CeraKote Before and After

[Xringshooter]

Here are a few before and afters of some guns I CeraKoted:

Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Before:


After:

[thefirstndsecond]

What are the benefits of this coating?

What colors are available?

What areas do this?

[Xringshooter]

What are the benefits of this coating?

What colors are available?

What areas do this?

It is more resistant to corrosion and wear than typical finishes, it is also very durable. This is a two part ceramic coating that is sprayed on and then cured in an oven.

There are a myriad of colors available. The ones I have on hand are: Graphite Black (The Kahr), Sniper Gray (The S&W), Flat Dark Earth (The 45), Coyote Tan, Desert Sand, OD, and Stainless. You can get even more colors from the manufacturer.

For the "what areas do this?", I'm not quite sure what you mean. To do this you need a blasting cabinet, curing oven, air compressor and a spray gun (I use an air brush system). So typically its not a do at home job, although if you have the things I mentioned you can do it yourself.

You can get more info here: www.nicindustries.com/firearm_coatings.php They include a section showing the testing that was done by an independent company and the results.

[EODguy]

Xring:

That Smith 649 (?) looks great, very nice. Actually they all look nice. Now you got me thinking.

[ByblosHex]

I may get a few of my guns CeraKoted. How much does it cost for handguns,revolvers,rifles?

[SCBaldr]

I have guns in line to get a cerakoted. I prefer camo patterns in mine though. The German modern pattern is my favorite for my 870.

Xring, that looks like really good prep work, and a finish is only as good as the prep that went into it.

[Xringshooter]

EODguy - Actually that is a 638-3. It looks way much cooler in person than the pics. The Sniper Gray isn't dark gray and isn't black, something in between. The owner loves the color.

ByblosHex - It depends on the person doing it. I am still working on coming up with set prices for pistols, revolvers, barrels, etc. Some items are more time consuming, thus will cost more than say a single color on a rifle barrel (prep time is low for that).

SCBaldr - I want to become completely familiar with the product first, how it sprays, what the best spray tips are for different applications, etc. before I delve into the more complex patterns and the use of stencils. So far everything is going ok and the more I do the better I get.

The prep work is definitely the key. I understand prep work. My Dad, Granddad, 2 uncles and several cousins all are or were auto body technicians. I know what happens if you don't degrease or dewax properly (you get to do it all over again, ask me how I know )

[ithinkimamedic]

Xring:

That Smith 649 (?) looks great, very nice. Actually they all look nice. Now you got me thinking.

It's a 638-3 and as the owner of it I am EXTREMELY happy with the results, I honestly didn't think it was going to come out looking this nice, I just wanted a wear resistant coating as the OEM was was a POS.

Ron, great job! As you have noticed, I am very happy with the color and job you did. Thanks again!

Josh

pic will be up soon

[Yentl Marmelstein]

Sorry, but both the Kahr and the 638 look worse when you were done.

The serrations on the slide of the Kahr look like there is too much material in the grooves while the Smith just looks like somebody spray painted it.

Is this a full time job for you or just a hobby?

How long have you been doing it?

[Xringshooter]

Sorry, but both the Kahr and the 638 look worse when you were done.

The serrations on the slide of the Kahr look like there is too much material in the grooves while the Smith just looks like somebody spray painted it.

Is this a full time job for you or just a hobby?

How long have you been doing it?

Well, everyone's entitled to their opinions.

I completed the jobs to my clients specifications. On the Kahr, the after photos were closer up than the before and so you see more detail (if you look carefully at the before photos you can see the same markings on the slide serrations. The rest of the slide was intentionally blasted harder to not have the slick look (per owners instructions).

Oh, and I did "spray paint" all of the guns, that's what CeraKote is, a 2 part ceramic based coating that has to be hardened (cured in an oven) after is is sprayed on.

These are the first guns I have done in CeraKote and the customers know they can come back to me with the guns if they don't like the results and I will make it right (at no additional cost). You might not like it but my clients are quite happy with the results.

Right now my gunsmithing is part time. I started in 1989 apprenticing with some gunsmiths in the Dover, DE while stationed there in the USAF. I have been working on guns here in the central area since I retired from the USAF in 1997. I have a pretty good client base and so far no complaints and good repeat business so I guess I'm doing something right.