Mahovsky's Metalife

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

Has anyone had this "metalife" finish applied to a handgun? Would you recommend it for a pocket-carry pistol? Is it better than electroless nickel plating?

 

[David E]

It's industrial hard chrome and is more durable than electroless nickel.

Have heard nothing but good things about Metalife.

It'd be ideal on a pocket gun.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

Thanks, David. That might be just the ticket for my little Radom P64.

 

[RickMD]

I hope their work is better than their customer service. I've emailed them several requests for quotations and never heard back from them.

 

[dfariswheel]

He's been around a LONG time and generally has an excellent reputation for quality of work.
His prices are also about the lowest.

Turnaround times may be slow, and communication is often lacking.

Hard chrome is a far tougher, harder finish then electroless nickel.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

I'm thinking a hard chrome finish, a set of Marschal wood grips and a Robert Mika pocket holster and I'll be in tall cotton!

 

[Boxhead]

Great stuff. Some Co's run on the phone rather than the internet so give 'em a call. A 5 shot 45 Colt of mine.

 

[WC145]

I'm a fan of hard chrome, I've got a couple of old custom guns that were Armoloyed around 30 years ago and still look great. As far as I'm concerned there's no better finish for a carry gun.

I just had Mahovsky's hard chrome a revolver that I'm having built for my wife, I got it back about a month ago. They did a great job, the finish is uniform, no blemishes, price was exactly what is listed on their website, turn around was about 6 weeks. If you call them and leave a message, Ron will call you back. I spoke to him twice on my gun - once to be sure it got there (the fedex tracking page said it was left at the door) and again when it was done and he called me to get my credit card info for payment. I'm very happy with their work and will be sending more guns their way in the near future.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

Great stuff. Some Co's run on the phone rather than the internet so give 'em a call. A 5 shot 45 Colt of mine.

Very nice! Now, that's the "matte" finish, isn't it?

 

[dfariswheel]

That's the original type finish.

When hard chrome was introduced for firearms the metal was given a fine bead blasted "orange peel" surface to give the hard chrome a better bond to the steel.
This is a very smooth satin pearl-gray in appearance.

Later on, other methods were introduced giving finishes ranging from a rougher finish one supplier called "Starburst", to a stainless steel look, to an almost mirror finish.
The final appearance depends on how the steel is processed before the hard chrome is applied. Once it's plated, you can't polish or otherwise change the look.

Different refinishers offer different options on appearance and pricing. Some call hard chrome various brand names, but it's all hard chrome.
Several offer only the original type finish as shown in Boxhead's photo.

 

[riddleofsteel]

I sent him a steel frame A75 Astra back in the 1980's. It came back with a satin finish that resisted scratches and holster wear extremely well. However, I decided one day to put a slip on rubber grip to improve the gun's overall feel and handling. After a month of summer carry I removed the grip to clean the weapon and there were rust spots coming thru the chrome! Anyone that has left a socket or box end wrench out in the rain knows that industrial hard chrome coated steel tools will rust. If you use these types of tools your know that with reasonable care they will last forever.

FYI

 

[bannockburn]

Nothing but good results from using Ron Mahovsky's Metalife finish. I have a Beretta Model 70S that he hard chromed plated many years ago and it still looks as great as the day I got it back from him.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

Well, for better or worse, my little "Polish PPK" is on its way to Ron Mahovsky for the Brushed Satin Metalife. (Somehow that name seems appropriate for the gun in question! )

 

[daveyjones53]

I have not had such good experiences with his work. Mine started bubbling and chipping and then when I sent it back to him to fix under warranty he scratched the frame up and then put chrome over it.