Spray on Durablue on stainless steel?

I have seen some very nice looking results on steel revolvers but not much on a stainless steel revolvers.

Anyone try it on something like a Bisley Blackhawk or Super Redhawk?

It's a coating, not a chemical reaction like true bluing, so it should work if you follow the instructions.

Personally I prefer Cerakote (that's all I've used in my gun repair business for 12 years or so with no complaints yet). Cerakote has been proven to be more durable than any of the other firearms coatings but a lot of people like Duracoat in the rattle can as a do it yourself coating.

Doesn't matter what you use, just make sure you meticulously prep the firearm. You want NO oil, grease or other contaminates on it when you spray. Also, it WILL NOT fill in any deep pits/gouges/scratches, you have to fill them before spraying unless you aren't worried about that.

Well I don't think I would try it but was curious about the results. Some results look good but not as smooth as a good traditional bluing job.

Mus408 said:

Well I don't think I would try it but was curious about the results. Some results look good but not as smooth as a good traditional bluing job.

Click to expand...

They typically won't look as good because you have to abrasive blast the metal to get good adhesion so you won't get a true smooth and glossy finish like a "blued" gun. About the best you can get is between a "glossy" matte and a higher semi gloss finish, you won't ever get a true gloss finish. In most cases a coating is to bring life back to a firearm that has seen better days or someone wants something different.

In the case of Cerakote you can coat pretty much any metal, including stainless steel, plastic, polymer (I do a lot of Glock and S&W frames for people who want something other than black), and even wood. They even make high temperature mixes for suppressors and engine headers.

This brings up a Cerakote question I've had for awhile. On a MK II type action. How does the Cerakote hold up inside where the bolt cycles?

Dan in MI said:

This brings up a Cerakote question I've had for awhile. On a MK II type action. How does the Cerakote hold up inside where the bolt cycles?

Click to expand...

Typically on a firearm like the Ruger Mark series pistols, the area that the bolt moves in is not Cerakoted because the movement of the bolt would wear the Cerakote, just like it wears through the bluing. It can be Cerakoted and all the Cerakote would not come off, it would just wear through where the bolt comes into contact in the receiver. Anything not worn through would still be protected. Cerakote does add some dimension (approx. 0.002" to 0.005" if done correctly) so the bolt might be a bit tight at first if it was a tight fit to begin with. If on an older used gun, you might not notice any change at all but since the bolt rides in the receiver there are spots that the bolt will rub and ultimately will show the wear.

The bolt itself can also be Cerakoted but again after a period of time it will wear through where it contacts the inside of the receiver.

Thanks