Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats What color Cerakote gives the closest look to gloss bluing?

What color Cerakote gives the closest look to gloss bluing?

SOCOM Blue is listed as a rich black with a hint of navy blue and a semi-gloss finish... But then again, I've never seen it on a gun.

Is that stuff good? Never used or even seen it. I have a stainless rifle that could use soem colour.


thx

.

@ Supercub; http://www.nicindustries.com/firearm_coatings.php

The Cerakote is Very good stuff. I will be offering it when my equipment is finished. (just to let you know) SOON, SO SOON....

The closest to gloss bluing is graphite black with twice the hardner.

Check out my website in my signature, as I offer professional cerakote finishing on metal and stocks. Turnaround time is 1 to 2 weeks.

What adverse effects come from putting "double" the hardner if any?

He just means that it is twice as hard as bluing.

Ah, ok...

He also might mean that he uses the Graphite Black solution with twice as much hardening agent to make it appear darker; hopefully he will clarify, I have a graphite black cerakoted rifle and it certainly does not look like bluing, unless you're twenty yards away.

Here's a pic:



Winchester pre-64 Model 70, graphite black cerakote, McMillan stock.

@ O45 - Thanks for the picture... I've really looked long and hard and can't seem to locate a Cerakote that looks more like bluing (to me) than the SOCOM Blue in pictures but seeing it first hand is a horse of a different color. Those that perform this work will know 1k times more than I and my simply "google" run downs...

Here's a picture I found of the SOCOM Blue and Graphite Black both together...

The slide is SOCOM blue, the frame & controls are Graphite Black...

That really looks like hot blue

pretty sure he's talkin' about adding double the hardening agent, which will add a bit more sheen to the finish.

Does it change your dimensions enough to require re-bedding?



.

not for me... I've never had a problem with it doin' it either way.

The cerakote guys told me that socom blue or midnight purple with double hardener are the closest to bluing, but again, hold 5 blued rifles next to each other from different manufacturers and you'll get 5 diff. colors. For that matter hold a pre-64 winchester next to a classic and see how close the bluing is one to the other. There are too many subtle variations to say one is better than another, really personal taste, but I think the socom blue with double hardener is probably sorta close. Also depends on the underlying finish of the gun. In order for cerakote to be applied properly it can't be done on a truly polished out gun like a nice rust blued finish. As a result, you'll likely never get the true look of bluing. To me, Socom blue is sorta close.

As silly as it might sound, I'd want it applied to stainless steel (if possible) to give my rifle a blued look.

Adding twice the hardener will sheen up graphite black and many of their other colors.

Cerakote offers nothing that is going to look like gloss bluing.

Haven't used the SOCOM blue, but it looks pretty good.

@ Eddie: Thanks for the info

-------------------------------

The one reason I'm lookin at the SOCOM Blue is the spec sheet list it as:

H-245 SOCOM BLUE
Gloss Level Semi-Gloss; 45.4 Gloss Units at 60�

Compared to
C-102 GRAPHITE BLACK
Gloss Level Matte; 1.5 Gloss Units at 60�

That and the spec sheet says the SOCOM Blue: Mandrel Bend (ASTM D522) 180� rotation with no coating loss

and the SOCOM Blue shows to fair better in the 5% Salt Spray test.

Just seems to have a lot going for it...

Maybe by adding 1.5 to 2 times the hardner to it will make it really shine??? Then again, it might be like fertilizer - too much of a good thing ends up killing everything.

Eddie's dead on. There's nothin' that's gonna look glossy, but I think the socom blue or the midnight purple with extra hardener is probably the closest you'll get.