I recently inspected a 29-2 that has been refinished. The finish resembles stainless steel and whoever did the job, new what they were doing.

All of the lettering and edges are "sharp" but, I cannot remember the name of the process. I believe it was something like "Robar" but, perhaps someone can help me out with this question.

Thanks,

NP3...

Sounds like Meta-Life or Metalloy or one of the other, similar finishes that started gaining popularity on guns back in the ‘60s and ‘70s when SS guns we’re harder to find.

Froggie

Hard chrome finishes also closely resemble stainless steel.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

This is Metalife hard chrome finish from Mahovsky's:

I believe Green Frog and zipty6 have provided the answer. The photo of zipty6's revolver and the finish, appear to match the finish on the 29-2.

I will try to get a photo of the 29-2 and post it later. The finish really looks nice and I imagine that it is a durable as it looks.

Thank you all!

Zipty6 shows the very one I was thinking of. Mahovsky has been doing this process for decades and it has been subjected to stress tests like you wouldn’t believe! One important aspect of this process is that it is so thin it doesn’t obscure or fill any of the roll marks.

I’ve still got one of the Para Ord steel frames sold as a DIY kit many years ago. It was bare steel when the gun was built, and I’ve never put a finish on it, so I keep telling myself I’ll send it to Mahovsky for his treatment. It would be pretty indestructible.

Froggie

Any of these various versions of had chrome are fantastic in my mind.
You get the better high carbon steel, for strength, and you also get a finish that LOOKS like stainless but holds up much better just think how tough the finish is on a Crescent Wrench.
Sadly, I have no revolvers in this finish but will have someday, but I do have two bottom feeders, a Witness Stock 40 S&W and also an STI 2011 that was at one time someone's open gun for competition, he claimed over 100,000 through it when I traded for it, I have shot it a lot too and after I clean it up it still externally looks like new.
Can you tell I like the finish !!
In addition to other vendors mentioned, I intend to use APW, owned by Bob Cogan for a revolver, as he also does other custom work.

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SWCA 2282
Chris

FWIW, I have a 1911 with a hard chrome frame, and it is probably about as close to indestructible as you can get in a gun finish, though I've heard that DLC is also good if you want a black gun.

CCR offers some more modern finishes, I think one specifically designed to look like stainless steel, so that may be worth checking out, too.

Possibly, but since you originally questioned Robar, I'm leaning toward screwball's NP3 suggestion, since that was the finish Robar was best known for when they were in business. NP3, which can look a lot like hard chrome, is a teflon impregnated electroless nickel.

Otherwise, yes, Mahovsky's Metalife, Metaloy, etc. are approaches to hard chrome.

Can't rule out IonBond's DLC, either -- they offer a "stainless" version that looks identical to these finishes, too.

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Pickpocket

Photos have been posted in the S&W Revolvers 1961-1980 section.