Got a barreled action with light to moderate pitting that I would like to Cerakote with the oven dry finish resembling a satin rust blue.
Is there a treatment to fill the pits that will withstand the temps involved in the curing process?
Also,would the midnight blue color be fairly close to satin rust blue or is another shade a better match?
Thank You!

Midnight blue is probably the closest thing to the look of bluing in the Cerakote line, unless things have changed. Have your applicator add a little extra hardener to the mix for a little more shine. Eddie F. or Karl Campfield would be the ones to ask about hiding pits. I know when I've done body work, I've used spot putty, but I don't know what they do when cerakoting something...

As to filling pits, I would not use spot putty. Might not hold up the baking step. Duracoat makes a pit filling material called Durafil. Don't know if it would hold up either. Why not take a hint from Duracoat, spray a heavy coat of Cerakoat on the pitted area, bake, then sand down to leave the pits full, like filling the grain on wood.

I'm definitely not suggesting spot putty either...

I had one with some heavy pitting on the exterior and I had it powdercoated with a heavy texture. Powder coating is extremely durable.

I have used DuraCoat and do have some DuraFill that I might try.The suggestion of a heavy coat of Cerakote and sanding it might be worth a try, too.
Brownells catalog states that curing for two hours at 200 degrees would be adequate.That would lessen chances of a disaster with under coating the piece.
Thanks!

The alternate cure temp for sensitive items is 150 degrees for 3 hours. I have never done it but have heard JB weld has been used successfully to fill pits. After it's sanded level you still have to blast with aluminum oxide to prep. Just blast very light over the JB Weld. Devcon steel or titanium epoxy should work well if you have any laying around.

As far a using Cerakote to fill a pit Cerakote will not really fill voids nor will it stick to itself once cured. A better fix would be to sand and file out the imperfections. That's what a hot blue job would usually include as part of the prep.