How does Cerakote age (engine application)

[R-mm]

I'm looking at Cerakote for the fan on an aircooled Porsche. I was curious to hear from my shop who does both Cera and powder that Cerakote marks fairly easily and needs to be buffed (can't recall their exact words) to keep looking great. They were clear none of this effects its durability but it sounded more upkeep intensive that I had imagined it to be. The reason I am considering it over powder is its low thickness for a tight tolerence (fan to housing). And because I am curious.

I have pretty much zero experience with the coating, can anyone describe to me how it performs over time? The fan is obviously a fast moving object, subject to abrasions etc from dust/grit in the atmosphere being sucked through it at great speed.

 

[MFolks]

Why not contact a gun maker that uses many coatings on their products? www.wilsoncombat.com

 

[R-mm]

Cause Im looking for real world plain english honest experience. Which is usually in short supply when you ask someone who makes money selling stuff that depends on a process.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

No experience with Cerakote on engine parts, but I lease a building to a guy that coats both firearms and motorcycle parts with it.

In my experience with Cerakote on firearms is it's a pretty "dry" or "low sheen" finish that is kinda abrasive like you'd expect out of a ceramic finish. Therefore, it tends to show dirt/grease/etc more than a high sheen product. An example is if you run your fingernail over powdercoat it probably won't leave a mark; if you run your fingernail over Cerakote it will leave a mark (that will easily wipe away). Keep in mind, the level of sheen varies depending on how it's mixed. I have found it to be really durable on my firearms.

I second the idea of visiting a coater and checking out Cerakote in person. You will likely be able to see what I'm talking about in the sheen variations when comparing their color swabs to items that they've coated. I'd have no reservations with using it on a Porsche fan, but I'm not a polishing or detailing kind of guy. My air cooled VW stuff gets a cheap powdercoat job and then gets beat on in the desert and put away covered in it's own oil.

 

[harley jim]

Cause Im looking for real world plain english honest experience. Which is usually in short supply when you ask someone who makes money selling stuff that depends on a process.

PM me

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[Kevin54]

Isn't Cerakote the same thing for the ceramic coating that goes on headers that makes them semi-polished? Tough as nails.

 

[harley jim]

Ceracote is typically applied to guns and is good 500 to 600 degrees, ceramic is typically applied to headers or things that get hot, it also helps with flow inside headers it is good to 2000 degrees. Powder coat is applied at around 400 degrees so it needs to stay kind of cool it will remelt at 400. Ceracote would be a good option for engine components like brackets, pullys, fan blades, ect..

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[CudaChick1968]

NICIndustries.com is the maker of Cerakote. There are MANY different types of this ceramic finish with different properties ranging from high temp (800 degrees plus) applications to no/low heat for weapons, polished metals, PVD, etc. Some require baking and others dry or cure in the open air.

It is marketed as The World's Strongest Clear Coat ... and they aren't kidding!

I use the MC-160 on everything I polish and buff now, replacing the former clear powder I used to use on that stuff.

Check out the products under the Cerakote menu tab, read the testimonials and judge for yourself.

https://www.nicindustries.com/

Moreover, if you have a compressor and an HVLP gun with a .08 mm tip, you can do a lot of these coatings yourself! There is no mixing, clean up is done with paint thinner, and you can even pour the leftovers back in the bottle. A little goes a LONG way too -- my Trial Size bottle has lasted literally for years.

Getting to your question about durability, rest easy. I've TRIED to mar it, scratch it and scrape it and never saw any evidence of damage. Not a single customer has ever voiced a concern or come back later with some horror story (except for one guy whose body shop failed to mask his valve covers while spraying a fender so they got to pay my bill to redo them).

As timing would have it, I'll be spraying some later today on another set of these HP273 Mopar Commando valve cover aluminum fins when my final buffing is done.

You will not be disappointed.

Give me a call if you have other questions or need some help walking you through it!

 

[Ms6peters]

Recently had Cerakote (oven-cured version) applied to an air-cooled V4 fan, after some weak results from a vendor of the cad-plated look-alike (zinc dichromate). The surface is harder than powder coat & should do fine on a fan.