Fixing a Cerakote setup (experts requested)

General General Discussion
1

Not sure where else to put this. So if a Mod wants to move I won’t feel bad.

I am trying to help my LGS out. The owners had a falling out and one of them left. The guy still there has a much better business sense but the one who left was the guy who did their Cerakoting.

To put it mildly the setup is a mess. The room is an old bathroom in the warehouse section of the building with a small vent fan and some lights installed.

No HVAC hookups, no real airflow. And all the Cerakote has been stored on shelves in that room.

Most of it is expired I am sure but there is a LOT of it, and I am hoping it can be salvaged.

So her are my thoughts.

First for the Cerakote:

[ul]
[li]Cerakote should be filtered using fine mesh paint filters to remove any impurities from sitting so long. I know they say it expires however paint doesn’t really expire. What you really get is the pigment settling and the VOCs evaporating.
[/li][li]Replace all hardener since this can go bad.
[/li][li]Use small Marbles in each bottle to help mix. This is a common sense thing but they have not been doing it.
[/li][li]Test all current bottles for color correctness
[/li][li]From this point forward store all Cerakote in refrigerator
[/li][/ul]

Am I missing anything here? Anything else we can do to salvage it?

Now for the paint booth:

[ul]
[li]Set up crossflow air system. Ducted airflow would be preferred but other alternatives are possible using I know. I was thinking some high powered fans bringing in fresh air and another exhausting the air to the outside.
[/li][li]Install ductwork connected to current HVAC system. If that isn’t possible we could alternatively use portable or window style AC unit to control temp and humidity. Currently the humidity is a real issue along with the heat.
[/li][li]Make sure room has Positive air pressure. I assume this is as important as it would be for other types of painting.
[/li][li]Set up seperate area for parts to hang without concern of overspray and particulates getting on them.
[/li][/ul]

Once again is there anything I am missing here? These are good people and helping them is important to me so I want to make sure we get it right.

2

Just out of curiosity I found the manual. Now I know why I use Moly Resin. Here it is:

https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/resources/files/training/Cerakote_ELITE_H-Series_Training_Manual_WEB_1-17-17.pdf

Since you are oven curing is humidty that big of a deal when using Cerakote? This from the manual:

Spray with sufficient volume so that the Cerakote does not dry spray, which is when the coating dries in the air before reaching the part. When spraying, the part should appear wet but not so wet that it wants to run. Cerakote will still be wet to the touch until it is oven cured.

As I said, I don’t know, my expereince has been with Moly Resin.

Although I would note that if you are air-curing, you seem to be losing much of the corrosion resistance and durability of the product: https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/finishes/

They give an applicators course. For a LGS that does any volume of coating it might be a plus. https://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/resource/application_and_training/

3

This is all oven cured.

Humidity won’t impact the curing but as with any spray it will impact when spraying. High humidity can cause a number of issues during application. They also need a better oven but I am trying to approach this one step at a time. the good news is that they have a good sprayer and setup already. Although I do need to make sure they have a moisture trap in the line.

4

Big Moly Resin fan here as well. Though I confess I tend to just use Aervoe now.