How to identify Melonite finish vs. parkerized
- Thread starter HankC
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chris in va
Member
My Sport is melonited. It has a somewhat shiny sheen to it, but not glossy. It feels smooth to the touch.
The parked finishes I've seen are duller and almost have a powdery, matte feel to them.
The parked finishes I've seen are duller and almost have a powdery, matte feel to them.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
No way to tell by looking at it because Melonite is not a finish. It is a surface hardening process that does not alter the steel's appearance.
Parkerizing is a dull gray matte overcoating, not black. Melonite is a surface hardening treatment that leaves the surface exposed exactly the same as the final machining. It does not cover up the metal surface.
Keep looking, there is plenty of difference.
Keep looking, there is plenty of difference.
So the blackish appearance of Melonite finish is from whatever finish treatment (most likely Parkerizing) after Melonite? I know Melonite is a surface heat treat process, but I always under impression that the process produces the blackish appearance since every Melonite finished product descriptions I have read have no mention of after treatment. I have searched Melonite and there is no details on how that is done and how the metal appearance should look like. When I receive a new rifle or buy a used one, how do I tell if it is indeed Melonite or not. My Melonite finished barrel looks not as black compare to parkerized ones. It does feel or looked like smoother but I thought it is because Parkerizing typically has sand blasting before the treatment. Unless I put them side by side, I could not tell the difference to identify either way.
carbine85
Member
FYI - A Parkerized finish can be black. The parkerizing I do is black not gray.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Correct. For whatever reason, folks have always assumed that the black finish of a Glock's slide 'was' a result of the Tenifer treatment (incorrectly called a finish). Same now with Melonite (same basic process).
Ferritic nitrocaburization CAN form a black magnetite surface layer with post oxidation treatment.
The full process is called QPQ Quench- the actual nitrocraburizstion Polish-just as it sounds Quench- post oxidation treatment by immersion in a salt bath which forms the iron oxide layer for wear and corrosion resistance
Melonite, Tufftride and Tenifer are all trademarks of HEF Durferrit
www.durferrit.com/media/pdf/tenifer_QPQ_Eng.pdf
See page 3
Linking on a kindle is useless...just google "ferretic nicrocarburization magnetite"
This one mentions the black color but not magnetite
http://www.burlingtoneng.com/melonite.html
The full process is called QPQ Quench- the actual nitrocraburizstion Polish-just as it sounds Quench- post oxidation treatment by immersion in a salt bath which forms the iron oxide layer for wear and corrosion resistance
Melonite, Tufftride and Tenifer are all trademarks of HEF Durferrit
www.durferrit.com/media/pdf/tenifer_QPQ_Eng.pdf
See page 3
Linking on a kindle is useless...just google "ferretic nicrocarburization magnetite"
This one mentions the black color but not magnetite
http://www.burlingtoneng.com/melonite.html
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That is informative. I guess there isn't a good way to tell which is which by appearance. I know Parkerizing inside the bore would just wipe out and become bright after a few rounds down the pipe. Does Melonite blackish color stays black in the bore? It is often compared to chrome lined barrel and chrome stays in the bore. I have not shot my Melonite barrel yet.
tnxdshooter
Member
You are correct. Glock parkerizes after the Melonite.
chris in va
Member
I just looked at the bore of my Sport. Honestly I can't tell if its black or not, but it's shiny.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Glock does (or did) a black oxide finish. The advantage of parkerizing is that it holds oil to reduce corrosion. No reason to do that on a Tenifer treated slide because it's basically rust proof to begin with.
Here is a video from Modern Marvels on Burlington Engineering doing the QPQ treatment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QjbOZAx2mw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QjbOZAx2mw
caribou
Member
Shuks, Im mistaken, I thought this was a thread about the AR-15's "Melon Labe" end to things......... 
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