Go to any firearms trade show and you will see plenty of Cerakote masters on display. If you could think of a theme it is there, Star Wars, stars and stripes, neon colors, and even some guns completely covered in Krytpek and Multicam patterns.
Some of you maybe thinking that Cerakote is just a fancy name for some expensive paint made by Krylon, but that’s not the case. Yes Cerakote uses a sprayed on application like tradition spray paint but that’s about as close as it gets. Cerakote is a polymer-ceramic blend coating that provides excellent protection against abrasion and corrosion. Don’t just take my word for it, check out their Cerakote YouTube page and read the literature.
There was one Cerakote slayer who’s designs and applications jumped out at me quickly and that was Mike Sigouin better known on Instagram and the Internet as Blowndealine LLC. I knew a little about Blowndeadline from the company’s 125,000 follower strong Instagram account and their recent misunderstandings involving a Smith & Wesson M&P custom project. That project was a collaborative effort between, Apex Tactical, DPCustomworks, Brownells and Blowndeadline Custom to make a one of a kind M&P pistol to was be raffled off at SHOT Show 2016.
The UDP-9 (pictured above) featured a not so subtle storm trooper theme to it, and collapsible stock, the design and components really worked well together. I decided I would track down Mike to try to convince him to do an interview.
Custom Cars to Custom Firearms
I made contact with Mike and arranged a phone interview, with him living in suburban Detroit and me in Alaska a face to face interview wasn’t likely to happen. Mike explained the tale to me of his odyssey of going from creative kid to helping design and build custom interiors and paint for Cadillac show cars. Not the traditional start for a guy who now toils away long hours in a 1000 square foot shop coating and customizing firearms for more than a dozen different gunsmiths.
He explained that when Detroit went into its most recent economic downturn that almost everyone associated with designing or customizing cars not working large projects for the “Big 3” was unemployed, himself included. Little did he know but Mike’s custom gun career was about to start due to a combination of necessity and timing. A combination that has launched many unexpected careers.
It all started with an old beat up Sig Sauer P225 that Mike had been wanting to refinish, by his own admission he researched the competing brands of gun coatings before selecting Cerakote due to its ability to withstand corrosion and abrasion. The Sig P225 was the guinea pig for testing the application process and it was his first gun refinishing project.
Mike started doing a few guns for close friends and continued to refined his skills and abilities with Cerakote. When I asked him how he was able to develop and learn and how it must have been difficult going from painting cars to coating carbines he said “Yeah I practiced and watched You Tube videos to learn the details and tricks”. Shortly after that he and his wife launched Blowndealine LLC.
Although Blowndeadline has only been Cerakote Certified since October 2015 the company has been applying the coating with amazing results for almost a year before that. Blowndeadline has quickly racked up an impressive list of clientele such as Agency Arms, San Tan, SSVI, American Defense Mfg, and more each time a project is released.
Cerakote is really an amazing coating that can be used on almost any surface from concrete to steel to polymers even to wood. Cerakote’s only drawback is it can’t be applied to rubbery elastic surfaces. While discussing the limitations and applications of Cerakote, Mike asked me if I had a chance to look at his other non firearm related gear and equipment he has done. A quick look at his web site and a few more questions revealed how good Blowndealine is at coating other as well, from Ice Hockey goalie helmets, to hardhats, water bottles, Oakley sunglasses
In my discussion with Mike he recalled tales of manufacturers telling him to ” Rough the guns up” he then went on to tell me all about it. The feeling of skidding rifles that cost thousands of dollars down the driveway because that’s what the manufacturers wanted in their projects. Scrapes, dings, abrasions, and “battle wear” things that usually take accidents or age to produce.
If you are a traditionalist and the theme built weapons and various camouflage patterns aren’t appealing to you, have no fear, they offer traditional one or two color Cerakote jobs for nearly any weapon also. If you are in the market for a new paint job on a weapon and want to step up from a traditional phosphate or blued finish I would suggest you take a look at Blowndealine.
The gun industry is changing nearly everyday, and that change happens in the most unlikely of places. Once non traditional gun manufacturing hot spots places such as Detroit, Salt Lake City, and North Carolina are growing and producing fantastic guns and accessories. When you go shopping for your gun parts in the future don’t overlook the smaller and newer companies, these companies are hungry, eager to listen to their customers and offer great products at competitive prices.
