1911 Rust Preventative Products/Finishes

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Gregory Gauvin

New member
I have a blued 1911. I carry it inside the waistband. We all know blued guns will rust and require them to be wiped down with an oil rag to negate this.

Hot, humid weather, and sweat make blued guns develop surface rust at an exponential rate. In good weather, no sweating, my particular finish does not rust up. When I sweat, my gun turns brown.

The most irritating thing about maintenance is that the 1911 can't just be wiped down. It's got all those little crevices and checking that loads up with surface rust and a tooth brush is needed.

I have tried an assortment of different oils and protectants trying to find which product adheres or penetrates the metal, and provides the longest lasting protection. If you can name it, I have tried it. I have found the longest lasting protectant to be an aerosol spray made by Cermalube. I didn't purchase this, and I think the product is expensive as it is one of those "gimmick" type ceramic nano technology things that binds to the metal surface on the microscopic level.

I am curious as to what products others out there use and have good results with. The best anti-rust agent so far is leaving my 1911 at home and carrying my glock. I am also curious as to what the best aftermarket refinishing options there are which are super durable. I'm not interested in Duracoat, or something you spray out of a can. Has anyone ever powder coated their firearm? I have a friend who powder coats, but I am not sure if powder coating is best suited for steal over aluminum.

I would ultimately like to have Glock refinish my 1911 with their proprietary tennifer finish. Has this ever been done? I would assume Glock would not refinish any firearm not produced by them, is there a company with a similar finish?

I know "wiping down" your 1911 is all part of a .45 fans ritual. But, when you swear and having to tear out your safety and pins because the rust sneaks back in there...as you get older this routine gets bothersome.
 
Hard chrome is probably going to be the best bet for the money. Ionbond is also a very good finish. Club Customs does the Ionbond. Nickel plating is also an option.
Powder coating is basically heat-cured paint, like Ceracoat and Duracoat. None of these paints will hold up better than chrome, Ionbond, or nickel.
 
If you like the finish that came on the gun but just want something to prevent the rust look into Eezox. I know you said you tried everything.

I have a bunch of Sig Sauer magazines, a Remington shotgun and 700 that would start to get surface rust if you looked them the wrong way. Various pieces of metal reloading gear, tools, and other metal items around the house that given enough time would get surface rust. I tried a few different things, all of which failed miserably. I saw some of the online reviews for Eezox and decided to give it a whirl. They claim it also works as a dry lube, I honestly was not impressed by its lube qualities but as a rust preventative it is amazing. Everything I have used it on has not had an issue with surface rust since.

A few downsides to it however. Wear gloves and plenty of good ventilation when using this stuff. Reading up on it the stuff is supposedly slightly toxic until it dries so plenty of fresh air is good. It clings very well to whatever you apply it to. I've got a spot in the driveway that got hit with overspray that every time it rains that part of the driveway looks different than the rest. When you apply it like the directions say to do it always leaves a somewhat glossy finish. Some may appreciate that, others with matte finished guns may not find it appealing. It does hold up to sweat fairly well but there will come a point where you will need to reapply.

If you are looking for a longterm solution another option may be NP3/NP3+ by Robar.
 
I agree w bill on hard chrome. One of the best finishes IMO for durability. I have two ionbonded pistols (recently purchased so jury is out but so far I love it) but I heard it was not very good as a rust preventative. I don't know if that is true or not, it cannot be beat for lubricity it would appear to be excellent as a rust preventative but I did read to the contrary somewhere. I believe it is harder then hard chrome and may be the best overall finish out there. So far my experience is all positive but I have only had the pistols a couple of months and I do not carry them.
 
Add a stainless 1911 to your collection. I don't know what these refinishing costs will be but it seems that for just a tad more you could have another gun.
 
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I had the same problem for years while carrying my 1911's. Hard chrome and kydex eliminated 99% of the problem.

You still can and will get "light" rust on hard chrome, if you dont maintain it, but its really nothing much, just a light powdery dust.

SS isnt rust proof, and rusts as well, and easier than you might think. You need to stay on top of it as well.



I also use Eezox on things I dont want to rust, but it wasnt around when I was carrying blued/parked 1911's. Its one of the best rust preventatives Ive ever used, especially things in storage.

I called Glock back in the 80's and asked them to finish one of my PPK's. They refused. Maybe give them a call, they might have changed their policy.
 
For a carbon steel gun you can look into a compound finish. I have a Fusion 1911 that I built from a frame and slide. I had the finished gun sand blasted, then I parkerized it, then coated it with Norrels Moly Resin, (Duracoat, Ceracoat, etc. would work as well).

The parkerizing is bonded to the metal and the pores in the phosphate parkerizing gives a bonding surface for the coating, which seals and protects the metal.
 
There is a sticky posted in the Gear & Acc. forum , by the DIY_guy about this .
He tried 46 products . Frog Lube , WD40 Specialist and Hornady's One Shot were at the top of the list for rust protection .

I am and will be a Eezox user until what I have runs out . But I noticed rust on 2 of my guns that were stored in one of my bedrooms for 2 months ( not a basement ) after I had treated them with Eezox . This was the time of season when the HVAC was not being used . I had a nice low electric bill , but it is not worth the risk of rust and that is the only thing that I can contribute it to . The guns in the safe ( same room ) using a Golden Rod and treated with Eezox showed no signs of rust on the ones I have cleaned so far . I am cleaning them all this week , started with the handguns . Most of the long guns will be cleaned anyway this time of the year ( hunting season ) .
 
My S&W 360J cylinder would get rust on the edges of the flutes after a hot day in an ankle holster. I sent the cylinder to Robar and had it coated with NP3 and haven't a bit of trouble with it since and it's been over five years.


I've had very good luck with 1911s with hard chrome, stainless, Ionbond DLC, and well oiled parkerizing. I use Flitz wax on my polished blue 1911 plus the usual oiling and haven't had any trouble with it either.

I've tried Eezox, seemed to work okay but I hate the smell.
 
I was going to suggest wax, but since the OP has tried everything . . .
Hard chrome is tough, but it hasn't been especially rust resistant in my experience.
I'm contemplating a refinish, and NP3 is high on the list, I don't really like "silver" guns, but I'm also not sold on the coat/cote/kote finishes that are high-tech paint.
 
I have been using a product by B'laster called Corrosion Stop (blue and white can). It seems to contain something like wax and is pretty good at preventing corrosion and rust in storage without harming wood or fabric. I DO NOT recommend it for a carry gun, though, because it makes the gun slippery and that is not something you want in an SD gun.

Jim
 
Hard Chrome would be nice, I just never had been a fan of shiny guns for carry. The purchase of another 1911 is what I want to avoid, as I own 3, and this particular firearm has been customized and tuned.

The expense of a refinish is also a concern. Since this is my carry gun, I don't care about dents, dings or scratches - it is my work horse. I certainly wouldn't want to make it too pretty, because it would get carried as much as a NightHawk I have my eye on. I suppose I'm looking for the "cheapest" rust preventative option.

This Eezoz, once treated, how often must it be reapplied? Is it a one time treatment, and how susceptible is it to gun cleaning chemicals?
 
Hard chrome can be a matte finish, no shine. Cost can be high with all the finishes (chrome, np3, ionbond). Parkerizing may be an option coupled with some of the waxes mentioned. Also, you'd only have to finish the frame if your mostly concerned about handling.
 
Ive had a couple of handguns hard chromed, and they were a "matte" finish, and werent shiny at all, except for maybe the wear points on the finish from the holsters.

As far as the Eezox goes, I would treat my wipe down rag with it, and still wipe the gun down at the end of the day, especially in the summer, and/or when I was active. Id also wipe the separate components down after cleaning. Dont get heavy handed with it, or things will gum up. You only need a very light coat.

Something in a holster, is different than something on a shelf.

I have a couple of guns and a bunch of tools in a "damp" basement that get wiped down about once a year, and not a sign of rust on any of them.
 
Hard chrome will look like what ever the surface you apply it to does. Bead blast the gun before hard chroming it and it will be a nice matte finish.

Check out Mahovsky's Metalife, they've been doing hard chrome forever, prices are very reasonable, (<$200 for a handgun) as are turn around times. They did a revolver for me and it came out great.
 
I have to put my $.02 in on Eezox as well. It's about the only thing I use for corrosion prevention/lubricant. You need to strip down your firearm as far as you're comfortably doing (at least field stripped). Use a quality degreaser and thoroughly clean it including removing any prior oils/protectant, etc. Apply Eezox to everything and let it sit overnight. Wipe off the excess the next day, reassemble, and off you go.

Subsequent cleanings will be easier. All you'll use is Eezox for cleaning. Nothing else. Two major items to remember: Do NOT use too much. It doesn't take much to apply and even less to clean. Once it dries, it's still there. People think they need to physically see wet lubricant to think the parts are being protected. Two, it's not non-toxic. So, use PPE.
 
Rust Buster

I've used Gibbs Brand, spray can for all of my guns for years. It's a penetrating oil with corrosion inhibitors ,a water repellant. I was sold on this stuff when a friend used it to keep the rust off a bare metal car he was working on. It went more than 10 months with out paint before it was finished without
any rust forming on the body. It has worked well on my guns , no rust on any of them even after being caught in the rain and snow a few times.
It's just a great gun lube and preservative.

......................... Jack
 
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