HARD CHROME PICS added Please tell me what ya'll think

[krsmith58]

i came across a 625 revolver that was said to be hard chromed. the marking on the barrel would be smith and wesson on one side of the barrel and 45 ACP on the other. gun looks great but the lettering on the barrel is very faint on one side and not visible on the other. the wrighting in these models is not roll marked or pressed but etched on. any experiance with hard chrome finishes and is this loss of etching normal to the hard chroming process thanks. krs/kenneth r smith

 

[steelslaver]

I have to wonder. While you could hard chrome a stainless gun, the question is why. I suppose it might cause some loss in etching, but my understanding is it is a very thin coating of .0005. Some of the etched guns had problems with the markings wearing off very easily too.

If it is hard chromed it should be a very durable for a long time.. Any collectors value is gone, it is shooter class and should do great at that.

 

[stansdds]

Hard chrome and stainless can look the same. I have a hard chromed Argentine FM-90 pistol, the slide is finished in such a way that I initially thought it was stainless. Hard chrome over stainless is rarely seen, most firearms owners consider stainless to be adequate for corrosion resistance.

 

[Jimmy4570]

Hard chrome is still the hardest, toughest and most corrosion resistant finish available for hard use, high round count firearms finishes. It does demand proper surface preparation that the spray on, bake on and powder coat finishes do not. It demands more careful handling (consider that our benevolent betters at the EPA have pretty much outlawed the process for barrel producers for many decades). It's not dark and hence, not "tacti-cool". Bottom line, whether chrome moly or stainless, hard chrome is an absolute superior finish for maximizing the surface integrity of whatever material it's applied to.

 

[gwpercle]

" ... that was said to be hard chromed."
My question is why "hard chrome" a stainless steel gun .
Can you post some clear up close in focus photo's ... might shed some light on what's going on .
Gary

 

[Steve912]

Bottom line, whether chrome moly or stainless, hard chrome is an absolute superior finish for maximizing the surface integrity of whatever material it's applied to.

How's it compare to nitriding?

 

[CH4]

How's it compare to nitriding?

I am not sure what the Rockwell hardness is for HC, but BN is 70 and it penetrates 5 mills - its very tough and durable. It's definitely a great alternative if you want a black finish instead of silver. Both handily beat any of the spray on painted finishes.

 

[dfariswheel]

Master gun refinisher and hard chrome expert APW Cogan says the ultimate gun finish is hard chrome over a stainless steel gun.

The hard chrome prevents the scratching problem of stainless and increases the durability and corrosion resistance.
According to Cogan this gives the very best of both.

The only degradation to markings on the gun are caused by the bead blasting or bushing to prep the surface.
Traditional stamped markings look the same after processing, but electro-etched or shallow laser markings can be faded.

 

[WR Moore]

I used to live about a mile from an Armoloy facility. Unless otherwise specified, most industrial hardchrome is about 0.0001 thick, but obtains a bond with the base metal at a molecular level. The surface prep I observed is done with what looks like a flour like substance as the blasting agent. As a demo, they blasted a rusty pipe, gave it a brief plating and then gave me a sledge hammer to abuse it. Despite severe distortion, the plating didn't chip, crack or peel. Can't recall if I did anything to the surface finish. I saw no erosion of the roll marks on frames, barrels or slides.

IIRC, the hardness of the plating was in the 72-74 Rockwell C range.

Not sure what the nitriding comment is referring to, but per the then CO of the USAMTU, hard chrome is the better internal barrel coating for rapid fire rifle match use.

 

[garbler]

Hard chrome is a tough attractive finish when done right but nothing compared to Rhodium plating. Find a really good plating shop and have them plate your gun with a noble metal like Rhodium. What's a couple more bucks for a job done right.

 

[Green Frog]

Garbler, are you being serious here? I was aware that rhodium is popular as a jewelry finish for wear resistance, but that sort of wear is whole orders of magnitude less than that which firearms experience.

The rise of IPSC and other intense shooting sports was hard on pistol finishes and it wasn't long before those guys discovered hard chrome as a way to protect their pet 45 autos. For whatever reason, a lot of those shooters left their slides blue, and the classic two-tone guns were born. My friend Dale53 related to me that his competition gun, thus treated showed no signs of finish wear after a long hard career. I have had a retro style competition gun I've been working on for several years and its next step will be a trip to Mahovsky.

Froggie

 

[hkcavalier]

Rhodium's price per troy ounce is about $17,000 right now (it was nearly $30k last spring). Was $600 just a few years ago.

Rhodium isn't even as hard as plain carbon steel.

 

[oysterer]

..that was said to be.....enough said...

 

[garbler]

Re: Rhodium yes I was tongue in cheek serious. My wife worked with a plating shop outside of Boston years ago where everybody in the shop was a shooter. In fact the owner would shut down half day for the team to go shoot at a local range. Many had Rhodium plated guns and my wife had her little Berreta done. In five years of shooting etc it never scratched. I realize it's expensive but plating work like this doesn't involve much metal. The name of the plating company was AOTCO in Billerica, MA. Understand not all plating shops turn out top quality plating. Plating is roughly 80% prep.

 

[Marshal Tom]

Over the years I had two custom 1911's that were two tone, common in the 70's. I liked the look. I later had a custom built by C.T. Brian and had that one hard chromed for durability because I was carrying it as my duty gun. Still have it and it still looks good today. I also have a custom BHP that was hard chromed in the 70's. It is just like the one Stephen A. Camp calls his (number one) on the web site, High Powers and Handguns. Mine belonged to his best friend and roommate. I love that HP. I really like the look of brushed hard chrome. Hard to tell from stainless sometimes.

 

[saemetric]

My HC Python done 40 years ago by Ron Mahovsky. Still like new. I wanted a gun finish that would last. Got it!

 

[H Richard]

This Springfield Armory 1911 was Hard Chromed (frame) back in 1985. I still use it today.

This Mod 19-4 was hard chromed back in about 1990. I had them leave the top strap & sights dark. Some other lucky forum member is now the owner.

 

[hkcavalier]

Only have one HC gun, this little guy (34-1).

 

[JohnHL]

For whatever reason, a lot of those shooters left their slides blue, and the classic two-tone guns were born.

Froggie

Froggie, the reason the slides were left blue is because on sunny days, the reflection and glare off of the bright metal would make the sights difficult to distinguish clearly.

John

 

[TAROMAN]

Master gun refinisher and hard chrome expert APW Cogan says the ultimate gun finish is hard chrome over a stainless steel gun.

^^^This.
Cogan himself phoned me to confirm all details on my job.
The prep before chroming will totally erase any of the S&W lasered markings. Exactly what I wanted on mine.