Sweat proof finish
- Thread starter hnusz
- Start date
Bill DeShivs
New member
Ceracote will work well-as long as there is no compromise on the finish.
Electroless nickel will work very well.
Electroless nickel will work very well.
Gaucho Gringo
New member
Stainless steel guns? About the only option I can think of that would not eventually fail. I also share the OP's problem of sweating and being warm at temperatures others consider cold. I would love to have the temps at 50-55 all year round. At night sleeping at 40-45.. My old IV, H&A and H&R nickle plated guns I have no problem with rust when I carry them.
buckhorn_cortez
New member
Ferritic nitrocarburizing (Melonite) is more corrosion resistant than hard chrome, or electroless nickel. Contact Dave Severns at Severns Custom about his Hard Hat treatment. I have two pistols done in Hard Hat and it is, by far, the best black finish I have on any pistol.
The downside is that it is a metal treatment, not a surface finish, and becomes part of the metal. It surface hardens the metal making future modifications to the gun problematic as the only way the finish can be removed is through abrasives or machining processes. But, it is nearly impossible to scratch and doesn't scuff or show holster wear.
The upside, is that it causes no dimensional changes to the parts, so virtually every part, including the barrel can be treated. The treatment also reduces friction between treated surfaces.
I have guns done in electroless nickel and hard chrome. Both finishes will show scratches and scuff marks. Electroless nickel is softer than hard chrome so it scratches and scuffs more easily.
You might also want to look into NP3 Plus from Robar. It is an electroless nickel finish with PTFE. I have an AR15 with an NP3 coated bolt and bolt carrier and it shows no wear after 5K or more rounds.
Robar does a number of different types of finishes, including electroless nickel. They claim 10x better corrosion resistance for NP3 Plus and give a lifetime warranty on the finish.
I have had Robar finish several guns and they do very high quality work.
If you decide to do a Ceracoat type finish, and you have a carbon steel gun, you may want to ask about having the gun parkerized prior to putting on the spray finish. That will help protect the metal if you damage the Ceracoat top finish.
The downside is that it is a metal treatment, not a surface finish, and becomes part of the metal. It surface hardens the metal making future modifications to the gun problematic as the only way the finish can be removed is through abrasives or machining processes. But, it is nearly impossible to scratch and doesn't scuff or show holster wear.
The upside, is that it causes no dimensional changes to the parts, so virtually every part, including the barrel can be treated. The treatment also reduces friction between treated surfaces.
I have guns done in electroless nickel and hard chrome. Both finishes will show scratches and scuff marks. Electroless nickel is softer than hard chrome so it scratches and scuffs more easily.
You might also want to look into NP3 Plus from Robar. It is an electroless nickel finish with PTFE. I have an AR15 with an NP3 coated bolt and bolt carrier and it shows no wear after 5K or more rounds.
Robar does a number of different types of finishes, including electroless nickel. They claim 10x better corrosion resistance for NP3 Plus and give a lifetime warranty on the finish.
I have had Robar finish several guns and they do very high quality work.
If you decide to do a Ceracoat type finish, and you have a carbon steel gun, you may want to ask about having the gun parkerized prior to putting on the spray finish. That will help protect the metal if you damage the Ceracoat top finish.
Last edited:
Onward Allusion
New member
Hi Temp car wax on the gun and a sheet of leather sewn to your holster that sits between your gun and bare skin. The other option is to do something like this . . . Rubber grip adhesive over the entire slide (for a tupperware gun). The only metal exposed is a small sliver of the slide release in my case.
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FrankenMauser
New member
On topic:
You need to wash the salt off before oiling.
Simply drying and oiling doesn't do much to remove the salt(s).
Not necessarily on topic, but...
Add another carry gun (or three) to the lineup.
Give the sweaty 'piece' an extra 24 hours to dry after your initial wipe-down, and it may help with the rust. As is, you may be sealing in moisture and salt with the daily oiling.
And the problem may be the holster, more than drying.
I have three standard carry pieces (all IWB):
LCP
LCR (.327)
P95 (blued, 9mm)
All Rugers, and two of them are blackened stainless, at that. But their particular finishes are not important.
The LCP rides in a leather holster that sucks up moisture like a sponge. It can take 3-4 days to dry the holster after a hot day. If the pistol wasn't mostly plastic and stainless, there would be big problems in keeping that as a daily carry. Though it's difficult to wash leather without some complications, this holster really needs it. The salt just keeps building up in it.
The LCR rides in a Remora (nearly) all-rubber holster. While nearly "impervious" to sweat, moisture does still find its way inside the holster. I have to separate the holster and revolver after a warm day, so that each can dry thoroughly. As I type this, the revolver is in the safe and the holster is drying on my work bench (day 2).
And the P95 is, unfortunately, currently in a cheap neoprene holster, A.K.A.: sweat sponge. Though the holster dries fairly quickly, drying it out doesn't remove the salt. Repeated use turns the holster into a nasty salt lick that's just more and more concentrated with each use. The holster has to be washed, to be cleaned adequately. And drying it after a good washing requires at least a day - especially since the P95 is blued steel (not stainless) and has plenty of nooks and crannies to trap moisture as my warm body 'pushes' moisture from the holster to the relatively cooler pistol.
And if, for some reason, all of the above are currently unusable at the same time, due to wet holsters or some other factor, there's always something else I can carry temporarily...
(In my case, it's usually a derringer for CC, or I go big and OC a .44 Mag if the day's activities will allow it.)
You need to wash the salt off before oiling.
Simply drying and oiling doesn't do much to remove the salt(s).
Not necessarily on topic, but...
Add another carry gun (or three) to the lineup.
Give the sweaty 'piece' an extra 24 hours to dry after your initial wipe-down, and it may help with the rust. As is, you may be sealing in moisture and salt with the daily oiling.
And the problem may be the holster, more than drying.
I have three standard carry pieces (all IWB):
LCP
LCR (.327)
P95 (blued, 9mm)
All Rugers, and two of them are blackened stainless, at that. But their particular finishes are not important.
The LCP rides in a leather holster that sucks up moisture like a sponge. It can take 3-4 days to dry the holster after a hot day. If the pistol wasn't mostly plastic and stainless, there would be big problems in keeping that as a daily carry. Though it's difficult to wash leather without some complications, this holster really needs it. The salt just keeps building up in it.
The LCR rides in a Remora (nearly) all-rubber holster. While nearly "impervious" to sweat, moisture does still find its way inside the holster. I have to separate the holster and revolver after a warm day, so that each can dry thoroughly. As I type this, the revolver is in the safe and the holster is drying on my work bench (day 2).
And the P95 is, unfortunately, currently in a cheap neoprene holster, A.K.A.: sweat sponge. Though the holster dries fairly quickly, drying it out doesn't remove the salt. Repeated use turns the holster into a nasty salt lick that's just more and more concentrated with each use. The holster has to be washed, to be cleaned adequately. And drying it after a good washing requires at least a day - especially since the P95 is blued steel (not stainless) and has plenty of nooks and crannies to trap moisture as my warm body 'pushes' moisture from the holster to the relatively cooler pistol.
And if, for some reason, all of the above are currently unusable at the same time, due to wet holsters or some other factor, there's always something else I can carry temporarily...
(In my case, it's usually a derringer for CC, or I go big and OC a .44 Mag if the day's activities will allow it.)
"Ferritic nitrocarburizing (Melonite) is more corrosion resistant than hard chrome, or electroless nickel."
This finish(inside and out) seems to be as good as it gets. I've been carrying an AR 15 with Melonited barrel and it is fantastic. No marks or prints showing on the outer surfaces and the bore cleans with a dry patch.
I carry a SS/synthetic pistol but if that weren't an option, I'd be looking for a gun with a melonited slide(and barrel too, if that was an option).
This finish(inside and out) seems to be as good as it gets. I've been carrying an AR 15 with Melonited barrel and it is fantastic. No marks or prints showing on the outer surfaces and the bore cleans with a dry patch.
I carry a SS/synthetic pistol but if that weren't an option, I'd be looking for a gun with a melonited slide(and barrel too, if that was an option).
The slide and mag release on my LCP both rust and have to be oiled. The finish on my Glock slides is much better preventing rust.
Anyone have links to folks that apply your favorite rust resistant finish? I do like the size and weight of the LCP just not having to oil it down every night.
FrankenMauser
New member
buckhorn_cortez
New member
Both are usually extremely busy. Best thing to do is just call them. EMAILS get lost in all of the "In Box" traffic. I've had better luck contacting both businesses by calling.