Blowndeadline | A Legend Remembered

UPDATE

With the tragic passing of Michael Segouin from Blowndeadline, we thought it would be nice to pay tribute and revisit some of his past work. Mike was an artist and visionary in the firearms coating industry. Over the years, he developed new processes & techniques, tackling very complex and time consuming patterns. His creativity and rise to fame caught the attention of several firearms manufacturers. Leading to collaborations we’ve all seen at SHOT Show and various industry publications. Living in Michigan, I had the opportunity to walk into his shop to drop off my own projects. Mike would always stop whatever he was working on to chat with me to better understand what I was looking for. I knew to only give him the concept, not specifics. Allowing his creative vision to take shape on some of my most prized firearms. Mike, you were everything that was right with this industry. And for that, you will be dearly missed. The Gear Bunker would like to extend our thoughts and prayers with his family and those who knew him. 

Nestled in an industrial section outside the greater Detroit area is a small, unassuming shop that’s taken the firearms industry by storm. Not for producing firearms or components however. Blowndeadline is a Cerakote applicator. But they do way more than just paint firearms. Michael Sigouin, the owner and founder of Blowndeadline is the modern day van Gogh. Not the cut your ear off and loose your mind van Gogh. The wildly creative and expressionist van Gogh. Michaels 3D canvas is the firearm itself. And his paint? A coating called Cerakote.

#cerakotethatshit

“Cerakote is a ceramic based finish that can be applied to metals, plastics, polymers and wood. The unique formulation used for Cerakote ceramic coating enhances a number of physical performance properties including abrasion/wear resistance, corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, impact strength, and hardness. Each of these properties is rigorously tested to guarantee that Cerakote products remain at the forefront of the ceramic coatings market. Cerakote ceramic coatings utilize state-of-the-art technology to out-perform any competitive coating in both laboratory settings and real world applications.” ~ from the Cerakote website.

Blowndadline’s creations range from coating parts in single colors to complete theme guns. Where every part is coated, textured and blended to look fully integrated. Camouflages of all flavors, any pattern you can dream up plus the full list of colors from Cerakote. The limit is that of your imagination. They’ve even created a Spartan worn finish with a heavy patina that looks as if the part was raised from a shipwreck. And Michaels skills can achieve whatever you dream up, trust me. I recently dropped off my mundane Sig Sauer MPX for a full makeover. I requested one of their signature styles, “Battle worn”. And pretty much left the rest up to them. I mean, you don’t tell van Gogh what to paint, right?

The story of the LH Czech Washer

If you follow Blowndeadline on Instagram, you may notice a common item that appears in each of his images. Placed somewhere inconspicuous on each firearm is a small washer with the inscription, “Made in the Czech Republic LH”. Having followed their IG page for some time now, I had to ask him what it all meant. Is it some sort of watermark? Turns out, the story is nothing short of epic…

Years ago, A customer had sent a gun to Blowndeadline to be painted. Which was returned fully assembled and painted. At some point, the customer called Michael to inform him that he was missing a very specific shim or crush washer. I’m not clear on which one exactly. Either way, despite Michaels reassurance that everything the customer sent to Blowndeadline was in fact returned. The customer declared that his gun was inoperable without the “missing” washer. Despite the ridiculousness of that statement, Michael offered to source whatever’s needed to make this guy happy. This is where it gets weird. The customer said the washer was from the Czech Republic and is a left handed version. A left handed crush washer? Seriously?

To make matters worse, this particular customer left a scathing review on Yelp of all places that was nothing short of “defamation of character”. So what does a guy with a great sense of humor do? Launches an epic mission to troll this unreasonable customer. Sourcing the right metal and fabricating his own shims. Then laser etching, “Made in the Czech Republic LH” on the tiny part. He now places them in every picture on Instagram and Facebook as if to say, “here’s your damn Czech washer, right here!”. Check out the Blowndeadline IG page for yourself if you don’t believe me. Needles to say, I doubt he ever heard from that customer again.

Battleworn Sig MPX Before and After

A few weeks later, the MPX I dropped off was done. My favorite little short barreled rifle was worn down to bare aluminum with its contours highlighted in black. Its trigger and a few of the small parts coated in a contrasting crimson color to add some pop to the project. And the entire rifle is top coated in a clear Cerakote to preserve its battle worn patina. I can’t describe how meticulous Blowndeadline is with their attention to detail. The time it must take to tape and paint all the small parts is astonishing. Which results in nothing less than a masterpiece. Now my favorite gun just got more…favority?

Take a look at some of the eye candy that leaves this little shop outside of Detroit. Starting with my personal favorite, the Mandalorian Blaster (pictured below). Let your imagination run wild and allow Michael and the Blowndeadline team bring that dream to reality.

Blowndeadline gallery