Epoxy resins are widely used in coatings and adhesives due to their strong adhesion and processability. In this study, epoxy-based coatings were prepared with two synthesized pigments: cobalt blue and chrome orange. The coatings were applied to aluminum, phosphor bronze, and brass substrates to evaluate mechanical and adhesive performance. Microhardness was analyzed using the Chen–Gao model to exclude substrate effects, while adhesion was assessed via parameter b. Pigment morphology strongly influenced the properties: Pb-orange exhibited hollow micro-tube structures, while Co-blue showed an irregular morphology. Results revealed that epoxy coatings on brass with Pb-orange pigment reached a hardness of 242.6 MPa, compared to 187.2 MPa for Co-blue, representing a 22.8% increase. Adhesion was superior in epoxy/Pb-orange, with values 1.3 times higher than epoxy/Co-blue and 1.8 times higher than neat epoxy on brass. However, pigments have no influence on the intrinsic hardness of the epoxy coating. The orange pigment in the epoxy impairs wetting resistance, while the blue pigmented epoxy coating becomes hydrophobic. In this way, in addition to colorizing epoxy coatings, multifunctional coatings with adjustable adhesion, free surface energy, and hardness are also obtained. These findings highlight the potential of pigment-modified coatings for tailored industrial applications, offering improved properties depending on pigment selection.

For analysis of adhesion performance, the composite structures consisting of electrodeposited (ED) nickel coatings on copper and molybdenum substrates were prepared. Optimal electrodeposition process parameters, significant for adhesion testing, were determined. With the experimentally determined deposition rate for a current density of $35 ~\text{mA} / \text{cm}^{2}, 0.7 \mu ~\mathrm{m} / \text{min}$, the deposition time was calculated for coating thicknesses of $\mathbf{5, 1 0}$ and $20 \mu ~\mathrm{m}$. The adhesion performance of the “hard coating on a soft substrate” composite systems was investigated using three types of adhesion testing: a bidirectional bending test, a crosshatching method, and a Vickers microindentation method. The morphology of the surfaces of substrates and coatings before and after the adhesion testing was examined using a stereomicroscope and a metallurgical microscope. The adhesion strength of nickel coatings on molybdenum substrate was poor and decreased with increasing coating thickness, but on copper substrates, adhesion strength was excellent for all the coating thicknesses. Different adhesion tests gave consistent results.