Has anyone tried DuraCoat on a knife blade?

Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis

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Feb 24, 2000
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There is a product called DuraCoat that advertises "Make your gun rust proof! Never worry about scratches, chips or dings!"
The web site is www.lauerweaponry.com
Has anyone tired this product on a knife blade?
 
Not on a knife blade, but I've done several guns in it.

It's not super durable. It will scratch on a blade that is used frequently.

And I'm not positive if it's food safe.
 
i think on a carbon steel blade that will be used heavily for camping, outdoor tasks the duracoat would be good for corrosion resistance.

isn't jantz selling some knife blanks that are duracoated?
 
I've heard that Duracoat is decent on firearms if properly prep'ed. That being said, I've seen many where any place there is an edge that sees any use, it wears fast. It would be fairly durable, but there aren't any coatings that are indestructible. The best would be something like NP3 (Robar Inc.) or something like Glock uses that soaks into the metal, not just lays on top. Myself, I love a good patina on carbon.. some warm cider vinegar and about 5 mins.
 
This is a tactical dagger I did a while back. I did some test pieces prior, and found a few things necessary for success:

1. Sandblast or beadblast work best for prep.

2. Surface must be ridiculously clean if you don't want it to scratch/chip

3. It needs at least 2-3wks to fully cure. Any use before this, and it will be about as impressive as spray paint.

I used an airbrush and had very good luck with it.

This blade went to a firefighter, and he said that he used it to pry a door open and it put a single tiny scuff in the finish. He has been very happy with the blade.

I would suggest giving at least 2 weeks from time of application to customer delivery, and a month if you can swing it.

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I have powdercoated a few blades and the finish is very tough...easy to apply.

If you want to know how tough powder coat is think about shopping carts and the finish on them...tough as nails

Oh and it is good to go as soon as it cools down from the oven.
 
I have wondered in the past how hot powder coating ovens run. I guess I might as well ask here. So, how hot do they run?
 
Brian.Evans said:
I have wondered in the past how hot powder coating ovens run. I guess I might as well ask here. So, how hot do they run?
Click to expand...

About 375-400* depending on the powder to cure the powder coat for about 15-20 minutes.
 
I work for a sheet metal and structural fabricating Co. Powder coat is amazingly tough stuff. There is also low temp powder coatings that run around 225 if I remember? We run a LOT of the higher temp stuff over an epoxy powder primer coat and if you have a screw up, it's more efficient to make the part over than it is to strip off the powder and re-coat. We literally use tons of powder a year. I plan on trying some out on some blades down the road.
 
I have tried Cerakoting and Duracoating. The Cerakoting was a heat cure where the actual DuraCoat was just air dry. From my gun making buddies they say that the DuraCoat isn't as durable as the Cerakoting. I find that the Cerakoting is more durable the way that I have tested on my knives.
 
My son and I both shoot competitively and have had firearms with Duracoat and Cerakote. There is no comparison for durability. Cerakote is much, much more durable. We have a couple of handguns that regularly have 2k round put through them in a month. A lot of drawing, slide racking, handling, etc. On parts like slide rackers on open class guns we have had Duracoat showing a lot of wear and thinness after just a few matches. I have an open class Steel Challenge gun that has been shot a lot. The onlynplace it shows any wear is on sharper edges. On a knife I would guess the mist likely areas to first show wear would be sharp edges, like where the spine is exposed, especially if taken in and out of a sheath frequently.
 
I've used duracote on a knife before and wasn't that impressed. Of course I've never found any coating that was that great. Maybe titanium nitride, but the heat required would ruin the temper. I've used Cerakote on a M14 build and was impressed, but since it was air cure it took a couple weeks to fully harden. Still don't think it'd be that great on a knife.

I've about come to the conclusion that if you use a knife, it's going to get scuffs and scratches, wether it's coated or not. I'm thinking if I can find a good quality tough spray paint that's commonly availible then the customer can re apply as needed. Wouldn't use it on a high end knife, but for a rough use camp or survival type it'd probably be good.
 
Plating with nickel, electroless nickel, or hard chrome are very tough finishes, with chrome being the toughest. Ionbond coating is pretty darned tough, too-as is titanium nitride.
Paints like Duracoat or Cerakote can't hold a candle to any of them.
 
I own a few STI and SVI 2011's that are hard chromed. Superntough finish but probably not practical for most knives.

There is a world of difference between the air dry and oven cured Cerakote as far as durability.

Ionbond is much more durable than Cerakote, especially the PA-CVD process application. A couple of my daily carry guns have been coated with the Ionbond diamond black and it retains it's original appearance for years. The equipment to apply it is probably beyond most knife makers, but the work could no doubt be subbed out.
 
I have used both and currently use KG gunkote because it is only a single part paint. Both a very durable but both will scuff off with hard use.
 
No experience with knives but I don't see how it could possibly be used on a blade based on my experience with it on rifles.

From my experience, once there is a chink in the duracoat, it's much more vulnerable to continue peeling similar to dry paint on a too smooth surface. Just don't see it working for a blade.
 
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