Refinishing

P

PVerdieck

New member
I am now the owner of a FN Browning, circa 1950+, ex Israeli State Security. They were going for 279 for gun, 2 13rd mags, dual mag pouch and holster.

Anyways, it shows its age and history. The various assortment of nicks and scratches, but the blueing is mostly intact, except for exposed edge wear. Interestingly, there was some yellow tape on the ends, and they greened the undersides of the trigger guard.

So I am thinking of having it refinished. I would say there are basically 4 choices, blueing/reparkerizing, nickeling, NP3 and hard chrome.

Now a refinish is for essentially appearance, protection and repair (throw in lubrication). I am leaning towards nickeling or hard chroming.

Will this take care of the assortment of nicks and scratches?
 
Hi PVerdieck:
I have tried electroless nickel, NP3 and hard chrome. I prefer hard chrome for appearance and durability. It wears forever but is not as corrosion resistant as the others. Hard chrome also offers lubricity, but not to the extent of e-nickel or NP3. I found NP3 too slick and it scratched very easily. I was also underwhelmed by Robar's quality control. E-nickel scratches and shows wear. I have also tried Birdsong Black-T and like it a lot. Overall, I keep returning to hard chrome. I have had the best luck with Metaloy Industries of Berryville, AR. Good luck.

Jeff
 
PVerdieck:

I forgot to mention that nicks and scratches must be dealt with before the plating process. It is the surface preparation that determines the appearance more than the type of finish. In some case, a bright finish might make the imperfections more visible.

JH
 
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