Refinishing

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Any experience or recommendations on hard chrome or NP3 type finish on pistols? I have a couple blued guns with holster wear and surface rust I'd like to refinish. If heard of APW in Alabama and
Armaloy in Ft Worth.

Home - Accurate Plating & Weaponry

www.apwcogan.com

 

[SoonerP226]

A friend had his P226 and a couple of mags done in satin nickel by Klein Plating in Erie, PA, about 30 years ago. I haven’t seen him in a few years, but at the time he was carrying it regularly as a reserve deputy for OK County on their warrant service squad (as I recall, he handled warrants on dangerous felons), and the finish was holding up well.

The price was also very reasonable, albeit mid-‘90s reasonable.

ETA: forgot the link:

Metal Finishing and Electroplating - Klein Plating Works

Klein Plating Works has provided quality industrial plating and metal finishing services since 1915 including barrel plating, rack plating and more.

www.kleinplating.com

 

[CS Boomis]

Hard chrome would probably be the last choice since NP3 and carbo nitriding/QPQ have hit the scene. Chrome is still porous though the plating is harder than woodpecker lips.

 

[KurtM]

Of the ones mentioned hard chrome will wear the least. I haven't been real impressed with nitriding or NP3, but have only seen a few examples that may or may not be from a quality finishing company. All my match pistols are hard chromed and the slide to frame is still very tight even after wearing out a couple of 40 cal barrels. I do have 1 pistol that was Ion Bonded and it has also lasted well. Got a 1911 nitrided about 4 years ago and it is already showing some wear.

 

[CS Boomis]

One of the things that is deceptive about nitriding is that the black finish can wear off but the full metallurgical benefits of nitriding are still there. It’s basically a high tech version of case hardening in which the depth and hardness is carefully controlled. It allows for the ability to carefully control dimensional tolerances since it is not a build up or applied finish, but a modification of the surface layer of the material. To apply nickle or chrome requires at least a flash plating of copper over ferous to prevent anodic erosion and is then top plated in a controlled layer. Really good shops working in conjunction obviously take all the factors into consideration and produce quality outcomes for fit and wearability. Now days it’s really buyers choice. Define the desired outcome and then crawfish into it. NP3 is just electroless nickle plating with the porosity infused with PTFE to provide lubricity and prevent solvent penetration damage common to old school nickle plating.

Don’t forget there are now vapor applied finishes that lie in between (as far as this discussion goes) the plated finishes and nitriding processes.

 

[KurtM]

I believe Ion Bond is a vapor type application. It is pretty sporty as you can take a knife blade and try and scratch it to no avail.

 

[CS Boomis]

I believe Ion Bond is a vapor type application. It is pretty sporty as you can take a knife blade and try and scratch it to no avail.

Unless you suffer from debilitating nostalgia it’s a helluva time to be alive. Soon we’ll be as toney as Denver and San Francisco!

 

[Pochanaquarhip]

If you plan on carrying it still and not just putting it in the safe i would just cerakote it.

Depends on what it is I guess though too…

 

[KurtM]

Ahhh Cerakote.... The spackling compound of the shooting world!

 

[Pochanaquarhip]

Ahhh Cerakote.... The spackling compound of the shooting world!

damn… I kinda don’t give a fuck.

 

[KurtM]

That picture depicts perfectly how thick Cerakote goes on! Can't even see his ears anymore!

 

[Pochanaquarhip]

You’re getting up there to the level of danc46…

 

[JEVapa]

 

[Ndenway]

Near every blued firearm I've got appears worn & abused.

 

[KurtM]

Well, I shall take my leave then, sorry I called your baby ugly.

 

[JEVapa]

I don't/won't buy anything with cerakote on it unless it's a factory thingy. Definitely not some "custom" cerakote job. It's really the only finish outside of Rhinolining that depreciates your gun, unless it's a factory finish (M110, Aero, WC, etc that has value) It's not like paint (which you can remove); they sand blast the surface to make texture so it will adhere. With anodized guns, they remove the anodize. I'm kinda with Kurt on cerakote or any of the permanent ceramic based coatings. I liken it to 5.11s, they were cool 20 years ago but they actually kinda blow and the people still wearing them haven't got out of their own way and don't know they suck. Same with cerakote. It's good on something factory where tolerances are accounted for, but not on your custom whatever unless you're keeping it forever. And it does fill in gaps and holes and rails spaces and can jam up slide to frame interference, etc.

But I'm for real on the 5.11s. Get rid of that shit and get Kuhls, or Prana, or just jeans. People who wear 5.11s say shit like booger hook and bang switch and do ports checks and "scan for threats".

 

[KurtM]

Royal Robins would excommunicate you JEVapa! Matter of fact he would have excommunicated everyone "tactical" and had to be rolling in his grave when the Feebies started wearing them! See even he knew even way back then!

Oh crap, I hope Pochanaquarhip isn't a 5.11 guy! Seems like a jeans guy, but ya never know. If he's a 5.11 guy he will never forgive me.

 

[forindooruseonly]

TLDR - Make sure whoever cerakotes a gun is a professional, and don't cerakote magazines.

I just got a Kahr CW380 back from their service department, as the idiot I got it from had it cerakoted and it wouldn't go into battery. Long story short, they had put such a thick coat on there that it interfered with the slide to barrel fitment and plugged the front sight hole access. On top of that, the original owner had cerakoted all three magazines too, so the don't drop free like they should. Kahr refitted the barrel and extractor, function tested it with all three magazines and two different types of ammunition and charged me 7 dollars plus shipping. Now it is reliable, just ugly as sin.

The person had bubba'd on it for a bit and then traded it to me as it "wasn't reliable". The thing is, the finish is heavily worn like he had been carrying it, all while knowing it was unreliable. It makes me sad for the gun that I traded to him.

 

[Pochanaquarhip]

I had a heavily carried police Kimber TLE/RL II that I had cerakoted by an actual cerakote applicator, not some kitchen table gunsmith, I’m happy with it and They didn’t coat the barrel. Pistol Functions flawlessly after being coated. My Ruger Wrangler is cerakoted from the factory and it’s fine. Aren’t the Sig Legions cerakoted?

As far as KurtM goes though you are becoming pretty fucking annoying after this thread. I’m open for discussing shit but you sound arrogant to me after this little thread.

What the fuck are 5.11?

 

[KurtM]

Well, sorry, I was trying to be funny as many of the Cerakote jobs I have seen have been very thick. From a few of the others posts that has been their experience too. Sorry for my humor it was in no way ment to be arrogant.

5.11s are those light tan "tactical pants" that everyone "tactical" was wearing and was adopted by the FBI for a while. The inventor was a very well known rock climber named Royal Robins. He made stuff for rock climbing and the 5.11 is named after a rock pitch. He was an extreme tree hugger and would have hated that his pants became the "tactical" pants of the world.... but he checked out just before all that happened, but his company lives on.