How to Cerakote at Home - Part 1 - Surface Preparation for Cerakoting

In this video I cover how to cerakote at home. I've split this into a two part series. Part 1 covers surface preparation for Cerakoting. A critical part of the process, surface prep can either make or break your Cerakoting project

Part 2:
https://rumble.com/v6kdt9j-how-to-cerakote-at-home-part-2-applying-and-curing-cerakote.html

Here are affiliate links to some of the items I use or talk about in the video:
Small Blast Cabinet: https://amzn.to/3EhRzdx
Handheld Alternative to Blast Cabinet https://amzn.to/39FIDiJ
100 Grit Aluminum Oxide https://amzn.to/3cOJb7L
120 Grit Aluminum Oxide Media https://amzn.to/3wpiKxi
8 Mil Nitrile Gloves https://amzn.to/2Px9S8h

Airbrush and detail gun I use for applying Cerakote both have .8mm tips and needles
Master G33 Airbrush https://amzn.to/3sUqqpa
Paasch HG-08 Spray Gun https://amzn.to/3mmP2Vb

Condensed Cerakoting Guide:
Phase One - Disassemble the item you'll be degreasing
Phase Two - Degrease Acetone is the method described here but other degreasing agents and techniques can be used. Handle the parts with gloves after this to keep from contaminating them
Phase Three - Surface Prep Blast with 100 or 120 grit media, aluminum oxide is my preference
Phase Four - Rack and mask. If any masking is required, now is the time to do that. Racking consists of hanging the parts with wire so they can be Cerakoted and painted.
Phase Five - Gas Out. Bake the metallic parts in an oven at 300 degrees F for an hour to remove any water and bring any residual oils to the surface. If any are found, repeat steps two and three and gas out again.
Phase Six - Prep the H-Series coating. Ratios of hardener to paint are:
- 24:1 Matte Finish
- 18:1 Satin Finish (I generally use 19:1 for a slightly flatter Satin) Note that Cerakote recommends only using 18:1 for their elite series of coatings.
- 12:1 Semi Gloss
I typically use 19:1 which gives my a slightly flatter finish than satin, Strain the coating through a 100 Mesh strainer
Phase Seven - Spraying, I do most of my Cerakoting with an airbrush. Currently using a Master brush G33 but will be upgrading to an Iawata soon. The key is spray an even coat and avoid dry spray which would cause a rough finish. Use a .8mm tip for your airbrush or spray gun
Phase Eight - Curing, Cerakote recommends one of two schedules to cure
Normal Cure - 2 hours at 250 degrees F
Fast Cure - 1 hour at 300 degrees F

00:00 Introduction
00:50 Phase One - Disassemble
01:09 Phase Two - Degrease
03:58 Phase Three - Surface Prep
06:14 Phase Four - Rack and Mask
08:12 Phase Five - Gas Out

#Cerakote
#Cerakoting
#CeramicCoating

Link to download Cerakote Training Manual:
https://images.nicindustries.com/cerakote/documents/120/h-series-cerakote-elite-training-manual-dt20200115005711425.pdf