[incursion]

From the Kahr website:
On the heels of one of the industry's hottest new products, the Kahr PM9 is now available with a blackened stainless steel slide and black polymer frame. The matte stainless slide is blackened using an ultra hard and super thin coating called Tungsten DLC (formerly known as Black Diamond) from Bodycote. This coating has been used successfully in the knife industry to protect blades from corrosion and scratches.

[ajacobs]

Boron carbide is not a black finish I thought. Please correct me if I am wrong. ArmySon's 1911 pics posted here as well as the finish on my boron carbide benchmade are sort of a light gray. It may be that it is availiable in the "black diamond" you mentioned but I think that is something different than Boron Carbide.

[VictorLouis]

The BC finish does appear to be a grey, and almost pewter in appearance. However, once you apply any sort of gun-oil to it, the surface darkens considerably. A polished surface appears just like blued-steel, and matt surfaces look like deep gray parkerizing.

[Jim Watson]

I am confused. (Not unusual.)

What is the connection between a "Tungsten DLC" (What does DLC stand for?) and a Boron Carbide coating? They are not the same stuff.

[Coltdriver]

My HP was one of the early guns finished in BC. I had it transferred via the Colorado School of Gunsmithing.

The early version of BC was grey. If you put if over polished steel it came out a beautiful shade of grey that is hard to describe unless you see it.

The latest version of BC is indeed nearly black. It is still grey but it is a very very dark grey that on the grey scale is just a notch or two from black.

The school people tell me that the process is pretty well perfected now. There were some early failures. However, they also guarantee the finish for life. I have been invited to send mine back and have it re done for the cost of postage. Some day I may take em up on that but it is holding up very well as it is.

[mete]

Jim Watson, how can you possibly be confused just because the question was about tungsten and the responses about boron carbide ? Perfectly clear to me !!!

[incursion]

Diamond Cote is boron carbide. The newest process is black.

[USGuns]

Anyone know how the Tungston DLC finish compares to the Tennifer finish Glock uses?

[incursion]

Actually, I emailed Kahr a while back, and they said that the Tungsten DLC coating is not the same as boron carbide. I have no idea how it compares to Glock's finish.

[benEzra]

I think Tenifer is some sort of nitride-based case hardening process, rather than an external coating--I think the matte black coating on a Glock slide is actually some sort of phosphate coating applied over the tenifer, but I may be wrong.

[Bren]

I saw the new finish on a PM-9 and it was black and looked great. I like my carry guns black and the PM look nice like that.

I came back and the gun was gone. I think they should work on beefing up the frame first though. :rolleyes:

:uhoh:

[JackDRipper]

I got my new all black PM9 on April 12th, I really like it. The spent casing that came with it was fired at the factory on March 28th. 15 days from factory to purchase, fast.
JR