Cerakote Application & Removal Method - ADDED PROGRESS SHOTS

Hi all.

To those who have their Mac's cerakoted (and to Mac as well), do you know which method is used to apply the cerakote, or if it's actually genuine cerakote? From what I'm reading ALL over the internet and in many other forums, oven-baked cerakote is practically resistant to any damage or removal techniques short of bead blasting it. I am thinking this may be just the air-dry method, which is apparently much weaker.

I'm only asking because my Tri had a flawless black cerakote finish when it arrived, but is now so scratched up I wouldn't be surprised if it was just paint. All it does is hang on my keys, and that should not be enough to make even the smallest scratch if it's oven baked.

Anyone have any info on this or similar experiences?

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Cerakote Application Method?

Looks like your Mac just went to war and have just got home.
What did you do with it? LOL
Nice effort on the Cerakote learning. Thumbs up mate.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

Haha I agree - I told you i'd put her to good use Ben :thumbsup:.
But literally all it's done is sit on my keys and get used intermittently. Never been dropped or anything. Just wondering what kind of applications were involved before i strip it all down to the bare aluminium.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

D2000 said:

Haha I agree - I told you i'd put her to good use Ben :thumbsup:.
But literally all it's done is sit on my keys and get used intermittently. Never been dropped or anything. Just wondering what kind of applications were involved before i strip it all down to the bare aluminium.

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Hope you get some answers. You surely sound like you are enjoying yourself.... good on you mate.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

In all honesty, I've never been really impressed with Cerakote. It is definitely more chip resistant than Duracoat, but it will still flake, chip and peel. I personally think longevity has more to do with prep work rather than bake on vs air or room temp curing. If the base metal has trapped oil, then the coating will not adhere.

DLC and PVD is much better because it actually bonds to the base metal, but it's not cheap.

Cerakote Application Method?

It's prep, but not the way you might expect. Cerakote is remarkable - on steel. On a soft metal, the foundation for the paint moves and the hard paint can't keep up. The only reliable way to use cerakote with an aluminum flashlight is to apply anodize, blast the anodize and apply the paint. This gives a base closer to steel, providing closer to normal to wear. But for a new part, this is also much more work and expense than applying paint directly to bare aluminum.

Cerakote Application Method?

Guru. It appears to me from what you have explained, the Cerakote is not suitable for bare aluminum without a base coat. Isn't this information known to those that do the cerakoting? If yes, why would they still do it knowing that it will flake off easily.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

Wonderful answers everyone! Thank you so much for the detail explanation Guru - I figured that would be the case and the aluminium was just too soft a base.
Time to strip this baby down and expose her natural finish.
Ben possibly anyone who provides cerakoting services would know, but omits this information from customers, as the expenses would be too much if they wanted to do it properly. Either that or they don't know because all the items they coat end up being shelf queens

DLC or PVD? What's that R850R?

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

DLC or Diamond Like Carbon (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond-like_carbon) and PVD, physical vapor deposition (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_vapor_deposition).

Used in cutlery and watches. I'm not sure if they can be done to Al, but steel and Ti benefit from it. I know that surefire and some firearm mfgs have used cerakote in the past, but like guru stated, they were anodized prior. Some firearm suppressors will vaporize the cerakote due to high heat signature. I think surefire also had an issue with heat on their bezels.

Here is one of my DLC knives in flat dark earth...very wear resistant. It's a Les George VECP.




Personally, I think your light looks good...honest character. If you decide to remove the cerakote, are you going to use a chem stripper or bead blast? Al can be beautiful with a high polish, but requires lots of maintenance to prevent it from dulling or scratching. My Al oil slick mule has lost most of it's oil slick lol.

Looking forward to the Cu from Ben

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

I have found that virtually all coatings scratch or chip, eventually, often looking worse than (uncoated and scratched) bare metal

That said, I have been impressed by some of the specialized ( & expensive ! ) titanium coatings ... such as TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, and especially DLC.

Cerakote Application Method?

archimedes said:

I have found that virtually all coatings scratch or chip, eventually, often looking worse than (uncoated and scratched) bare metal

That said, I have been impressed by some of the specialized ( & expensive ! ) titanium coatings ... such as TiN, TiCN, AlTiN, and especially DLC.

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Is this due to the hard titanium as a base?

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

Benchiew said:

Is this due to the hard titanium as a base?

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Perhaps ... I also think that these particular processes create much stronger bonding adhesion to the underlying substrate, as well as a harder surface.

Cerakote Application Method?

Thanks.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

I have my 870 shotgun coated in Nickle Boron and my Glock done in DLC. My AR upper had to be done in a special cerekote because the aluminum is too soft for those coatings. They are very hard but VERY thin and bond to the metal. When the aluminum dents it breaks the NiB-x and DLC. Just strip that ugly crap off your beautiful light and let it breath! This is the exact reason I hate knives with black coated blades as well.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

primeform; Just strip that ugly crap off your beautiful light and let it breath! This is the exact reason I hate knives with black coated blades as well.[/QUOTE said:

+1, I EDC a bare Aluminum Mac tri. She ain't shiny but she shines

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Re: Cerakote Application Method?

Personally, I think your light looks good...honest character. If you decide to remove the cerakote, are you going to use a chem stripper or bead blast? Al can be beautiful with a high polish, but requires lots of maintenance to prevent it from dulling or scratching. My Al oil slick mule has lost most of it's oil slick lol.

Looking forward to the Cu from Ben

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I was liking it too - but the character is changing so quickly almost every day it looks more scratched..
I think I will attempt a chemical strip, but just in case no one here has stripped cerakote of Aluminium, it's actually really REALLY soft. Some sections came off with just my fingernail (once a small portion of Al was exposed..) Considering this, I think beadblasting would be overkill for this job.

initially I will polish her to a shine, but I don't mind the worn in Aluminium look so perhaps a mild brushing with a green sponge or iron wool every now and then to keep it uniform.

EDIT: also thanks everyone for their helpful input. Great little informative thread with little digression. :thumbsup:

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

Sweet d2000, let us see some pics when you have her spruced up.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

ElectronGuru said:

It's prep, but not the way you might expect. Cerakote is remarkable - on steel. On a soft metal, the foundation for the paint moves and the hard paint can't keep up. The only reliable way to use cerakote with an aluminum flashlight is to apply anodize, blast the anodize and apply the paint. This gives a base closer to steel, providing closer to normal to wear. But for a new part, this is also much more work and expense than applying paint directly to bare aluminum.

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Thanks for the description - I just bought a special edition Elzetta "flat dark earth" cerakoted light. They did state that it was hard anodized and then cerakoted, which seemed kind of counter-intuitive. Now I know they were doing it right! Once I get another Elzetta (probably within a few months) I'm going to try and torture this one to death. We'll see then just how tough the extra coating really is...

Cerakote Application Method?

thedoc007 said:

Thanks for the description - I just bought a special edition Elzetta "flat dark earth" cerakoted light. They did state that it was hard anodized and then cerakoted, which seemed kind of counter-intuitive. Now I know they were doing it right! Once I get another Elzetta (probably within a few months) I'm going to try and torture this one to death. We'll see then just how tough the extra coating really is...

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If you check eBay, I see some other camo type colors too.

Re: Cerakote Application Method?

primeform said:

Sweet d2000, let us see some pics when you have her spruced up.

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Will do buddy - should get onto it tomorrow as I've just had my wisdom teeth pulled. Should have done it when I was younger..apparently 21 is a bit too old :duh2: It took the guy over 2 hours just to rip out the top.

-Dave