Cerakote "Creative Liberties"...I'm furious

Status
Not open for further replies.
So, I had an AR build for my wife at the shop to get cerakoted. He quoted me at $375 for what I wanted.

Fine. I know he knows how to properly reassemble an AR which is why I went to him. I got a call today (I'm at work) and told the missus to go down and take a look. It is going to be her gun after all. She took some pictures while there and sent them to me. He decided to take some "creative liberties" with what I requested and uh...I'm not happy.

She's not sure what she thinks yet.

I asked him to do Crimson on the barrel, barrel nut, and the rest in Graphite Black. This is what he did.
View attachment 824911 View attachment 824912

Whatever else happens, I'm not paying him $375.

Looks like a NERF gun... I'm not a fan either
 
There is no point in giving instructions if the guy isn't going to follow them. You specified what you wanted. He didn't deliver, and now you have to have it made right. I would expect he should make it right, or, at the very least, restore you to like goods so you can go elsewhere. At this point, I would fully insist on either being done on his nickel.
 
I would nicely explain to the guy that he was instructed in what you wanted, not to take creative license. I don't know if something is lost in the colors in your photo or my computer or a combination of both. Whatever, In your picture it's orange and nowhere close to crimson which is darker than ordinary red. The graphite black part appears to be brown and not even close to the black spectrum.

I certainly wouldn't accept it the way it is. At least you haven't spent any money on it yet.
 
I don't care whether anyone likes it or not, if you pay a guy to do X, and he does Y because he thinks it looks better, than he's wrong, and he owes you. You shouldn't pay a dime, and he should either give you a gun that looks exactly like you wanted or pay you for anything he is unable to fix.
 
This is how the barrel nut is set up for that handguard. https://fortismfg.com/night-barrel-nut

You can see why I'm not convinced his "creativity" can be bead-blasted off without destroying it. Fortunately, it looks like I can replace that piece relatively inexpensively (I shouldn't have to replace it at all, but here we are...)

His options are going to be:
1.) Buy it from me.
2.) Give it to me as is at no charge (it's still probably functional...if hideous)
3.) Hear from my lawyer.
 
I like the faded in and out look of the hand guard. If he could have carried that look over to the entire rifle it would look bad ass.
 
So, I had an AR build for my wife at the shop to get cerakoted. He quoted me at $375 for what I wanted.

She's not sure what she thinks yet.

I am a bit confused. You post the gun is for your wife but you are the one upset about the color. It sounds you will not be happy with the gun even if your wife likes it.

You can choose Option 3 which is sell the gun.

Then build a new one and have it Ceracoated by someone else that hopefully will give you the desired results.

Frankly I am bummed out on black guns and most of my future AR's will be two colors. It is hard for me to truly judge the color of your gun but it looks like the job was well done.

I don't know what crowd you run with but a trip to the range or match may find you a buyer.

Anyway the rule in business is the customer is always right.
 
Last edited:
O.P.,

You can choose Option 3 which is sell the gun.

Then build a new one and have it Ceracoated by someone else that hopefully will give you the desired results.

Frankly I am bummed out on black guns and most of my future AR's will be two colors. It is hard for me to truly judge the color of your gun but it looks like the job was well done.

I don't know what crowd you run with but a trip to the range may find you a buyer.

Anyway the rule in business is the customer is always right.

If he gives it to me for free, that's exactly what I will do.

The problem is the wife was really looking forward to having her own (first) AR-15. I'd have to reacquire all the parts (and they're all sold out.)
 
When I had my F Open stock Cerakoted I told the guy (Branden at Custom Gun Coatings) what I wanted conceptually, then said, "feel free to take it from the and use whatever artistic license you see fit to make it look good in your eyes". Based on the work he's done for others, I knew there would be low risk in me not liking it. I also knew that if I didn't like it I'd be on the hook for it since I had given him cart blanche.

Now, in the OP's case, he told him what he wanted and got something else. I'd ask the guy to redo it at his expense and make it right.
 
I completely understand the frustration. A number of years back, I commissioned some custom stock work on some of my most-prized scatterguns (28ga Wingmaster, 20ga Auto5, and so forth). The workmanship of the completed work was fine, but the end result was not what the gunsmith described. I was CRUSHED. Not only was the work expensive (more than $350 per gun), but I considered the value of the guns considerably diminished by the work. The stocks were cut and altered - there was no way to 'un-do' the work. The only fix was to completely fit new stocks.

In my case - I paid the money and took back my guns. I also made sure that I quietly pointed out to the business owner that the work was, in fact, well done but not to my liking or expectations. I made sure that they understood, without raising my voice or pointing fingers, that I was unwilling to commission future work given the fact that the work performed was not in accordance with the work 'sold'.

The work cost me over $1000, in total. The shop where this occurred has subsequently provided me with many thousands of dollars of 'consideration' over the intervening years - not as direct payback, but because they want to keep earning my future business and I had let them know that they needed to work for it and not take it for granted.

There is something to be said for working as a partnership with a business, and letting them know when they've failed to keep up their end of that partnership.

Now, in the OP's case, he told him what he wanted and got something else. I'd ask the guy to redo it at his expense and make it right.
This.
 
Lets step back from the ledge here. Its just a coating, it can be fixed. You don't need to sell it, you don't need to go to court, he doesn't need to buy your gun from you, just ask him to fix it.

Bead blasting off the botched cerakote may take the anodizing off the aluminum parts, damage the barrel nut, and/or take the parkerizing off the barrel. At this point, I'm not willing to risk/deal with the possibility of any of those because someone decided to get hammered/be creative with my property (oh, and simultaneously mess with my wife's happiness).
 
I can be media blasted with aluminum oxide. Removing the anodizing doesn't really matter as it's going to be cerakoted anyways. Anodizing is just another form of protective coating. Same with parkerizing. If everything is getting cerakoted none of those other coatings matter.
 
My $.02 (added to the myriad of $.02 already offered.....but this is how I would approach it were it me)

Re the actual color: If Crimson is a well-defined Cerakote color and he didn't use - and if you don't like what he used - then I'd politely ask him to redo with the right color.

Re what he charged: (Some have said it's high.) That's water under the bridge IMHO. He quoted a price and it was acceptable.

Re the creative license he took: This is the HUGE issue IMHO. If your wife/you decide it's ok - then there may be no issue. But if you decide you don't like it: Since he took the risk in trying something that might have resulted in making you an extra happy customer, he ALSO took the risk that you wouldn't like it - and he'd have to rectify it. Similar to above, I'd ask him nicely to redo the creative license portion. If he agrees to fix it, I'd make it clear by saying in passing something like "Great. Get it fixed, let me know when it's done, and I'll pay you $375." Get it on the table you're not paying for the creative license risk he took.

If he won't fix it and won't give you your gun until you pay, then IMHO it's Small Claims Court time - demanding 1/ return of the gun or $ to enable you to replace it and 2/ $ to cover whatever it will cost you to get it fixed by another smith if the gun in its current state is returned to you.

The guy did something REALLY stupid. In a hobby like this where people are dropping significant dough, you don't mess around with what they *might* want. If you have great ideas and it's part of the discussion when the agreement is being established - great. I want guys like that. But holy cow - doing so after the fact and springing it on you when you go to get it? Totally unsat.
 
Most coater’s I have used have media blasted the parkerizing/nitriding/parkerizing/bluing/etc before applying the cerakote anyway. The real downside is the fact he’ll likely round the parts slightly as he has to blast the hell out of it to get the cerakote removed.

I’d start with parts replacement and no payment for the work done. Let him keep the parts he ruined. I would settle for parts replacement and no payment for the work done, letting him keep the parts he ruined. Pretty straight forward to me.
 
I like the idea of picking off a factory color chart. Colors are too subjective and I suspect what you see and what I see are two different things.

Be sure and save the comments about him taking license to change.

I saved the voicemail and he said the same thing in front of my wife and a friend of ours yesterday. I have recording + witness.
 
You break it, you bought it... if you want to go freelance like that on a customer's project, that's the risk you're taking.

I'd at least give him the chance to make it right, but the burden is on him to make you whole.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top