01-27-2014, 05:34 PM
I do an aggressive de-grease on the stripped parts, including out-gassing if necessary. Some smiths use acid baths, which is quick, effective, but requires a shop set up for heated acid tanks.
Duracoat is basically garage floor paint with a hardener, and doesn't hold up compared to Cerakote, so I don't use it.
If I'm doing a pattern, I do a base color on all the stripped parts, then bake them individually to get coverage of all the nooks and crannies. Then I assemble them and start with the pattern. That 2nd layer needs time to air cure somewhat so that when slightly handled, it won't smudge. You don't want to bake an upper and lower together with Cerakote across the seams, as it will act like cement.
![[Image: 2013-04-23164615_zpsa89e9354.jpg]](http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j422/LRRPF52/2013-04-23164615_zpsa89e9354.jpg)
![[Image: 2013-04-23234433_zps04db4557.jpg]](http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j422/LRRPF52/2013-04-23234433_zps04db4557.jpg)
![[Image: 2013-04-24170508_zps230d9c4f.jpg]](http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j422/LRRPF52/2013-04-24170508_zps230d9c4f.jpg)
![[Image: b83h1_zps343b3668.jpg]](http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j422/LRRPF52/b83h1_zps343b3668.jpg)
Duracoat is basically garage floor paint with a hardener, and doesn't hold up compared to Cerakote, so I don't use it.
If I'm doing a pattern, I do a base color on all the stripped parts, then bake them individually to get coverage of all the nooks and crannies. Then I assemble them and start with the pattern. That 2nd layer needs time to air cure somewhat so that when slightly handled, it won't smudge. You don't want to bake an upper and lower together with Cerakote across the seams, as it will act like cement.