Hard chrome refinish for handgun that needs surface prep?

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Vodoun da Vinci

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I'm wanting to refinish a Colt 1903 pistol in hard chrome. Having done some research I'm strongly leaning towards Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing to do the work *but* have not ruled out several others.

http://www.fordsguns.com/

My question for those who have done such things before: What about surface prep before the plating? I know that hard chrome is *very* thin coating (on the order of microns) and that it will not "cover" or hide surface blemishing like minor pitting, scratching, etc which a vintage pistol is certain to have at least some degree of.

I'm looking for advice: Have Fords (or whatever hard chrome service) do the extra polishing/surface prep or have the gun surface and extra work done *before* it goes out for plating by a specialist polisher?

Thanks in advance for any experienced insight you guys might offer.

VooDoo
 
I think I would have whoever is doing the hard chrome plating to also do the surface prep work. That way they'll be able to tell you first hand what can and cannot be done to the gun. Sending it out to another company to have the work done just adds to the shipping costs, extra time and effort to the project, and possibly problems if the work isn't done correctly.

I also highly recommend Ron Mahovsky at Metalife for hard chrome plating.
 
Thanks Dude....Ron is definitely "on the list" for the project. Being inexperienced at this whole "gun refinish" deal I'm not able to ascertain if some of the folks who apply the finish are comfortable/competent to do the polishing/surface prep needed to make the hard chrome look good. I have seen several warnings on various finishers sites cautioning about surface condition prior to plating.

Thank you for your input.

VooDoo
 
I never heard of a "specialist polisher" for guns like you would send your samurai sword to.
I have seen some nice looking finishes with polishing done by the owner and only sent out to be "dipped" for bluing or plating.

How much blemishing does your gun have?
What do you want it coming out looking like? A bright hard chrome resembling factory nickel will take a lot of careful polishing. A well worn gun can be given a serviceable appearance with bead blasting or brush finish that blends in the blemishes without the labor to get all surfaces flat and smooth.

APW charges $200 for bead or brush, $335 for bright.
 
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Jim Watson said:
A well worn gun can be given a serviceable appearance with bead blasting or brush finish that blends in the blemishes without the labor to get all surfaces flat and smooth.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I don't yet have the gun in hand...maybe next week. But A matte or brushed finish is more what I'm after. I'm a pretty good polisher (funny you would mention samurai swords....) myself having made custom cutlery for a number of years. I'm trying to get this effect which I believe to be a hard chrome finish and has inspired the project to some degree:

DSCN0710.jpg

Maybe I'll do it myself!! :) The polish/surface prep that is.... I guess I was more curious if the folks who do the plating are OK with doing extra polishing to deal with any surface irregularities that might make the plate job look "less than professional" but now I'm getting the idea that this probably goes with the territory.

VooDoo
 
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Here's another big vote for Ron Mahovsky (Mahovsky's Metalife). You're not going to beat the quality of work, the price, and the great service.
 
Bob Cogan.....

I'd check www.apwcogan.com or www.robarguns.com too.
Bob Cogan of AL has been in the firearms industry for years & can advise you on what might do best.
Robar Guns(Robby Barkman) of AZ is very popular but the shop prices may be steep & the wait times long. :uhoh:
Call or email the shop before you order. Be sure any shop can meet your needs & you are clear on delivery times/production.
I really like Robar's NP3/NP3 plus. I've had 02 Beretta 96D pistols with NP3 & they had 0 problems. It's a low glare silver-grey color. I had pistol magazines treated with NP3 too.

I'd add that Metalife looks good. The prices are decent & most reviews I've seen make it a smart choice. www.MahovskysMetalife.com
 
Wow. The more stuff I read the more I think I'm gonna get the pistol in hand and shoot some detailed pictures of problem areas and then contact some of these fine places for quotes.

Super thanks for the links and recommendations. I have a lot of research to do before I spring for a refinish.

VooDoo
 
Mahovsky's hard chromed this revolver for me after my gunsmith finished the work on it. The 'smith bead blasted it before I sent it in so it would have a uniform surface since hard chrome will take on the same appearance as the metal it is applied to. Mahovsky's did a very nice job on it and I couldn't be more pleased for the price - $168 inc return shipping - they'll be getting more of my work in the future.

Before-
vbnJIP89XcztrDBhSF7B5T9X-0XX5f34XcE92unydhg=w393-h225-p-no.jpg

After-
SDC10427.jpg
 
Excellent referral and *Thank You* for the before and after pix...

I guess the reason I have separated the surface prep from the plating and finish application is the level of specialty involved. From what I'm reading, surface prep of a 90+ year old gun is gonna take significantly more skill/attention to detail, and experience than surface prepping a brand new 1911 to accept hard chrome.

I have several pistols I'd like to do in hard chrome but I'm concerned (because I have been told to be concerned) that when all the minor pits and scratches are removed the lettering and logos and any checkering will have to be re cut as the surface of the pistol is worked down to remove the surface irregularities keeping all surfaces in their proper proportions and geometries.

The guns I'm wanting to refinish will all need some careful work and I'm wanting to find folks to do the work that are the best at both the finish application and the surface work including re cutting lettering. Then there is the dis assembly and reassembly of the pistols. Another couple hundred $ to get "The Best" is OK with me - realistically money/price is not really an issue nor is waiting for the work to be completed. I'm not in a hurry and I'm not trying to do this on a small budget.

I'm learning a lot and have a handful of possible re finishers to research now thanks to this thread.

VooDoo
 
If you want to restore your guns to the level that they're removing all of the pits and redoing rollmarks it's going to cost a lot more than an extra couple of hundred dollars and there aren't too many shops that can do that kind of work on a 1903 Colt. If you to make shooters out of them just have them bead blasted to clean them up and give a unformed surface and hard chrome them. They won't look perfect like the one in the pic you posted but they'll be usable, well protected, and a look a lot better than they probably do now.
 
Plus 1.....

That custom S&W revolver looks great.
I might get my Glock 21 gen 04 upper treated with Metalife.
The Glock factory surface is fine for now but I like that silver-grey color.
 
FYI:

The 1903 Colt you posted the photo of has "brushed flats" (frame and slide) with everything else "matte" (bead blasted).
 
Vodoun da Vinci said:
I guess the reason I have separated the surface prep from the plating and finish application is the level of specialty involved. From what I'm reading, surface prep of a 90+ year old gun is gonna take significantly more skill/attention to detail, and experience than surface prepping a brand new 1911 to accept hard chrome.

I have several pistols I'd like to do in hard chrome but I'm concerned (because I have been told to be concerned) that when all the minor pits and scratches are removed the lettering and logos and any checkering will have to be re cut as the surface of the pistol is worked down to remove the surface irregularities keeping all surfaces in their proper proportions and geometries.
Click to expand...
Quit sweating the "prep" wok, Vodoun. Ron Mahovsky includes that in the price. It's not something which you have to do, yourself. And the roll marks/stampings/engravings/logos will not be effected unless the whole thing is rusted to the point that the gun isn't worth fooling with, anyway.
 
I used APW Cogan for many years. They could bead blast to that grit (or just about any grit you like) in about 5 minutes and plate it. If you want brushed flats then bad pitting can be a problem as far as maintaining the rollstamps. Call them. Most finishing shops will cut you a discount if the gun is COMPLETELY dismantled when you ship it. Make a detailed list of every single part. You can aslo have your magazines plated for a little more. (plated magazines will come out of the gun like a cheap Mexican dinner) Keep the grips and springs at home. Ask them about the sights - if you want them to stay blue they need to be removed - they can do that also.
 
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Drail said:
I used APW Cogan for many years. They could bead blast to that grit (or just about any grit you like) in about 5 minutes and plate it. (plated magazines will come out of the gun like a cheap Mexican dinner)
Click to expand...

Excellent advice - I'm still trying to purge the visual of plated mags and cheap Mexican dinners....:D

Spent the *whole* weekend reading and researching and following links to various refinishing places. Lot's of excellence to choose from but I had it narrowed down to 4 places. Then I found this section at APWCogan under Legacy Colts for "Carry and Personal Protection:

pastedgraphic-54.gif


http://www.apwcogan.com/carry-and-personal-protecti/legacy-older-colts.html

They have a whole package including hard chrome and some tuning for these older "Legacy" style pistols already cooked up. I think I have a line on a likely candidate that I'm gonna purchase exclusively for this idea and see how it goes. This thread has *really* helped me make some concrete decisions based on recommendations from you guys and I wanted to express my appreciation for the help and enlightenment/good will.

When I do this I think I'm gonna start a thread and shoot detailed "before" pix and document the whole journey for folks who might try the same thing from a Newbie perspective. Lots to learn and assimilate - lot's of old Colt Goodness to follow I'm thinkin'.

VooDoo
 
Send along some HONEST and close up pictures showing the level of surface pitting and if you're looking to get them filled in expect to pay more. Filling in the pits prior to final surfacing before plating can cost a lot more than one would expect.

Hard chrome is normally thicker than show chrome. So it can affect the operating fits of the parts if care isn't taken by the plating guy. But the folks that do guns regularly know all this going into the job. I only offer this last bit to help folks realize that hard chroming is a different animal from show n' shine chrome.
 
I have been advised that the "Industrial Hard Chrome" used on guns is .0003 thickness. So, it pretty much shows the surface texture of the metal it is applied to. The suggestion of sending along pictures is excellent.

The first gun to get dolled up arrives tomorrow and after getting a replacement recoil spring (on the way as well) and going to the range for a shooting session it'll get field stripped and cleaned up well. Then I'll shoot some detail pictures and solicit APWCogan's opinion on what needs to be done and how much of it.

Might even just send it to them so they can prepare a "hands on" evaluation and send me a price quote with options. I'll likely start another thread on this project with pix and a before and after of the details and shooting qualities. This is gonna be fun - maybe a bit expensive but it's something I have wanted to do for some time.

I'm pretty excited! :)

VooDoo
 
I think I may send one along to Colt for "restoration" when I find the right gun for that. While Colt does great work I have seen some other restorations by third parties I thought were as good if not better and more competitive price wise.

This first project is more about upgrading the finish to make it lower maintenance while optimizing the performance via a "street tune" for pocket carry.

VooDoo
 
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