[BLiTzNicK]

I have a very early model blued(well, it used to be) K9. A local smith will bead blast the slide with fine beads for $25. I am thinking about doing it, but don't want the slide to rust. Is rust going to be a problem with bead blasted, steel (not stainless) slide? Surely it can't be any worse than the cheap paint Kahr calls a finish.

[Gerald McDonald]

Left in the white, it will rust overnight if in a damp enviroment.

[dude]

yes, it will rust as the beads will remove any protective coating. Why not just have him hot-blue it after he blasts it??

[BLiTzNicK]

I thought about getting it hot blued, but kind of like the 2 tone effect. If it's going to rust though, I'll probably just get it blued then. Matte?

[bad_dad_brad]

It will rust big time. Early non-stainless Kahr's, even with a protective coating rust pretty badly. A Kahr is a nice enough gun to spend a little extra and get some kind of hi-tech teflon coating.

[BLiTzNicK]

Yup, mine rusted up real nice even with the finish. I decided to polish the slide to remove the rust (and removed ALL of the finish), which added to the problem. I'm hoping that a matte blue finish will prevent the rust. In other words, I'm hoping that it's the Kahr finish which was causing the problem.

[Gerald McDonald]

I was always under the impression that high polish will be less likely to rust than matt. Less surface area to hold moisture. Could be wrong though.

[12 Volt Man]

You might look at sending it to be "hard chromed". That would take care of your two tone wishes. If it were mine, and it was one of the earlier blued models, I would try and do the whole gun.
I have had my K9 for 3 years, no failures of any kind. They are great handguns.

[agony]

My old first Kahr was an original with blued finish. It unfortunately exhibited some rust, mostly inside the muzzle end of the slide at the junction between the muzzle opening and the guide rod dustcover.

I second the idea of getting it hard-chromed....check out Tripp Research.