Powder Coat vs. Cerakote | Which Is Better?

[@CameronNiemela]

Powder coat or Cerakote? What would you go with?

[@ethandavis8412]

Cameron Niemela I would probably go with powder coat in gloss because mud wouldn’t stick to the bike parts as easily making it easier to clean.

[@jacko420oioi]

Powder Coat just because there's so many colours keep up the good work

[@thijs3002]

Cameron Niemela powdercoating

[@mxrider2strokebraaap54]

I like the looks of the cerakote

[@squirtsomedirt3161]

Cameron Niemela cerakote for grippy levers. I hate wet gloves, and wet slippery levers

[@Leeummm83]

The glossier you mix Cerakote, the harder it is. For a better comparison, try a 1:12 ratio. Also, Cerakote comes in MANY vivid colors. The reason for the acetone bath before the sandblast is so you do not contaminate your sand, which would contaminate the surface. Cerakote also takes 5 days for a full cure. I understand this was a ghetto comparison, just laying down some facts.

[@sithyarael6807]

He also had a lot of dry spray with the Cerakote thus the texture. My first time using it was same dry spray. Fixed that now mine comes out great.

[@Leeummm83]

@@sithyarael6807 yes, a lot of people, especially auto body guys, tend to get the dry spray at first because they are not used to how it atomizes. You need to spray closer and heavier than you initially think.

[@sithyarael6807]

Yep. Since that first one I have done four AR's and going to do a 5th when I get the rail in.

[@GioGuitarDude]

Most people don’t know this, but you can apply multiple coats of cerakote. Spray a coat on your project then hit it with a heat gun till it looks dry then spray another coat. I have about 4 coats on the outer (not areas where tolerance is important) parts of some of my guns, and the cerakote is tough as nails there. EDIT: you still have to fully cure the piece in the oven afterwards.

[@RPista]

Updated 2 years later & cerakote now has alot of colors up to high gloss black. Tested that one, tungsten & gold & yes its awesome

[@DeerSlayerEng0812]

Finally, a "which is better" video that actually has someones opinion on which is better instead of "both are wonderful use whatever works for you!"

[@ChiTuSai]

A fuel spill resistance test would be nice, I mean, no one is gonna spil fuel over the levers, but maybe someone will powdercoat/cerakote other parts of the bike that would be at risk of begin covered by fuel

[@coreywilson3784]

There is powder coating that holds up to jet fuel I work for a place that builds lifts and jet tanks for airports and we use it on every part and there isn’t that on the cerakote

[@obfuscated3090]

Cerakote even resists rifle bore cleaner and is a firearms industry standard. It's also used on headers, turbos etc.

[@obfuscated3090]

@@coreywilson3784 Sweet! Retired jet mech here who loves powder coated motorcycle frames. What brand is it? I'll order some.

[@FUBAR956]

I think Cerakote would hold up better in a fuel spill. It was designed to resist gun cleaning solvents, including bore cleaner. Those chemicals are meant to breakdown and clean out lead, carbon, brass and other heavy metals.

[@ethandavis8412]

You should see what brake fluid does to the coatings. Brake levers are usually subjected to a few drops when adding fluid to the reservoir.

[@jaydunsmore050897]

Ethan Davis not if you use a cloth

[@CameronNiemela]

I really dropped the ball on that one. Totally forgot to test gas, acetone, brake fluid, etc on the coatings. Oh well next video haha

[@ethandavis8412]

Free content for next vid.. score lol. I did like the abrasion testing, definitely a cool idea to do the side by side tests.

[@melgross]

I thought the axe test was significant. Amazing how the powder coat held it together. ;~)

[@OhioCoastie94]

This was helpful, practical, clear, and to-the-point. Thanks for avoiding the temptation to make this into clickbait, or to stretch out the video with filler.

[@1BlackSheep]

Cerakote has tons of colors,and if your cerakote has texture you didn't spray it right you most likely got dry spray (didn't put it on heavy enough).

[@kcbryan8134]

He's a proper dude this guy. Top lad with such a good attitude and awesome content

[@STIZEN9]

I was thinking the same thing. The parents did an amazing job.

[@alantorchia6674]

Are you gay?

[@grangerousdesigns4678]

You should tape some clear plastic film on the inside of your sandblaster viewing glass window, other wise your viewing glass will begin to fade and it will be hard to see through it.

[@0351marinemike]

So, I've been looking at options for coating parts and pieces that would be durable. 1 reason I've decided to go with cerakote is that it isn't limited to metal parts. It also works on polymers and plastic. The "H series" has quite a few color options... And thanks to it being a liquid, you can mix colors to get the exact tones you want, you can also do some pretty awesome patterns with stencils and airbrush guns. Just some additional thoughts to consider.

[@matthewgregerson5038]

Turn your racks around and you won't need to tilt to get past the anti-remove feature of the oven for cooking safety reasons in the home, almost all oven racks will work this way, both of mine do. Good vid and test.

[@Rantz2040]

You should check Cerakote's website, they have tons of colors. I'm talking just about any color you want. I'm not saying you were lying but maybe just misinformed about the selection of colors. Edit- cerakote also comes in gloss and people have great success with candy coating when they mix the color with a clear coat.

[@micflynn1]

You can do Wet powder coated, you mix a special liquid with your color of powder coat and paint with a brush or use a spray gun to coat item, then bake as normal!! Search KZbin videos.

[@salvadorquezada23]

I prefer powder coating only because of the better color choices. I'm currently doing my 2001 RM 125.

[@antixproductions1234]

Salvador Quezada ayyy rm squad👌👌

[@AndrewKawyn]

Rm 125's are the shit. I just finished building mine a few months ago

[@salvadorquezada23]

Tight!! I love how light they are, and simple to work on.

[@marcusbevz6500]

Salvador Quezada after rebuilding my rm, it runs and bogs when you floor it, and when you hit rev limiter there's not that much power, I tried all kinds of rejetting settings but it still bogs, cleaned carb multiple times, could it be the powervalve?

[@AndrewKawyn]

could be the power valve adjustment or the reeds

[@apocalypseinfantry5628]

Cerakote has tons of colors, and they can be mixed to get custom colors. They can also be sprayed in layers to get patterns and other looks, like battleworn or foliage patterns. Look at what people are doing to guns with Cerakote. There are way more options than powdercoat.

[@iamcondescending]

You can get all kinds of colours with Cerakote. They even have an FX line that adds a colour shifting element to the finish. That's even ignoring that some guys have used powder coating pigment mixed with Cerakote to get some really cool results.

[@This_is_my_real_name]

Is either of these available in food-grade form? And if both, which is better (yes, I realize that "better" almost certainly varies as per specific application, i.e. type of food (raw meat, dry grains, etc.), temperature, and so forth, so I'm hoping for either a "general" type of "better" or some "this is better for these foods, and the other is better for those foods" type of suggestions). And thanks in advance for _any_ suggestions (and please, I'm only interested in food-grade applications, i.e. small kitchen appliance type things that can be built by "Dad and Son" and sold via Ebay or our own website).

[@dylnbxtr]

I have a feeling, that depending on length of curing time, this would be a different experiment. I’ve had powder coated parts in the past, that nothing could touch.

[@BusyBody69]

That's what I was thinking, the way he's doing it the paint isn't holding up much better than a good spray painting job

[@truecrimeraw4545]

yeah it has texture because the low MIL thickness of cerra cote doesnt build like the powder so you can see and feel the blast texture through the finish

[@franciscodieguez5187]

Basically, powder has a bigger variety of colors, but some areas will need masking, and Cerakote has a few colors, but does not need masking. Nice testings, really fair. Not something you see often here.

[@Rantz2040]

Zentäi 289 except Cerakote has dozens of colors just check out their website.

[@brendanredler3666]

Color chart. My guess is the 'muted' or metallic colors are just more popular because of the prevalence of cerakote in the firearms industry. www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/resources/files/Cerakote%20H%20Series%20Elite%20Color%20Chart%202017.pdf

[@CeeKayz0rz]

I always figured the acetone soak was to eat up any remaining bits of oils or waxes, and that soaking before blasting was to keep your AlOx blasting media from getting contaminated with oils or waxes...

[@Fake-moon-landing.]

I think the biggest difference is the cerakote looks factory new. Powder coat looks really good but never looks factory new. Always looks like well done DIY . I'm shocked how good that cerakote is. I'm definitely going to look into it more, great video.

[@iamcondescending]

If you want something Cerakoted professionally, but can't find an automotive place to do it for you; try looking for gunsmiths/custom firearms shops in your area. A lot of them do Cerakote these days, are really skilled artists, and will have no problem doing whatever part you want.

[@jeffc5876]

If you sandblast without removing the oils the blasting process will drive those contaminants into the part. Then you will have issues with the finished part.

[@RobertOrtiz1015]

Thanks for video... one thing to point out is that Cerakote has many different variations for the same color! The letter at the beginning and end of the code denotes the type of coat and what its good for! Like more resistant to friction are great for gun slides and high temp coats that you can use on pipes and even piston heads...

[@56Moto]

May I ask how large the capacity of your compressor is and how large is your blast cabinet? I would also like to start blasting and powder coating, but I don't really know which compressor is suitable for the job. Thank you in advance.

[@teebosaurusyou]

What about anodizing? You need a much smaller graduated cylinder or a beaker.

[@michaelrobertson5207]

My plant is powder coatingon a conveyor system at 12' per min. That is truckloads. It has it's place. Ceracoat is totally different. Cerakote prep can be longer. However I don't prep as the manual instructions. Clean by dipping in hot cleaner for either Al or steel. remove rust with a pickle dip, then Zinc phosphate. I'm rinsing in between each stage. About 5 mins in each, then ready for Cerakote. Have been known to Al oxide blast depending on the part. As an example am doing my BMW wheels that the chrome is coming off in Cerakote.They look amazing, and as durable as it gets with H series or the Elite. Powder coating would not look nearly as good. It will tend to have some orange peel,and it is is much thicker film. Cerakote is less than 1/2 a mil. Powder is on average 5 mils. Powder could never penetrate a wire type rim,and cerakote is spprayed with aHVLP gun that can be applied to any area. Gun pats in powder would result in a non functioning weapon. Cerakote is perfect for this. Ceramic coating if prepped correctly is more durable, and will appear as smooth and perfect as you are able to prep the part. Powder coating can be done at a much lower cost. Both have their place . Hope this helps. Also know your coater before giving anything to them.

[@adamshireman7530]

Michael Scott I call bullshit on most of the things you said. First off 12’ a minute? I’ve been to plenty of shop that have a conveyor system and none of the run faster then 7’ per minute. Second, the only way to achieve 5 mills without massive orange peel on powder is to do it in multiple coats. The typical thickness for powder is around 2.5 mills. Third is the thickness of cerakote which is 1 mill. That is pretty much across the board. As far as those rims you’re talking about you would either have to blast all the Crome off which would take hours per rim or grind the peeling Crome. That would drive the cost up to be astronomical for either powder or cerakote. You may work around both of these applications but you don’t know what you’re talking about!! I’ve been powdercoating for 10 plus year and cerakote for the last 5.

[@chevytruck3612]

@@adamshireman7530 I powdercoated in an industrial setting for 17 years. We ran many of our parts at 15 fpm or faster. Used Nordson booths. Black, white, bisque, gray. 5 mils was way too heavy. Manufacturers specs were much lower for GE, Whirlpool, etc.

[@superrad1659]

Why a 30min acetone bath? would an acetone wipedown w/ clean rag be sufficient here, or does the soak time really contribute to a higher quality finish?

[@nathanmescher6840]

You do such a good job at helping people out with making bikes look awesome! I like powder coating just because the color selection

[@ftball90]

That cerakote looks soo good!!!

[@deplorabledave1048]

Cerakote comes out matte unless you mix the hardener at a more concentrated ratio. A bright semi gloss I think is about the max. The max ratio is on their website.

[@mohammadd4389]

I'm working in Powder Coating Factory. So I'll go with Powder Coating but not for everything. There are different products of powder (Steel "Iron" or Aluminum). Also different if the subject will be indoor, outdoor, under water, under ground or sun etc.. With powder coating you should know what to use. For example: Oil pipe, steel for building & window frame are powder coating. Some product with 30 years warranty. For car's body & items can't heat up to 200 C (400 F) will go with liquid paint. Powder Coating is durable.

[@crash32301]

the powder coated piece does not need any more cure time it is ready for service as soon as it cools , you over cured the powder that is why it is chipping and coming off so easy try cooking at 400 degree's part temp not oven temp for 10 minutes

[@BlackHawk86580]

Actually - Cera Kote has a plethora of colors. To get a glossy Cera Kote finish; one needs to do a Cera Kote clear coat.

[@dustinmoore4336]

Instead of making threads couldnt you apply vaseline to keep it from sticking to the metal like with paint

[@Sig320]

Cerakot does have a much much more colorful choice to pick from. From yellow to pink and everything in between

[@bizmofunyuns9693]

Just a correction to your post. You said that cearakote does mostly greys and blacks and not so much blues etc. I viewed their site and they actually have a full rainbow of colors including metallics.

[@catmechanic1261]

After applying powder could you leave the clip attached until it is placed in the oven to keep any powder from falling off?

[@Daniel_Plainview]

Do you powder coat while the object is cooling down... or when it is completly cooled?

[@RobertVDN]

Just buy ARC levers made of memlon and never worry about them again. They're also unbreakable.

[@jonathancolling2284]

As aluminium doesn't rust wouldn't it be best to polish up the parts and laquer the detail and leave the rest bare so that scratches can be just polished out ? It seems that coating stuff is just setting up to fail as it's inevitable that light damage will occur and none coated parts will be more easily corrected when they start to look tired. The colour aspect is the only reason to coat stuff, but its got so many drawbacks imo

[@davidhaas2528]

The rough finish on the Cerakote was dry spray. Need to adjust your gun/spray technique to fix that, it won't be nearly as durable without proper application.

[@stoggy4839]

try gunkote. its tougher then cerakote. you need the primer for it though, so its 2 sprays but only 1 cook. Very similar prep to cerakote.

[@STIZEN9]

you gotta be the most kick back, coolest moto dude on youtube! funny as hell too. Hey about acetone soaks before or after.. I think that unless your running an oil water separator on your air compressor- you should finish the entire process of cleaning the part with a final clean acetone soak. you cannot go wrong with that. There will always be condensation and oil in your compressed air, from the compressor pump. Dont forget to always drain your compressor tank as well. That will tell you better what kind of grease is present in the air your blowing, IF your not running a water oil separator.

[@Kevinegan1]

Hanging parts in the oven must be evenly distributed. You cannot have one side of a part facing right at the heater element and the other side turned away from the element. One half of the part facing the heating element will get much hotter much faster than the rest of the part. It's a simple fix. Tear-off a sheet of aluminum foil and lay it in the oven right over the element. The foil reflects direct heat away from the part and helps to keep circulating the heat so the part heats uniformly.

[@snowcatgaming9025]

Just want to say it isn’t necessary to soak a part in acetone before blasting,I’ve been processionally powder coating for years and it just doesn’t have any benefits,also if the part is bare metal and not greasy instead of sandblasting you can just wipe it with acetone and coat it

[@philipparana9225]

Only benefit is if it has oil and you don't want to drive it into the metal. For really oily steel I usually flash heat it to 900 degrees w propane torch then blast. But yeah for most ppl not needed.

[@Renrondog]

What TYPE of Powder coat did you use? Epoxy, Polyester, Polyurethane, Fluoropolymer, TGIC, Nylon, Metalic ect. each has different wear / solvent resistance characteristics. There is not just one type of "Powder Coating".

[@Ladosligese]

i would still go Cerakote over Powder .. looks better in my book .. and easier to handle. would have been nice to see you do 2 coats of Cera vs powder

[@GoobledUrGoozle1]

Not hating or anything but cerakote specifically says not to use a plastic cup on the paint gun, because it can cause a reaction with the chemicals.

[@deplorabledave1048]

I have seen commercial powder coating to be MUCH stronger. My wheels' coating wore like iron. But Thumbs UP for a well done video!

[@charliep2205]

Interesting.. u cleaned it, blasted it, blew it off with air and then paint? How did it not have dust residue after the blast? I'm a beginner powdercoater and i use copper slag cause i get it for free from the blast guy here.

[@liamdierker9558]

Could you just use sand paper instead of the sand blaster?

[@obfuscated3090]

Acetone is great stuff. The human body produces small amounts so as solvents go it's not horrible, and it's so effective it's the standard for cleaning parts used in high pressure oxygen service! It's cheap at hardware stores so it's all win. I found your video while searching for exhaust coating info (I'm going to use their high temp oven cure on a Thunderheader whose shit coating promptly rusted through). My gunsmithbro Cerakotes all sorts of parts and of course powder coat doesn't survive on hot rifles.

[@Rickjames127]

Another thing to keep in mind is each color of cerakote for the regular H series and not the elite series has different properties and durability. All of the colors in the elite series have the same properties since they don't have all the filler material used to achieve the desired colors as done in the H series. The best color to test with in the H series is the graphite black as it's the toughest color in the H series afaik.

[@ajkelly6135]

What would you recommend for a small engine block powered coating or cerakote

[@alext9067]

A lot of powder appears to be floating right past the part after it exits the gun. Why? Bad electrical connection? Voltage too low? Should that happen? How to avoid?

[@TheMaikMaster]

i've got a question: why do you soak the parts in acetone before sandblasting them? wouldn't it be more clever the other way?

[@Dr_Xyzt]

Either surface coat might last longer and be tougher if you aggressively etch the part surface. Maybe with shot peening. Maybe with electropolishing on high current. Try bending a flexible piece of material. My bet is on powdercoat.

[@jasonsotelo1234]

I know cerakote is very easy to apply to the object but is hard to clean and I’m an Airsofter that is looking to paint my Umarex glock 17 witch is a fully licensed version of the real g17 ,is cerakote worth the cerakote prep or should I just spray paint it?

[@Zenzenmusic]

Cerakote for its slight texture on levers.

[@rbljackson]

thanks. You did answer my question about both finished though. Neither one flaked or cracked off which is good. Solid prep is key to that I'm guessing.

[@s70cas7ic0]

Hi, you mentioned that you wouldn't paint the engine, can you explain why?

[@dougdruziak8795]

Just found your channel a couple days ago... Trying to watch every video lol. You give me so many tips and tricks for maintaining my 02 Cr 250! Much respect.

[@martinrichards6959]

I do powder coating I'm surprised the powder didn't hold up so good did you fully cure the part? Also if it's for exterior use you should apply a clear. I would like to see more on this 👍

[@SasquaPlatypus]

Nice comparison test at the end, thanks for doing that! Personally I like the look of cerakote on dirt bikes and guns. Any thoughts on powder vs Cera on something like a shock spring where the base metal is going thru some extreme flex?

[@dhebert111]

I'm probably just ignorant and learned something, because I thought Cerakote was only used for heads for its thermal resistance, I've ever seen it used like this. It looks way better than other hard coats.

[@kiquegonzalez8858]

Can you do the same test but in a exhaust pipe.

[@I8THEmagictoaster]

Cerikote, when applied correctly, should feel like glass. Overspending/too thick can cause this. And H series should be fully curved out of the oven.

[@HH-zi5ih]

Where do you order that bootleg cerakote from? That’s not the bottles that come from NIC industries (company that makes cerakote). Cerakote has a ton of color options, and can be mixed or patterned like powder can’t. I apply both for a living. Cerakote also has a C series that can be used on high heat applications (exhaust) a lot better than powder, and it also has better UV protection.

[@polishoskar2039]

So what one do I use on my rear brake pedal it's pretty rusty the now and looks routh so coupling one of them will make it look good . What one you recommend ?

[@bjorn1583]

for spraying small parts the air brush is far better than a spray gun, the reason why the air brush you had was shit was due to it being external mix which is the most basic entry level gun you can buy

[@DoRC]

Itd be sweet if a compamy figured out how to get powder coat or ceracoat to come out of a spray can then be baked.

[@thechum9653]

Vht has paint with ceramic in it, needs to be baked still though. I use it because its gas and heat resistant, had good luck with it. Painted my motorcycle engine and pipes with it

[@32to1mix6]

Which is better spay paint I think cuz it a hell of a lot cheaper

[@SoyBoySigh]

Cameron Niemela should rebuild some early '70s trail-bikes & early dirt-bikes etc. Not necessarily the toaster-tank '60s "SCRAMBLER" type of stuff, 'cause that's expensive - but some early '70s steel-tank chrome-fender type utilitarian "farm bike" type MX-ers. Dress 'em up with good alloy rims etc, better size better tires etc, maybe even do one as a dual-sport with one of those factory add-on "light kits"?

[@aaronanderson7619]

A mr175 elsinore would be an awesome new age dual sport. Miss that bike.

[@tonyd3266]

Other topic - has anyone applied a color vinyl wrap/coat to their tank/fenders/plastics ? Wish I had on my KTM - and with the small surface area compared to a pickup I think its a really cool idea to keep your bike like new under the wrap and then in a year you can peel off and have a NEW bike or recoat another color or print. Might also be good to renew the finish….

[@chefmilea]

hi, wich is better for high temperature?, i want to paint my mototcyclr engine covers.

[@glyph8733]

Back at it again with the vids!

[@paulpoindexter4050]

What kind of cerakote did you use for this demonstration?

[@600miles]

What brand powder coat did you use? NIC manufactures both the Cerekote & Prismatic Powders powder coat, I live near NIC and pick up my powder in person, their showroom has lots of Cerekote & powder coated samples.

[@sapperjohn256]

5:55 im familiar with this motion

[@steveobc308]

you beat me to the comment lol

[@rickfinzel]

cerakote says you have to use a metal cup on spray gun not plastic spray cup..

[@taks9398]

You should do a durability test of the E-Series Cerakote 🙌

[@samuliheiskanen3292]

in finland we have kilikoli spray

[@aaronanderson7619]

Does it need baking after application?

[@joshoconnor9666]

Could just me but it looked like u went in a fair amount harder on all the tests with the cerakote

[@Pedro72740]

You should give the parts at least four or five days to cure. Also, the problem with cerakote is color selection

[@howardalien2720]

Are there any alternatives to sandblasting?

[@spazotis]

Should have let the powder cure in oven longer...powder is way more efficient for large products or a lot of parts

[@RickyJr46]

The aesthetics of cerakote's ultra smooth surface finish is first rate.

[@Pedro72740]

The hell!

[@wayneflint8077]

Cerakote does come in a range of colors. From the site that I've seen anyway.

[@gabrielemusmanno7897]

Hi Cameron! Can you do a video where you explain the correct setting of the suspension?

[@DMX-PAT]

Can you do Hard chrome vs whichever Nitriding you think stands up to it, thanks!!

[@osomxl]

Ummmm, guess they have never been to cerakotes website. Dozens of stock colors and can be mixed like paints to create thousands of custom colors. Powder coat on the other hand is more difficult to predict the outcome due to the change in appearance during the baking process. You would have to weigh and spray and do sample pieces.

[@andrew2366]

So i bought a Husqvarna 2013 TE 250 what are your thoughts?

[@cerakotewarrior2751]

Misinformation on the Cerakote color options. There are approx 180 plus the option of mixing. You didnt screen your cerakote which would have been a 150 mesh, 2ndly you dont know your mil settings which should be 1-2 mils. Lastly you should have sprayed from top to bottom in a 5 or octagonal spray pattern approx 2 coats if you have 20psi and a 3 inch fan. Cerakote woops powdercoat all day.

[@linzenmeyer]

Cerakote is fully cured once baked....FYI....The C series "air dry" takes 5 days.

[@Pedro72740]

Will you do a George Jones type guitar lesson. I like your teaching style.

[@peytonpastorino5378]

What color cerakote is that on the lever?