Refinish Question

[FHBrumb]

I have a gold plated Universal M1 Carbine. I want it parkerized. Looking online, of is said to be 24k. Is there someone you know of that can do this, and reclaim the gold? Even as payment? It shoots ok, bit its too much bling for me...

 

[Earlsbud]

If it were mine I would coat over the gold plate with something dull/matte. Brownell's has baking lacquers and I would also look at DuraCoat. Don't laugh, but Krylon flat black would be an improvement IMO. Another option is to sell your "blingster" and replace it with a GI carbine.

 

[Chindo18Z]

From a previous thread (JUL 2011) asking the same question about gold plate:

Gold Plating
Because gold is so valuable, many people wonder whether the gold plating on Franklin Mint medals contains a significant amount of gold that would make them more valuable. The answer is no, because the gold plating is so extremely thin that there is a negligible amount of actual gold in the "24kt gold electroplate". Most gold plating is about 10-20 microns thick (1 micron = .001 millimeter). For comparison, a dollar bill is about 200 microns thick, so we're talking less than 1/10 the thickness of a dollar bill! The gold-plated silver medals look great, but the value is the same as the silver value.

I was in the emblematic jewelry business for many years until I retired. Typically decorative plating on items like firearms and such is something like 15 millionths of an inch, and the cost to plate a rifle receiver would even in today's market be something under a dollar, and this includes the cleaning and underplating of nickel to make the gold even brighter, as well as the cost of the gold itself involved. Enjoy the rifle as a collector's gun, not for the intrinsic value of the gold.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=605415&highlight=gold+plating

 

[FHBrumb]

Good info. I'll just send it out.

 

[dfariswheel]

Most any gun re-finisher who do plating can de-plate the rifle and parkerize it for you.

Among others, APW/Cogan and Ford's are excellent.