Coating after filling in markings?

moroza · Oct 27, 2022

I'm looking to have my Baby Eagle coated after I clean up some of the machining, and I want to get rid of the false advertising on the side that claims it's a "Desert Eagle Pistol" when it isn't. The engraving is pretty deep, so while the surface it's on is perfectly flat, flat-milling it thin enough to remove the text seems a bit much. Is there a combination of filling technique/material and coating technique/material that plays well together and ends up mechanically durable (corrosion-proof is nice but secondary) and black (smooth satin preferred, but I'm not too picky)? Solder? JB Weld? Cerakote and just dump a dozen heavy coats of it onto the area of the text? I understand that nitride appearance depends on metal composition, so if I fill the letters in with welding rod, even if I machine the result perfectly flat, the metallurgical differences might be visible in the final result; can anyone confirm or correct?

PORSCHE928S4 · Oct 27, 2022

Pictures of said markings ?

Ura-Ki · Oct 27, 2022

I have used automotive/marine type Bondo to fill in unwanted markings, flaws, pitting, and other stuff prior to ceracoating or dura-coating, it works super slick and holds together very well! The alternate is to TIG Weld things ( Which I have also done) and it works especially well, especially if your doing a stainless piece that you want to keep a nice finish on, use the appropriate filament and your golden!

moroza · Oct 30, 2022

TIG would be the best, but I'd have to pay someone with the machine, the skills to use it without distorting the frame, and the inclination to do so to a serialized firearm (though the SN would be left alone). And even then, I'm not sure the metallurgical differences wouldn't respond differently to nitride (my first choice).

I can see Bondo working for room-temperature coatings, but all the ones I'm considering have application temps well above Bondo's 82C rating.

Someone suggested lead. Anyone used it for such a purpose?

DirectDrive · Oct 30, 2022

moroza said:
TIG would be the best, but I'd have to pay someone with the machine, the skills to use it without distorting the frame, and the inclination to do so to a serialized firearm (though the SN would be left alone). And even then, I'm not sure the metallurgical differences wouldn't respond differently to nitride (my first choice).

I can see Bondo working for room-temperature coatings, but all the ones I'm considering have application temps well above Bondo's 82C rating.

Someone suggested lead. Anyone used it for such a purpose?

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I knew an auto body repairman.
I remember him telling me that on certain high-end vehicles, only lead was allowed to be used for filler.
Bondo would be easier to work with, though. There is a red paste that's used as the final step.