black chrome?? should I?

[fatboyclone]

I am thinkin about black chroming one of my pistols. I know nothing about refinishing, but I like the way "black chrome" sounds. Would this be a recommended finish for a range gun? If so who would you suggest to do the work?

Edit: If anyone has a pic of a black chromed gun, please post it.

TIA
fatboyclone

 

[Onslaught]

These guys do it... Surf around, I'll bet there are some pics somewhere.

 

[alkiburki]

From the Accurate Plating & Weaponry site...

"Black Chrome Facts

Black Chrome is the second hardest black finish available for firearms and the hardest finish available at a reasonable price. It is the premier finish when concealment is the first priority.


Black Chrome has many of the same properties as regular chrome. However, in changing the plated deposit from a Light Grey color to Jet Black, we diminish two major properties of regular chrome, hardness and abrasion resistance.


Black Chrome is slightly harder than Nickel. It was never intended to be a highly wear resistant finish, like Hard Chrome. It has much greater wear resistance than any form of Bluing (Black Oxide) and due to the presence of Nickel, or Chrome, as a base coat, a greater corrosion resistance than a single coating of Chrome, or Nickel the to the base metal.

Some of our clients are adamant about Black Finishes. This is the best bang for your dollar, if you are stuck on Black. For technical reasons we only offer this finish in a Matte surface texture and suggest the use of a wax impregnated oil on the exposed surface. Brownells offers a water soluble oil “Pro-Sheen†that is wax impregnated and works well on Black Chrome at two parts oil to one part water. "

 

[CWL]

In short, Black Chrome scratches.

Not nearly the same as Hard Chrome.

If you want to get "Uber Tactical" Suggest one of these:

1) Hard Chrome plus ceramic coating. Really really hard, almost impervious to corrosion, really cool. Tactical black & grey colors.

2) Boron Carbide. Currently some questions as to QC on guns being BC'd, but seen a few beauties done in BC. Dark grey color.

 

[fatboyclone]

Hard Chrome plus ceramic coating. Really really hard, almost impervious to corrosion, really cool. Tactical black & grey colors

who offers this type of service? it sounds really interesting and worth looking into.

 

[CWL]

http://mcna.bodycote.com/

Under processes/metalalurgical coatings look up "ceramic". "Tech 12" is the treatment you'll want. But first you'll need to get it hardchromed.

They also do boron carbide coatings.

Mucho $$$.

 

[Zak Smith]

Does anyone have a report or pictures, or an idea of price, for a TECH 12 Ceramic coat-over-HC pistol?

thanks
Zak

 

[fatboyclone]

are pics available of the finished product on a pistol?

 

[AK103K]

I asked about having my Commander "black" chromed when I had it chromed. My gunsmith talked me out of it. He said that the color usually wasnt even and wasnt always "black", but could be grayish or cloudy. I've never seen one in black, anyone got pics?

 

[CWL]

I have seen it on a Mad Dog hard use pistol. Time for you to do some of your own searching if you want a pic.

Maybe ArmySon had done it as well, but it may just be polished boron carbide.

 

[Wildalaska]

Try Teflon over hard chrome.

 

[AK103K]

I was curious as to pics of a "real" carry gun, not an ad.

 

[Strings]

SIGH

Is it just me, or is there a LOT of talk about chroming right now?

Black chrome is, AFAIK, not much different than standard chrome (which IS different from hard chrome). Shinyness will depend on the polishing done BEFORE the part is treated (that's what I do). As for colour... I've never seen any that DIDN'T look like a chunk of hematite...

Chrome is also available in other colours (yellow, blue, red and, if I remember right, green).

Now, if anyone has parts they want a mirror finish on, PM me...

 

[BerettaNut92]

Pictures pictures pictures, maybe I should do a hard chrome and black chrome two-tone Beretta as my next project gun.