Best Finsh for the Slide?

[totin'45]

I have a like-new 4566 in the factory Melonite finish. To prevent holster ware through to slide finish, and hell, just because I think it looks cool, I'd like to finish the slide in a brushed satin like factory SS or burnished hard chrome. Whats the best approach? Hard chrome plating, Diamond Plate SS finish, medium blasting? Can the Melonite just be polished off? Photo's if you have examples, please!

Thanks,
Wayne

[jfd]

if interested in a cerakote type finish, customizedcreationz.com and acoating.com might be worth a look. Another is Birdsong's "Black-T" finish, a firm in I believe MS. An outfit in PA called "Mahovsky's Metalife" offers plating in a few different finishes, I have used them but can't highly recommend them. If considering them, PM me for specifics. Good luck.

[Stu454]

Just have the SS slide blasted.

[KurtC]

Melonite is one of the toughest surface treatments available to firearms. Pretty much anything else would be a step down. You can read up on it here Melonite Processing if you want to compare it to others.

[mlk18]

+1 for cerakote, I have had good success in both looks and durability using it. Melonite is like Tennifer, it is very hard and very durable but the outer coating does wear and show distress. Especially if carried often.

[Catshooter]

Armalloy. Been doing the hard chrome thing for more than 30 years, they know what they're doing. They did a Winchester 94 for me that I love.


Cat

[totin'45]

Thanks for all your replies. After reading about the properties of Melonite, I think I'll just leave the damn thing as is. The gun is a range gun rather than a carry gun, except for those rare occasions I carry it open holster in the woods instead of my .480 Ruger. It spends most of it's time in the night stand next to my bed. On the other hand, I still want to do the slide on my all black CS45. I really like the looks of the Diamondkote product. It looks exactly like SS in their web page photo's. Have any of you used this coating? The thing I don't like about cerakote is, to me, it looks more like powder coating then stainless or satin nickel. As far as Armalloy, isn't that just another black finish, or do they have a silver version now?

[Catshooter]

Armalloy is the exact same color as the hard chroming that S&W used to use on all of it's "flash chromed" triggers & hammers. Silver/stainless color.


Cat

[mag318]

I really like Robars NP3 electroless nickle finish, it's teflon impregnated so it required very little lubrication. Another selling point is that it really aids cleaning, usually just a soft cloth will wipe away any carbon. I've had 3 M&Ps done and Monday I'm sending them the new Compact Beretta PX4 they just came out with. I can highly recommend Robar and they guarantee their finishes for life.

[totin'45]

I looked at the Armolly site and that is exactly the look I am talking about. The Robar is too. What does Robar charge to do a slide?