grcoffman104
Member
Have a chance of picking up a third gen auto , very cheep. Carred a whole lot shot rarely. My campadries have talked me into Cerakote as an option. If any of yall have taken that path, advice or pictures please!
Cerakoted Smith Autos
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shoot summ
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I did a 422, really pleased with it so far.
I have been very happy with cerakote applied to handguns. I have yet to do a 3rd gen, but it is in the works. This picture was published by an AR15.com user named septic-tank13. I think it is a great example of what cerakote can do for a well used 3rd Gen.
I've had two frames done......6904 and 915..... both in a mat stainless look....giving me a reverse two tone look.....
Both were police/security guard guns with IMO a lot of wear from open carry.
No pictures but....pictures above are representative.
LGS did each for $70..................
Both were police/security guard guns with IMO a lot of wear from open carry.
No pictures but....pictures above are representative.
LGS did each for $70..................
I am a former Cerakote applicator. I am a professional metal finisher and ventured off into Cerakote gun coatings because I was already applying NIC's Ceramic engine coatings and had a local gun smith that is known internationally for his knowledge of AK47 ask me to coat his rifles.
Cerakote is ok...... it sprays thin which allows it to not interfere with moving parts such as the frame/slide. Other than that, its a paint.... and it will scratch and it will wear. It wont rust like bluing will but bluing and other nitride coatings are far more durable in the long run. (AR15's a prime example, they are type 2 hard anodized) Applying these coatings to guns of value will just ruin them. For example. If you were to come across a blemished Colt Python that is worth about.... eh? $2000 in mint condition? you pay $1200 for it and then pay someone $200 to sandblast it and cerakote it, you now have an $800-$900 gun that can never be restored to original condition. You would have been better off paying a professional $500 to restore it.
Why anyone would paint a stainless/anodized alloy frame is completely beyond my comprehension..... Thats like taking a 24K gold ring and having it silver plated.
If you are considering Duracoat for anything you should be aware that its Sherwin Williams industrial floor paint that sells under the name "Polane", its not made for guns, its just purchased in large qty and repackaged under a new name. Its also epoxy based paint which is for interior use only and has little to no UV protection so if you leave that gun in the sun too long, the coating will chalk up.
Cerakote is ok...... it sprays thin which allows it to not interfere with moving parts such as the frame/slide. Other than that, its a paint.... and it will scratch and it will wear. It wont rust like bluing will but bluing and other nitride coatings are far more durable in the long run. (AR15's a prime example, they are type 2 hard anodized) Applying these coatings to guns of value will just ruin them. For example. If you were to come across a blemished Colt Python that is worth about.... eh? $2000 in mint condition? you pay $1200 for it and then pay someone $200 to sandblast it and cerakote it, you now have an $800-$900 gun that can never be restored to original condition. You would have been better off paying a professional $500 to restore it.
Why anyone would paint a stainless/anodized alloy frame is completely beyond my comprehension..... Thats like taking a 24K gold ring and having it silver plated.
If you are considering Duracoat for anything you should be aware that its Sherwin Williams industrial floor paint that sells under the name "Polane", its not made for guns, its just purchased in large qty and repackaged under a new name. Its also epoxy based paint which is for interior use only and has little to no UV protection so if you leave that gun in the sun too long, the coating will chalk up.
Drake....................
What would you do to a scratched, dinged up 3rd gen alloy frame?
I'd never do Cerakote to a stainless gun...... but the two frames I did (6904 and 915) were at best $300 guns.......... so $70 didn't seem out of line...
For my and others information.... how hard is it to remove Cerakote.
What would you do to a scratched, dinged up 3rd gen alloy frame?
I'd never do Cerakote to a stainless gun...... but the two frames I did (6904 and 915) were at best $300 guns.......... so $70 didn't seem out of line...
For my and others information.... how hard is it to remove Cerakote.
OP
grcoffman104
Member
Will smith&wesson refinish a 3rd gen blue? If so $ ballpark?
Hill_Country
Member
The blue - actually a type of Parkerizing - 3d gens can be restored to like new appearance for the cost of a couple of bottles of Birchfield Casey products from MidwayUSA or Brownells. Not difficult to do and it is much cheaper and quicker than sending them to S&W.
Not buy it. 
Personally, I would sand the dings the best I could, wetsand the frame up to 800 or 1000 grit paper then send it out for clear anodizing to return to factory finish. SOME of the frames may have a gray paint or some sort of grayish anodizing. I personally have never heard of a gray anodizing, it just doesnt seem possible since most anodizing colors are translucent to an extent. I have a 1989 built 6906 that has a gray frame opposed to my clear anodized 1990 made 6906. It sure has hell looks to me like there is slight orange peel on the frame which suggest a liquid coating was used but when I asked Smith, they refused to tell me, they just say its a proprietary finish. Not sure what diff it makes 25 years later.......
Professional metal finishers that specialize in guns don't use products that you buy from Brownells and wipe on with a paper towel so why should we? If only it was THAT easy.
Do-it-yourself products are for people that cant afford to do it the right way. If you cant afford to do it the right way, dont do it at all and chances are you cant afford the hobby.
Not trying to offend anyone, but its the truth.
DocB
Member
I don't know what "very cheap" might be, but there's a M59 LNIB at a pawn shop here that can be had for $400 OTD. After considering the cost of spraying gunk all over a wore out gun, I would imagine that anyone would be better off spending the $400 on a gun that will only appreciate in value.
Hill_Country
Member
You can make it as difficult as you want - and charge as much as the traffic will bear - but the appropriate BC treatments will give you a finish identical to the factory finish. It really is THAT easy. Just because someone doesn't sell their services to the public doesn't mean they don't do some "professional" quality work.
I realize you're pretty new to this board, but if you hang around a while - or read some old posts - you'll find lots of photos of refinished weapons, both blue/black and bead blasted. Lots of posts on how to reproduce those finishes, too.
That's the real truth. There's lots to learn hanging around this place.
MWater
Member
Duracoat posted some info on this recently after the makers of Cerakote published some graphs showing Duracoat looks very similar to Polane on a chemical level.
Big Shrek
Member
There is a discussion in another, older thread about this,
and they came to a simple solution...Bead Blasting.
Removes scratches, retains great looks, long-lasting.
For me, the only reason to do Cerakote is to get wild colors...like for your fav Team...
Or to make your Wife/Daughter happier with their guns...
or to refurb a gun that has a lot of rust damage...which cannot be saved any other way...
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Cold blueing is not the same as hot bluing and doesnt hold up anywhere near as well. I could take a beat up gun and spray paint it with a $5 can of RustOleum and make it look amazing in pictures. How it holds up normal use is what matters. Thats why companies arent using consumer grade products.
Hill_Country
Member
You don't seem to know what kind of finishes S&W used on their 3d gen pistols. We're not talking about any type of blueing, here, we're discussing reproducing the various factory finishes on the variety of materials used in these pistols.
While S&W won't release details of their processes, it is not difficult to reproduce the exact finishes using easily available products. Could I send it out and have an (arguably) "better" finish applied? You, bet, but I appreciate the ability to quickly (and inexpensively) renew the original factory finish treatment. Perhaps S&W intended for that when they chose their various finishes, perhaps not, but it is nice to be able to do.
Big Shrek
Member
To me, when it comes to shooter-grade pistols;
scratched, gouged, rusted, and otherwise beat to heck...
whatever finish one wants to go with, is just fine with me
It keeps a great tool working, and that's what we all want
After all, how many have had to refurb their Marlin 60 or Ruger 1022 receiver
with Krylon Flat Black & two clearcoats??
(Which is what some companies actually use)
Although, I prefer only having to refinish something ONCE...
because it had better last longer than me...
so using the right stuff is important...
like polishing the BLEEP out of something before refinishing
gives one a far better finished product, even with cold blues...
(although one could almost call my cold blue trick a lukewarm blue,
because it is far from cold when applied
((but after learning how to Parkerize, won't be using cold blue again...
it is far easier than my cold blue trick!!))
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Kinda late I know, but I was in a similar situation, a well used 439 that needed freshening. Decided on cerekote, satin mag for the color, I'm pretty pleased.
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