Hydro Dipping questions

[strum]

The camo dipping thread got me curious.
since the Micros are only coming anodized dipping would be a cool way to customize .
Im looking at a company fairly close to me that does it..
Who has had the Excalibur rails dipped and how durable is it compared to the factory camo rails?

[cjonesth]

Strum I have been looking into it as I am doing a custom rail for my Micro nightmare. I was also talking with Boo on this and recommended Type III hard anodizing. Google it and you can read up on it. It was used widely on military gear very hard and durable.

[strum]

Strum I have been looking into it as I am doing a custom rail for my Micro nightmare. I was also talking with Boo on this and recommended Type III hard anodizing. Google it and you can read up on it. It was used widely on military gear very hard and durable.

that's great but finding someone to do that verses finding the hydro dippers may be a challenge. so are you saying the hydro dip wont fair well on the rail/string surface?

[cjonesth]

Strum I have been looking into it as I am doing a custom rail for my Micro nightmare. I was also talking with Boo on this and recommended Type III hard anodizing. Google it and you can read up on it. It was used widely on military gear very hard and durable.

that's great but finding someone to do that verses finding the hydro dippers may be a challenge. so are you saying the hydro dip wont fair well on the rail/string surface?

No not saying it won't fair well, never looked into it but if I am going to do it I want something that is hard and durable and will last, just my 2$.

[strum]

Strum I have been looking into it as I am doing a custom rail for my Micro nightmare. I was also talking with Boo on this and recommended Type III hard anodizing. Google it and you can read up on it. It was used widely on military gear very hard and durable.

that's great but finding someone to do that verses finding the hydro dippers may be a challenge. so are you saying the hydro dip wont fair well on the rail/string surface?

No not saying it won't fair well, never looked into it but if I am going to do it I want something that is hard and durable and will last, just my 2$.

im with ya on that man

[fellas2]

http://www.dynamicfinishes.com/#

Talk to Stephanie, I believe. Great work at reasonable prices and quick turn around time.

[racking up points]

I just had a 405 powerstroke rail dipped in RTX. It will arrive to me this week and I'll shoot the hell out of it and report back to this thread.

Dynamic Finishes, does small run of parts for private consumers but they also do work for the archery industry. They said they'd stand behind their work, knowing the amount of friction and downforce there is on an a xbow rail. They also have the licensing agreements in place with some major camo manufacturers to get popular patterns applied...this is expensive and most fly-by night coating companies can't afford the licensing fees.

I'm sure there are better ways to coat a rail. But this company charged me $90 plus shipping which to me, is reasonable. I'll post back after I've shot the crap out of it!

[strum]

thanks guys . ill check them out

[hsb]

Hi Folks,
We've received several calls from folks at Dynamic Finishes since this post and we're grateful when our customers are happy. Some points of correction and clarification. We do NOT work for TenPoint crossbows. We dip for major manufacturers in archery and firearms, and consumers. We hydro-dip stocks, half-stocks and limbs for Skorpyd and risers/limbs for Ross Archery. We also apply Cerakote to risers for Ambush Archery's new recurve bow -- they have lots of attachments and paint doesn't stand up to the changeovers. You can read about Cerakote on their site -- word is that many crossbow manufacturers are switching to this baked on enamel coating and it's wide array of color options -- but it is at a premium price point. Very tough stuff. Some decorators can dip Realtree, Mossy Oak or other patterns over a Cerakote base -- giving you the pattern you want and the toughness that most desire. We validated our approach in laboratory tests with Cerakote -- and it's posted on that site. Quality oriented decorators should have a Q&A on the website that will help you make good decisions. Fellas2 is not alone in his admiration for Stephanie.

[strum]

I just had a 405 powerstroke rail dipped in RTX. It will arrive to me this week and I'll shoot the hell out of it and report back to this thread.

Dynamic Finishes, does small run of parts for private consumers but they also do work for the archery industry. They said they'd stand behind their work, knowing the amount of friction and downforce there is on an a xbow rail. They also have the licensing agreements in place with some major camo manufacturers to get popular patterns applied...this is expensive and most fly-by night coating companies can't afford the licensing fees.

I'm sure there are better ways to coat a rail. But this company charged me $90 plus shipping which to me, is reasonable. I'll post back after I've shot the crap out of it!

im wondering how your rail is holding up ..

[paulaboutform]

You read my mind with this thread. I'm putting together an Exomax and was thinking about hydrodipping the whole thing. I contacted a local company called Canadian Hydrographics located in Langley, B.C. The local Wholesale Sports sends there gun customers there. I spoke to the owner, Claude, who told me he could do the stock, rail, riser and limbs for $250.00CAD. He said they use three coats of automotive clearcoat over the finish for durability. I was going to wait for Boo to get back so I could pick his brain but if anyone here is familiar with any of this I welcome your comments. I thought possibly a black carbon finish or knurled hardwood finish would look great. Thoughts?

[strum]

You read my mind with this thread. I'm putting together an Exomax and was thinking about hydrodipping the whole thing. I contacted a local company called Canadian Hydrographics located in Langley, B.C. The local Wholesale Sports sends there gun customers there. I spoke to the owner, Claude, who told me he could do the stock, rail, riser and limbs for $250.00CAD. He said they use three coats of automotive clearcoat over the finish for durability. I was going to wait for Boo to get back so I could pick his brain but if anyone here is familiar with any of this I welcome your comments. I thought possibly a black carbon finish or knurled hardwood finish would look great. Thoughts?

that's about what the company here in ga told me..they could use two -three coats auto clear coat. we talked about leaving the top of the rail undipped but I really like the all camo rails..they just look better .IMHO
so far the pics Racking Up Points posted look the best to me..

[nchunterkw]

Been looking at this too for my Micro. What about Cerakote on the rail? That should be hard enough to not wear off right? What does Excal do to the rails they have that are camo?

[amythntr]

....just spoke to Stephanie at Dynamic Finishes...prompt phone answering and it was her on the other line...

....well I told her my Micro might need a sex change from a Micro to a Nightmare and was curious if it was worth it as opposed to just selling my Micro and buying the Nightmare...I know I am gonna take a hit if I sell...plus I would be selling it without a scope...either way, sex change or selling I would have to take it apart for the most part....she said it would come to about $180...probably not worth it except for the fact that the DF results is much more durable than the colorfusion which is baked on by Excalibur...

....just wanted to share my findings...

Anthony

[racking up points]

I just had a 405 powerstroke rail dipped in RTX. It will arrive to me this week and I'll shoot the hell out of it and report back to this thread.

Dynamic Finishes, does small run of parts for private consumers but they also do work for the archery industry. They said they'd stand behind their work, knowing the amount of friction and downforce there is on an a xbow rail. They also have the licensing agreements in place with some major camo manufacturers to get popular patterns applied...this is expensive and most fly-by night coating companies can't afford the licensing fees.

I'm sure there are better ways to coat a rail. But this company charged me $90 plus shipping which to me, is reasonable. I'll post back after I've shot the crap out of it!

im wondering how your rail is holding up ..

I give the Excalibur coating a 10/10. The only wear on my stock M380 rail occurs where the arrow directly contacts the rail. This is acceptable to me. It's barely noticeable and I understand why it happens here, that's a lot of friction and it's seen thousands of shots.

My M405 rail, dipped by Dynamic Finishes is less durable. Plain and simple. It shows more wear in the same area and it hasn't seen the thousands of arrows the stock rail has. It's seen about 200 arrows and three days in the field. The only wear is happening in the arrow groove but it's more noticeable and where there is an edge to this wear, I can literally flake off pieces of the hydro-coating with my fingernail. To be honest though, the rest of the rail looks fine so this wearing in the arrow track doesn't bother me a ton. But it's more pronounced than the stock coating and clearly not as durable. In areas where there is a sharp corner, (like the back edge of the rail, near the safety), the coating is thin and you can see the white primer they apply before the film. I'd give it a 6.5/10 for durability. All in all, I'm happy with the way it looks BUT it could be better. The price point is doable and the turnaround time and CS were great.

Anthony, don't dip that whole bow. You'll regret it. (And I'm not just saying that so you'll sell it to me!) name your price!