Fortress Cerakote

What we do

Services

Coating and engraving out of a home shop in Nampa, Idaho.

Cerakoting

Cerakote is a thin, strong coating. The applications are endless. From firearms, car parts, motorcycle parts, knives, golf clubs, computers, sunglasses, x-ray machines and more — we have coated it. The rust prevention is unrivaled. And it can be applied to almost any surface.

Laser Engraving

We offer custom laser engraving on firearms and gear. Pricing depends on the piece and the design, so text a photo and what you have in mind and we will quote it. If you can dream it up there is a good chance we can make it happen.

Nickel & Gold Plating

Nickel and gold plating for firearm components and hardware. A plated accent — controls, pins, a cylinder — sets off a coated finish. Text a photo of the part and we will quote it.

Niter Bluing

Traditional niter bluing for small parts and accents — the deep fire-blue you see on hammers, triggers, screws and pins on classic guns. Pairs well with Cerakote on the rest of the piece.

Pricing

What it costs

Single color$50 – $400
Multi-color & patterns$125 – $600

Both ranges depend on part count and how much prep the job needs. Text a photo and you’ll get a real number rather than a range.

How a job actually runs

The process

  1. Step 1

    Disassemble

    Down to components, so coverage is even and nothing gets coated that should move freely.

  2. Step 2

    Degrease

    Every part goes through solvent to strip oil and residue. Coating over oil is how a finish fails in a year.

  3. Step 3

    Media blast

    Blasted to a uniform profile. This is what the coating actually keys into — skip it and it peels.

  4. Step 4

    Spray

    Airbrushed in thin, even passes. Patterns and multi-color work get masked and layered by hand.

  5. Step 5

    Bake & cure

    Oven cured at temperature so the ceramic cross-links properly and reaches full hardness.

Color

Around 300 factory colors

Cerakote makes roughly 300 factory colors across its Elite, H, C, V, Glacier and Specialty series, and they can be custom mixed on top of that. Which series a job gets depends on how the item is used — a suppressor and a set of sunglasses do not want the same coating.

Screens lie about color. Come by and I’ll pull the physical color card.

Questions

Frequently asked

What is the general turnaround time?
For most normal applications we run around 5-7 days.
What colors can I choose?
There are around 300 factory colors and we can always custom mix colors to suit your needs.
How much does it cost?
Pricing can be tricky depending on lots of factors. Basic rule of thumb: single colors range from $75 – $500 depending on size and other factors. Multi color patterns range from $150 – $800 depending on size and other factors.
Is all Cerakote the same?
Cerakote offers a wide range of coatings for many applications — Elite, H-Series, C-Series, V-Series, Glacier and Specialty series each suit different jobs. Tell us how the item gets used and we will match the right one.
Where are you located?
We are located in Nampa, Idaho. This is a home based business, so we generally just have customers send a text for the address so we can make sure we are available.

Get a number

Send a photo and what you have in mind.

Text a photoCall (208) 615-5933

Or look through past work →