MikeRush Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I know I am not alone in having my STI magazine tubes rust. Despite the 410 "stainless" construction my tubes corrode even though I wipe them down after use. I'm particularly corrosive, for whatever reason (my in the white guns will rust during the process of a match). I've been dealing with this by periodically tumbling or repolishing the tubes, but honestly, it is getting kind of old. Has anyone experimented with the various coatings available for magazines? PVD? (I am not a huge TiN fan, at least the gold- I know there are other finishes available) Nitriding? Hard Chrome? I am leaning towards hard chrome as I will be having Techplate hard chrome my SS soon- does anyone have any feedback on hard chroming mag tubes? I am thinking I can set the dimensions on the tubes, do a final polish, and send them to get dipped. Based on what I have seen so far, it doesn't seem that the heat involved in the HC process will adversely affect the 410. I seem to recall something about PVD coatings improving the function of the new spec M9 mags in sandy environments. I haven't looked at local options for that process, but thought perhaps I could send them off to be done in a PVD if HC isn't a good option. I know STI was selling some of their mags nitrided, but again, I haven't heard any feedback as to whether that finish fares any better in terms of reliability and function. I've got a Rescomp I'd like coated as well, although I believe any of the above coatings could be applied to it. Any feedback on this? Am I on the wrong path here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogiebb Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 ive had mags black Nitrided and some even Ti Nitrided gold .. they look great but after heavy use they will look like CRAP I decided to just keep them as is in stainless and just polish them once a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I have a bunch of Para tubes that were stripped of that black crap they used to use and they were hard chromed. They still look fine after 12+ years. --- snip --- I'm particularly corrosive --- snip --- Bart has said that in the past... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 The black mag that came with my Marauder (nitride supposedly) looks rough after 300 rounds and very limited dry fire. I'm interested to hear about the hard chrome option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Check for sources of iron and steel getting on your mags. As long as the chromium content of stainless steel is above 12% (stainless steel is 12-30% chromium) then it will not rust. What is probably happening is that your mags are being contaminated with tiny particles of regular steel or iron and that is what's rusting on your mags. Cleaning them with steel wool is the worst. Using a wire brush that isn't copper, brass or bronze is bad too. Metal grinding or sanding nearby where the dust can get on your mags will cause it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v1911 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I suffer from the same acid skin oils that you're referring to. I rusted my STI mad as well. I tried polishing then and waxing, still rusted. Wiped them down constantly, still rusted. I finally got fed up enough that I sent them off to WMD Guns and had 4 mags NiB-X coated. Took about 6 weeks turnaround. I really like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRush Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Thanks for the feedback! I'd imagine on the mags that are nitrided they still maintain their resistance to corrosion even when the finish starts to visually wear. TiN and others, I would imagine not so much. I may send one off for chrome, and then if it turns out well send the rest off. Either way, I don't think it can hurt... I have a bunch of Para tubes that were stripped of that black crap they used to use and they were hard chromed. They still look fine after 12+ years. --- snip --- I'm particularly corrosive --- snip --- Bart has said that in the past... Hah, I try not to be, but for some reason... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Mike, The mags in the pictures were HC plated about 1999. They were in regular use until about a year ago. I think it holds up pretty well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRush Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Mike, The mags in the pictures were HC plated about 1999. They were in regular use until about a year ago. mag_1.jpg mag_2.jpg I think it holds up pretty well... Chuck, those look great! I'll get them all polished up and tune the tubes before they go to Techplate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I personally am a bit of a fan of vanity, and can't help but love the mirror polished SV tubes I see some people have. I would love to have some high polish (even mirror finished like that) black magazines. What would be the best way to accomplish that? Mirror polished raw tubes, and DLC? Is what I'm after even possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 DLC isn't very black unless applied over a darker material (it's a bit translucent), it's sort of a pencil lead grey color when applied on top of silver. A polished black paint (Amberflint is the toughest) would shine. But paint wouldn't last long. Powdercoat can be polished, then clearcoated and polished again for a mirror black finish. No idea how well it would hold up though with all the abuse mags get. You could skip the clearcoat and settle for a bit less shine, then re-apply powdercoat as necessary to maintain the finish. TiAlN coating with DLC on top would be nice and black and last longer than any of us. The cost though... ouch! If I was hot on having black mags, I'd give teflon coating a try. On the inside too because, why not? Would never have to lube the inside of the mags again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon49erfan Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I'd think powder coat would go on too thick and mess with dimensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1911A12011 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I recommend the DLC finish (I'm still waiting to be completed and ship back to me) or PVD on Magazines. Hard chrome might not be a good option because we usually drop the magazines when we reload during matches (it might chip off). I currently have Nitride finish on my other mags (I can see some scratches due friction with mag release) but it's just fine and less expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDRODA396 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 I personally am a bit of a fan of vanity, and can't help but love the mirror polished SV tubes I see some people have. I would love to have some high polish (even mirror finished like that) black magazines. What would be the best way to accomplish that? Mirror polished raw tubes, and DLC? Is what I'm after even possible? I polished some STI tubes and had them IonBonded back in 2008. Looked like black chrome and didn't wear any in three or so years before I sold the gun. Don't know if they are still in the gun business or not, but I was very satisfied with the results. 1 through 5 on the left were IonBonded, the right two are plain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Those are pretty cool looking mags! I like the PVD/Ionbond finishes, so that would be a fine solution. I hadn't really thought about it not being completely black because the mags are silver, that is kind of an issue... would a Teflon coating chip off/wear really fast at the mag release? Because that might actually be a good way to get black mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDRODA396 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) Those are pretty cool looking mags! I like the PVD/Ionbond finishes, so that would be a fine solution. I hadn't really thought about it not being completely black because the mags are silver, that is kind of an issue... would a Teflon coating chip off/wear really fast at the mag release? Because that might actually be a good way to get black mags. If you are referring to the IonBonded mags above, that picture is not the best. The are actually very black, just black chrome like. How "glossy" they are, like the gun, would depend on how much you polished them before coating. If you wanted matt black, you would have to dull down the original finish until it was dull before coating. This pic shows how black better, but still not as good as if you could handle one. Edited November 25, 2015 by CDRODA396 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooldylocks Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Those are pretty cool looking mags! I like the PVD/Ionbond finishes, so that would be a fine solution. I hadn't really thought about it not being completely black because the mags are silver, that is kind of an issue... would a Teflon coating chip off/wear really fast at the mag release? Because that might actually be a good way to get black mags. If you are referring to the IonBonded mags above, that picture is not the best. The are actually very black, just black chrome like. How "glossy" they are, like the gun, would depend on how much you polished them before coating. If you wanted matt black, you would have to dull down the original finish until it was dull before coating. This pic shows how black better, but still not as good as if you could handle one. Oh no, I want shiny [emoji48] Those look so awesome, I will have to look into getting some of those.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgj3 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Any follow-up to this mag coating quandry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 I'm looking at having a bunch coated with TiCN in the next week or so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brew460 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 I had IA coatings do a anti friction coating on all my STI mags and it works great. No chips, rust or scratching. Super slick. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v1911 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 2 hours ago, brew460 said: I had IA coatings do a anti friction coating on all my STI mags and it works great. No chips, rust or scratching. Super slick. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Any specifics as to what coating they used? Also, would you mind sharing the cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brew460 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 All I know about the coating is its IA coating anti-friction coating. They coat all of Andersons arms AR15 with the same coating. For cost I'm not sure. IA coating is interested in getting the company I work for business. So they coated my gun parts to try out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgj3 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I'm still looking for more ideas on these magazine coatings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 On 10/1/2016 at 8:06 PM, brew460 said: All I know about the coating is its IA coating anti-friction coating. They coat all of Andersons arms AR15 with the same coating. For cost I'm not sure. IA coating is interested in getting the company I work for business. So they coated my gun parts to try out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The coating is called RF85. The manufacturer, as well as Anderson Arms, will tell you that exposure to oils (like gun oil)) can damage the treatment. I steer customers away from it since there's no such thing as an oil-less gun (at the very least the bore must be oiled for storage). Having oil and something damaged by oil in the same place is a worry you don't need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v1911 Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 I'd love to find someone that could just DLC my mags. My Costa is DLC'd and I'd like mags to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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