Looking for gunsmith in the central Ohio area for a refinish, And a bobtail question.

[DasFriek]

Ive never refinished a gun myself and i think im leaning towards Ceri-coat for my 1911. Or an even better coating as i know so many exist.

I contacted the gunsmith at NASR and he wont refinish a Taurus 1911. Kind of BS imo but his prerogative.
I sent an email and may call Scott at Ganger Mountain in Hilliard as im sure he will give me a fair price as hes friends with some of my family.

Anyhow im looking to do this without shipping the gun and save $100 in doing so. So im willing to travel about 100 miles from Columbus.

Im prepared for a last resort and that is buying my own airbrush and compressor but that will mostly be a waste as i doubt ill have any use for it later. But could resell it. But i feel i can do the job with the right tools myself as i have some left over parts from my rebuild to practice on.

A last but minor question. I will be doing a bobtail on the gun and i want to know if people recommend the $40 jig or is it just as easy without it.
I just rebuilt the gun with high end parts and only the frame/slide/barrel was kept so im used to filing and hand fitting parts.
If you do recommend a jig you think its possible to buy or rent one in the classifieds section here?

 

[DT Guy]

Brownells sells aerosol coatings; I've used their 'teflon-moly' with generally good results.

Larry

 

[DasFriek]

I think the only way id attempt this is a air brush as ive NEVER in my life had anything turn out right from a rattle can. Some people can i CANNOT.
Really i screw rattle can paint jobs up.

But they do have cheapish air brush setups that run on compressed air canisters that are throw away which is one option. Ive also seen a few good air brush setups with compressor for $60 on Amazon.

I just know my own limitations and i dont want all this work ive done be ruined by a crap finish i knew i shouldn't have done.
I did find a place locally that can refinish it in matte black IonBond DLC which is a very high end and tough coating. He doesn't list whole gun cost, But lists a Glock slide and barrel at $160 so i think i may be in the ballpark with this guy.
I just gotta wait until Tuesday after the holiday.

Anyone deal with BOOM-BOOM tactical in Columbus Ohio?

 

[Mac's]

A refinish will only turn out as good as the preparation. Yeah, I know that a few refinishing product companies will advertise that you "can apply their finish after only cleaning the metal, etc." but take a look at that refinish job a couple of years down the road. We get quite a bit of business removing those finishes and re-doing it the right way.

Most (but not all) of those of those DIY finishes are great as a firearms finish as long as the expectations are kept real. Most home painted cars look pretty good...from a distance!

Proper preparation for a firearm refinish includes abrasive blasting to remove all of the old finish, scale, crud, surface rust, etc. Then although it's not required, the metal should be treated...the type of treatment depends on the metal. Parkerizing for "normal steel", Alodining for Aluminum alloys, etc. Finally, the new finish is built up on that fresh base.

The type of finish used depends on what you want from it. Some are better for wear, others are better for extreme weather, a couple are great for salt water environments and one is perfect for all of the above. (Gunkote! Ok ok! I'm biased!)

Now don't get me wrong: A DIY finish can come out great, look nice and last forever but that do-it-yourselfer did it properly from the start. If you want to DIY, check with a local car/motorcycle/machine shop to see if they'll rent you time on their bead blaster. No, glass beads aren't perfect for a firearms refinish but they're better than "just degrease and spray".

Regarding shipping handguns: The key word there is "Handgun". Both FedEx and UPS require Priority Overnite for shipping handguns. If it's going Dealer to Dealer, it can go via USPS. However, UPS and FedEx aren't concerned with serial numbers or controlled items, etc. Their concern is that a handgun get stolen from them and turn up at a crime scene. ATF regulates the frame...the part with the serial number...but to the shipper, it's just a part! To the shippers, a handgun frame is just another part. The bottom line is that you can ship handgun PARTS anyway you choose. No, that doesn't mean that field stripping it makes it a box of parts. But keeping the barrel, recoil spring and grips at home does make the rest of it a box of parts. Hope this helps. Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons
http://www.shootiniron.com

 

[DasFriek]

Mac, I gotta admit you make alot of sense and after reading threw your site i did know prep was more important than even the finish itself.
Your shipping ideas do concern me somewhat as they are not what ive read about, But in ways make sense.

What im looking for is an all black finish, But tough and if it adds to the hardness of the steel on the outside all the better.
Ill be looking your site over more as intriguing.

(Edit) I think i will be getting with you as what you offer will cover most of my needs.
Does your Satin Nickle add any surface hardening?
Anything else ill ask threw pm or email your website if i have questions. I actually remember seeing your website about a year ago.
How well does the Nickle coating hold up on barrels in a 1911? Or even the Guncoat you use? will it hold up to abuse like that?

(Edit#2) My gun is an all carbon steel frame. I want to start the carry melt now but im afraid i wont be able to carry the gun with metal exposed like that until i can get it sent to the refinishes in 3-4 weeks.
Would good coverage of the steel with CLP make it ok to still carry it with the bluing removed on the bevels and slide as im removing the billboards also.
Something tells me to have patience and just wait until the same week im read to ship and dont attempt to carry a gun with exposed carbon steel.

 

[Mac's]

Doing a "melt job" yourself before shipping it is a good idea and will allow you time to see which spot needs more work. I wouldn't worry to much about exposed surfaces rusting up in a short time. (couple of weeks) I'm sure it will discolor some but that's no problem for a refinish. Even surface rust is no problem and will be totally gone in the first stages of the refinish process.

Regarding wear marks on the barrel: All finishes but Hard Chrome will show some wear marks where the barrel locks/unlocks above the muzzle and on the chamber top. Nickel will wear well but I prefer our TG-1 finish for those types of areas. The Mollybdenun Disulfide in the Gunkote used in our TG-1 finish will burnish to a perfect fit. It'll end up showing some "polish wear" but will also end up being much smoother than original. Nickel plating will just wear..it will not burnish. Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons
http://www.shootiniron.com

 

[DasFriek]

I have about 3 weeks maybe 4 before the refinish needs done as i have to wait until the 1st of next month to buy the bobtailed mainspring housing and then cut and blend it.
But id like to get started on the dehorn/melt asap as im not so sure how far i want to go with it. But that leaves alot of time for hand sanding the slides billboards down and do it right and not have squiggly edges.

Ill have to email you with for a price quote as i cant decide on what style/combo of refinish i want. I know i want mostly the black TG1 and satin Nickle mixed in as a color break.
But i want the most durable finish since this gun will see ALOT of holster wear. And i want it done nicely as i just dropped a mint on it with a full rebuild with high end parts.

Ill be starting the dehorning/melt and ill keep thinking and looking at pics to find the right look im looking for.

Ive looked at many refinishers and im waiting to hear back from a local guy who does IonBlack DLC but i have a feeling its price will be extremely costly. But so far no one has beat what you offer. So hopefully we can do business soon.

 

[DT Guy]

FWIW, if you've never used an airbrush before, there's a learning curve involved in just getting one to spray correctly. I used one professionally for a while, and I'd be more inclined to think a novice could do better with a rattle can, to tell the truth.

Keep in mind that you're controlling two variables (liquid and air) with one finger when you use most airbrushes, rather than just pushing a button. Not as easy as it looks...

Larry

 

[DasFriek]

I solved this issue easy enough as im in contact with Mac and gonna have him do the job for me as i have to much invested to just do a "Bubba" coating that just falls off after i spend a chunk of money on an airbrush setup.

Im 40 years old and by this time in my life i have used my fair share of rattle cans, And let me tell you i dont ever remember me finishing a job and not saying "Oh well, It could have been worse i guess".
So ill let the pro's handle this job.

I bet you could think of the hardest job to do to a 1911 and id prefer to do that than attempt to apply a finish ill have to live with for most of my life.
I can buy new parts, But removing screwed up finishes and then doing it again to just have it look even worse sounds like a really bad day.

 

[DasFriek]

I thought id make an update to the thread seeing im having another forum member refinishing my 1911. Hopefully i wont drive him insane before he finishes as im a very detail oriented person, But accommodating as much as possible.

Mac at http://www.shootiniron.com will be doing his TG-1 satin black finish which is DuraCoat over ZINC PARKERIZING. I only hope my handy work compliments his work as i did a full bevel/melt job with a BillBoard removal after a complete rebuild with hand fitted Wilson and ED Brown parts.

The gun is a Taurus PT1911, And yes i know i just dumped mounds of money on a gun that will never be worth over $500 no matter whats inside it.
But this is my first 1911 which i bought to learn how to work on 1911's with and also the fire group parts were a 40th birthday present from my ailing parents i help take care of. Its also my Favorite CCW gun that ive chosen over about 8 different guns ive owned and tried.
They better bury me with this gun as im gonna die with it in my possession or on me. As you can see it holds alot of sentimental value as well as it shoots like a custom now its so tight and crisp.

I know the pics look rough, But any gun thats been heavily filed and sanded and prepped for a new finish would.
I want to post these now as a "Before" and I or Mac will post the "after" pics.

One glaring mistake is i didnt get the ED Brown recoil spring plug ordered and beveled before sending the gun to Mac, So in the mean time we will be working on that issue. BTW guys hes been very easy to deal with and seems to really know his stuff.