Cerakote vs Parkerizing?

J

JJ45

New member
I posted a question about this on a previous thread but I think it got lost by the wayside.

On the Tisas 1911A1 article posted by Jar

It states the Tanker (4.25") has a cerakote finish, Probably the 1911a1 US Army has the same finish as the Tanker rather than parkerizing.

I know that the quality of the methods and technique, polishing, etc. have a lot to do with the final finish but how does cerakote (sp?) compare to real parkerizing as to durability?
 
I'm not sure what the difference is between "real" Parkerizing and some other type of Parkerizing, but IMHO Cerakote is a significantly better and more durable finish than Parekerizing.
 
cerakote is a very thin, abrasion resistant ceramic paint, for lack of a better term. It protects the metal.

parkerizing as I understand it is a process that is done to the metal to create a more porous layer on top of the metal which better holds oils, which protect the metal, the parkarizing itself does not do anything

Parkerizing can help cover some flaws in machine work. Cerakote less so.
 
Over the decades I've been able to scratch both. And white and stainless and blued and ...

Mars and scars are signs of a life lived.
 
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Aguila Blanca said:
I'm not sure what the difference is between "real" Parkerizing and some other type of Parkerizing, but IMHO Cerakote is a significantly better and more durable finish than Parekerizing.
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By "real" is meant original park on an issue 1911A1. Should have said original but I have seen all shades of "original" or re arsenaled finish from black to grays to greenish when it's been around for a while, don't know if it was green when it went on but I'm no expert.

BTW, I had an 03-A3 that had a light green park finish and IMO, was the best looking specimen of that rifle. Have two M1s that were refurbed in the 60's if you go by the barrel dates. One is gray, the other is a lot darker gray, best I can describe is gray/black.
 
The original Parkerize was a Gray Zinc finish, the later type is a Black Manganese.

Both are more durable then any blued finish, but not as durable as a "paint type" finish like Cerakote or the other epoxy based finishes.

Probably the ultimate finish would be to parkerize with a Manganese parkerize then apply Cerakote over that.
Before the gun can rust, both layers would have to be worn through.
Parkerizing was originally developed to be used as an undercoat or primer for steel before painting.
 
finish

My S&W 57 has a Nyclad finish that looks like a brushed nickel.

The gun was purchased new around 1980 and shows hardly any wear.
 
The "bruniton" finish that Beretta has been using since the 1980's is reportedly some kind of paint over a layer of parkerizing. Theoretically, a layer of cerakote over parkerizing would be even better, since cerakote is a particularly durable and recent kind of paint.

Edit: I think CZ's polycoat is another version of the same thing -- paint over parkerizing.
 
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FWIW, Brother has a glass bead booth and an oven for CerroCoating. He does good work.

I've had good results with a Brownells Park kit. A stainless drywall mud pan works for small jobs.

Park itself has misundestood value,IMO. Its about "Tooth" Engine cam lobes might be parked. The park holds critical lube

Might have to try Park as "primer" for C-kote
 
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wild cat mccane said:
Black oxide rust, cera, park...all not good.


Hard chrome. Never looks used, never damages, and cleans great. Cost isnt more than cera.
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Hard chrome is excellent for some applications. But metal-on-metal points will burnish -- I have a hard-chromed Beretta where this has happened on the exposed barrel, which creates a mirror-bright area that looks a bit funny against the rest of the matte chrome. And it's not as much a barrier to corrosion as one might expect. Still, it's freaking hard stuff -- puts a stop to holster wear, for sure.

Another finish I really like is rust blue. I'm kind of surprised it's not more popular with people who like to do their own mods. More durable than a lot of factory hot blue jobs, quite beautiful, and the really huge advantage is that you can re-do it yourself with very minimal equipment in an evening or two (with a modern "express" formula), when wear starts to become unsightly (I can't do the same with cerakote). Compared to the alternatives, it's also dramatically cheaper.

Here's an old Star BM I did in rust blue last year -- was my first try ever. It's quite a forgiving process.

bm9.jpg


sbm2.jpg
 
I'll take CeraKote over Parkerized everytime. The based does need to be properly prepared. The guy who Cerakotes the Stretch Precision barrels does a great job, but he had a bad batch of degreaser that ruined a batch. He redid them all when most would have just sent them out. But I demand a high quality and he delivers that.

While parkerized holds lube better, it also holds moisture better. It almost has to have a coating of oil or WD40 to keep it in good shape. Both attract dust. Cerakote on the other hand is best with no oil on it and it can take more abuse as well.

For the moving parts of the action, I want something better. I have Hardchrome on my signature 1911, and it is awesome, but still needs lube on the slide rails, etc. NiB is probably my favorite for slides and bolt carriers. Then TiN, QPQ.
 
I prefer Parkerizing because Cerakote requires gentler handling. Cerakote definitely provides for a better looking gun but I hate cleaning my guns & don't do much more than wiping them down, getting the gunk out of the internals, & oiling 'em. A nice rough black finish hides a lot more blemishes & wear. :D
 
I bought a parkerized Mil-Spec Springfield 1911a1 in 1988. Finish wore off and rusted rather easily. I had it Cerakoted in OD Green a couple years ago. FANTASTIC
 
Onward Allusion said:
I prefer Parkerizing because Cerakote requires gentler handling. Cerakote definitely provides for a better looking gun but I hate cleaning my guns & don't do much more than wiping them down, getting the gunk out of the internals, & oiling 'em. A nice rough black finish hides a lot more blemishes & wear. :D
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Cerakote, done right, is a little MORE durable than Parkerizing. They have a few blacks as well. One is more dull than the other.
 
My carry gun for over a decade was a Norinco with Ed Brown barrel and internals. The finish is ceracote over parkerizing. It has held up better than either park or cerakote alone.
 
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