powder coating a shotgun
Has any one had any experience with powder coating on guns? If so, will it last any better than some of the better cold blues?
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Haven't ever powder coated a gun myself, but all the cold blues I've ever tried have been highly NON-wear resistant.
Cold blues are basically just a convenient way to cosmetically touch up blued guns. Not only are cold blues quite a bit inferior to real bluing, but even real hot-bluing isn't particularly wear resistant.
I'd be pretty surprised if there were any cold blue type product that could come close to the durability of a good powder coat.
Key is "good" powder coat. Like all coatings it requires good base metal prep. Also, while the receiver and barrel of a shotgun are probably fine for this sort of finish, because of thickness issues, powder coat won't be suitable for all guns or certain parts of guns.0 -
I've never done it, nor have I heard of it being done by anyone I know. I'm guessing if it worked well, people would've been doing it for years because of the ease and myriad of color options. From my experience with powder coated metals on boat-related products, I think the flexing and stresses on the parts from firing and use would leave the powder coating peeling and chipped pretty quickly.
Even the bake-on cerakote type finishes will chip and wear, and they're sold specifically to put on firearms. Since bluing is basically a controlled rusting of the metal, I'm gonna bet that the bluing would work much better than powder coating.0 -
I have never saw one powder coated, a guy from the range owns a shop that does Rhino truck bed coatings, he took an old 870 beater and coated it for a boat gun. It looked nice and several people wanted him to do them one, somebody conviced him he would get into trouble for gunsmithing without a lic so he refused to do anymore 0 -
The Rhino type coating would be cool, but like powdercoating it's simply too thick for most applications. You'd have to mask off the inside sliding surfaces of the weapon. Hence, no rust resistance inside.
Plus, smooth powcoat tends to chip easily and isn't touched up easily or in an aesthetically pleasing fashion.
The notable exception that I'll mention is "crinkle coat" for Sterlings. This is done at powdercoating shop to achieve the correct "wrinkle". However the inside of the tube, and the endcap's rear lockup is masked off, as well as the holes in the magwell for the mag release and mag release button.
Many better choices out there. I've used moly over park for years and it's the best. Easy to apply, done after baking, easy to touch up or redo, and goes on thin enough to work well on parts that slide against each other.
Duracoat is more versatile for plastics but less wear resistant and it takes weeks to cure to full hardness. It also goes on thicker and sometimes requires the finish to be polished off to facilitate re-assembly.
Cera is the biggest pantload and hype-laden stuff ever. It is heat resistant, but stinks awfully badly and will not dry to the touch. Plus it requires baking so it's totally worthless for plastics and optics. It's awesome for suppressors tho.0 -
parkerize it an be done with it. That's my opinion anyway...[^]
Good point Beantown, forgot that part0 -
quote:Originally posted by countryfarmer
parkerize it an be done with it. That's my opinion anyway...[^]
Would agree 100% if this were steel.
Unfortunately, you can't Parkerize alumimum, and that is probably what the shotgun receiver is made from.
If you want a durable but relatively cheap do-it-yourself gun finish, one of the bake-on epoxy based finishes should work pretty well, and they're available in gun-friendly colors.0 -
A place I used to work I powder coated metal things. Only GOOD powder coat is resistant to wear(rubbing). No powder coat I know of is very good at impact resistance. It is a cheaper way to get a piece of what ever painted, but not always the best for firearms.
I know some firearm companys use powder coat on alum. recievers for rim fire guns.0 -
I had one of my paintball guns powder coated. It was stainless steel and it looks good. They had shiny, matte and some other finish. The screw holes got the powder coat in it and I just chased it with the screw before putting everything together. I was told I could've used a screw threader to clean out the holes but after a few passes with the screw it made no difference.
Powder coating will last much longer than any blue be it cold, hot or any other.
Ghetto fix would be to get that rattle can of high temp spray from Auto Zone and bake it in the oven.
I figure NP3 by Robar is another option. One of these days I'll get my Kahr K-40 done. Sad part is it ain't cheap. I figure the NP3 finish will cost much as what I paid for my gun [:D].0 -
eastwest,
In order to answer your question accurately, we would need to know the brand and model or what materials it is made from. Steel will use a different process than aluminum.
Some aluminum parts can be anodized which is available several colors now. Steel can be powder coated, Cerakoted, caustic (hot) blued or even rust blued if the alloy is correct. I personally skip the NP3 from Robar as it is overpriced and under-delivered.
In general though, I've powder coated bolt action rifle barrels, bottom metal, magazines and shotgun barrels with certain preparations to prevent coating in areas that would not tolerate the thickness at assembly. Weatherby in particular, has some bottom metal made from an alloy (mystery metal) which would not accept bluing. With 1/2 a dozen choices of powder coat blacks, we were able to match the other rifle parts with fair accuracy. These have all turned out exceptionally well from the standpoint of durability and client satisfaction.
Quality of the powder coat finish depends on the metal preparation and the company doing the application. In all the barrels we powder coated (a couple hundred at last count), none failed or were returned to be refinished. We were sure to test the application several times on scrap barrels using a 4 lb. maul. The only failure noted during any tests was when we bent a barrel over slightly and the wrinkled metal released small chips of the powder coat. Other than that it was very resistant to abuse.
Obviously, parts that require a tight slip fit or precision contact will not be acceptable for the powder coat process. Just plain common sense.
For the naysayers of Cerkote, I can only impart the fact that we have done the metal parts for over 1,000 rifles in the last two years. We have gotten only one return, in which we remedied that situation with satisfaction. Again, proper training, proper preparation and proper application are paramount for a good finish.
Just for fun and edification, here are some videos about the process and application. Be sure to scroll down to see some of the other coating product videos as well.
http://www.nicindustries.com/product-and-training-videos.php
Best.0
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