Ceramic is a stone. It is arguably hard as a rock with the epoxy carrier... but yea teapots have very loose construct. If teapots were made of reinforced ceramics it would never break...
Gun-Kote is basically the same thing as Norrell's Moly coating. It is a great option that applies nice and easy and can be handled much easier than Cerakote. Cerakote is stronger. The Gun-Kote/Molly surface finish can be adjusted by the temperature it is cured at. For a more matte finish go 350 for a more gloss go 300-320'.
Great test! After painting half dozen guns with Gunkote and Alumahyde II - the questions you answer in this video were the ones everybody else wants to know, solvent resistance and scratching - the GK seems tough as nails, the Alumahyde almost as tough, once cured (i baked mine even though you don't have to, the idea of leaving loose parts lying loose for 2 weeks, just proved too problematic for me so I always baked AH II at 200 F for 3 to 4 hours). I'd rate Alumahyde much tougher than rattle can (STILL don't know why anybody would paint a perfectly good gun with that) but not quite as tough as Gunkote. On guns finished with GK and especially, Alumahyde I keep the brake cleaner off of it (even though GK can take a little bit of it, once in a while I just found alternate cleaners). With reasonable care to keep it off the Alumahyde, like avoiding spattering etc., I still use Kroil for cleaning bores (and Kroil would take it off faster than a tattooed stripper). For cleaning inside the receiver etc. I just use WD40, it's a mild cleaner compared to the usual bore solvents. And I coated two WASR AK's, a Rough Rider .22 revolver, an M1 carbine and a glock 26 with Alumahyde II, the first 4 guns I did 10 years ago and they still look as good as when I took the parts out of the oven... and these guns are to shoot, the WASRs have 1000 rounds through them, yet. But the Alumahyde has the advantage most other coatings don't, because you can retouch damaged areas with ease. On small areas, say smaller than your finger nail, you can just clean the damanged area, spray some AH inside a spray can cap and brush it on. Then heat it up for 20 seconds or so with a heat gun and let it dry (the longer the better, if you're not baking it the AH will get to maximum hardness in about 2 weeks, but you don't have to put away the part that long before you use it, one or two days is all a retouch needs.
I have all of these myself and I use Gun Kote, in my shop. I have not ever had any complaints, with Cerakote I have lots of problems, it does like to chip off even after paying close attention to prep & detail applying it. Rattle can is OK if you need a quick patch job in the field, it is easy to get off when back at the shop and repair any damage you may have gotten while in the field. As time goes on, better coatings will come along, first was bluing, then paints, bake on coatings, etc... only time will tell what the future will bring in the way of better coatings, hell they may even make a diamond coating that can cut glass while in the field to make a new window for the guys house you may have shot.
I own a auto detailing business and we install ceramic coatings. The technology is much the same for Cerakote, it is just mixed in with color, making it a Ceramic paint. You could achieve the same results, and I do, by using Durakote, Gun-Kote, or a rattle can, and then apply a Ceramic Coating over the paint. I have ceramic coated all of my firearms. Ceramic is very hard to Marr or scratch. It also repels liquids as it closes the pores in whatever it is applied to.
Thank you Very Much. I have a small Pocket Pistol to Refinish. My Customer wants it to look Like New. This will be the First of its kind in my Little Humble Shop. I Trust Brownells for a good portion of my supply's. After This Video, I am Very confident, that the Brownells Gun-Kote I have chose for this Important Customer, "and All Are Important". This Report is Exactly what I was Looking for, for this Project. God Bless.
I've successfully used my 3-burner propane BBQ grill to cure parts painted with cerakote. Grill enclosure was filthy and due for an Easy-Off cleaning anyway, followed by a thorough washing and a protracted 400F+ bake-off. No way was I stinking up the house and using the kitchen oven .
Out of curiosity did you cook the duracoat? If not then the set up time for duracoat is somewhere around 30 days to dry to full strength. Only pointing this out because id like to see duracoat and cerokote compared evenly
When you follow all the rules for cleaning, prepping and application, the results are durable as hell and amazing with Aluma Hyde II. Allot of people use like 400 grit sandpaper but 180 is optimum for maximum adhesion when media blasting isn’t available. Brownells makes awesome products! I wish you’d do a battle of the Aerosol can finishes. Wheeler Engineering Cerama Coat DuraCoat Badass (self etching and expensive) Aluma Hyde II Considering the fact that it’s so affordable and it’s not self etching the Aluma Hyde II is amazingly durable and resistant to most solvents If you clean & prep properly(of course). It’s all about proper decreasing and preparation!!!!🙏🇺🇸
Idk what brownell’s gunkote is, but I coat all my guns with KG gunkote. It may scratch a little easier, but it doesn’t chip or flake off like cerakote. I coated with cerakote once, and it wore considerably after a single weekend hunting trip. So I stripped it off and applied KG gunkote the same way, and the coating lasted 4 trips before I saw any minor signs of wear at all.. Haven’t turned back since. I coat everything with KG Gunkote now. I have found it to be much more durable than anything else
The key to rattle can paint is applying a matte clear coat. A well prepped Rustoleum rattle can job with a solid layer of matte clear coat brings it easily into the more expensive realm of products. However Rustoleum clear spray paint is produced it is far more solvent and liquid durable than regular spray paint.
Great video leaning towards the brownells for my m&p 2.0 frame. Doesnt the finish come out looking and feels like spray paint or pretty clean like cerakote?
I've been using KG Gunkote 2400 series and other products for over 20 years and in my opinion it is better than Cerakote. Note: I have been told that the Gunkote from Brownells is not as good as the KG Gunkote, from KG. As with Cerakote it requires proper prep, media blasting and solvent cleaning. Also KG's K-phos pre-treatment provides even tighter bond and carbon steel protection. One major advantage with Gunkote is that it doesn't interfere with tight fits as the finish will burnish itself and allow fits that I've seen where Cerakote won't allow, and with Gunkote the moly particles will embed themselves within the surface of the metal which prevents wear even when tight fits burnish the finish or at extreme wear points. Now with KG's Nano Series it's supposedly even better.
Would be nice to see you repeat this test now seeing as Cerakote have brought out Cerakote C which does not require baking. Was also impressed with the second place finisher Brownells Gun-Kote.
Find some nail polish in flat black, green, brown and tan. When you get a scratch just use an alcohol pad to clean the area then dab some nail polish on. Works great. The toughest part is finding the flat nail polish, it is out there but I have to wonder what woman uses flat brown nail polish.
I'm curious if you left the duracoat to cure for the full 4 weeks, or if you just did a day test. I'm trying to determine if I should go KG or Duracoat
@@JohnDoeEagle1 Half true, Seal Teams use it but certainly not exclusively. They were the first to use it however. Not developed by Seal Teams however. Frog lube was developed by a Seal though, look how that turned out.....
@@jerryrasmussen6751 I don't use Frog Lube....I use Shooters Choice FP-10 Elite, CLP, Wilson Combat Ultima Lube II Universal, Mil Comm TW-25B. Gun Kote 2300 was indeed developed for and used by U.S. Navy SEALs. Never heard of anyone refer to Frog Lube as being such before this post. It's mallninja AR15.com tactitard garbage.
I'd love to use Cerakote or Gun-Kote but sadly they are labor intensive and require baking and sand blasting. At least the Durakote only needs scratch pads cleaning with brake cleaner and then sprayed coats and time to dry. I'll probably use Krylon to coat cheap firearms or furniture and Durakote to coat main parts it seems much easier
not really true... i've been cerakoting my guns at home for years now multiple guns and all i used was a scotch pad and brakes part cleaner to prep then used a preval sprayer from walmart to spray the cerakote ,if you disassemble the gun and do it in parts a normal kitchen oven does great......as a matter of fact my first cerakote job was a r15 like 7 years ago after about 6500 rounds still no wear to be seen , i dont cerakote parts that move because thats the only parts that will wear off eventually usually only do the receivers,handguards,or pistol slides
oh and all of this costs me about 50.00....cerakote from tactical penguin site,preval sprayer at walmart brake parts cleaner at a auto store,scotch pad is at dollar tree... comes out to around 50 cash and it's enough to do 2 full ar15s a single color,thats including the hardener and strain that comes with the cerakote....my buddy did 6 full pistols for 50.00 this way,pistols do tend to wear faster because more moving parts so i only do the slides on my pistols
Thank you for this no fluff no holds barred side-by-side testing. I was not aware of Brownell's Gun-Kote and will give it a look. Does it come in an aerosol?
One note, please use a water separater on your spray hose BEFORE in line with the Airgun. BECAUSE if you don’t you could get water dots in the finished product. You may prefer that, but it’s not good for the coating.
With gun Kote you can achieve that effect by spraying on, then a q tip dipped in acetone and wipe or flick the acetone where you want it to take the coating off. Bake and repeat as much as you like coat after coat, can make some sweet camo effects this way
Cerakote also sprays so in such a forgiving fashion it's astounding, it's like comparing waxing your car to installing a ceramic coating like Cquartz...there is not a comparison, 1 will look better and last longer by such a wide margine that short of cerakote you might as well get Krylon and let it ware to look worn more quickly
Sir, I'm not sure your test is accurate cause I have been using rustoleum (without baking) for many yrs and the occasional touch up here and there is needed if you are actually using the tool(fire arm)to the extreme. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Good video.
that is not how that works simpleton, the military sets standards that must be met by said bidders, then once the standards are met they dont always choose the cheapest. take the sig p320 for example. you act like military running around shooting bushmaster ar15s and hipoint pistols
test is flawed.there are directions on prep i dont think you followed. for instance Duracoat your not supposed to soak it in acetone after blasting.Duracoat takes like 6 weeks to cure and ive never had chemicals wipe it off after curing. with spray can Duracoat no need to bake or need a compressor, air gun, or airbrush.most important thing is after years of use if you get wear with Duracoat you can just scuff it and throw on a layer or 2 and it looks new again.others have to be stripped off fully.
Thanks for the comment. I used acetone as a degreaser, do you believe that using acetone affected the Duracoat? I also did not use spray can Duracoat, I used the standard two part product. I agree that Durcoat does a great job at bridging the gap between convenience of application and wear. Usually, I find that coating a firearm too many times tends to soften edges and features to the point that it bothers my eye. For the working rifle though that should not be an issue!
Also you can bake duracoat to cure it faster There are instructions to do so. Acetone is recommended to de-grease before using duracoat however, you want to make sure the part is dry of acetone before painting the thinner used with duracoat is Acetone so if you had acetone left on the part before spraying you will thin that area. If you mess up a spray with duracoat and need to get the duracoat off you use acetone to clean it off it will pretty much dissolve the duracoat if it hasn't cured yet. I bought a bunch of duracoat when it first came out and there expensive thinner that came with there kits was just re-bottled acetone, if you looked at the active ingredients. So don't buy there thinner just buy acetone.
Another nice thing about duracoat that may not be true with other products is it works on pretty much any surface, you can use it on wood and plastic etc as well as metal parts. I used there high gloss clear to do a pair of custom walnut pistol grips that I made and it turned out fantastic and gave it a durable finish compared to what standard wood finishes would have done.
also, cerakote does not need to be removed to recoat, just scuff, degrease shoot. It is also MUCH thinner of an application and MUCH stronger. Fanboying duracoat is just because you've never tried Cerakote
Pretty much everyone who goes the Cerakote way buys direct by the gallon. About $350, so you are looking at $11 for that 4oz bottle. Still crazy expensive, but cerekote is when you have to pull out all the stops.
LOLOLOLOLOL cerakote installed with nothing but green scotch brite pads, 1 can brake kleen, 1gallon simple green, a $15 hvlp gun, a coat hanger and my standard electric oven. Full disassembly on mini 14 and Archangel sparta stock, all hung in the oven just fine. there is literally 0 reason to use gun-kote when the same process is required that cerakote needs at double the effect.
It's comical you make Cerakote out to be some holy grail and on a mountain high pedestal. The stuff is shit, so is Duracoat as they both are a 2-part gooey mess that adds stacking tolerances to parts. They easily chip, scratch, peel and gum up close fitting tight tolerance parts. Next Brownells isn't "Gun Kote".....it's actually made by KG Industries and the 2300/2400 series was developed for and is used by the United States Navy SEALs!
Its comical you act as if you know about Cera-Kote when you're just about as ignorant as can be. First, it applies very thin, much thinner than the other products tested here. Second, it is by far the most durable of the products tested here. In fact, its probably the most durable coating in existence, not counting metal plating. Finally, just because you're not smart enough to do Cera-Kote doesn't mean that most people with the normal number of chromosomes can't pull it off. Brownell's Gun-Kote is good stuff, but its not nearly s good as Cera-Kote. There's a reason why it has become the industry standard. I won't even address your ridiculous Navy SEALs claim kiddo.
@@joshrandall3632 It's comical you think you know what you are talking about. The Colt USMC M45A1 CQBP whole program was cancelled due to faulty Cerakote. FBI HRT SWAT had a bunch of FNH SPR A3G sniper rifles ruined when Cerakote got sprayed into the locking lugs of the bolts. Cerakote doesn't go on thin....it is a thick 2-part gooey mess that isn't all that durable. FYI It's not "Brownells Gunkote" anyway. The stuff I am talking about is made by KG Industries. USSOCOM and Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center use KG Gunkote 2400. It can be seen on virtually all Special Operations weapons that are painted camo. Cerakote is civilian garbage not much better than Duracoat...yet another thick, gooey 2 part mess finish that isn't very durable at all.
@@JohnDoeEagle1 So you're telling me a bunch of lowest bidder, gov't contracts had poorly applied CK? Shocking, but it doesn't make the rest of what you said any more true. You're still showing your ignorance and what appears to be contempt for facts with every word you post. Cera-Kote is still the toughest, most durable gun coating available. Definitely not a DIY item for kids like yourself though.
@@joshrandall3632 You're showing you are just a blowhard that doesn't know what you are talking about. Does Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center and USSOCOM mean anything to to you? It should....makes your Taurus and Hi-Point look like a piece of shit! John U.S. Navy Ret.
While you did a good test per say here, you have done a few things wrong. First Gun Kote is not an epoxy finish, and epoxy finish would be a 2 part product and have a "pot life" which is similar to Cerakote, gunkote has no pot life and the remaining that isn't used can be poured back into the container. Gunkote is a one part thin film technology. Also on Cerakote, you failed to show a 750-gram weight on the part scratching it which doesn't offer a fair comparison to other products. What did you spray the finish on with specifically, prevail sprayer, harbor freight spray gun, iwata lph80? To be honest and objective you need to do them like for like and not skip over specific aspects more so the weights used to scratch. a 900 gram wait i'm not surprised it failed. How did cerakote do on a 750 gram weight? As a professional applicator, the details are important. While you did outline the top 3 players in the market for firearms coatings as well as rattle can stuff your tests didn't seem to be objective as you skipped key details. Did you follow specific manufacturer's specifications for prep? Duracoat, cerakote, and Gunkote all have different prep methods that are recommended. Gunkote is 120 grit whereas cerakote is optimal at 100 grit, i've never used duaracoat but by it's thickness i would guess 80-100 grit would be optimal. Using incorrect media on the substrate WILL yield in a failure of the coating due to a poor anchor profile on the substrate.
Hey Rob, I think you made some good points. You don't see me testing the test the 750 gram weight because I simply forgot to hit record. I figured since that Ipan over the pieces all at the end people could see the results, but it is a very valid point. I Also made this video for people who may not know exactly which product to choose or even the difference. You clearly know what you are talking about and this video was made for the less informed.I also didn't want to lose anybody's attention adding all the steps and manufactures directions. All the paints were prepared according to the the manufactures directions. One last point, I pulled this off of Brownells site, "Brownells GUN-KOTE is a durable, second-generation epoxy, thermo-set resin finish that will not break down, peel or dissolve." I, like you, thought all epoxy's were two part, but I guess not... Thanks for the feedback. I will use it to try and make these videos more stout.
I'm a KG gunkote applicator who used to use Cerakote and occasionally Duracoat. Brownells Gunkote is the same thing as KG gunkote just branded for Brownells. I saw that you were using Black AO for your media, i honestly haven't seen any fine grit AO that's black, all the product I see is brown (virgin). Was that harbor freight media or perhaps black magic (or whatever they call it) from TP tools? I know quite a few applicators who were using both of those products and had marginal results with KG because they were simply cutting too deep when blasting. Thier is an artform to creating the correct anchor profile for coatings. many factors are important such as air pressure, media selection, distance from the nozzle to part, even down to the angle in which you are blasting the part at. I went to the brownells website and you are correct they advertise it as a " second-generation epoxy", I wouldn't call KG an epoxy. I will bring this to Joe's attention (the owner of KG Industries, and also a friend of mine). Honestly, I'm loyal to a degree to KG as I'm a sole KG applicator now, but Cerakote and Duracoat have merits. While I won't use them in my business I realize they have value, Cerakote sure has one heck of a marketing machine behind their name and truly brought coatings very mainstream. If cerakote has a product that I can't do with KG i will order it. One thing that's very noteworthy in regards to testing products is that in order to truly do a side by side comparison of each product the thickness of each product should be to recommended thickness. Cerakote needs traditionally 2-3 times thicker application than KG Gunkote (Brownells Gun-Kote). When using the specific thickness of the product you will surely find that Cerakote is a very durable product, but that durability comes at a price. The price you pay with a properly applied product to the optimal thickness is fitment of parts. If you apply Cerakote optimally you will have a tough time getting parts back together which is why they offer plugs and such for guns. When using plugs you can get buildup on the edges of where the plugs were more importantly, what's protecting the holes you plugged? If cerakote hasn't been applied to the proper thickness your parts will fit together with relative ease. I've had guns come into the shop that was done with Cerakote, the contact parts had worn or chipped off quickly because the application on those contact points needed to be thin in order for it to go back together and operate, where the area's that wasn't contacting another surface was in pretty good shape. Really at the end of the day CK, DC, and KG all make solid products that will wear over time. Some just wear better than others. Take a look at the offering from KG direclty, they have lots of colors on the website plus a SLEW of colors that aren't on the website yet. We call them "the secret blends". www.kgcoatings.com/
Paint Werkz, thanks for the comment! You know, that AO is pretty old, I don't remember where I got it... I am sure it's not grade A stuff at all. I didn't get it from HF, but it may be the same stuff... I think it is somewhere between 100-120G. As I mentioned to Rob above, this video is more for the newer people who are coming in blind to the whole spraying on finishes. According to Cerakote's literature it should be applied, "When spraying, strive for even coverage. You are seeking a to .5 to 1.0 mil coating (0.0005” to 0.001”)." And from KG's Literature, "A coating of .0004 is best on close tolerance parts." It goes on to say, "AT LEAST TWO COATS AND PREFERABLY THREE ON HEAVILY USED PARTS." Now, I am not saying you are wrong. I am just curious if your experience is that one coat is about .0004 or would you say that is the typical final thickness? Was any of these tests final and perfect? No way, far from it. I do believe that it answers some important questions people may have. I am also vary curios to hear what Josh has to say about it being an epoxy... Would you mind posting a comment back so everyone can see the correct info? If it is not an epoxy I will annotate the change. Thanks for the advice and knowledge!
Oh I'm not disagreeing with you in any fashion, your test was valuable insight for average consumers by all accounts comparing the products as best as possible in a semi-controlled environment. I'm only commenting here to provide further information based on your testing. Even coverage is critical to everything no matter what product. With KG it depends on the series of product you use, if it's the normal 2400 series (as brownells stuff is) it needs to be a tad thicker where as the newer nano series goes out about half as thick and covers really good. Lessons learned on my end is that multiple light passes with KG work best for truly even coverage. As far as the thickness of a single coat, we'll it depends on how you spray it. If you are like me it's multiple thin passes that over time build up and cover the part. Trying to do a single coat coating with KG will result in possibly the paint running because it was laid down too thick too fast. Been there, done that, lessons learned. My personal experiences with all the products is that when Cerakote and or Duracoat is applied properly it just looks like paint laid down on a product because it's a bit thicker, when KG is laid down (most colors) it really doesn't look like "paint has been applied" because it's so thin. I'm referring to "most colors" as the common ones that are used, FDE, OD Green, Magpul Grey etc. Some of the other colors such as Gem Blue (think tiffany & co), pink and a few others end up being laid down a bit thicker as they require a base coat to use that color properly and the color takes a bit more to put down for truly even coverage. Once i obtain solid even coverage on a part I always make one more light pass across the part with KG to give it a bit more extra thickness. One thing that is unique about KG that isn't published. Let's say you sprayed a part and you found a spot you ended up spraying too light, simply hit it again with the color and bake it again. With cerakote and Duracoat you will need to strip the finish off and start over. I'm waiting on a response from Joe in regards to this, while I pretty much know the answer I will leave it alone until I have a firm answer from him.
if you throw a motorcycle chain in acetone for 3 days the solvent will still be clear as new. acetone does not cut oil. use another product when you want an oil free surface..
Hey Jack, I was comparing the paints per the instructions of each manufacturer. Cerakote recommends 3 different degreasers, one of which is acetone. I agree that acetone doesn't cut the heavy stuff well, but it seems do well with light oil. I usually prefer non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner. Thanks for the comment!
![ปฏิเสธไม่ไหว (Crush on you) - LIPTA feat. No One Else [TEASER MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VC689EgdSIw/mqdefault.jpg)
The video format reminds me of early 2000’s military channel shows
Real weaponology vibes over here
Fantastic production quality.
Rattle can camo might not be the most durable but when it scratches or chips you just spray it again cuz it's cheap
"Cerakote, contains ceramics, which is the same thing that teapots are made out of"
Ceramic is a stone. It is arguably hard as a rock with the epoxy carrier... but yea teapots have very loose construct. If teapots were made of reinforced ceramics it would never break...
Gun-Kote is basically the same thing as Norrell's Moly coating. It is a great option that applies nice and easy and can be handled much easier than Cerakote. Cerakote is stronger. The Gun-Kote/Molly surface finish can be adjusted by the temperature it is cured at. For a more matte finish go 350 for a more gloss go 300-320'.
Great test! After painting half dozen guns with Gunkote and Alumahyde II - the questions you answer in this video were the ones everybody else wants to know, solvent resistance and scratching - the GK seems tough as nails, the Alumahyde almost as tough, once cured (i baked mine even though you don't have to, the idea of leaving loose parts lying loose for 2 weeks, just proved too problematic for me so I always baked AH II at 200 F for 3 to 4 hours). I'd rate Alumahyde much tougher than rattle can (STILL don't know why anybody would paint a perfectly good gun with that) but not quite as tough as Gunkote. On guns finished with GK and especially, Alumahyde I keep the brake cleaner off of it (even though GK can take a little bit of it, once in a while I just found alternate cleaners). With reasonable care to keep it off the Alumahyde, like avoiding spattering etc., I still use Kroil for cleaning bores (and Kroil would take it off faster than a tattooed stripper). For cleaning inside the receiver etc. I just use WD40, it's a mild cleaner compared to the usual bore solvents. And I coated two WASR AK's, a Rough Rider .22 revolver, an M1 carbine and a glock 26 with Alumahyde II, the first 4 guns I did 10 years ago and they still look as good as when I took the parts out of the oven... and these guns are to shoot, the WASRs have 1000 rounds through them, yet. But the Alumahyde has the advantage most other coatings don't, because you can retouch damaged areas with ease. On small areas, say smaller than your finger nail, you can just clean the damanged area, spray some AH inside a spray can cap and brush it on. Then heat it up for 20 seconds or so with a heat gun and let it dry (the longer the better, if you're not baking it the AH will get to maximum hardness in about 2 weeks, but you don't have to put away the part that long before you use it, one or two days is all a retouch needs.
I have all of these myself and I use Gun Kote, in my shop. I have not ever had any complaints, with Cerakote I have lots of problems, it does like to chip off even after paying close attention to prep & detail applying it. Rattle can is OK if you need a quick patch job in the field, it is easy to get off when back at the shop and repair any damage you may have gotten while in the field.
As time goes on, better coatings will come along, first was bluing, then paints, bake on coatings, etc... only time will tell what the future will bring in the way of better coatings, hell they may even make a diamond coating that can cut glass while in the field to make a new window for the guys house you may have shot.
Would like to know how they hold up with teat. This is in reference to suppressors. Will gun coat hold up to the heat of a suppressor?
Well done, great video! I am a cerakote guy myself, but you’re right, the prep work isn’t for everyone.
That's why I just put the strip item on meangreen, spray break cleaner and spray the rustoleum and done. 😆
gunkoted marine parts 35 years ago...still functioning on my boat...like new
That's definitely a testament.
I own a auto detailing business and we install ceramic coatings. The technology is much the same for Cerakote, it is just mixed in with color, making it a Ceramic paint. You could achieve the same results, and I do, by using Durakote, Gun-Kote, or a rattle can, and then apply a Ceramic Coating over the paint. I have ceramic coated all of my firearms. Ceramic is very hard to Marr or scratch. It also repels liquids as it closes the pores in whatever it is applied to.
Now that is how you do a fair, comparison test! Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to create and share.
Thanks Duke!
the opinion given at the end begs some questions though
Great vid Norm, nice balance of scientific method and not drowning in data. Well shot and edited. Subd.
So you used Krylon and not Rust Oleum? I was kind of confused when you said that, as you kept showing rust oleum
That production quality tho. 👍
Thank you!
>You're gonna need a big oven to coat a rifle
*Cries quietly in engine block
I don't know cars, but why would you paint up an engine block?
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj prevents rust and corrosion, plus looks nice. Same reason you would coat any sort of metal
FINALLY a good finish review video! thank you
Thank you Very Much. I have a small Pocket Pistol to Refinish. My Customer wants it to look Like New.
This will be the First of its kind in my Little Humble Shop. I Trust Brownells for a good portion of my supply's.
After This Video, I am Very confident, that the Brownells Gun-Kote I have chose for this Important Customer,
"and All Are Important". This Report is Exactly what I was Looking for, for this Project.
God Bless.
The other good thing about cerakote vs all the others is how thin it is applied.
Hands down best, finish showdown!! Thank you!!!
The background music is to loud, SOOO annoying and distracting
Awesome video and awesome production as well. Very well done!
I've successfully used my 3-burner propane BBQ grill to cure parts painted with cerakote. Grill enclosure was filthy and due for an Easy-Off cleaning anyway, followed by a thorough washing and a protracted 400F+ bake-off. No way was I stinking up the house and using the kitchen oven .
realrayra x
Out of curiosity did you cook the duracoat? If not then the set up time for duracoat is somewhere around 30 days to dry to full strength. Only pointing this out because id like to see duracoat and cerokote compared evenly
Wish I would've read your comment before I wrote the same thing lol
@@FiveFlakes You are on point with your post bro! Both are quality coatings when done right
how long should it be in the oven? and at what temp?
@@mrshowtime7465 duracoat is 200 degrees for 20 min
@@mrshowtime7465 I dont remember off the top of my head, but the people over at Duracoat will send you directions by email.
When you follow all the rules for cleaning, prepping and application, the results are durable as hell and amazing with Aluma Hyde II.
Allot of people use like 400 grit sandpaper but 180 is optimum for maximum adhesion when media blasting isn’t available.
Brownells makes awesome products!
I wish you’d do a battle of the Aerosol can finishes.
Wheeler Engineering Cerama Coat
DuraCoat Badass (self etching and expensive)
Aluma Hyde II
Considering the fact that it’s so affordable and it’s not self etching the Aluma Hyde II is amazingly durable and resistant to most solvents If you clean & prep properly(of course).
It’s all about proper decreasing and preparation!!!!🙏🇺🇸
Duracoat has a 3-4 week curing time. How long did you wait? Just wondering.
Idk what brownell’s gunkote is, but I coat all my guns with KG gunkote.
It may scratch a little easier, but it doesn’t chip or flake off like cerakote.
I coated with cerakote once, and it wore considerably after a single weekend hunting trip. So I stripped it off and applied KG gunkote the same way, and the coating lasted 4 trips before I saw any minor signs of wear at all..
Haven’t turned back since. I coat everything with KG Gunkote now. I have found it to be much more durable than anything else
Cut in half the volume of your music track.
@Bob Yep, or 1/3 , Not as bad as many others thou.
Nicely done Norm!
Nice video, just wondering did you wait 2 to 3 weeks before testing the duracoat? From what I've read it has a 3 week complete cure time
The key to rattle can paint is applying a matte clear coat. A well prepped Rustoleum rattle can job with a solid layer of matte clear coat brings it easily into the more expensive realm of products. However Rustoleum clear spray paint is produced it is far more solvent and liquid durable than regular spray paint.
Great video leaning towards the brownells for my m&p 2.0 frame. Doesnt the finish come out looking and feels like spray paint or pretty clean like cerakote?
I've been using KG Gunkote 2400 series and other products for over 20 years and in my opinion it is better than Cerakote. Note: I have been told that the Gunkote from Brownells is not as good as the KG Gunkote, from KG. As with Cerakote it requires proper prep, media blasting and solvent cleaning. Also KG's K-phos pre-treatment provides even tighter bond and carbon steel protection. One major advantage with Gunkote is that it doesn't interfere with tight fits as the finish will burnish itself and allow fits that I've seen where Cerakote won't allow, and with Gunkote the moly particles will embed themselves within the surface of the metal which prevents wear even when tight fits burnish the finish or at extreme wear points. Now with KG's Nano Series it's supposedly even better.
Would be nice to see you repeat this test now seeing as Cerakote have brought out Cerakote C which does not require baking.
Was also impressed with the second place finisher Brownells Gun-Kote.
Another Gunkote negative is that it has much less color & sheen options as Cerakote.
Unfortunately I need a no bake application.
Find some nail polish in flat black, green, brown and tan. When you get a scratch just use an alcohol pad to clean the area then dab some nail polish on. Works great. The toughest part is finding the flat nail polish, it is out there but I have to wonder what woman uses flat brown nail polish.
Why can i only find KG GunKote and not Brownells Gun-Kote? Are they one and the same?
I'm curious if you left the duracoat to cure for the full 4 weeks, or if you just did a day test. I'm trying to determine if I should go KG or Duracoat
KG Gun Kote 2300/2400.
The only one developed and used by the United States Navy SEALs.
So do you know if it was cured properly or no? I'd rather not use an oven if I could help it.
@@JohnDoeEagle1 Half true, Seal Teams use it but certainly not exclusively. They were the first to use it however. Not developed by Seal Teams however. Frog lube was developed by a Seal though, look how that turned out.....
@@jerryrasmussen6751
I don't use Frog Lube....I use Shooters Choice FP-10 Elite, CLP, Wilson Combat Ultima Lube II Universal, Mil Comm TW-25B.
Gun Kote 2300 was indeed developed for and used by U.S. Navy SEALs. Never heard of anyone refer to Frog Lube as being such before this post. It's mallninja AR15.com tactitard garbage.
I'd love to use Cerakote or Gun-Kote but sadly they are labor intensive and require baking and sand blasting.
At least the Durakote only needs scratch pads cleaning with brake cleaner and then sprayed coats and time to dry.
I'll probably use Krylon to coat cheap firearms or furniture and Durakote to coat main parts it seems much easier
not really true... i've been cerakoting my guns at home for years now multiple guns and all i used was a scotch pad and brakes part cleaner to prep then used a preval sprayer from walmart to spray the cerakote ,if you disassemble the gun and do it in parts a normal kitchen oven does great......as a matter of fact my first cerakote job was a r15 like 7 years ago after about 6500 rounds still no wear to be seen , i dont cerakote parts that move because thats the only parts that will wear off eventually usually only do the receivers,handguards,or pistol slides
oh and all of this costs me about 50.00....cerakote from tactical penguin site,preval sprayer at walmart brake parts cleaner at a auto store,scotch pad is at dollar tree... comes out to around 50 cash and it's enough to do 2 full ar15s a single color,thats including the hardener and strain that comes with the cerakote....my buddy did 6 full pistols for 50.00 this way,pistols do tend to wear faster because more moving parts so i only do the slides on my pistols
This is the bees knees my man ty
Thank you for this no fluff no holds barred side-by-side testing. I was not aware of Brownell's Gun-Kote and will give it a look. Does it come in an aerosol?
I'm watching this video because I'm interested in duracoat. Just curious on how long you let it dry before testing.
Norm: How hot does my oven need to be?
How long after painting was DuraCoat tested. There is a cure time.
One note, please use a water separater on your spray hose BEFORE in line with the Airgun. BECAUSE if you don’t you could get water dots in the finished product. You may prefer that, but it’s not good for the coating.
With gun Kote you can achieve that effect by spraying on, then a q tip dipped in acetone and wipe or flick the acetone where you want it to take the coating off. Bake and repeat as much as you like coat after coat, can make some sweet camo effects this way
Top Gear Vibes. I dig it.
Cerakote also sprays so in such a forgiving fashion it's astounding, it's like comparing waxing your car to installing a ceramic coating like Cquartz...there is not a comparison, 1 will look better and last longer by such a wide margine that short of cerakote you might as well get Krylon and let it ware to look worn more quickly
Sir, I'm not sure your test is accurate cause I have been using rustoleum (without baking) for many yrs and the occasional touch up here and there is needed if you are actually using the tool(fire arm)to the extreme. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Good video.
Its always funny to hear people compare products to 'military' grade stuff. Lol, you mean the lowest possible bidder.
That's a pretty funny and sadly true way too look at it...
I hear that. Most people don't really know that so they hear the world military grade and think it's better.
Every contract from any corporation anywhere goes to the lowest bidder. That's how you make money and not lose it.
that is not how that works simpleton, the military sets standards that must be met by said bidders, then once the standards are met they dont always choose the cheapest. take the sig p320 for example. you act like military running around shooting bushmaster ar15s and hipoint pistols
Even worse, A congressman's bald headed stepchild who can't get a job.
test is flawed.there are directions on prep i dont think you followed. for instance Duracoat your not supposed to soak it in acetone after blasting.Duracoat takes like 6 weeks to cure and ive never had chemicals wipe it off after curing. with spray can Duracoat no need to bake or need a compressor, air gun, or airbrush.most important thing is after years of use if you get wear with Duracoat you can just scuff it and throw on a layer or 2 and it looks new again.others have to be stripped off fully.
Thanks for the comment. I used acetone as a degreaser, do you believe that using acetone affected the Duracoat? I also did not use spray can Duracoat, I used the standard two part product. I agree that Durcoat does a great job at bridging the gap between convenience of application and wear. Usually, I find that coating a firearm too many times tends to soften edges and features to the point that it bothers my eye. For the working rifle though that should not be an issue!
Also you can bake duracoat to cure it faster There are instructions to do so. Acetone is recommended to de-grease before using duracoat however, you want to make sure the part is dry of acetone before painting the thinner used with duracoat is Acetone so if you had acetone left on the part before spraying you will thin that area. If you mess up a spray with duracoat and need to get the duracoat off you use acetone to clean it off it will pretty much dissolve the duracoat if it hasn't cured yet. I bought a bunch of duracoat when it first came out and there expensive thinner that came with there kits was just re-bottled acetone, if you looked at the active ingredients. So don't buy there thinner just buy acetone.
Another nice thing about duracoat that may not be true with other products is it works on pretty much any surface, you can use it on wood and plastic etc as well as metal parts. I used there high gloss clear to do a pair of custom walnut pistol grips that I made and it turned out fantastic and gave it a durable finish compared to what standard wood finishes would have done.
also, cerakote does not need to be removed to recoat, just scuff, degrease shoot. It is also MUCH thinner of an application and MUCH stronger. Fanboying duracoat is just because you've never tried Cerakote
It’s also the same stuff that your mee-maw’s dishes are finished in...🤣
Why make the background music so loud?
Did u do 750g ok cerakote ?
How is gunkote easier to apply than cera?
Nice review.
Would highly appreciate if you can review & compare the Aerovoe camo series to Gun-Kote and Aluma-Hyde II please..
Did you let the Duracoat cure for 30 days?
Try rustolem paint for painting outdoor grills. I painted an old 12ga Winchester 30 years ago and never had an issue.
I wonder what would happen with 2K rattle can paint.
Great video man. I enjoyed it.
I make only 180$ a month and I can afford cerakote.
Cerakote=$50 shipped for a little 4 oz bottle,lol
Pretty much everyone who goes the Cerakote way buys direct by the gallon. About $350, so you are looking at $11 for that 4oz bottle. Still crazy expensive, but cerekote is when you have to pull out all the stops.
Great information. Thank you.
What a great test! Thank you!
Can you do a new video using dupli color and vht engine paint caliper paint
The music is way too loud...can't understand what you're saying
dude, great video!
I’m not gonna rub chemicals on my rifle.
sry i dont speak good english , i dont know if cerakote is good or not help me plz
Cerakote,enough said
What is the vepr AK coating it's horrible
Son of a Gun paint
Excellent video!
thats the problem with gun kote, the mirror like finish....
Nice, sweet, and to the point. Thank you
Nicely done.
Thank you! I dig your channel.
Hey thanks this was good video! Informative indeed
LOLOLOLOLOL cerakote installed with nothing but green scotch brite pads, 1 can brake kleen, 1gallon simple green, a $15 hvlp gun, a coat hanger and my standard electric oven. Full disassembly on mini 14 and Archangel sparta stock, all hung in the oven just fine. there is literally 0 reason to use gun-kote when the same process is required that cerakote needs at double the effect.
It's comical you make Cerakote out to be some holy grail and on a mountain high pedestal. The stuff is shit, so is Duracoat as they both are a 2-part gooey mess that adds stacking tolerances to parts. They easily chip, scratch, peel and gum up close fitting tight tolerance parts.
Next Brownells isn't "Gun Kote".....it's actually made by KG Industries and the 2300/2400 series was developed for and is used by the United States Navy SEALs!
Its comical you act as if you know about Cera-Kote when you're just about as ignorant as can be.
First, it applies very thin, much thinner than the other products tested here.
Second, it is by far the most durable of the products tested here. In fact, its probably the most durable coating in existence, not counting metal plating.
Finally, just because you're not smart enough to do Cera-Kote doesn't mean that most people with the normal number of chromosomes can't pull it off.
Brownell's Gun-Kote is good stuff, but its not nearly s good as Cera-Kote. There's a reason why it has become the industry standard.
I won't even address your ridiculous Navy SEALs claim kiddo.
@@joshrandall3632
It's comical you think you know what you are talking about. The Colt USMC M45A1 CQBP whole program was cancelled due to faulty Cerakote. FBI HRT SWAT had a bunch of FNH SPR A3G sniper rifles ruined when Cerakote got sprayed into the locking lugs of the bolts. Cerakote doesn't go on thin....it is a thick 2-part gooey mess that isn't all that durable.
FYI It's not "Brownells Gunkote" anyway. The stuff I am talking about is made by KG Industries. USSOCOM and Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center use KG Gunkote 2400. It can be seen on virtually all Special Operations weapons that are painted camo.
Cerakote is civilian garbage not much better than Duracoat...yet another thick, gooey 2 part mess finish that isn't very durable at all.
@@joshrandall3632
And don't call me kiddo cockbag!!
Safe to say I am well over middle age and much more knowledgeable than yourself.
@@JohnDoeEagle1 So you're telling me a bunch of lowest bidder, gov't contracts had poorly applied CK? Shocking, but it doesn't make the rest of what you said any more true. You're still showing your ignorance and what appears to be contempt for facts with every word you post. Cera-Kote is still the toughest, most durable gun coating available. Definitely not a DIY item for kids like yourself though.
@@joshrandall3632
You're showing you are just a blowhard that doesn't know what you are talking about. Does Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center and USSOCOM mean anything to to you? It should....makes your Taurus and Hi-Point look like a piece of shit!
John
U.S. Navy Ret.
great vid thanks man
While you did a good test per say here, you have done a few things wrong. First Gun Kote is not an epoxy finish, and epoxy finish would be a 2 part product and have a "pot life" which is similar to Cerakote, gunkote has no pot life and the remaining that isn't used can be poured back into the container. Gunkote is a one part thin film technology. Also on Cerakote, you failed to show a 750-gram weight on the part scratching it which doesn't offer a fair comparison to other products. What did you spray the finish on with specifically, prevail sprayer, harbor freight spray gun, iwata lph80?
To be honest and objective you need to do them like for like and not skip over specific aspects more so the weights used to scratch. a 900 gram wait i'm not surprised it failed. How did cerakote do on a 750 gram weight?
As a professional applicator, the details are important. While you did outline the top 3 players in the market for firearms coatings as well as rattle can stuff your tests didn't seem to be objective as you skipped key details.
Did you follow specific manufacturer's specifications for prep? Duracoat, cerakote, and Gunkote all have different prep methods that are recommended. Gunkote is 120 grit whereas cerakote is optimal at 100 grit, i've never used duaracoat but by it's thickness i would guess 80-100 grit would be optimal. Using incorrect media on the substrate WILL yield in a failure of the coating due to a poor anchor profile on the substrate.
Hey Rob, I think you made some good points. You don't see me testing the test the 750 gram weight because I simply forgot to hit record. I figured since that Ipan over the pieces all at the end people could see the results, but it is a very valid point. I Also made this video for people who may not know exactly which product to choose or even the difference.
You clearly know what you are talking about and this video was made for the less informed.I also didn't want to lose anybody's attention adding all the steps and manufactures directions. All the paints were prepared according to the the manufactures directions.
One last point, I pulled this off of Brownells site, "Brownells GUN-KOTE is a durable, second-generation epoxy, thermo-set resin finish that will not break down, peel or dissolve." I, like you, thought all epoxy's were two part, but I guess not...
Thanks for the feedback. I will use it to try and make these videos more stout.
I'm a KG gunkote applicator who used to use Cerakote and occasionally Duracoat. Brownells Gunkote is the same thing as KG gunkote just branded for Brownells.
I saw that you were using Black AO for your media, i honestly haven't seen any fine grit AO that's black, all the product I see is brown (virgin). Was that harbor freight media or perhaps black magic (or whatever they call it) from TP tools? I know quite a few applicators who were using both of those products and had marginal results with KG because they were simply cutting too deep when blasting. Thier is an artform to creating the correct anchor profile for coatings. many factors are important such as air pressure, media selection, distance from the nozzle to part, even down to the angle in which you are blasting the part at.
I went to the brownells website and you are correct they advertise it as a " second-generation epoxy", I wouldn't call KG an epoxy. I will bring this to Joe's attention (the owner of KG Industries, and also a friend of mine).
Honestly, I'm loyal to a degree to KG as I'm a sole KG applicator now, but Cerakote and Duracoat have merits. While I won't use them in my business I realize they have value, Cerakote sure has one heck of a marketing machine behind their name and truly brought coatings very mainstream. If cerakote has a product that I can't do with KG i will order it.
One thing that's very noteworthy in regards to testing products is that in order to truly do a side by side comparison of each product the thickness of each product should be to recommended thickness. Cerakote needs traditionally 2-3 times thicker application than KG Gunkote (Brownells Gun-Kote). When using the specific thickness of the product you will surely find that Cerakote is a very durable product, but that durability comes at a price. The price you pay with a properly applied product to the optimal thickness is fitment of parts. If you apply Cerakote optimally you will have a tough time getting parts back together which is why they offer plugs and such for guns. When using plugs you can get buildup on the edges of where the plugs were more importantly, what's protecting the holes you plugged? If cerakote hasn't been applied to the proper thickness your parts will fit together with relative ease. I've had guns come into the shop that was done with Cerakote, the contact parts had worn or chipped off quickly because the application on those contact points needed to be thin in order for it to go back together and operate, where the area's that wasn't contacting another surface was in pretty good shape.
Really at the end of the day CK, DC, and KG all make solid products that will wear over time. Some just wear better than others.
Take a look at the offering from KG direclty, they have lots of colors on the website plus a SLEW of colors that aren't on the website yet. We call them "the secret blends".
www.kgcoatings.com/
Paint Werkz, thanks for the comment! You know, that AO is pretty old, I don't remember where I got it... I am sure it's not grade A stuff at all. I didn't get it from HF, but it may be the same stuff... I think it is somewhere between 100-120G. As I mentioned to Rob above, this video is more for the newer people who are coming in blind to the whole spraying on finishes.
According to Cerakote's literature it should be applied, "When spraying, strive for even coverage. You are seeking a to .5 to 1.0 mil coating (0.0005” to 0.001”)." And from KG's Literature, "A coating of .0004 is best on close tolerance parts." It goes on to say, "AT LEAST TWO COATS AND PREFERABLY THREE ON HEAVILY USED PARTS." Now, I am not saying you are wrong. I am just curious if your experience is that one coat is about .0004 or would you say that is the typical final thickness?
Was any of these tests final and perfect? No way, far from it. I do believe that it answers some important questions people may have.
I am also vary curios to hear what Josh has to say about it being an epoxy... Would you mind posting a comment back so everyone can see the correct info? If it is not an epoxy I will annotate the change.
Thanks for the advice and knowledge!
Oh I'm not disagreeing with you in any fashion, your test was valuable insight for average consumers by all accounts comparing the products as best as possible in a semi-controlled environment. I'm only commenting here to provide further information based on your testing.
Even coverage is critical to everything no matter what product.
With KG it depends on the series of product you use, if it's the normal 2400 series (as brownells stuff is) it needs to be a tad thicker where as the newer nano series goes out about half as thick and covers really good. Lessons learned on my end is that multiple light passes with KG work best for truly even coverage. As far as the thickness of a single coat, we'll it depends on how you spray it. If you are like me it's multiple thin passes that over time build up and cover the part. Trying to do a single coat coating with KG will result in possibly the paint running because it was laid down too thick too fast. Been there, done that, lessons learned.
My personal experiences with all the products is that when Cerakote and or Duracoat is applied properly it just looks like paint laid down on a product because it's a bit thicker, when KG is laid down (most colors) it really doesn't look like "paint has been applied" because it's so thin. I'm referring to "most colors" as the common ones that are used, FDE, OD Green, Magpul Grey etc. Some of the other colors such as Gem Blue (think tiffany & co), pink and a few others end up being laid down a bit thicker as they require a base coat to use that color properly and the color takes a bit more to put down for truly even coverage. Once i obtain solid even coverage on a part I always make one more light pass across the part with KG to give it a bit more extra thickness.
One thing that is unique about KG that isn't published. Let's say you sprayed a part and you found a spot you ended up spraying too light, simply hit it again with the color and bake it again. With cerakote and Duracoat you will need to strip the finish off and start over.
I'm waiting on a response from Joe in regards to this, while I pretty much know the answer I will leave it alone until I have a firm answer from him.
Paint Werkz Cerakote sprays at 1 to 1.5 mil. GunKote must be pretty thin to be 2 to 3 times thinner.
Nice video!
*PLUGGING EARS* COULD YOU TURN DOWN THE MUSIC???
Great video.
Nice vid!
Thanks Snake doc! I dig your channel!
Tanner foust???
How long did you let the duracoat cure before testing?
3 weeks.
Man with baby voice trying to speak over background music/noise whats wrong with that pic? So many doing it, Utube must require it.
I just use my mom's nail polish
LOLOL spray paint all the way! at $6-8 a can you can always repaint. I am not entering my guns into a beauty pageant!!!!
Thank you
Good job
thank you
Thanks for watching!
if you throw a motorcycle chain in acetone for 3 days the solvent will still be clear as new. acetone does not cut oil. use another product when you want an oil free surface..
Hey Jack, I was comparing the paints per the instructions of each manufacturer. Cerakote recommends 3 different degreasers, one of which is acetone. I agree that acetone doesn't cut the heavy stuff well, but it seems do well with light oil. I usually prefer non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner. Thanks for the comment!
Awesome Video
pigs eat salad lol
good video
Thank you!
use actual kg gunkote not the brownells stuff
Z