Where can you get a barrel bead blasted or colored?

[blasternank]

I have a barrel I either want to have bead blasted or colored black. If colored I want it to be a coating that will last. Where can I get this done and how much can I expect to pay?

Thanks.

[Firefox]

Check out ADCO at www.adcofirearms.com. They are a reputable company that does great work with ARs. It looks like it looks like it'll be pretty cheap for what you want done but I'll let you go ahead and take a look at everything for yourself.

[Generalpie]

If you want bead blasting a lot of local shops has cabinets. It isn't special equipment at all. Check places that do work on gas torches and regulators. I used to rebuild them and we glass bead shot all of them prior to rebuild.

For coatings you have a lot of options. Couple shooting friends seem to like dura coat for a DIY. I like rattle can camo. :D

[cop1211]

Duracoat or ceracoat it yourself, its easy.

[Eric D.]

Duracoat gets my vote as well. Specifically, Duraheat. I used it to coat the barrel under a LaRue rail. It cost me about $100 for everything minus the compressor. The coating is still 100% after ~400 rounds. For shits and giggles, I half-assed an old c-clamp and hung it from a tree in my back yard. After three plus months it has no rust on it.

[blasternank]

Duracoat gets my vote as well. Specifically, Duraheat. I used it to coat the barrel under a LaRue rail. It cost me about $100 for everything minus the compressor. The coating is still 100% after ~400 rounds. For shits and giggles, I half-assed an old c-clamp and hung it from a tree in my back yard. After three plus months it has no rust on it.

Where do you find duraheat? Is it a kit? Also, when you have to heat up the oven for duracoat or ceracote how do you not lay it on one of its sides and cause a huge flaw on one side of the barrel?

[Cesiumsponge]

I assume this is a stainless barrel? There are also coating options that are molecular, like ionbond, which is similar to titanium nitride, something most folks are familiar with, but a hundred times better.

[blasternank]

I assume this is a stainless barrel? There are also coating options that are molecular, like ionbond, which is similar to titanium nitride, something most folks are familiar with, but a hundred times better.

Where would one unfamiliar with ionbond go to find someone that does this or is it a do it yourself deal? I'm fine with either, I just don't know if there is special tools needed. Thanks for the response.

[Eric D.]

I believe LaRue does Ionbond on some of their stainless barrels, its much more involved process you can't do at home.

Duraheat: http://www.lauerweaponry.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=909

You don't need any reducer. I would recommend their degreaser, other than that, all you need is an airbrush and small compressor. Duraheat doesn't require any pre-heating or oven curing.


Where would one unfamiliar with ionbond go to find someone that does this or is it a do it yourself deal? I'm fine with either, I just don't know if there is special tools needed. Thanks for the response.

[The_War_Wagon]

Had mine cerakoted recently!

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/The_War_Wagon/New%20build/100_8301.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/The_War_Wagon/New%20build/100_8288.jpg

Shows through the black rails nicely! STS Arms out of Mapleton, OR did this one.

I also had a Kimber cerakoted a couple years back, by Amelon Coatings, LLC out of VA. I was very happy with their work as well. Im SOLD on the cerakoting process!

[blasternank]

I believe LaRue does Ionbond on some of their stainless barrels, its much more involved process you can't do at home.

Duraheat: http://www.lauerweaponry.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=909

You don't need any reducer. I would recommend their degreaser, other than that, all you need is an airbrush and small compressor. Duraheat doesn't require any pre-heating or oven curing.

Would the 2 oz be enough product for a 16" bull barrel? Or would I have to splurge for the big bottle? Thanks for the links. Can you put more than one coat on or is it a once and done thing?

[Cesiumsponge]

Where would one unfamiliar with ionbond go to find someone that does this or is it a do it yourself deal? I'm fine with either, I just don't know if there is special tools needed. Thanks for the response.

Definitely not DIY. A lot of these coatings start off as industrial tooling coatings and trickles into the consumer sector. My stainless barrel had (I believe) Ionbond by MSTN when I had my upper ordered. I'm not sure how gunsmiths communicate to the tooling houses that do these PVD and DLC coatings because I've heard stories of it flaking or failing.

I'd check with Adco or other well known gunsmiths familiar with the process because of the prepwork involved. It's only several microns thick, so you'd want to beadblast the surface to make it matte. A lot of these coatings will simply be as matte or shiny as the base material. If you're worried about the hassle, a DIY thing like cerakote should be fine. The barrel isn't a high-wear part.

I use PVD coatings on carbide tooling. You can run the tooling on heat treated stainless steels without coolant. Eventually the coating wears at the edges but it isn't going to flake off or peel. It's impressive stuff, much harder use than anything a firearm will see.

[blasternank]

Definitely not DIY. A lot of these coatings start off as industrial tooling coatings and trickles into the consumer sector. My stainless barrel had (I believe) Ionbond by MSTN when I had my upper ordered. I'm not sure how gunsmiths communicate to the tooling houses that do these PVD and DLC coatings because I've heard stories of it flaking or failing.

I'd check with Adco or other well known gunsmiths familiar with the process because of the prepwork involved. It's only several microns thick, so you'd want to beadblast the surface to make it matte. A lot of these coatings will simply be as matte or shiny as the base material. If you're worried about the hassle, a DIY thing like cerakote should be fine. The barrel isn't a high-wear part.

I use PVD coatings on carbide tooling. You can run the tooling on heat treated stainless steels without coolant. Eventually the coating wears at the edges but it isn't going to flake off or peel. It's impressive stuff, much harder use than anything a firearm will see.

So what are PVD coatings? Sorry for the ignorance, I'm not too knowledgeable about gun coatings. Thanks.

[Eric D.]

The 2 oz bottle is probably enough to do at least three barrels. You can build up several coats with 20 minutes or so in between each one but once its fully cured, the instructions say not to apply any more.


Would the 2 oz be enough product for a 16" bull barrel? Or would I have to splurge for the big bottle? Thanks for the links. Can you put more than one coat on or is it a once and done thing?