Cerakoting fluted barrels

[trapperluke]

I've been cerakoting a few of my rifles,so far just unfluted barrels. Now I want to coat one of my rifles that is fluted and I want to make the flutes a different color. I've been tring to figure out how to go about that. Right now I have two thoughts, first is to fill the flutes with clay spray the barrel, strip out the clay and then tape off the barrel and spray the flutes. I'm just concerned that when I bake it the clay will contaminate the coating. My other thought is to spray the whole barrel bake it, the tape off the ridges bead blast the flutes and then coat the flutes. If anybody has any other ideas or has done this I would apprieciate some advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[royinidaho]

I 'painted' the flutes a one color.

Masked the flutes with very narrow masking tape. Did as good of a trim job that was as good as possible for me.

Then painted the rest of the barrel.

Removed the tape from the flutes

Didn't like the results at all.

Edges were good in some places and horrible in others.

 

[Kevin Cram]

I paint the entire barrel the color of the O.D. I use air cure, so I let it cure a few days then use 1/8" pin strip for masking the edges of the flutes. The hardest to make look right is the ends of the flutes. I then cover anything I don't want painted the color of the flutes and paint the flutes. I only let it air cure about an hour then remove the pin strip and let air cure for a few more days. Your finish product will result in how well your prep work is. Be warned it's not fun, but makes some cool looking results.

 

[trapperluke]

Kevin,

Is the air cure as durable as the oven cure cerakote?

 

[Kevin Cram]

I don't have an oven big enough for barrels, but I can tell you that air cured Cerakote is some tough stuff. I Cerakoted a fluted barrel a while ago that was just having the flutes blackened. I let the barrel sit for a few weeks before I got time to sand the O.D. off leaving the flutes black. I had a hard time sanding through the Cerakote with 80 grit. I don't believe there much of a durability difference between air cure and oven cure Cerakote. I believe the oven cure just speeds up the curing time.

 

[royinidaho]

Your finish product will result in how well your prep work is. That's where I screwed up. Patience and care on the ends of the flutes drove me nuts.* Be warned it's not fun, but makes some cool looking results.

* that's why I'll never be a machinist. But if I program the machine and take me out of the picture (keep my hands out of the process) things go better. However, the human in the process is what makes it all work well. I bow to folks like you, Kevin and send you money in appreciation.

 

[elkoholic72]

I paint the entire barrel and action, then bake. After cooling, tape off the barrel with the thin tan masking tape. The blue tape works, but is much thicker and will not give you as clean cut lines as the thinner tape. I then take a 3/4in steel ballbearing and start rolling it back and forth down the flute with pressure. You can also use a marbel. Start in the middle of the flute and work to the ends while lifting the cut tape out. The lines are cut exactly on the corners and clean every time. I do occasionally clean up the end of a flute with an exacto knife. You will be surprised at how little time it takes! Then go back and paint your flutes and bake. I have sprayed at least 40+ barrels this way and it works perfect every time, many happy customers. I also do this with fluted bolts with the same ease. Only takes a few minutes.

I only use air cure cerakote on something I cannot bake, and is not nearly as hard as the cerakote with the hardener that requires heat to cure. The air cure is definitely much harder than duracoat though, and is sufficient if you don't have an oven.

 

[Kevin Cram]

That sounds like a great way. Anything has to be better than 2 hours of masking off flutes.

 

[elkoholic72]

Kevin, I did do one of the Brux interrupted fluting barrels with the ballbearing method. Had to use a smaller bearing do to the narrow flutes. Did take about an hour to tape off, but looked absolutely sick when I was finished. The barrel was Flat Dark Earth, half the flutes were Desert Sand and other half were Sage Green. The color pattern was spiraled which matched the fluting on the bolt. I had a hard drive crash last winter and lost the pics of it, but will email the customer for one and post it.

I have thought about doing something similar on the 7wsm you built me last fall, but can't bring myself to alter anything as it shoots SOOOOOOO AWESOME!!

Ben

 

[jrock]

Tag

 

[redandwhite72]

I've never done it. But could you not fill the flutes with modeling clay and use floss to cut off the excess clay, then coat? That's what I've done on my actions when bedding my stocks.

 

[Hired Gun]

The contamination from clay would blow the whole job. That would be the last thing you would want to do after spending all the time getting the oil burned out of it and the surface profile created for the Cerakote to lock into. Before the job is oven cured we don't even touch it with gloves but by the support wires.

On your bedding jobs try paraffin wax as both a filler and a release agent. It is my secret weapon for about 15 years now. It goes on easy and polishes up to a high shine. You can warm it and rub it on with a cloth or drip it on to fill the trigger slot. Then trim it with a razor blade. To remove it you can use a heat gun, a torch or even a simple blow dryer with a clean towel to wipe it off. Clay is the bitch of all time to get out of the blind screw whole on the bottom of an ADL action.

 

[redandwhite72]

The contamination from clay would blow the whole job. That would be the last thing you would want to do after spending all the time getting the oil burned out of it and the surface profile created for the Cerakote to lock into. Before the job is oven cured we don't even touch it with gloves but by the support wires.

On your bedding jobs try paraffin wax as both a filler and a release agent. It is my secret weapon for about 15 years now. It goes on easy and polishes up to a high shine. You can warm it and rub it on with a cloth or drip it on to fill the trigger slot. Then trim it with a razor blade. To remove it you can use a heat gun, a torch or even a simple blow dryer with a clean towel to wipe it off. Clay is the bitch of all time to get out of the blind screw whole on the bottom of an ADL action.

I never thought about the contamination when cerakoting. And that's a good idea on the paraffin wax. I'll try that next time. I hate working with the clay. Thanks.