In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
New Finish for my
William81
Member Posts: 24,634 ✭✭✭✭
What is the best choice out there ????
Thanks in advance...
Comments
v. 1.0, 04/25/04
Your firearm will become worn with use, require periodic maintenance, and require protection from the elements. There is no magic finish that will look new forever and let you neglect your gun. There, now that the critical issues are out in the open, we can discuss the various finishes that you might apply to your 1911. As with everything else, you'll need to consider your needs and expectations before making your final choice.
Depending on whether you're looking at a higher end gun with expensive metalwork or a duty grade shooter that will see some serious use and abuse, there will be some different factors to consider. Working guns will typically require periodic rebuilds and parts replacement that can make the expense or inconvenience of certain finishes become an issue. For the high end custom guns, a refinishing vendor's handling (or mishandling) of your finely checkered 1911 is a key issue. Some vendors are simply not accustomed to handling finely detailed firearms, and dented checkering or crudely buffed/blasted surfaces may be the byproduct.
Bluing:
High polish bluing is a very attractive classic finish, but not very applicable for a working gun since it doesn't resist rust all that well and wears poorly. Unless you're doing a showpiece that you can coddle, polished bluing is not an ideal finish for most users. Matte blue fares a bit better, but still does not provide very much in the way of corrosion protection. Bluing has the advantages of being cost effective, easy to apply, and easy to service for parts repair and replacement.
Parkerizing:
The traditional military firearms finish, this has a very long and successful track record in harsh environments. It is easy to apply, offers good corrosion resistance, is easy to reapply for maintenance, and is relatively cheap. It's primary disadvantages are that not all steels come out of the Parkerizing tank the same color, some cast and MIM components barely take Parkerizing at all, and stainless steel does not Parkerize. Well executed Parkerizing looks very much like a matte bluing, and does not obscure fine metalwork. As such, it's an excellent choice for a high end custom 1911 as well as a working grade gun.
Spray on polymer finishes:
All the popular types of finishes (Black T, Roguard, Armor Tuff, Bear Coat, Duracoat, Gunkote, et al) are relatively similar and share the same general characteristics. They are all applied as a spray, and cured either catalytically (ie. Added chemical hardener) or thermally (ie. Baking). They can either be applied over a bare metal substrate, which is typically abrasive blasted, or over a chemically etched surface such as Parkerizing. The Parkerizing acts like a primer coat, and allows the sprayed topcoat to adhere better. Stainless steel can't be parkerized, so spray on finishes don't typically stick as well to it. Some of the finishes include Teflon or molybdenum disulfide (moly) in them, and the manufacturers advertise that the finish eliminates the need for lubrication. These finishes do impart some added lubricity, but the fact of the matter is that your gun will do better with some type of lube. The finishes will all eventually abrade through to the base metal if used enough. The abraded areas can develop rust, but exterior surfaces or high internal wear areas that receive lubrication are not as susceptible. The inside of the magazine well and the areas in and around the mainspring housing and grip safety are common rust areas on the 1911.
The key advantage to these coatings is that they are relatively simple to apply, and also easy to remove from the gun for refinishing or periodic service. No thermal or chemical treatments occur that can potentially damage the gun during the finishing process. The spray finishes can be had in many colors.
Hard Chrome:
This finish offers an attractive silver color typically in a brushed or matte (blasted) surface. Hard chrome was the original extreme environment finish. It offers abrasion resistance superior to most common finishes and excellent corrosion resistance. Matte chrome can rust since the matted surface can hold moisture more so than brushed and polished surfaces. The disadvantages of chrome are that it is fairly permanent, and very expensive and difficult to remove from the surface. A potential hazard of misapplied hard chrome is hydrogen embrittlement, where the parts can become brittle during the finishing process. This is far less common than seeing dented checkering, smeared markings, and blurred contours from haphazard surface preparation. Ask any gunsmith, they'll all have tales of woe about a hard chrome job gone wrong. If any additional work is to be done to the gun after finishing, the chrome must first be stripped, then reapplied after completion of the work.
Miscellaneous Platings & Coatings:
Electroless nickel, Titanium nitride, boron carbide, Melonite, etc. all offer some very promising capabilities, but also come with the same drawbacks of hard chroming in regards to permanence.
Stainless Steel:
Matte bead blasted stainless steel is quite corrosion resistant, and with only a modicum of maintenance (ie. Light oiling and a wipe down) can go pretty far. Stainless is easy to service, as it can simply be blasted and look new again. Note that stainless steel is only corrosion resistant, and not corrosion proof, so a matte finish can rust in high humidity environments.
What to get?
You'll have to weigh your cosmetic tastes against your functional needs when deciding what finish to apply to your gun. Consider what vendors are available to provide the finish that you desire, and if they specialize in the type of work that you need. Have a realistic assessment of the amount of abuse, environmental hazards, and routine maintenance that your gun can expect. Finally, expect that your gun will wear with age and use, and that you'll likely need to repeat the finishing procedure again in the future.
Here is a pic of the complete NP3 jobs I had done at Robar a couple months ago. The S&W logo is not washed out, I just have an old low resolution digital camera. The S&W was a basic beater, bluing badly worn, end shake and some rotational play. Granted I could have just bought a clean one for what this cost, but it did come back nice. The Ruger was a little cheaper as it didn't need any smithing, but bobbing the hammer and rounding the corners a little did cost extra. They also have a nice black (Roguard) finish if you don't like the matte silver of the NP3 on the outside. The third one was internals only on an early (ported) Taurus 85 Total Titanium. Only $85 on that one, and it feels like it had a trigger job done on it. Sorry if the pic came out too big, my first shot at posting pics on here. Live and learn.
I,ve tried it twice now and can't get it to work. Anyone have any suggestions??
Good luck. It took me about seven tries before I got it haff-fassed right. Joe
You had it close to right. Use the bottom IMG link, and you can post pics. You had some extra stuff tossed in there.