Cerakote: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger?

jonba & Mr Cerakote

What would happen if Cerakote was applied on blasted then zinc phosphated steel? Any benefits or would it just look worse for no benefit? I'm interested as I try to get things phosphate dipped prior to powder or paint as it gives some internal tube protection and cleans out any residual brazing flux.

Regarding the advertorial comments that have been floating around. It is appreciated how much time and patience you have put into answering questions, and it is right that you get some benefit for that. People are just remembering that STW has historically been much less tolerant of free advertising on the forum (and it is a recent feature of the website where a front page piece then automatically becomes a forum discussion topic - you wouldn't have generated 100 responses to a front page article prior to that change).

Apologies if a single mention of another supplier is derailing things, and in fairness they have previously contributed foc to a forum project:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/happy-christmas-stw-story

Another advert?

Seems more like a useful exchange of relevant info to me.

@mick_r @bedmaker

I haven’t bothered replying sorry, I’ll leave any comments now. If people want to discuss it they can contact me or any other company that do cerakote. The only thing I would say is non certified companies may do a great job or may not!

WE DO A GREAT JOB WITH A GUARANTEE! If I’m not happy its 100% perfect it doesn’t leave the workshop and we do it again!

People will always find negatives and they bore me! Thanks for the great and positive comments, I personally have no time for negativity if I did I would watch the news.

We are Cerakote up north and we do a great job if you want a great job doing!

Heh, just noticed you do a GSXR SRAD top yoke with an SV650 logo as an option, there's someone that knows what people want!

@mick_r

Thanks Mick, We have coated parts that have the internal and external zinc phosphated steel the Cerakote process will remove the external coating but has incredible corrosion properties itself so you would end up with internally and externally protected steel.

If i had not contacted Singletrack (the only magazine I have continually bought for years) and told them about the Cerakote process then this would not be something anyone would be talking abut now. I think it is a positive thing for people to learn about new ideas that benefit their hobby.

I have mentioned my business minimal times, I am a cyclist myself and thought this process that I do would interest other people, no one is becoming rich off a single forum post.

Without me answering questions the forum post would just stop and no one would learn anything about the process. I am here to advocate Cerakote as a good coating for our hobby, believe me I have not been inundated by work from it but I have enjoyed answering the questions and making sure people understand what it can and cant do! Keeping forums buzzing is what keeps people talking and keeps companies innovating new parts and processes, it is all positive for the industry and the growth of the hobby. You seem to understand that alot better than some. So your comments are appreciated.

Now Im off to buy a few MTB parts to coat, stick on my bike and further test them on some trails, its all in the spirit of innovation, education, research and development. Lol!!!

@northwind

Yes they are a popular part that is for sure. I wont mention my other little business of making them though on here. Lol!!

@cerakote_up_north.
Did you ever find out about coating a steel frame?

Also interested if Cerakote can clearcoat steel? Specifically in my case whether it could protect a polished rather than raw finish....?

I have some Profile cranks I'd be interested in doing.

@finbar @singlespeedstu

Hi,
We have a coating that can clear coat polished aluminium without it allowing water ingress and protecting it from oxidisation and chemicals but i will ask Cerakote technical the question about if it can coat a polished steel frame. I am wondering if bare steel in the UK climate might be a bridge too far but i will find out for you. Cheers Matt

Thank you

Cheers.

What's gap filling like? I've got a doubler on the downtube on my steel frame where the shock mount is attached and following good practice, it's only welded on the down sides of the tube leaving the across open. Frustratingly last time it was powder coated the paint didn't flow into the gap between the doubler and tube and a bit of moisture has got in and it's rusted slightly. I'm not overly bothered structurally but it's annoying cosmetically. Will your Ceracote process cover this and stop it rusting/bleeding out?

Cheers

From what I can see H series goes straight onto polished firearms parts so should work.

What about marine applications? The dinghy class I race has had the same section of alloy extrusion for a boom for |30 years; new ones are over 500 squid, and old sections are just fine but cosmetically tatty as the anodising weathers pretty badly. Cerakote might make sense to refurb these booms so they last a bit longer and look a lot nicer. Is that something you could do? Sections are fairly tiny (maybe 100mm x 100mm extrusions), but they're about 2.5m long.

@speeder

Cerakote is ultra thin only 25-40microns it has zero gap filling properties. Although if the frame was stripped and then bead blasted and cerakoted the cerakote would get into the gap and protect everything it touches.

@bentudder

It would work perfectly in marine applications as it’s corrosion and salt resistance properties out last other surface coatings by literally a couple of thousand hours in a salt chamber, see this test on stainless steel against cerakoted stainless steel the standard uncoated steel showed corrosion starting in 24 hours (that’s how aggressive the salt chamber is) but cerakoted stainless steel lasted over 2000 hours.

The issue we have is that the machine to prepare the part has a maximum size of 1.4m x 750mm x 750mm but we could possibly use a local company that have a bead blast room to do longer or larger sections.

@squirrelking

Cerakote is applied to media blasted parts using a fine 100grit aluminium oxide media.

H series needs this to key to the surface. For polished aluminium you use cerakote MC5100 clearcoat which is designed to coat polished alloy