For those of you who Cerakoted, Gunkoted, etc.

[Onyx_Z]

I’m getting ready to Gunkote my upper, lower, and NSR but I’m having trouble finding instructions, tips, tricks, etc. Anyone have any tips for this?

I know sandblast, clean well, pre-heat, paint, bake. But as I’m sure you all know, it’s never that easy…

What about the trigger, hammer, and takedown pin holes, barrel/buffer tube threads, inside of the receiver, etc.? Do you just apply the paint over this or tape it off? I’m not too familiar with what this finish is like after being baked on. If it applies fairly thick, obviously all of this would need to be taped off.

[jfk]

Gunkote does not require a reducer so blast it, clean/degrease, pre-heat, spray, and bake. Make sure all parts are clean and lint/dust free. Wear gloves and use a good spray gun such as an airbrush or small detail gun such as an HVLP. I use the $40 cheapie gun from HF and get good results. Make sure you get the setting correct for air flow, spray pattern, and fluid amount. First coat goes on light, second and third, making sure you have even coverage. Let the parts sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before baking it. The fluid is very thin and no need to cover pin holes, just make sure all blasting grit is removed from nooks and crannies. I’ve never Cerakoted but mixing and degreasing is very critical for a good durable finish.

[Onyx_Z]

@jfk

Gunkote does not require a reducer so blast it, clean/degrease, pre-heat, spray, and bake. Make sure all parts are clean and lint/dust free. Wear gloves and use a good spray gun such as an airbrush or small detail gun such as an HVLP. I use the $40 cheapie gun from HF and get good results. Make sure you get the setting correct for air flow, spray pattern, and fluid amount. First coat goes on light, second and third, making sure you have even coverage. Let the parts sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before baking it. The fluid is very thin and no need to cover pin holes, just make sure all blasting grit is removed from nooks and crannies. I’ve never Cerakoted but mixing and degreasing is very critical for a good durable finish.

Thank you. Is the finished coating pretty thin as well? The fluid in the can looks about the consistency of water, so I’m assuming it is.

[jfk]

Yes the coating is thin. The first coat goes.on lightly while the follow up coats a little thicker. You can always add another light coat after baking if you miss a few spots. Bake time is shorter because the undercoats are already baked on. Even the cheapie HF HVLP does a good job atomizing the paint. I prefer to heat the parts up to 150 before the first coat and the parts should be slightly uncomfortable to hold while laying down the first coat. This helps preventing runs. You will be shocked how easy it paints. Make sure you do not use the aerosol cans from Brownells. The tips seem to clog especially in cold weather. A detail gun or even an airbrush is better.

[Onyx_Z]

@jfk

Yes the coating is thin. The first coat goes.on lightly while the follow up coats a little thicker. You can always add another light coat after baking if you miss a few spots. Bake time is shorter because the undercoats are already baked on. Even the cheapie HF HVLP does a good job atomizing the paint. I prefer to heat the parts up to 150 before the first coat and the parts should be slightly uncomfortable to hold while laying down the first coat. This helps preventing runs. You will be shocked how easy it paints. Make sure you do not use the aerosol cans from Brownells. The tips seem to clog especially in cold weather. A detail gun or even an airbrush is better.

Awesome, thanks! I planned to use an airbrush from the beginning… sounds like it’s a lot easier than you think.

[ABNAK]

My buddy does Duracoating. Went to the course up in Wisconsin, has the spray gun, oven, the whole nine yards. He will tell you, and I believe it applies to ANY of the applied coatings, that proper prep is the key. Sure, you have to apply and cure it correctly but without properly prepping the surface it’s a recipe for disaster (at a minimum a substandard finish that will peel or flake easily).

Trying to talk him into doing some Cerakoting…

[tappedandtagged]

I though Guncoat could be sprayed directly over annodized aluminum without having to blast it. Do you still need to blast?

[jfk]

Gunkote can be sprayed over anodized parts as long as it is clean. I would still warm the parts up to prevent runs.

[ABNAK]

@tappedandtagged

I though Guncoat could be sprayed directly over annodized aluminum without having to blast it. Do you still need to blast?

I wasn’t necessarily referring to sand-blasting as “prep”; more of the total cleansing/degreasing process. Little things like wearing gloves so not even a fingerprint gets on a prepped surface, setting in a “sterile” (if you will) area once prepped until ready to coat, etc. My buddy rarely blasts a gun to be Duracoated unless it’s got a shitty finish that needs to be removed in order to allow the surface to be smooth and clear.

FWIW I’m personally not into the camo patterns and non-standard colors like FDE and such (unless of course it is a factory anodized FDE gun). I tend to have my AR’s and M14’s Duracoated the same color as parkerizing and anodizing, i.e. the same as the underlying color. That way if…well, when… it gets a scratch at some point it isn’t noticeable. Colt Gray is an excellent match for mil-spec parkerizing and flat black with a little extra hardener (so it doesn’t have the chalky, charcoal-type look) is perfect for black anodizing.

My personal reason for any type of finish application is for corrosion resistance and/or protection from the elements. To this end Duracoat fits the bill nicely. However, to add a bit more durability I’d still like to get my buddy to do some Cerakoting!

[ABNAK]

@jfk

Gunkote can be sprayed over anodized parts as long as it is clean. I would still warm the parts up to prevent runs.

That is an interesting concept. Is it necessary if you’re using the ideal spray particle size and distance from the object?

[jfk]

@ABNAK

That is an interesting concept. Is it necessary if you’re using the ideal spray particle size and distance from the object?

Warming up the parts comes from my days of using Brownells aerosol cans. The tips seemed to clog during colder days. KG recommends warming the parts to 110-120. I warm it a little more so the first “tack” coat goes on even and flat. I make sure this first coat covers everything. Then second and third coats are applied to my taste as far as sheen.

[WadeP]

@jfk

Gunkote can be sprayed over anodized parts as long as it is clean. I would still warm the parts up to prevent runs.

Depends on the surface. I usually still lightly blast it just to roughen it up some. Nine times out of ten, I spray cold but warming the parts does prevent runs.