# Question about he finish on an AR-15



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

What is the finish on an AR? The flat black stuff. what is it called and how is it done?
Can it be applied DIY?


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## Mosinator762x54r (Nov 4, 2015)

I think it is anodizing or parkerizing and I am not sure that DIY is possible or desirable. Check youtube.

I DIY'd heat treat cerakote and it was a whole process and that is basically just a baked on ceramic paint coat.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Park for steel
Anodize for aluminum

My DIY flat black is usually Krylon


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

+1 to Cerakote or Duracoat for DIY refinishing.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

Would power coating hold on aluminum? That anodizing looks difficult and a mess.


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## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

AquaHull said:


> Park for steel
> Anodize for aluminum
> 
> My DIY flat black is usually Krylon


My DIY is also usually Krylon. Actually I use Rustoleum and they have some cammo options.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Typically the Aluminum parts are anodized and the steel parts are phosphate (Parkerized) finished.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

I like Kauboy's idea; you can do a lot with the new paint-on finishes. If you are starting with bare metal you might as well go with a camo scheme or something badadd. If you blue it then the finish will by its very nature, try to resist the paintjob you try to put on later. Paint the bare metal (after degreasing and priming of course.) Make that camo scheme badass!


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

And do it classy, so all the acrutrements, scopes, and gizmos have matching paint, and the base paint continues under the plastic hand guards. Do it custom.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

budgetprepp-n said:


> Would power coating hold on aluminum? That anodizing looks difficult and a mess.


I don't have it on my bike, but many folks have things such as the fork lowers powder coated. Have someone who knows what their doing do it. Had a local start-up do some tables at work. I could have done better with a rattle can. jmho.


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## Mosinator762x54r (Nov 4, 2015)

Powder coating is also an electronic process. Tedious prep, tedious application, tedious heat treat, tedious clean up.

When I cerakoted I took the anodized upper, lower, and forearm down to bare aluminum using a 120 grit aluminum oxide (it was messy and took forever). The Alum-ox put the right amount of rough on the parts to meet the manufacturers specs for the cerakote. End of the day I probably could have gone with duracoat, but wanted the cerakote because I was sold on the "lubricity" (and it is slick and it is easy to clean, but that shit chips because it's so brittle).

Moral of the story is, no matter what you do its going to involve set up, application, and clean up. Depending on how often you want to do it and what you look you are going after and how much time you have on your hands is what determines what you are going to do. I probably could have paid someone to do the cerakote on my rig but I wanted to do it for myself. May never do it again, but at least I can say I did it once.



budgetprepp-n said:


> Would power coating hold on aluminum? That anodizing looks difficult and a mess.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

Started out as a fifty dollar mauser.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Powdercoating will come off of aluminum in chunks. Most people have great luck with cerkote. When I retire from LE I may give my M4 a new paint job. I'm bored with black. Maybe a punisher and skull theme,.....No, wait, that would be idiotic. Maybe an ACU or multicam.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

Yep, prep the metal well, buy an airbrush, and do it up right. 

PS: That rifle I posted the pic of? It blends into the background so well that I have tripped over it twice in the wilderness, and walked away from it once. Damned thing looks like a tree when you set it down on the bipod. But with that 30" barrel it's got great ballistics, even with old ammo.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

csi-tech said:


> Powdercoating will come off of aluminum in chunks. Most people have great luck with cerkote. When I retire from LE I may give my M4 a new paint job. I'm bored with black. Maybe a punisher and skull theme,.....No, wait, that would be idiotic. Maybe an ACU or multicam.


CSI....idiotic? naww, all of my prized possessions are stock except this girl in skull and black combo, just to keep me from getting confused about her intended role. This 12 gauge sleeps with me and my wife. Click the pic for a close-up.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> CSI....idiotic? naww, all of me prized possessions are stock except this girl in skull and black combo, just to keep me from getting confused about her intended role. This 12 gauge sleeps with me and my wife. Click the pic for a close-up.
> 
> View attachment 13774
> 
> ...


You did that yourself?


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Of course not, knew I would screw it up after doing some research on duracoat and cerakote projects. It actually was a Weatherby limited offering some time back that caught my eye several times. I eventually folded.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

Purty!


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