finishes

UltimaSE

New member
Could someone explain what the differences (pros and cons) are between finishes (ie blued, parkerized, stainless)?

I've heard somethings but I'm not sure if there is any bases behind them.
1. Stainless is much much stronger than blued or parkerized.
2. Stainless will cost more to work on since it's harder.

Thanks in advance,
UltimaSE
 
1) a blued finish is pretty to look at but not very protective. The metal is usually polished before being blued so blued finishes show scratches easily. It looks great, though, for show pieces.

2) parkerizing produces a rough surface finish that is thicker and protects better than blued since the rough surface retains oil better than blued. The non-reflective nature is also preferred for serious work.

3) moly/teflon finishes are essentially a paint that is baked on. The flat or semi-gloss black one's look very much like a parkerized finish. They wear about like a good parkerized finish but protect the metal much better than just about anything else. They also have the advantage that they are easily, and cheaply, applied at home using nothing more exotic than a $20 airbrush.

Stainless steel doesn't need a finish, obviously, unless you want to cut down on reflections and then it is usually bead blasted to give a matt look. It can also be blackened through a chemical process or you can paint it with moly/teflon finish. Stainless is heavier and, generally, harder than high carbon steel.
Interestingly, though, when used as a barrel material, it doesn't last significantly longer than one made with carbon steel.
 
I'd have to check my books at work, but I don't think stainless is any harder than crome-moly steel, but it is much harder to work with. Stainless has a "gummy" quality to it that makes it more difficult to machine. It wears out and breaks tools at a faster rate, as well as taking longer to perform an operation, so gunsmiths charge more to perform the operations.
Eric

------------------
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
 
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