Absocold Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Electroless is a bath, time in the bath determines thickness. It's usually done thinner than normal elctrolytic plating and applies more evenly. It's easier to have a mix of metals to adjust properties with a bath. Ease of removal of a previous finish goes something like this: paints (krylon) > shallow surface treatments (blueing) > baked ceramic paints (cerakote) > > PVD/DLC > surface metal conversions (anodizing) > deeper/harder surface conversions (Tennifer) > electroless plating > electrolytic plating With platings, it's usually much easier to simply cover it or give it another coat than to try and completely remove it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird_Dog0347 Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 On 2/27/2020 at 10:15 AM, Absocold said: Brushed, like polished, is something that's done after the coating is applied. Almost always by the gunsmith, not the coating company. Actually with Infinity (and most other manufacturers) and their PVD coatings, or blueing, they are fully prepared and ready to go before coating... Coating is the last thing before final assembly. The coating is just showing the finish underneath it be it polished, brushed, or blasted (how they do the designs like mine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 Makes sense, that would give a nice look without risking damaging the coating afterwards by brushing it. Polished though, has to be done last. The coating isn't mirror bright no matter how good the prep. You can get an acceptably reflective look from just prep work but if you want a showstopper that requires sunglasses you have to polish the coating. Polishing DLC also helps improve scratch resistance. The sad thing is, even polished DLC still won't be as heartstoppingly gorgeous as a polished blued piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersonj55126 Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 On 2/27/2020 at 2:38 PM, clw42 said: That looks pretty slick. Is it expensive? They had a min lot charge of around $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clw42 Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 1 hour ago, andersonj55126 said: They had a min lot charge of around $250. That's not terrible. How do you like it now that you've had it for a few days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCPEMark Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 On 2/27/2020 at 11:15 AM, Absocold said: Brushed, like polished, is something that's done after the coating is applied. Almost always by the gunsmith, not the coating company. actually, PVD DLC, CHROME, NICKEL, ect ect, will show the finish that is done to the bare steel. DLC for example is applied between 1,5 - 12 microns thick. by the time you get a brushed finish on the coating, you will probably be through it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Watson Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 On 2/24/2020 at 3:15 AM, Absocold said: Hard chrome is cheap, durable, effective and is easily touched up if necessary. How does one touch up chrome plating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCPEMark Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 On 2/28/2020 at 9:08 PM, Absocold said: Makes sense, that would give a nice look without risking damaging the coating afterwards by brushing it. Polished though, has to be done last. The coating isn't mirror bright no matter how good the prep. You can get an acceptably reflective look from just prep work but if you want a showstopper that requires sunglasses you have to polish the coating. Polishing DLC also helps improve scratch resistance. The sad thing is, even polished DLC still won't be as heartstoppingly gorgeous as a polished blued piece. here is a Desert Eagle that i did in bright DLC. it was not polished after finish, it was done when bare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corrado_kid Posted April 29, 2020 Author Share Posted April 29, 2020 On 4/25/2020 at 12:55 PM, PCPEMark said: here is a Desert Eagle that i did in bright DLC. it was not polished after finish, it was done when bare. Wow that’s pretty bright for dlc, Never seen it done like that before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnVacation Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 On 2/25/2020 at 11:49 AM, Absocold said: DLC Duplex Stainless with Chameleon controls, screws, hammer and barrel. Gorgeous? Oh yeah. Durable? The best. Slick? Extremely. Cost? Ouch! Worth it? I'd say yes, but YMMV. The worst part for me would be deciding whether to shoot it or frame it for display. I've been looking everywhere since finding this, and I can't find any details on DLC Duplex stainless. Seems like most DLC is duplex (sp2 &sp3), and I'm familiar with duplex stainless, but I'm confused about this particular finish. Do you have any more info on the finish? Working on my build right now and planning finishes. I want an ultra slick finish and was thinking either cerakote elite or high sp3 DLC. I'm intrigued by the duplex but need more info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benevolence Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Thickness and deposition temperature vary quite a bit. Any chrome/nickel that's electro/electroless deposited will typically be 0.003" thick on surfaces unless it's "flash chromed" where it's 0.0002" thick. Tank plating in a solution is usually lower temperature (23-100°C) but PVD coatings can get up to 500°C and start to distort parts enough to need refitting (happened to a slide of mine that was chromium nitrided CrN). DLC can be catered towards wear resistance or lubricity (diamond vs graphite structure) and is typically low temperature (~100-200°C) deposition so you don't have to worry about distortion as much. DLC is also thin (~0.0002"). As PCPEMark said; the PVD processes are very thin and will show the same finish as pre-deposited. Only thick coatings like hard chrome can be polished back down without taking it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yigal Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 On 4/25/2020 at 7:55 PM, PCPEMark said: here is a Desert Eagle that i did in bright DLC. it was not polished after finish, it was done when bare. wowwww! liked it. Desert Yigal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverscooby27 Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Benevolence said: Thickness and deposition temperature vary quite a bit. Any chrome/nickel that's electro/electroless deposited will typically be 0.003" thick on surfaces unless it's "flash chromed" where it's 0.0002" thick. Tank plating in a solution is usually lower temperature (23-100°C) but PVD coatings can get up to 500°C and start to distort parts enough to need refitting (happened to a slide of mine that was chromium nitrided CrN). DLC can be catered towards wear resistance or lubricity (diamond vs graphite structure) and is typically low temperature (~100-200°C) deposition so you don't have to worry about distortion as much. DLC is also thin (~0.0002"). As PCPEMark said; the PVD processes are very thin and will show the same finish as pre-deposited. Only thick coatings like hard chrome can be polished back down without taking it off. I think Black Nitride temp is very high too and might warp stuff. Edited May 5, 2020 by Silverscooby27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 6 hours ago, Silverscooby27 said: I think Black Nitride temp is very high too and might warp stuff. Like most stuff, a lot depends on who's doing the work. I've had a half-dozen or more 1911/2011s done in black nitride by H&M with zero problems. They have a LOT of experience with firearms, including OEM stuff from companies like Defiance Machine, etc. So they know what they're doing. Having said that, one thing to keep in mind with black nitride is that the black exterior finish isn't very durable. You can rub through it with some fine grade sandpaper and very little pressure. But that's just cosmetic. The surface below is still hard and durable from the nitriding process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echotango Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 4 open guns done by H&M. Awesome finish and zero issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverscooby27 Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 I have an open gun done by H&M too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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