Is this a bad Cerakote job?

[boxy]

I just got my receivers, barrel, buffer tube, and handguard back from Cerakoting. This is my first time getting something Cerakoted, so everything looked all right in the shop, until I took a closer look at home. There are a few small bumps, and the receivers have a slightly rough texture on them. The barrel is pretty smooth (FDE) but the other parts are varying levels of roughness (Patriot Brown).

https://imgur.com/a/duMdn

Is this a bad Cerakote application? Should I have them shoot it again? The guy said if I wasn't happy with it they could shoot it again once.... worried that it might end up the same way though.

Looking for some input. Thanks.

[Great-Kazoo]

Doesn't matter what we say. If you're unhappy, have them redo it. Based on your post i say redo it, from the 1 picture all i see is glare from the flash.

[boxy]

Doesn't matter what we say. If you're unhappy, have them redo it. Based on your post i say redo it, from the 1 picture all i see is glare from the flash.

Do the other pictures in the album show up for you? I put 4 in there... I tried to highlight how the bumps looked.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is what does correctly applied Cerakote look like. Is it totally smooth? Is it a little rough?

[Wolfshoon]

Spraygun was spitting (heavy dots) and the coating might be a little light, causing a sandpaper feel (hard to tell from pics, fingers should feel smooth surface with no roughness) -- applicator error. IF it was me I'd shoot it again, I've re-done cerakote jobs 4x before I was happy before. I use an Iwatta LPH80 and that solved most of my spray pattern problems.

[boxy]

Spraygun was spitting (heavy dots) and the coating might be a little light, causing a sandpaper feel (hard to tell from pics, fingers should feel smooth surface with no roughness) -- applicator error. IF it was me I'd shoot it again, I've re-done cerakote jobs 4x before I was happy before. I use an Iwatta LPH80 and that solved most of my spray pattern problems.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've sent the gentleman an email about the application, hopefully he can re-apply without me throwing down more money.

[Hoser]

Yeah, I would be very unhappy with that.

[00tec]

I have been tinkering in cerakote. Nothing I have done has come out that bad. The ridge, plus the lumpy shit and sandpaper feel make me think that the applicator used an aggressive media blast and sprayed heavy.

If you cut too deep with the media, it will smooth out if you rub it down with a wet green scrubby pad. If sprayed heavy, it will leave a a ridge everywhere a stencil or tape line is placed.

[00tec]

Doesn't matter what we say. If you're unhappy, have them redo it. Based on your post i say redo it, from the 1 picture all i see is glare from the flash.

There are more there, gotta scroll down.

[boxy]

I have been tinkering in cerakote. Nothing I have done has come out that bad. The ridge, plus the lumpy shit and sandpaper feel make me think that the applicator used an aggressive media blast and sprayed heavy.

If you cut too deep with the media, it will smooth out if you rub it down with a wet green scrubby pad. If sprayed heavy, it will leave a a ridge everywhere a stencil or tape line is placed.

The ridge is actually part of the receiver, something Aero does with their M4E1 lower.

As for the media blast, do you mean it went into the metal? Or just into the Cerakote that was there before? I am totally new to Cerakote so I apologize if these are dumb questions.

[zimagold]

If it feels like sand paper and has spots from poor spray, I wouldn't be satisfied and would have it redone. I've had a half dozen rifles and a couple of pistol slides cerakoted. They are all smooth and speck free. Only one item came out rough and I had it redone.

[Great-Kazoo]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've sent the gentleman an email about the application, hopefully he can re-apply without me throwing down more money.


There should be no charge for redoing their work.


There are more there, gotta scroll down.

Still not working on this end. Really doesn't matter, he needs to have it made right.

[BPTactical]

I see a couple things.
1- poor post blast cleaning, leaving media remnants.
2- dry shoot of the coating. The applicator did not shoot sufficiently wet (fluid needle not opened enough, too much air pressure, gun too far away from surface being sprayed, material thinned excessively or a combo of any) the coating needs to be wet enough on application to "flow out" on the surface.

And yeah, it should be redone at no expense to the owner.

[Delfuego]

I say go shoot it. it's not a fashion show. I am starting to like beat up looking guns. We always say these are tool right?

Next time call Danger Lee!

[kidicarus13]

All this talk of reshooting... doesn't cerakote build up? .009. Don't mind me, I'm a coating hater (except Robar NP3). Duracoat, cerakote, Krylon. IMO, you paint it, you keep it.

[Wolfshoon]

All this talk of reshooting... doesn't cerakote build up? .009. Don't mind me, I'm a coating hater (except Robar NP3). Duracoat, cerakote, Krylon. IMO, you paint it, you keep it.

Fix for cerakote mistake is to blast it all off and start over. There is no touch up or paint fill and buff. The only time you can get away with a mistake is a multi-color job and you just prep the mistake in the next color being applied.

NIC industries recommends 200-220 grit aluminum oxide to give the proper abraded surface for cerakote to stick, if glass beads are used to blast they just strip the surface and ping the surface like a golf ball making it hard for the cerakote to properly bond. Cerakote is applied at 1 mil thickness or .001" when done properly. It is fairly easy to dry shoot and have the "sandpaper" feel. Proper lighting and user technique are key in a successful coating job.

[kidicarus13]

Interesting

[powerstroke79]

I say go shoot it. it's not a fashion show. I am starting to like beat up looking guns. We always say these are tool right?

Next time call Danger Lee!

+1

[boxy]

I say go shoot it. it's not a fashion show. I am starting to like beat up looking guns. We always say these are tool right?

Next time call Danger Lee!

I agree it's a tool, but I'd rather the wear come from my use on a good Cerakote job instead of a bad Cerakote job off the bat.

[Delfuego]

I feel you, it is a bummer. But it might already be too late. That's why I was trying to be positive about and tell you to get out there and shoot it.

It might be good to let the forum members know who did it, so the next person could avoid the headache. And Tim @ Danger Lee is really good at cerakote.

[boxy]

I feel you, it is a bummer. But it might already be too late. That's why I was trying to be positive about and tell you to get out there and shoot it.

It might be good to let the forum members know who did it, so the next person could avoid the headache. And Tim @ Danger Lee is really good at cerakote.

I'm working with CMS Armory. I brought it back to the guy last night, he recognized that it was a rough job. I guess he didn't look at it close enough when I got it on Sunday. They're going to re-spray it, the barrel was good so I know they can get it right. If it comes back sub-par a second time, I'm going to look at other options. Danger Lee looks like a good option, and priced all right too. Thanks for the tip.

Mistakes can happen to anyone, though. I think how it comes back the second time will be telling.

[boxy]

Double post/Update:

I got the parts back from CMS. They are better but still a little rough. I think the paint was old: They said they double strained it this time and it turned out better, with a little roughness still.

At this point, I'm going to run the crap out of it and if I need to get it re-cerakoted I'll take it to Danger Lee.... which I probably should have done in the first place.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[boxy]

Hello again,

Quick update, I tried to assemble my upper last night, and the dust cover spring went straight through the Cerakote to the metal like there was nothing there (under its own spring tension). This honestly shocked me, as I've heard about Cerakote's great durability. I took a scotch-brite pad and after 4 swipes with minimal pressure, there was metal showing.

My gut is that CMS Armory applied this incorrectly, and that the durability is nonexistent as a result. When I asked for a refund, Doug at CMS Armory told me that this wear is outside the testing parameters for the durability of Cerakote. I'm pretty upset about this.

Here are pictures of the damage (https://imgur.com/a/wNPF0SC)

Can anyone chime in with personal experience?

Thank you.

[zimagold]

Hello again,

Quick update, I tried to assemble my upper last night, and the dust cover spring went straight through the Cerakote to the metal like there was nothing there (under its own spring tension). This honestly shocked me, as I've heard about Cerakote's great durability. I took a scotch-brite pad and after 4 swipes with minimal pressure, there was metal showing.

My gut is that CMS Armory applied this incorrectly, and that the durability is nonexistent as a result. When I asked for a refund, Doug at CMS Armory told me that this wear is outside the testing parameters for the durability of Cerakote. I'm pretty upset about this.

Here are pictures of the damage (https://imgur.com/a/wNPF0SC)

Can anyone chime in with personal experience?

Thank you.I see your in Boulder. I have a few cerakoted ARs including 12.5" FDE. PM me if you want to meetup sometime to compare finishes. I have scratched my cerakoted items, but not just assembling them.

[boxy]

I see your in Boulder. I have a few cerakoted ARs including 12.5" FDE. PM me if you want to meetup sometime to compare finishes. I have scratched my cerakoted items, but not just assembling them.

Awesome, PMed.

[MrAK]

I haven’t had any cerakote work done by DangerLee, but judging from all of my interactions with Tim, I’d say he’d be my first stop if I did have a need for some cerakote

[boxy]

I haven’t had any cerakote work done by DangerLee, but judging from all of my interactions with Tim, I’d say he’d be my first stop if I did have a need for some cerakote

That may be where I'm going next, currently waiting on an email back from them with their thoughts.

[00tec]

The wrench in this photo was beat repearedly on a softball sized chunk of concrete by a halfway intoxicated dude.

I would say it is durable

74683

[ray1970]

Danger Lee did a Glock slide for me once. Used to use it for IDPA so it saw a fair amount of use coming in and out of a kydex holster. Never showed any wear. I was pleased.

[Great-Kazoo]

At this point in the game i say cut your losses and go elsewhere for any type of coating application. Tim@ Danger Lee is one of those places. They didn't do it correctly the first time. Said they would make it right, yet you're having issues before getting some trigger time in. Why bother, outside the principle of it, which it seems they don't have.

[boxy]

At this point in the game i say cut your losses and go elsewhere for any type of coating application. Tim@ Danger Lee is one of those places. They didn't do it correctly the first time. Said they would make it right, yet you're having issues before getting some trigger time in. Why bother, outside the principle of it, which it seems they don't have.

It's really about getting the money back for me now. I have some disposable income, but not enough to eat $200 with nothing to show for it.

[mutt]

Tim at Danger Lee has done several items for me including silencers and a complete AR. Cerakote, done properly, is very durable and should not scratch easily. When you finally decide to get your parts redone, just take it to Tim to ensure it's done right.

[jamesm7485]

Another plus one for Tim. He did a titanium blue job on my 300 blk build. It spends a good chunk of time in a hiking backpack and other than my dumb ass putting a small scratch on it installing the bolt catch pin the finish still looks fantastic..