceramic coating over some untreated, and hopefully, 7075T6. I would imagine hard ano would be much more resistant to wear than Cerakote also.
Depends on what your usage is. I would personally never assemble an unanodized receiver.
That’s my thougt too… but I’m no expert on the subject.
I would never buy a lower or upper that was anodized since it does add some strength to the piece and is better than any spray finish. A gun shop close to me ordered 120 or so un-anodized lowers with his shop name for the roll mark and then sprayed them in any Cerakote color the customer wanted. I was very suspect and seeing his ‘mad’ finishing skills I expected these to hold up as well as toliet paper against a shotgun…
Simple explanation: High current DC sent through the aluminum part into a weak electrolyte solution bath. The reaction causes a hard oxidation to take place on the surface of the part.
I’m not an expert on the science end of it. I just repair machinery. A PVD/CVD coating and CNC machine shop I used to work at had multiple tanks. Science can do some swell things…
All correct, but this is only a surface conversion. In real life the lower isn’t exactly a load bearing component and you’d be hard pressed to show any measurable performance increase anodized, cerakoted, or in the white aside from scratch resistance.
Bought them directly from the manufacturer. They are not 80%. They are complete, just not anodized.
Surface conversion makes sense… otherwise the receiver might become brittle.
I think that the pin holes are a good place to have hard surface anodizing… and on a military weapon??? Shit… Anodizing isn’t optional…
Some of these prestine vagina guns that are flawless, scratch free, and color matched aftermarket crap??? yeah… I see your point. 
The two ARs I’m building are for my wife and daughter, so I doubt they’ll ever be used hard. If push came to shove, I’ve got a couple of Colts in the safe that would be the first I’d grab anyway.
Huh??
How is Cerakote going to do better than hardening of the material itself like anodizing does?
I didn’t meant to imply that it would harden the material. Just that from what I have seen Cerakote will wear less than anodizing. I was speaking purely from a finish point of view
Ahhh, ok. I think most of us care a lot more about the actual item itself in terms of longevity.
From a finish point of view, if it is worth applying Cerakote, it is worth doing it properly over the ano for a better grab on the surface.
I don’t disagree. I could care less how my rifles look. I was just answering the question.
Good info, thanks. I was planning on doing the Cerakote and trying it at home, but I could care less what it looks like. So I will get my 80% lowers anodized since it makes the aluminum harder.
Underwood, before you send your lowers out, do your homework on anodizing, all is not equal…type lll anodizing is aluminums best friend, with cerakote, krylon…always going on top, not as a substitute. Good luck.
Anodize then coat.
Unless the only purpose of the item is to be lightly handled with kid-gloves and appraised from afar.