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im just wondering if anyone has ever cerakoted their saiga rifles? and if so how does it hold up to the safety lever scratch? some pics would be nice to see, im just trying to decide if it would be worth spending more on cerakote over duracoat. also any info if ya know which type of cerakote was used, heat cured or air cured if known

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I guess this is the best picture that shows the safety lever scratch. Gun was coated in Cerakote 6 months ago. Heat cured at 250 degrees. Looking like a littel scratch at the by the F

 

Still extremely satisfied with the results of the coating and would do it again.

 

 

post-43002-0-14815200-1341380189_thumb.jpg

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im just wondering if anyone has ever cerakoted their saiga rifles? and if so how does it hold up to the safety lever scratch? some pics would be nice to see, im just trying to decide if it would be worth spending more on cerakote over duracoat. also any info if ya know which type of cerakote was used, heat cured or air cured if known

 

Cerakote is an excellent finish. The key to all finishing is the prep work. For best results you will need to blast the item(s) with aluminum oxide for proper adherence, pre-heat the item(s) to bring out any oils and then clean the crap out of it with acetone before you spray it.

 

The Norrell Moly Resins are also a superb product, but they can be a little more advanced to spray than the beginner will want to do.

 

Stay with the oven cure finishes if you can. Air dry is OK, but it is more for your plastics and items which you can not or do not want to put in the curing oven.

 

ALL finishes will scratch from the safety/selector lever, just some quicker than others and depending on how often it is used.

 

Jack

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I am having a left side charge handle welded to my bolt carrier and will see if I can get that nick touched up when the bolt carrier goes back for some black coating.

 

I've read through all the application guides on the Cerakote web site and I beleive the entire gun will have to be blasted and re-painted. Not sure if that little scratch is worth the cost of that. There is also no guarntee that it won't work it's way through again.

 

Overall I am 100% satisfied with the coating and the gun is completely protected from just about anything.

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Looks BEAUTIFUL! I love that textured looking finish (very similar to how Rustoleum Textured Black looks). If you've shot that alot, since being coated, than that finish held up well against the safety lever. Usually they re scratch right up after a few swipes. Even with the scratch (which I don't think ANY finish would hold up agaisnt), it looks beautiful! Great job!

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If the "AK scratch" bothers you, drill out the divot that makes the scratch and put a black nylon plug in it. Like the ones we use for the old trigger pin holes only smaller. That Cerakcoat look to be hard enough that the nylon plug would not wear a scratch into it.

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Looks BEAUTIFUL! I love that textured looking finish (very similar to how Rustoleum Textured Black looks). If you've shot that alot, since being coated, than that finish held up well against the safety lever. Usually they re scratch right up after a few swipes. Even with the scratch (which I don't think ANY finish would hold up agaisnt), it looks beautiful! Great job!

 

I've taken the gun out a few times to shoot and have shot about 150 rounds since it has been coated, so maybe at least 30 to 40 times of moving the safety lever up and down.

 

I think the texture comes from the blasting off of the orginial paint. It feels kind of smooth, but not completely smooth. I didn't do the coating myself but I have blasted other things and sometimes the media can put little dents or nicks into it.

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"Cerakote is an excellent finish. The key to all finishing is the prep work. For best results you will need to blast the item(s) with aluminum oxide for proper adherence, pre-heat the item(s) to bring out any oils and then clean the crap out of it with acetone before you spray it."

 

thanks for that post grumpyone, it looks like it holds up nice...

 

So JT Engineering do i have to use aluminum oxide to blast it?? i'm wondering if i wanna do it myself if picking up a soda blaster from harbor freight would work as well, i've been looking online at caswell forums for building an oven out of a gym locker since my oven is too small to fit my receiver. right now my saiga is covered with rustoleum from when i first converted it(dont really care for the way it looks), i still need to thread the barrel for a muzzle break and when i save up enough cash thats when i'll start the cerakoting/hydrodipping phase.

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Aluminum Oxide is pretty much the industry standard for surface preparation. Not to say there are not other methods, hell a scratch pad or maybe even 200-250 grit wet and dry could do it once you get down to the base metal (in the white).

 

Jack

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I've used 80grt Media blast (the white sand) before. But the 70gt Alumn Oxide seems to give the best texture.

As other have said, prep work makes all the difference. I recommend dipping in solvent as opposed to just wipping it down. You should pulg the barrle/gas system with rubber stoppers first. Then bake your gun in the oven for 20-30 min at 200degrees F to leech out any remaning oils, if you see any wet spots you'll need to dip it again as nesscearry..oh be sure to wear rubber/ latex gloves cause even finger print oils will mess with your finish. Once you get all the oil out, be sure your gun is still min 100f and no more than 130f when painting. Once you start painting pick the hardest to reach areas first, and start and stop your passes beyond the gun. Sprayer nozzles tend to build up residue and when you first press the trigger it could fling off onto your gun, and make bubbles, or lumps in your finnish. Once painted bake as manufactuer directs. Good Luck.

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So JT Engineering do i have to use aluminum oxide to blast it?? i'm wondering if i wanna do it myself if picking up a soda blaster from harbor freight would work as well, i've been looking online at caswell forums for building an oven out of a gym locker since my oven is too small to fit my receiver. right now my saiga is covered with rustoleum from when i first converted it(dont really care for the way it looks), i still need to thread the barrel for a muzzle break and when i save up enough cash thats when i'll start the cerakoting/hydrodipping phase.

 

GameOps

 

Seems like a huge investment to do it yourself the 6 color start kit is $180 alone. There's also thickness of the coating that that you have to maintain. Of course if you think you may want to do it again or on other weapons it may be worthwhile.

 

Here's the PDF to the application guide for H gun coatings. Have a read through and see if you would want to tackle it yourself. I do know the gentleman that did mine has a solvent tank, nice sandblaster and oven larger enough for multiple parts

 

http://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/resources/files/H-Series%20Application%20Guide.pdf

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Just cause JT engineering tells you how they do it they do it in mass you can do it cheap and easy and get a better coating with moly resin.

 

 

Dont get scared and let the business members make you think you cant do simple work to simple guns.

Edited by donald
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Just cause JT engineering tells you how they do it they do it in mass you can do it cheap and easy and get a better coating with moly resin.

 

 

Dont get scared and let the business members make you think you cant do simple work to simple guns.

I think you misunderstood JT's intentions. He was simply sharing his method for achiving the best possible finish. It is veey possible to achive high quality results with basic equipment. Prepwork just helps ensure longevity of your coating.

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I recently Cerakoted my M10, and am less than impressed. It looks fantastic, but durability is not what I had hoped. The selector switch has already cut through (after about 30-40 swipes) and the tight fitting parts (such as my dust cover, which fits insanely tight) has caused wear through. I'm sure it's the most durable finish out there, but for a DIY, I'd NOT do it again. I'll go back to Rustoleum engine enamel (although not chem safe) because it's WAY cheaper, easier, and (most importantly) can be touched up (Cerakote can not. You must blast/clean to re do ANY areas as it will not adhere to itself), and is easily durable enough for my use.

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