# Has anybody refinished a frame/parts with Cerakote



## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Thinking about Cerakoting my frame. Anybody have any experience with this good or bad? Cerakote is a thin ceramic based finish primarily used for firearms. Tough as nails and much thinner than powder coat.

From manufacturer's website:



> Cerakote is a Polymer-Ceramic Composite coating that can be applied to metals, plastics, polymers and wood. The unique formulation used for Cerakote ceramic coating enhances a number of physical performance properties including abrasion/wear resistance, corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, impact strength, and hardness. Each of these properties is rigorously tested to guarantee that Cerakote products remain at the forefront of the ceramic coatings market. Cerakote ceramic coatings utilize state-of-the-art technology to out-perform any competitive coating in both laboratory settings and real world applications.


Cerakote Coatings: Resources: Frequently Asked Questions


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## RedtiresII71 (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm presuming your speaking of an aluminum (or steel) frame here. I have never heard of anyone doing it, but why not? Just make sure whomever is doing it understands to mask off any threads and/or surfaces that need to have the correct tolerances (seatpost, BB, HS). That said, I've seen the line of Oakley's with the Cerakote (I have a pair in fact) and I'm not certain what types of application options there are, but I don't share the opinion that it is "tough as nails". I've noticed that it's worn on some of the sharper angled areas on the earpieces. It may be that the frames only have a VERY thin coat and a thicker coat is an option.


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Interesting, thanks. Are the Oakleys plastic? Might have been applied very thinly, esp. on the sharp surfaces, etc. 

Yes, metal frame and I know about masking parts off. My only experience with Cerakote is with firearms that have very tight tolerances and are subject to harsh conditions (e.g., high heat and aggressive metal on metal contact) and from what I've seen the finish holds up extremely well. I believe Cerakote is available in a few different formulas that is either baked to cure or air dried. I have to look into it more.


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## John Kuhl (Dec 10, 2007)

Sounds like a great idea. Please let us know how it works out
if you decide to use it.


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## Coal-Cracker (May 4, 2010)

I've always been under the impression that unless you bake on Cerekote, you don't get the toughness it is known for. Do you plan to bake it to cure? Otherwise, Duracote is another option.

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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Coal-Cracker said:


> I've always been under the impression that unless you bake on Cerekote, you don't get the toughness it is known for. Do you plan to bake it to cure? Otherwise, Duracote is another option.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


Yeah, I'd have to send it out to a shop that can bake the frame. Needs 1 hr at 300 degrees...


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

HK ? View topic - Ti Q


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## mato (Dec 20, 2015)

cgrutt said:


> Yeah, I'd have to send it out to a shop that can bake the frame. Needs 1 hr at 300 degrees...


2 hours at 250 degrees is recommended, but they also make an air-cure product that does not need an oven at all. It's very good but not quite as tough as the oven-cure.


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

mato said:


> 2 hours at 250 degrees is recommended, but they also make an air-cure product that does not need an oven at all. It's very good but not quite as tough as the oven-cure.


Agreed, thanks.

The 1 hr at 300 degrees is for their P109 micro slick product. I was reading the wrong application guide. My bad.

(Note that 2 hrs at 250 is standard for metals but 1 hr at 300 is also and option for a "quick" cure per their H and C series application guide).


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

Paints are not just applied. They are carefully specified in terms of flexibility, hardness, etc. I would worry a bit about a coating that was hard enough to be brittle. Cracks in the finish could place undue stress locally that could cause a frame to crack. Or maybe not.


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Sorry, not really following you. Are you saying a Cerakote coating could crack a steel frame?


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

cgrutt said:


> Sorry, not really following you. Are you saying a Cerakote coating could crack a steel frame?


I don't know. It would depend on just how brittle a cerakote finish is. Years ago, I bought a used Honda 250 four stroke dirt bike, the best all around motor bike I ever had. Stupidly, I lent it to a friend who trashed the exhaust pipe guard.

I fabricated a new guard, better than the stock one, and had it chrome plated in our lab (at a major aircraft engine manufacturer, no names). Well, it was gone a few miles into the next ride. The chrome plating is embrittled with hydrogen and cracked. The cracks went into the steel of the guard and it fell off unnoticed. I didn't know enough to heat treat the parts before mounting.

Ask the manufacturer if the cured coating is brittle because the frame will flex and cracks in the coating can propagate into the metal of the frame.


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## Coal-Cracker (May 4, 2010)

Not discounting caution in anything of this nature, but Cerekote has been used on firearm barrels and receivers for years. I would think that if stress related cracks didn't develop under those pressures, you should be good subjecting it to any abuse it would see on a bikeframe. I could be wrong though, so maybe contacting Cerekote isn't a bad idea.

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## patrick2cents (Apr 30, 2010)

Well, that isn't necessarily true-bike components tend to flex more than firearm components and that doesn't really bode well for ceramic coatings like cerakote. I think you'd end up with a finish that cracks since the stuff is super hard, but brittle.

I don't know if cracks in the finish would propagate through the boundary and into the material (like what chrome does...), but I kind of doubt it. I just think if you really wanted a different finish, you probably should look elsewhere to something more flexible.


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## Coal-Cracker (May 4, 2010)

Not to pull this off topic ( and I'm not trying to be argumentative), but I think you'd be VERY surprised just how much rifle barrels flex when being fired because of escaping gasses and barrel harmonics. The first time i saw the slow motion videos, I know i was. A youtube search of rifle barrel flex would provide some interesting results.

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## patrick2cents (Apr 30, 2010)

I'd love to pull it off topic for that (my other hobby is firearms and hunting....) and it is quite significant; It's just my guess that your frame flexes a bit more; and with quite a few more cycles over its life than that of a firearm barrel/receiver/other parts.

edit: glad to see some folks with some cerakote experience chime in; looks like it is flexible enough to work!


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## tehllama (Jul 18, 2013)

You'll have to do the room temp cure version, unless you want to appropriate an oven to do small parts just to use the rattle can version... but this isn't a bad thing.

The flexibility of the surface coatings are excellent, and if you can get it on there thin enough, it'll still be remarkably rugged (it still wears off aluminum receivers and such over time, so rock dings and stuff will still chew through it, but it's fairly easy to patch up). Weight may not be amazing, but if you're trying to run multiple colors, it would be a prime option; you'd still want to probably rattle can clear coat it to seal that anyway.

The most successful abuse-tolerant applications are that the bake-on stuff can work over parkerized parts; but for frames and stuff, it'll work well.


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## knutso (Oct 8, 2008)

Some folks are going ham with cerakote on just about every piece of a bicycle. I guess it is such a thin finish that it works well enough on cassettes and chainrings.

Bicycles - Page 1 - Gallery


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Thanks for the replies guys. I don't have time to read throught them now but will be back. I'm actually fabricating and oven LOL that's large enough for a bike frame as well as guns. Be back later.


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## evenslower (Sep 26, 2005)

Frame below is powder coated with a cerakote panel. Wanted a different color panel and the guy who did the job for me wanted to give the cerakote a try. Said he'd never put it on a bike and if I didn't like it or it didn't work he'd redo it. So far so good, it's taken flying rocks/debris like a champ. There are a couple of visible dings in the powder under the downtube but nothing on the cerakote. I also mount a mud deflector on the downtube for wetter rides/events that uses straps to hold it on. You can see a little wear on the surface where the straps contact the frame on the powder but not the cerakote. Had it done almost a year ago and bike has a couple thousand miles on it in that time.


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## John Kuhl (Dec 10, 2007)

^ looks good, nice job.


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Made some progress today on an oven that is large enough to bake a bike frame...


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## mato (Dec 20, 2015)

Looks like it's going to be a tight fit. Be careful how you arrange your heating elements. I use an old toaster oven to bake small gun parts and found that if the part gets too close to the heating element, it can impart a darker than expected color to the Cerakote.


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

mato said:


> Looks like it's going to be a tight fit. Be careful how you arrange your heating elements. I use an old toaster oven to bake small gun parts and found that if the part gets too close to the heating element, it can impart a darker than expected color to the Cerakote.


Thanks! I'm using two 900 watt 7" hot plates mounted below the "box". I will probably put some kind of diffuser over the top of the openings. Hung a rod through middle of center and two sections of steel peg board to give lots of hanging options. Electric box in center is for the thermo coupler, which will be wired to a electronic temperature controller, which should maintain temp at 250 pretty steadily. Studs will be insulated and topped off with plywood.

Inner dimensions are 25" H x 42 W x 10.5" D. I need approx. 21" x 37" for my frame. Of course, I plan to use this for other stuff too...

Here's where I'm at now.


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## cgrutt (Dec 14, 2015)

Got back on it again...










Doors were a pain to build but came out pretty good.










Took about 1/2 hour to bring it up to temp but it got there. Cycles for about 10 minutes off/on once at temp. Temperature maintained +/- 1.5 degrees (Celsius). I needed to bypass the thermostat within the hot plates to keep them running until it got up to temp.










Still needs a little calibration but it's pretty close to where I need it at 250 degrees (Fahrenheit)


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## John Kuhl (Dec 10, 2007)

Looking good.


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