Should You Cerakote Your Gun? - Spectrum Coating

Overview of Cerakote Finishing

Cerakote Finishes are a type of ceramic-based coating material that is popular to be applied on wooden decor articles, metal structures, plastic elements, etc. Each element, be it plastic or metal, requires a cleansing job that cleans the surface, polishes it, and then finishes it with expert coating. 

Cerakote is a common coat of coating finish that is usually preferred for metals to enhance their appearance, radiance, while avoiding corrosion. As corrosion-resistant paint, Cerakote allows you to increase the functional life of the said article and eliminates the caution of oxidation of paint exterior.

Metal polishing has been a widely known practice that people adhere to because of the numerous benefits of corrosion-resistant paint. Along with preserving the look and extending the warranty, it is also explicitly used with arms and ammunition worldwide, made from metal.  Protecting the metal on the gun from scraping off and maintaining its appearance is what this corrosion-resistant paint is used for.

Why Choose Cerakote Coating?

First of all, all guns enclosed by corrosion-resistant paint look extremely smooth with the right finish. It increases the product's physicality and extends its lifespan by keeping it secured from routine wear and tear, hard abrasions, and so on. The sheer advantages of these coating services make them one of the best materials which could be used to protect firearms. 

Let us deep-dive into a handful of benefits of utilizing corrosion-resistant paint: 

  • When you apply cerakote paint on your guns, it improves both the aesthetic and the functionality. It can then provide improved durability, handling, and protection from everyday wear and tear. Since chemical resistance is quite common in metal substances, protecting them beforehand is ideal to have them last for a longer time. 

  • Secondly, when you use cerakote finishing on firearms meant to function day after day, it is imperative to make sure that they withstand basic wear and tear damages. The ceramic surface does not shed off easily. By applying corrosion-resistant paint, one can easily achieve this state and give them an extensive, custom appearance. 

  • Next up, we have seen people making a fuss about their firearms becoming jammed due to water and other liquid damages. Corrosion-resistant paint plays a defending role in protecting the guns from debris and different sorts of liquids. Because of its hydrophobic properties, it maneuvers as an effective lubricant that protects the surface from falling into the trap of oxidation.

Application of Cerakote

The application for Cerakote is relatively simple. It consists of four steps- disassembly, sandblasting, cleaning, painting, and baking. Cerakote is thin, ridiculously. There are a lot of similar products available in the market, like powder coating, that must be applied at a minimum of 2/1000" (2 mils). In contrast to this, cerakote thrives around half that application (1 mil) - which is insanely thin. This broadens the applications enormously. 

Quick Tips: 

  • Degrease before sandblasting parts: In addition to preventing the firearms from loading with oils and potentially ruining the finish, the degreasing process removes oil, providing a surface for abrasives to stick to while in the blast cabinet. This prevents the firearm from getting any scratch on any of its parts.
  • Prep matters a lot: Prep is everything, and every finishing professional will tell you this. If you rush to try to cut corners during any of the preparation stages, you'll end up compromising with the finishing. Always double-check the surfaces of each part to be sure that you have blasted it all across evenly. To get the prep right, you need to figure out how you will evenly coat every surface of each before mixing the cerakote. 
  • Have ample space to hang parts: To get the cerakote right, you need to have ample space to hang parts. It's important to have a hanger to allow our parts to hang during the coating process to give it an excellent finish. Once a part is coated, the hanger can then be moved to the curing oven to finish. 
  • Don't skimp on the Degreaser: The order needs to be followed to give a smooth finish to the CeraKote. Always degrees before and after blasting the parts. This is because the TCE needs to run clear. If you skimp the degreaser anyhow, it will result in a bad finish. Other than this, if oil residue is left in any place, you'll end up ruining the cerakote project of your firearm.

Lesser-known Yet Efficient Qualities of Cerakoting

  1. Rated Safe For up to 900°F For Basic Metal Temperatures and 2,000°F For Exhaust Gas Temperatures 

These thin-layer protective coating paints are specialized in withstanding high heating temperatures that go up to massive 2000℉ in extreme environmental temperatures. Predominantly used in combustion chambers, cerakote finishes prove to be efficient thermal barriers that allow people to rely on these ceramic coatings. Coating massive exhaust gas temperatures with cerakote finishes ensure better heat tolerance performance and exhibit its rust-resistance attributes.

  1. Reliable at Protecting Components From Rust Indefinitely

Quite a few speculations emerge when you put together cerakote finishing and anti-rust features. In reality, it is a corrosion-resistant paint that makes the surfaces much more durable and protects them from rust, debris, liquid damages, and so on. It appears that weapons and rifles can fall into the trap of oxidation if they are only used in low-to-medium humid environments. As a result, cerakote coatings become essential for keeping liquids off the gun's surface and preventing rust from developing.

  1. Known to Reduce Component Temperatures by More Than 30°F

Being a thermal barrier, cerakote is responsible for reducing the surface temperature of the component it is applied to, especially high-temperature chambers. In addition, this corrosion-resistant paint is also brought into use for high-speed automotive, hefty manufacturing equipment that is installed exclusively in industries. Installing ceramic coating on these equipment results in reducing the surface temperature that increases the overall industrial performance and supports product durability, considering the different types of environment it is affected by.

  1. Extremely Thin — 0.5 – 1.0 mil

As we described cerakote as a thin-film ceramic coating, it is an ideal choice for coating metals, wooden sculptures, plastic components, etc., that are used in our daily routine. Being so slender and fine, cerakote finishes are popular for retaining the smooth appearance of the materials and better the physical performance with time. For instance, when a gun is used daily, it is bound to face abrasions and scratches due to vigorous impacts. Thus, cerakote finishes improve the product state by forming a thin protective layer to avoid corrosion or any chemical resistance.

  1. Available in Hundreds of Different Colors

Cerakote finishing is usually available in various hues that allow users to paint their firearms with the color of their choice. Therefore customization seems possible, all thanks to its polymer properties. You can get it in multiple earthy tones that are quite repelling to high temperatures, especially internal combustion parts. To be precise, Cerakote comes in six earth-tone colors and uses a type of advanced resin that allows it to be applied in thinner coatings, perfect for internal parts. Different color shades of cerakote fulfill user satisfaction; for instance, you can use a light-tone cerakote finish to adjust the radiance on your firearm. 

  1. Easy to Clean 

Last but not least, cleaning a thin layer of this corrosion-resistant paint is super easy and effective. Since firearms involve slight abrasions, you can clean the surface with a small amount of acetone or conventional cleaning lubricants to give it a fine, new look. Usually, experts suggest using a microfiber cloth along with a cleansing alcohol liquid to mildly wash out the grits, scratches, or erosion from hard impacts. And this makes cerakote the hottest pick in the industry.

Why Choose Us?

Having that said, Coating By Spectrum brings you adept Ceramic Coating Services so you can get the best coating solutions available for your guns and knives. We proudly present beyond-standard cerakote finishes to our customers that are bound to inhibit corrosion and enhance the lifespan of firearms, metal surfaces, etc. 

With over 100 different color tones available, you can choose from many hue options to suit your needs and get yourself a customized look for your guns or knives. Being the top in our industry to provide Custom Gun Coatings and Ceramic Coating Services, we ensure regular quality checks to render the finest coating solutions to our customers. If you want to obtain cerakote for your firearms, contact our experts now or reach out to our team to start today!