Where to apply Duracoat on a Handgun?

[DenC]

Hi everyone!

 

Was thinking about duracoating my Blued Tanfoglio Stock 1. The thing rusts a day after I handle it without wiping it with oil afterwards, in particular the portion underneath the beavertail. I think my sweat must be very acidic or salty plus I always have sweaty hands  

 

Now I know duracoat isn't as popular nowadays or as tough as cerakote, dlc etc, but it is easy to get on and off, refinish and its cheap. I just hope it lasts a reasonable amount of time for what I use the gun for.

I am also wary of subjecting the slide to any process that involves heat as some have said that Tanfoglio slides are heat treated really hard so I don't want to take the risk of throwing off the heat treat and making the slide brittle. 

So for those who know, what is the right way to apply duracoat, or to be more specific where on the gun should it be applied?

I was thinking of only coating the outer portion of the slide and frame, basically any external surface that could be touched by my hand, with the gun fully assembled, and leave the original bluing on the inside, rails or any mating surface, such as inside diameter of the holes for the barrel, guide rod and slide stop.

Is this a good way to do it or do you guys duracoat the innards as well, except for the mating surfaces I suppose?

 

And about the slots for the front and rear sight, do these need to be taped off or do you duracoat those too then just fit the sights back in without any issues? 

Also understand that you need to use acetone to remove any oils before sanding and it seems best to actually dip the parts in acetone overnight. If I do this will the bluing on the guns innards be affected in any way?

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by DenC

[Joe4d]

Used it quite a bit on 1911's and Para's.. I used the 2 part and a small hobby air sprayer that uses canned air.
I only did out side,, I would tape up rails and underside of the 1911 frame... So yeh basically only the outside where you grab it.. You can get away with a thin coat around the area of the frame where the safety goes.

[JDalton203]

On 9/3/2023 at 7:55 AM, Joe4d said:

Used it quite a bit on 1911's and Para's.. I used the 2 part and a small hobby air sprayer that uses canned air.
I only did out side,, I would tape up rails and underside of the 1911 frame... So yeh basically only the outside where you grab it.. You can get away with a thin coat around the area of the frame where the safety goes.

 

I'm with Joe, tons of luck cerakoting slides/frames/etc but the duracoat goes on way too thick in my opinion for mating parts. I would stick to just the outside. Others may have had better luck than me with duracoat though! Can always blast it back off but then you would need to figure out how to coat the mating points with something else (re-blue/cerakote probably).

[JDalton203]

Oh and the 160-300 degree temperatures that cerakote need for curing are much much lower than the heat treating process and really shouldn't play a factor in changing up the factory heat treat either. Good luck though! Always a bit daunting to try something new on your own guns haha.

[Joe4d]

I was stationed in Hi living on Ford Island baracks and couldnt have gun on post, so I rented an off sight storage place for guns and ammo, but also came in handy for other stuff while I was underway. As you couldnt leave stuff in room while gone.
So think hot and humid.. I had a blued frame gun.. So taped up rails and (Oh and found out after the fact when HPD had a s#!t fit,,, dont duracoat serial number.) inside slide, I left old grip safety and a MSH installed I was not using, but it kept coat out of trigger area.  gave everything one coat, then on subsequent coats I only lightly misted area where safety and slide stop rode.
Worked fine, I did hit the gun with corrosion X spray inside and out when I left it for 6 months or so.

[DenC]

12 hours ago, JDalton203 said:

 

I'm with Joe, tons of luck cerakoting slides/frames/etc but the duracoat goes on way too thick in my opinion for mating parts. I would stick to just the outside. Others may have had better luck than me with duracoat though! Can always blast it back off but then you would need to figure out how to coat the mating points with something else (re-blue/cerakote probably).

 

12 hours ago, JDalton203 said:

Oh and the 160-300 degree temperatures that cerakote need for curing are much much lower than the heat treating process and really shouldn't play a factor in changing up the factory heat treat either. Good luck though! Always a bit daunting to try something new on your own guns haha.

 

11 hours ago, Joe4d said:

I was stationed in Hi living on Ford Island baracks and couldnt have gun on post, so I rented an off sight storage place for guns and ammo, but also came in handy for other stuff while I was underway. As you couldnt leave stuff in room while gone.
So think hot and humid.. I had a blued frame gun.. So taped up rails and (Oh and found out after the fact when HPD had a s#!t fit,,, dont duracoat serial number.) inside slide, I left old grip safety and a MSH installed I was not using, but it kept coat out of trigger area.  gave everything one coat, then on subsequent coats I only lightly misted area where safety and slide stop rode.
Worked fine, I did hit the gun with corrosion X spray inside and out when I left it for 6 months or so.

Thanks very much for your inputs! Much appreciated! Got to watch those serial numbers. 

Edited September 8, 2023 by DenC