Is Cerakote appropriate for rifle scopes?
I have a fine, older gloss Leupold scope that I would like to change color, and make matte. My fear is the baking process hurting the seals.

Thank you for your help,
Doug

No you can't use the bake on type on scopes but they make an air cured type that will work for them. Realize that cerakote, gun coat, dura coat, Alumihyde etc, are Paint; some bake on and some air cured two part epoxy, and some one part poly types. But despite all the advertising hype, they are paint and act as such.

Thank you, I had a thought that would be the answer.

Doug

I won't do "cheap" optics with the H-series, but have done many higher tier scopes at a lower temp/longer bake cycle.
I don't use air cure because I don't have confidence in its durability- and air cure and oven cure colors do not match.

Particularly when doing camo, it all needs to be done at the same time and from the same batch of coating or run the risk of a mismatch.
Some colors are very temperamental and shades can be different each time you mix it.

This may sound a bit silly, I wish I had a picture of one to put up. Plug and tape off the lenses with tissue paper and masking tape. Then lay a strip of lace lengthwise over the scope body and use string to pull it together tight over the bottom. Then lightly sand blast it until it starts to go grey. I have done this to 50 or 60 over the years and hundreds of stainless gun barrels to camo them. Sounds dumb. Maybe it is. But it does work well. The pattern comes out grey and black when done on scopes.

Actually, this is a stainless gun camoed that way.

DSC_0470 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

DSC_0469 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

DSC_0471 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

I won't be baking any scopes, regardless of price point.

^^^
150-160 degrees is no hotter than it would get inside your car in the summertime.

Now, gotta say Chucker's got a bigger pair than I.... I sweat bullets despite the tissue and tight fitting cardboard over the lenses when I spray a $1k scope 'cause Cerakote ain't coming off that glass. But putting one in the Blast Cabinet definitely ranks right up there in confidence level

Sure is nice looking tho.

Uh,... Cerakote is baked at 250 for two hours. You guys can bake all your scopes at that temp but not I. And my car has never got that hot on the inside.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Gorilla Gunworks:
^^^
150-160 degrees is no hotter than it would get inside your car in the summertime.

Now, gotta say Chucker's got a bigger pair than I.... I sweat bullets despite the tissue and tight fitting cardboard over the lenses when I spray a $1k scope 'cause Cerakote ain't coming off that glass. But putting one in the Blast Cabinet definitely ranks right up there in confidence level

Sure is nice looking tho.

I had kittens doing the first couple. But you pack them solid with tissue and wrap the masking tape on really heavy for the first quarter inch of the front and rear ring (it leaves those areas black of course) Then you fold the 2 inch wide masking tape over the ends and double tape them shut. The time consuming part is stitching the lace around the scope. The actual media blasting takes about 5 minutes. I mask off the power rings and parallax adjustment rings with electrical tape. I don't even bat an eye doing them now.

Actually, I used to own a gopher rig that I built on a Wichita action. It was checkerboard from head to toe, lock, stock barrel and optics. Very striking. The barrel is long torched and the stock, receiver and scope were sold long ago. But for some reason the sun shade never found it's way into the hands of the new owner and I have hung on to it for years in hopes of running into him and giving it to him. It's not paint. Just checkerboard lace which was bead blasted.

lace by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

Call Leupold and ask them how much they would charge

I only use stainless steel or rust blue, depending on the gun..Ive never seen one of these modern finishes that looked good after some hunting use, unless your a purest that carries your gun around in a case while hunting in which case your not much of a hunter and your priorities are all funky!!

^^^
Uh-huh...
So what's your actual personal experience with Cerakote applications?

I really like the look of this! Great option for stainless.

quote:

Originally posted by speerchucker30x378:
This may sound a bit silly, I wish I had a picture of one to put up. Plug and tape off the lenses with tissue paper and masking tape. Then lay a strip of lace lengthwise over the scope body and use string to pull it together tight over the bottom. Then lightly sand blast it until it starts to go grey. I have done this to 50 or 60 over the years and hundreds of stainless gun barrels to camo them. Sounds dumb. Maybe it is. But it does work well. The pattern comes out grey and black when done on scopes.

Actually, this is a stainless gun camoed that way.

DSC_0470 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

DSC_0469 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

DSC_0471 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

Yes, and it really puts one in touch with your feminine side while you're at the fabric shop and holding strips of bridal lace up to the window and commenting on the pattern with the old sales biddies. The old women working in the place do look at you a bit funny when you start asking them how well it holds up to heavy use and sand abrasion though. I have done a few with those plastic, kiddies lunchbox stickers too. Smurfs, Hello Kitties, Scooby and Scruffy and the Flintstones all over. If you put them close enough together and flip them at all angles you don't immediately pick out the carton figures and it looks like blotchy camo.

On a side note. My favorite gun solvent is about 50/50 sewing machine oil and lacquer thinner. It eats the heavy polymerized oil away and leaves the non hardening, sewing machine oil behind. I buy sewing machine oil bulk from one of the local sewing shops by the gallon jug. For 15 years I have been telling the old bats working there that I repair Chicago Typewriters. They are still buying the story and not giving me the disgusted-old-gun-hating-woman-stares and I'm still buying the oil.

Big G,
My personal experience is based on being in the hunting business for over 40 years, and observing everyones rifle during a hunt as I like t build custom rifles as a hobby..and finishes are something I pay particular attention to and all this modern stuff by the end of a hunt is chipped, worn or whatever, the finish takes a beating..I still go for SS and old world rust blue... since you asked, uh-huh.