1st Cerakote project

I bought a "stock-as-a-rock," black KelTec PMR30 and I really like the pistol. Thought I'd try to Cerakote it and, for my first (and possibly last!) Cerakote job, I thought it came out pretty well.

Here's what it looked like stock:



And here it is after the job:




Any of you worked with this stuff before? For me the biggest problem was the strip down to the bare essentials, since I'm not a gunsmith or anything close to being a gunsmith. But I got it all back together and it shoots in the direction I aim it, so I'm pretty pleased. Probably won't be doing any more any time soon!!

Looks pretty dang good. Why is this last job? Is it hard or just time consuming?

Thanks, KRoyal; I appreciate the kind words. Since I'm not a gunsmith, I was living in terror the whole time I was taking the pistol apart and putting it back together! The actual mixing and spraying of the material wasn't hard nor time consuming, but the anxiety about being able to re-assemble the pistol, and the fear that the coating would somehow effect the performance of the gun once I got it all put back together made it kinda of a high stress job! Being an old retired guy, I make every attempt to avoid high stress undertakings!!

Did you just use your home oven.


Came out great

Yes, East, I used the home oven, lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and assured my wife that it would not smell up the house! It all worked out.

great job, you are brave!! I would end up with a couple extra parts left for sure

Wow, great job!

I wish KelTec made more of those pistols. They are so difficult to find.

Thanks, Buzzsaw! I'm not so much brave as I am curious and ignorant. I spent hours reviewing every YouTube out there on the web about How To Cerakote; then spent more hours taking the pistol apart (beyond the recommended field stripping level) and reassembling it; then got the parts layout from the KelTec user's manual and had it blown up large enough that it was full size and I could lay each part on the diagram as I took it apart the last time before the Kote went on. No telling how many "prep hours" I have invested in the project. Once started, it went very quickly and the Kote went on smoothly. It was more like I had to get over the fact that I brought no gunsmithing skills to the party and did not have an answer to the questions: suppose you can't put the darned thing back together; or suppose you do and you have 3 parts left over; or suppose you do and find out that it won't cycle reliably any more??

Someone asked what Cerakote colors I used on the project. I selected "Desert Sand" for the grip group, and "Patriot Brown" for the barrel group They offer a huge selection of colors, so if you decide to try it or have it done by a professional (recommended!), he or she can show you a bunch of really nice colors/combinations.

awesome diy job

I took the new Cerakote job out for a spin today, and ran through 2 magazines of 30 rounds each without any FTF's or FTE's, so I'm pretty sure that my C-Kote didn't gum up the works. Makes me feel a lot better; maybe even to the point that I'll try another!

Nice work! If you want some more practice I'll supply the paint to get my 7mm-08 barreled action Cerakoted

What was your total cost in the project and when baking does it put off any harmful fumes or is it recommended to be vented away?

Thanks it looks great!

GoneToTexas, I wouldn't dare 'Kote someone else's firearm! Maybe after I do a dozen or more of my own I'd try doing the coating for someone else, but you really don't want an untrained, rank beginner like me painting your rifle parts!

Sounds to me like you'd do fine, Mike. You oughta give yourself more credit!

Nice work

Pig_Popper, I spent $100 on the Cerakote finishes; I already had an air compressor and an air brush, so I didn't need to buy any hardware. No harmful fumes that I'm aware of, but it's like any kind of aerosol painting: do it outside, or inside with a good ventilation, and wear an air mask, either a full face one, or one of the little, disposable ones that just cover your mouth and nose. For the pistol project, I probably spent a total of 5 minutes putting vapors into the air.

http://ads.midwayusa.com/product/3522115...-_-cerakote+kit

You may want to check out these folks, Gone to Texas: http://texascustomguns.net/ And there are Certified Cerakote Applicators in many of the larger cities.

I think you'd do fine! Thanks for the link!

This.

How does one apply cerakote and cook onto anything but metal? Do you cook that on the polymer parts at a lower temp?

FJG, I cooked mine at 170 degrees for 2 hours. I did research on the web to come up with this approach. I read that polymer parts/pieces can handle up to 250 degrees, but I didn't want to take the chance. Then I saw a recommendation to go with 150-180 degrees, so I kind of split the difference. I urge anyone who wants to try this to do a lot of research ahead of time! I was working with my pistol in my home and it worked out fine for me, but I'd hate for anyone to do what I did and find themselves with warped parts and pieces! Kinda like posting reloading recipes in public forums: YMMV, so be very careful!! Make haste with caution. . .

Very good. Thank you, sir.