Can you hydro dip a gun barrel

Duracoat is now available in a spray can. Cerekote is bake on or non bake version. Joined Feb 15, Messages Duracote has a bake on and a non back on. Cerakote if forever. Hydro will show wear. Bmcox86 Senior Member. I had my over under barrels cerakoted 3 years ago and it saved my gun, I had it for 15 years before that and beat the crap out of it and now it looks new.

Need to have it done to a Benelli barrel soon Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk. KJH Senior Member. Joined May 10, Messages I've had many guns and parts of cerakoted, hydro dipped Water transfer printed , and black ice coated. You can do stocks and metal. This will truly protect the metal and give it a "cool" look if that is what you're going for I like the combination of all the meatl cerakoted and the stocks and accessories dipped into a matching pattern.

I like cerakote for the combination of decoration and function. Its good stuff if you have someone who knows what they are doing apply it. I'd never even attempt the DIY on this because it takes a lot of prep to do it right. A good cerakote job is more like art than anything else. Dipping aka water transfer printing the metal isn't a permanent protectant.

It does a good job covering scars and making it look cool, but isn't the same as baking on the finish. Diping to me is almost all about decoration and not function Even with a great clear coat it will wear off at points if you use it over time. If its a cool piece that is to decorate your safe, then this is great stuff. One alternative that is similiar to cerakote, but is more durable and provides a permanent solution is to use Black Ice coating it has a industy name of polytetrafluoroethylene.

It has teflon like function to it. It and is baked on at a much higher temp. Once you do this to all the metal, you will never need any lubricant again. Cleaning won't require solvents. Actions are smooth and slick. It doesn't really wear down. Black Ice Coating I have had all the metal parts on several guns done with black ice coating. I have my most used and abused guns done in blace ice coating. Rust can never happen, and cleanings become almost unnecessary if you completely disassemble and have every last peice of metal done.

This is my favorite option by far for function, but is less impressive than cerakote when it comes to decoration. In my experience and abuse, it can't chip, flake off, peel, etc. The downside is the colors are very limited in comparison to cerakote.

Its comparable to cerakote and dipping in price. None of these will add any measurable weight to a rifle. Its like the siding on color on your house They also have a different budget. Vinyl siding with a permanant color works for some, but wood siding with paint works better for others.

Use clamps, or whatever you can devise to make sure you can control the piece as it passes through the dip. Items like the stock will try to float and unless you have them stabilized you will fight to get them through and under the material in the tank. Pick an undercoat paint that will blend in behind the hydro camouflage you have selected. I used a Krylon brand that worked very well as they had a khaki color that I thought would work well.

After painting each piece you need to measure the material and create each piece that will be used. Surround each cutout with masking tape. This keeps the material from curling and also keeps the water from getting onto the material before you dip. To dip, you need a tank of water. A utility sink works well or a big plastic tub. Make sure it is deep enough to allow each item to pass through the material and under it after dipping.

The water must be near 90 degrees to work well. Eighty to ninety is good, but 90 is a good mark to hold. Each piece has a correct side to dip so a simple test before placing it in the water is wet your thumb and forefinger and grab a corner of the material. The side that sticks to your finger will go face down in the water. So take your first piece of material and item to dip plus a timer and your activator to the tank.

You will lay the material carefully onto the water making sure to not get any water on top of the material. Once on the water set your timer for 60 seconds. The material will start to crinkle and eventually flatten out. You can use your dry finger to gently push bubbles out from under the material. Take caution that no air is trapped between the water surface and the film. Placing the film on the water allows it seconds to absorb water.

Films are usually temperature-sensitive, hence the need to keep the water at the right temperature. In case there are sections on the barrel you want to mask off, you can use any kind of painting tape.

Taping will aid you in getting clean lines. With the spray gun approximately inches from the water surface, spray the activator in an overlapping manner.

The amount of activator deposited depends on the speed of spraying. Wait for three to five seconds after spraying the activator. Dip the shotgun barrel through the surface at a degree angle. Remove any residual film on the shotgun barrel.

You can use a light spray, shower or tap water. If you decide to use tap water, ensure that the water pressure is not too much. The tap water pressure can compromise your print in some cases.

You can choose to dry the shotgun barrel by either convection heating or air dry. Make sure after the barrel is rinse off that the water is removed as soon as possible to help prevent any rusting on the inside of the barrel. We recommend applying clear coat on all hydrographically decorated items. Application of clear coat will seal in the inks and allow for a smooth, custom barrel. Ensure that the barrel is dry before applying the clear coat.

You can apply matte, semi-gloss, or high-gloss clear top coating. If you need a finer finish on the shotgun barrel, you may opt to apply multiple coats as needed.