Cerakote my gearbox and cover to match.

[Ken226]

I have an 8 year old pint of Cerakote in a not-popular color (cobalt) that's been getting chunky.

The castings in these import lathes are pretty bad when it comes to flatness, squareness, etc. I've been bulling them a few at a time, stripping the epoxy paint, milling them square and flat, then cerakoting and reinstalling them.

Today I did the the gearbox and cover, to match the control panel, headstock cover, gear change knobs and headstock knobs/levers. I've been mixing the cerakote with acetone and straining the chunks out, but it's been working.

I know, totally unnecessary cosmetic work. But I've been short on projects lately.

 

[Ken226]

I've been off for 2 weeks burning some use-or-lose vacation time. With no projects to do, boredom has been kicking in.

I beadblasted and cerakoted my handwheels today.

I always hated those cheesy little foil tags that had the index mark. I tore them off and engraved the marks.



Unfortunately the Tag rivets on the cross slide wheel weren't centered. I had to choose between centering my engraved mark on true center, or centered between the rivers. I opted for true center, which makes it look a little off compared to the rivets.

 

[Navy Chief]

May be totally unnecessary but I think they look great!

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Ken226]

This morning I went out and did the powerfeed gearbox, half nut lever, apron power lever/hanger and the leascrew/feed-rod bearing block.

The carriage power lever hanger and lead screw bearing block were pretty roughly cast. It took a bit of work to mill everything flat and square.




The rectangular depression I milled in the right facing face of the hanger was just to get rid of pits in the casting. I tried to make it look like it's supposed to be there.



I tried to follow the contour of the radius in the bearing block with multiple stepped passes from a 1/2" ball mill. It worked, but the transitions between passes are visible.



Im out of that old bottle of cobalt cerakote. I thinned the chunkiness out with acetone, and it sprayed on nicely. 2-1/2 hours @ 250f and it seems just as hard as new cerakote. We shall see, how it holds up with time.

 

[rabler]

Any advice on getting started doing cerakote?

 

[Ken226]

Any advice on getting started doing cerakote?

Sure! It's pretty easy. Like painting, the results are proportional to the prep work.

At a minimum, you'll need clean, dry compressed air with a pressure regulator, an airbrush, an oven and a blast cabinet, gloves and a respirator.

You must have clean, dry, blasted surface for proper adhesion/durability of Cerakote. I use the 90 mesh garnet media that comes in 5 gallon buckets from tractor supply.

After blasting the part with 90 mesh garnet, I wipe it down thoroughly with mineral spirits, and let it dry.

Mix the cerakote and catalyst at the ratio recommended in the manual, pour it through a strainer, just to make sure there no debris got in, then spray it onto the part with your airbrush. It doesn't take much, just enough to fully cover the part. A second light coat if your worried about coverage.

A pint seems to last me several years. A 32cc airbrush bottle will coat an entire rifle.

32:1 cerakote/ catalyst ratio gives a matte finish, 24:1 satin and 16:1 semi gloss.


For the oven, most guys buy a used 2nd had kitchen oven to put in the shop, since cerakote fumes would suck in the house.

I hang the parts in the oven with hooks made from old coat hangers. 250f for 2 and a half hours.

I used to cerakote lots of rifles, so a kitchen type oven wasn't big enough to hang barrelled receivers in. I built my oven from a propane cabinet smoker, with 5000 watt dryer heating element, a pid/thermocouple temp and time controller.

 

[Ken226]

Also,

I've used dozens of airbrushes. From 10$ harbor freight up to hundreds for Devilbiss, Pasgt, etc.

By far, my favorites are these:

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

Cleanup a breeze because you can just chuck the cup in the garbage! No cerakote ever touches the gun, so it'll last indefinitely!
If you just feel like cleaning and re-using them, you can! Be warned, they'll only hold up to acetone for about an hour before the plastic cup melts.
And they spray awesome! Shockingly good for the price. I by about 5 at a time when I go to harbor freight.



Editing to add: I almost forgot to mention, for mixing the cerakote and catalyst in the correct ratio, I like to buy bags of cheap plastic syringes from the local drug store.

I always wonder what the old ladies in the drug store are thinking when I pick up a bag! They're graduated in CC's, and a good size for the little airbrush cups.


When you buy cerakote, it comes with the catalyst.

Use an acid/vapor rated respirator. Cerakote has some bad stuff in it!

3M 6503QL Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator, Large & 3M Organic Vapor/Acid Gas Cartridge/Filter 60923, P100 Respiratory Protection (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CSMFSDG/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_GH9HSXP97J6WB04X2Z16

 

[Magnett]

Sure! It's pretty easy. Like painting, the results are proportional to the prep work.

At a minimum, you'll need clean, dry compressed air with a pressure regulator, an airbrush, an oven and a blast cabinet, gloves and a respirator.

You must have clean, dry, blasted surface for proper adhesion/durability of Cerakote. I use the 90 mesh garnet media that comes in 5 gallon buckets from tractor supply.

After blasting the part with 90 mesh garnet, I wipe it down thoroughly with mineral spirits, and let it dry.

Mix the cerakote and catalyst at the ratio recommended in the manual, pour it through a strainer, just to make sure there no debris got in, then spray it onto the part with your airbrush. It doesn't take much, just enough to fully cover the part. A second light coat if your worried about coverage.

A pint seems to last me several years. A 32cc airbrush bottle will coat an entire rifle.

32:1 cerakote/ catalyst ratio gives a matte finish, 24:1 satin and 16:1 semi gloss.


For the oven, most guys buy a used 2nd had kitchen oven to put in the shop, since cerakote fumes would suck in the house.

I hang the parts in the oven with hooks made from old coat hangers. 250f for 2 and a half hours.

I used to cerakote lots of rifles, so a kitchen type oven wasn't big enough to hang barrelled receivers in. I built my oven from a propane cabinet smoker, with 5000 watt dryer heating element, a pid/thermocouple temp and time controller.

Ken,
Will the 90 mesh garnet media work on picatinny rails or is it too abrasive? Would you use a different temp to cure cerakote on aluminum than what you would use on steel?

Mike

 

[Ken226]

Ken,
Will the 90 mesh garnet media work on picatinny rails or is it too abrasive? Would you use a different temp to cure cerakote on aluminum than what you would use on steel?

Mike

For anodized aluminum, I'd skip blasting altogether. Unless it's that glossy type of anodizing, like on maglight.

For mil-spec hard anodizing, like on lower receivers. It doesn't need blasted, just cleaned.


For bare aluminum, the garnet will still work fine if you reduce the air pressure. I've used in with good results blasting at 60psi. It leaves a surface texture similar to aluminum oxide.

I've went as low as about 30psi on anodized parts when I wanted to remove paint and keep the anodizing.

I've also used the 100 mesh crushed glass from tractor supply. It's not as aggressive as garnet, but doesn't last as long and produces more dust. It works fine though.

120 aluminum oxide would be best, but it's harder to find and more expensive.

I've found that the 90 mesh garnet will work for pretty much anything, if you adjust the pressure for the material. Grab a scrap of similar material, blast it and adjust untill you have the results you want.

 

[woodchucker]

Also,

I've used dozens of airbrushes. From 10$ harbor freight up to hundreds for Devilbiss, Pasgt, etc.

By far, my favorites are these:

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

Cleanup a breeze because you can just chuck the cup in the garbage! No cerakote ever touches the gun, so it'll last indefinitely!
If you just feel like cleaning and re-using them, you can! Be warned, they'll only hold up to acetone for about an hour before the plastic cup melts.
And they spray awesome! Shockingly good for the price. I by about 5 at a time when I go to harbor freight.



Editing to add: I almost forgot to mention, for mixing the cerakote and catalyst in the correct ratio, I like to buy bags of cheap plastic syringes from the local drug store.

I always wonder what the old ladies in the drug store are thinking when I pick up a bag! They're graduated in CC's, and a good size for the little airbrush cups.


When you buy cerakote, it comes with the catalyst.

Use an acid/vapor rated respirator. Cerakote has some bad stuff in it!

3M 6503QL Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator, Large & 3M Organic Vapor/Acid Gas Cartridge/Filter 60923, P100 Respiratory Protection (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CSMFSDG/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_GH9HSXP97J6WB04X2Z16

help me out here.. syringes? with or with out needles. I can use some with those thick needles I use them for gluing, and other non piercing things... oiling ..

what do they look like, what are they called?