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Cerakote ceramic clear coat for fingerboard?

W

warx

Sep 13, 2010
203
141
Marin, CA
#1
It's a polymer ceramic coating and is strongly linked to the firearms and automotive industry but was curious about it since it claims to be very hard-wearing. I think the clear stuff is not anywhere near as tough as the stuff they coat pistons with. Sprays on really thin and dries fast (even the air-cure version - the heat cure is too much for the wood underneath I'd think).

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This abrasion test is quite interesting.
Cerakote: What is it and does it work for you? | KECO Coatings
 
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#3
It sounds interesting but.....The hardest part of the process of hard clear coating a fingerboard is getting it sanded true and polished after the coating is applied. How much more difficult will it be to sand and polish this ceramic-poly coating? Can it be sprayed on smooth and thin enough to need minimal sanding?

The Varathane Water-Base Floor Finish that we were using to finish basses a few years ago has some kind of abrasion-resistant additives in it. It was definitely tougher to sand.
 
#4
It goes on one coat only - dry will be 1 mil. So I am thinking there is no work after spraying - it'll be the exact same shape as the wood prepared underneath.

I did order a 4oz "sampler" and a detail HVLP gun with a 1.0mm tip. At 1 mil (1-2mils wet) 4oz is probably quite a fair amount and it says you can pour the unused back into the pot. Anyways, if it doesn't seem a good option at least I've got a gun for trying the 2K PU clear coat next :) Talking of, I am trying to see if there's a difference between Auto and the Wood 2K stuff in durability and wear.
 
#5
Alright - I hope to try it this weekend. I have 4oz and just got my detail HVLP gun today. I did try the cerakote with a brush and it went on quite nicely. It is basically the consistency of water though so I think straight on absorbent wood will be difficult. I tried three wet over wet coats (although it recommends one) and it seems to not have any issues. I will try spraying one, two and three coats for a real test though.

Anyways, my first very crude testing of rubbing old strings on the epoxy and cerakote looked promising. It is not possible to mark the cerakote at all with normal pressure and rubbing. Obviously if you scrape it scratches (the wood underneath gives.

More to follow...
 
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#6
Having had a couple of firearms Cerakoted I will only say it does not live up to the hype and has not held up well. Both pistols have been refinished with better options. In my experience it was not very abrasion resistant and I doubt it would last on a fretless board. It also requires baking which could be an issue.
 
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#7
Been trying a few things and some emails with the Cerakote folks. I guess it can be used to build but it is best to let it dry for an hour, light sand (#1000) and re-coat. Each layer is 0.5-1 mil though and it's technically less durable after two coats. So, I'd conclude that the best option is to do two coats over well prepared wood.

I wonder how much of the sound comes from a thick layer of brittle material though. Sure a 1 mil coating should do a good job of abrasion resistance but might not be great for giving the string something hard to rattle against. If so I'd think that spraying two or three coats of 2K clear urethane first for a decent build then one coat of Cerakote might have the ultimate hardness.

Anyways my first tests over some of my epoxy tests show it is pretty resilient to string wear. I mean I can mark the epoxy with a few sideways rubs but the one coat of Cerakote does not seem to mark it even pushing really hard.
 
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