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Thread: Anyone have any experience coating stainless steel?

  1. #1
    Senior Member NAPOTS's Avatar

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    Anyone have any experience coating stainless steel?

    I have a stainless pistol that I'd like to make. ..well not stainless looking. I've heard you can cerakote stainless but was wondering if anyone had any first hand experience

  2. #2
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    You can absolutely coat stainless just like carbon steel.

    Many custom gunsmiths are using Cerakote to coat stainless. As example my buddy has several of his ultra-high end long range and Match stainless rifle barrels the gunsmith recommended Cerakoting.
    So far they're standing up very well.

    Another option is to have the gun processed with the Nitride process.
    My bud has had his latest stainless barrels treated with it. He says he's getting much increased barrel life over plain stainless.
    It makes the barrel about as hard as hard chrome plated but both inside and out. It turns the stainless a satin black color.

    Cerakote is the toughest and most durable of the paint type gun finishes, but it still will wear off and scratch. This is faster on pistols because pistols get handled and holstered a lot more then a rifle.
    An added possible issue is that apparently removal has to be done by bead blasting if you want to re-coat it.

    Last, Cerakote really needs to be applied by a company authorized processor. Cerakote's process is MUCH more involved then people think and the quality and durability is totally determined by how well it's done.
    Too many people, even gunsmiths figure it's just like any of the other paint type finishes and do it the same way. Result is a substandard job.

    Look up the Cerakote web site and read the manual on how it's processed. EVERYTHING from the type of bead blasting to the degreasing process, to the actual method of application of the coating is critical.

  3. #3
    Senior Member NAPOTS's Avatar

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    Any experience with how well cerakote holds up on a SST pistol? Same or better than bake on coatings like gunkote/duracoat, etc on a carbon steel pistol?

    There are a couple of certified cerakote places in town, I am interested in how well it holds up.

    I have also seen PVD/ionbond coatings which supposedly can work on stainless but i know nothing about them and I think finding places to do it is a lot harder.

    The gun in question is a Kimber so I'd rather only spend $200-$300. I'm also considering chaning the sights too to a Heinie rear and a fiber optic front.


    this kind of look would be awesome but is probably too much $$ and shipping a handgun is a pain in the ass (i've done it).

    Last edited by NAPOTS; 03-04-2018 at 11:02 PM.

  4. #4
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    I don't own a Cerakoted firearm so I have no personal experience with it.
    I base the above info on a friend who has Cerakoted rifle barrels, and on reports I've read online from people who have pistols Cerakoted.

    There's no difference between carbon steel adhesion and stainless steel adhesion for the various gun coatings. The makeup of stainless steel has nothing to do with how well an epoxy based coating will adhere or wear.
    The Cerakote process gives the metal a bead blasted surface. When done to their specifications as to what type of blast media is used, the surface has a "tooth" that the coating bonds to. This is much better then a smooth surface.
    Cerakote says their coating is superior to bluing and parkerizing as far as wear resistance and durability.

    As above, people report that pistols wear faster and scratch more simply due to holstering and handling more then a rifle.
    It's reported to stand up better then any other of the epoxy based gun coatings like Lauer Duracoat.

    Robar offers a stainless steel blackening process. No word on the site about wear resistance. Email and ask.

    They offer a Poly T2 epoxy coating that has a lifetime warranty. Again, for what that entails you need to contact them:

    https://robarguns.com/custom-firearm-finishes/poly-t2/

    They also offer "Rogard" which they calim is very durable and has a lifetime warranty.

    https://robarguns.com/custom-firearm-finishes/roguard/

    APW/Cogan is probably the best all around firearms refinisher in the business.
    They also offer Cerakote, and as gun specialists I'd bet their Cerakote work is the best quality available. If I was going with Cerakote I'd use Cogan.

    http://www.apwcogan.com/

    Metaloy offers a polymer finish. Exactly what it is and how durable you'd have to ask them:

    http://originalmetaloy.com/

    Last is the Nitride "finish".
    It isn't a finish, it's actually a process that converts a thin layer of the steel to a much harder surface, almost a case hardened effect.
    The reason rifle users get it is because the barrels will last longer.
    It does turn the metal to a satin black color, but how durable that is I don't know, but apparently even if the color wears the surface hardness is unaffected.
    A major benefit, color aside is that a gun will wear much longer due to the very hard surface.

    The most durable all-around gun finish is still hard chrome, but it's a "white" finish. In the original form it's a satin pearl-gray color that doesn't reflect light. It can be finished to look like brushed stainless, or even a bright mirror finish.
    Cogan says the ultimate for wear and scratch resistance is a hard chrome plated stainless steel gun.

    Colt Firearms did some serious experimenting with Nitride to see if it was better then the standard hard chrome lined AR-15-M16 barrels.
    Colt says it's not quite as good as hard chrome as far as durability inside a gun barrel.
    They didn't test for color wear.
    Last edited by dfariswheel; 03-05-2018 at 05:37 PM.

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