Another hard chroming question

[Shipwreck]

I want to do some sort of slide refinishing on my Walther P99 compact. After just 1 month, it shows a lot of holster wear. I was going to do a polymer coating, and asked for suggestions. Someone told me Tripp research also does polymer coatings, so I called them today. I got the price, but was told that the only finish that will stand up to holster wear is hard chrome.

I previously wanted to do hard chrome on my slide, but was told that the finish did not stand up to sweat very well. Back in 1999, I had a 1911 hard chromed, and someone on a gun talk website posted pics of their 1911 hard chromed gun - they used it in a competition on a hot day, and did not clean it that day. The next day, all the chrome pealed away around the grip due to the guy's salt in his sweat. Therefore, I was under the assumption that while it is scratch resistant, it is not very sweat resistant. Is this true?

The people at Tripp research said that this should not happen, and that I should not have tow orry about oilingt the gun down on a hot summer day at all, due to the hard chrome finish. I bought a gun w/ a tennifer finish for that very purpose - so I don't have to worry about rust. Unfortunately, the outer coloring on the slide is not as durable as a Glock.

Comments?

 

[mete]

If the chrome peeled away it was a defective job !! Properly done hard chrome plating is extremely durable , wear resistant .

 

[Colt46]

Hard chrome is probably the toughest surface finish I've seen

I think it's even tougher than stainless steel. Although, you can always buff out any scratches in stainless steel.
I think this guy got taken by an unscrupulous smith.

 

[Sinsaba]

Can I hard chrome my entire G17? There must be some way of making it stick to the plastic!!

 

[Shipwreck]

Can I hard chrome my entire G17? There must be some way of making it stick to the plastic!!

Sorry. I think you can find someone to put one of those polymer type coatings, though. Saw a really sweet white Glock - white slide and receiver - a while back on Gloctalk

 

[jsalcedo]

Hard chrome is very tough but if the surface is not prepped properly during the process it will come off the first time you sweat on it or first time your dog piddles on it.

I have a hard chromed Davis P380 that is 15 years old The gun has been to hell and back and not treated well at all.

Other than a couple of light scratches the finish on the gun is still perfectly intact.

This gun cost $50 NIB

If I ever have to get a gun refurbished I think hard chrome would be the way to go.

 

[Shipwreck]

I am leaning towards NP3 actually. Overall, it should be close to hardchrom in the durability factor - at least as close as you can get. And, I won't have to worry about rusting. I read a quote online from the guy who runs Tripp Research... Here:

Hard chrome is applied with an electroplating process with chrome in a solution around the parts. “Sharp edges tend to take on more chrome, while depressions don’t want to take as much,” Tripp notes. “So you have to rack each part just so and place each anode close enough to each part to end up with an even coat on all of the parts.” Once that hard chrome is on there, though, nothing reduces wear better between parts,
he adds.

While hard chrome is great at preventing wear, Tripp rates it as only moderate in corrosion protection. The whole idea behind preventing corrosion is to completely cover the surface so there is no path for corrosive elements to reach the base metal. However, hard chrome has microscopic cracks that, after years of use, allow moisture through.