Templar Customs + Digital Desert Cerakote

[Snipe315]

That is one beautiful looking setup.

How does it balance and handle with that Magpul ACS?

[YutYut]

Balances very nice. It could be a bit heavier for bench rest shooting but for hunting,plinking,walking around i love it.

[Airhog]

That is one sweet job LRRPF52. Very professional.

[Bronz]

The problem with these type of rifles are, they are a piece of art and almost to good to shoot.

[jwilson1985]

The problem with these type of rifles are, they are a piece of art and almost to good to shoot.

that's what is good about cerakote ,you could drop that thing off a cliff and just just it off.

[dpw4x4]

just sick MAN DO I NEED ONE THAT COLOR NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smoke13]

LRRPF52, Nice work. I've got a couple questions for you on the cerakote process you used.
1) When preping for the paint, is it really necessary to oxide blast the barrel, receivers, and mic. parts or is a scotch pad and degrease sufficiency to get a good application? Can you apply paint over an anodized surface?
2) When degreasing did you soak everything for 10 min like NIC suggested, or can you just spray and wipe down the parts with acetone?
3) Lastly, When doing a multicolor paint job with cerakote what process do you use. NIC says to not pain over paint that has been oven baked (does not adhere to itself), so do you paint then allow for air dry then apply stencil/patterns/fishnet repaint and then oven bake?

trying to get the process figured out for my own grendel cerakote paint job...

[LRRPF52]

LRRPF52, Nice work. I've got a couple questions for you on the cerakote process you used.
1) When preping for the paint, is it really necessary to oxide blast the barrel, receivers, and mic. parts or is a scotch pad and degrease sufficiency to get a good application? Can you apply paint over an anodized surface?
2) When degreasing did you soak everything for 10 min like NIC suggested, or can you just spray and wipe down the parts with acetone?
3) Lastly, When doing a multicolor paint job with cerakote what process do you use. NIC says to not pain over paint that has been oven baked (does not adhere to itself), so do you paint then allow for air dry then apply stencil/patterns/fishnet repaint and then oven bake?

trying to get the process figured out for my own grendel cerakote paint job...

You will get a better adhering of the Cerakote to a blasted or rough-textured finish. It adheres really well to a completely dry anodized or parkerized finish, and even sticks well to stainless and Melonite-treated barrels, which I didn't think it would do. Cerakote isn't a paint, since the color solution it basically a microscopic mud that you add hardener to.

I saw a Brownell's video that claimed that Cerakote can't be applied to itself, but I didn't see that anywhere in the instructions or their site, and I have done it a lot, without issue. There are scores of camo patterns on NIC's website, and applying stencils to an unbaked finish would be disastrous. You can flash bake each layer at lower temp and lower duration, which is what I did, but you will want a cured, hard surface to work with using stencils. Unbaked Cerakote has the consistency of a thick mud, and smudges horribly. If you smudge it, you have to bake the smudge, then grind it off.

I also used a heated cleanse process for my first degrease, then acetone bath, making sure to only handle the parts with gloved hands. Surgical gloves work the best for me, since I still have dexterity. Transferring the parts from the spray cabinet to oven is one of the most critical processes, and requires someone with exceptional patience and the ability to manipulate the parts carefully. This digital pattern was a painful job, to say the least, but it really was worth it in the end I think. I might do one for myself even, if I find the time.