What kind of finish is this?
- Thread starter MikeGoob
- Start date
I'd say that's a really high polish blue- probably a talc level of polish. I suspect that's a Clark meltdown.
Not sure if you can do that when bluing stainless- I worked on one project where we did that, and the finish on the stainless was obviously more fragile than a normal blued gun.
Not sure if you can do that when bluing stainless- I worked on one project where we did that, and the finish on the stainless was obviously more fragile than a normal blued gun.
There's a finish called "Black Chrome" that looks very much like the gun in the picture.
Pretty sure that this thread contains a picture of the gun in question. Scroll down to post #9 for the picture and post #14 for a description of the gun.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492113
And I was wrong...it is not Black Chrome:
Pretty sure that this thread contains a picture of the gun in question. Scroll down to post #9 for the picture and post #14 for a description of the gun.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492113
"It is a Clark Customs "Meltdown" Colt 1991A1 Compact. It was originally customized by Clark's back in '98 and was refinished this spring by Dietrich's Gunsmithy. In addition to the high polish and reblue, they checkered the front strap, removed the rollmarks from the slide, added a brass insert to the front sight, recrowned and polished the barrel, and fitted a checkered MSH."
And I was wrong...it is not Black Chrome:
"No, just polished and blued."
Last edited:
Bill DeShivs
New member
Over-polished and blued to give it a "melted" effect.
The gun belongs to WC145. That picture was posted in this thread http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553612&highlight=pretty&page=2 It is a traditional hot blue.
This gun is also his from the same post. It is an Ionbond DLC finish and can be applied to stainless. Both guns were done by Dietrich Gunsmithy in Otis ME.
This gun is also his from the same post. It is an Ionbond DLC finish and can be applied to stainless. Both guns were done by Dietrich Gunsmithy in Otis ME.
Bill DeShivs
New member
The second gun is badly polished. Shiny is fine, but lines should be crisp. The first gun has been "melted," the second is just a bad polish job.
It's polished fine. The edges are broken for carry. If you notice, the frontstrap checkering has no shortage of sharp, crisp lines.
If it's not your cup of tea, say so, but the 5" is finished with skill.
The Clark meltdown is beautiful as well. Very much a "Grail gun" for me. The full melt treatment is not necessary for any reason. It simply is an exhibition of the gunsmith's vision and skill. That alone is a great reason to own it. The Clark heritage is great property to aspire to in handgun ownership.
An Ionbond or hot blue finish "shininess" depends on the amount of time you pay the gunsmith to polish the gun. You cannot dip, spray, or otherwise artificially create the deep, mirror like finishes without serious attention to the metal.
If it's not your cup of tea, say so, but the 5" is finished with skill.
The Clark meltdown is beautiful as well. Very much a "Grail gun" for me. The full melt treatment is not necessary for any reason. It simply is an exhibition of the gunsmith's vision and skill. That alone is a great reason to own it. The Clark heritage is great property to aspire to in handgun ownership.
An Ionbond or hot blue finish "shininess" depends on the amount of time you pay the gunsmith to polish the gun. You cannot dip, spray, or otherwise artificially create the deep, mirror like finishes without serious attention to the metal.
Bill DeShivs
New member
Um- the lettering is completely gone off the slide!
"Polished fine" is a subjective term.
Obviously the checkering was done after the "polish" job.
"Polished fine" is a subjective term.
Obviously the checkering was done after the "polish" job.
Shadi Khalil
New member
I've always admired that colt. WC has some nice guns.
Yes, those are my guns. Thanks for the compliments.
MikeGoob- Yes, as I said in the post that JohnKSa referenced, that is "just bluing", other than that it's metal prep, polishing, and good steel that create the appearance.
Stainless can be polished to that kind of mirror finish but it doesn't take bluing the same as carbon steel so you have to coat it. Also, it is slightly softer than carbon steel and if it isn't protected it will be more prone to fine scratches. As DA/SA Fan pointed out, Ionbond DLC (or any other brand of Diamond Like Carbon coating) can be applied to stainless. It is about the coating that doesn't have a texture of it's own so the level of polish will be the same after it's coated as before. It's very hard so it will protect against fine scratches but it is very thin and won't stop deep gouges, dings, etc..
Bill DeShivs & 4thPoint - My Colt Compact is a Clark Custom Meltdown gun - http://clarkcustomguns.com/gun/meltdown/ - it was done shortly after they started offering the package in the late'90s. The melt jobs were a bit more radical then than the ones they're doing now. They're not everybody's cup of tea but Kimber thought enough of the idea to rip it off for their factory "melted" CDP line.
As you can see in this pic, my gun was melted before it was polished.
The full size Colt with the polished flats has had all of the edges broken intentionally, as DanTSX pointed out, it is not the result of a "bad polish job". In addition, the slides were smoothed and rollmarks removed on both guns per my request, because I wanted them that way, again, nothing to do with polishing.
Obviously, neither of you had any idea what you were talking about when you posted your assumptions. If you don't like my guns that's fine, but rest assured, both of those guns are built and look exactly as I ordered them.
BTW, this is a picture of the slide from a Colt Commander that I'm having built for my son. As you can see, it has a mild melt to the edges, that is how I ordered it to be done, the rest of the gun is being done the same way. I also chose to keep the rollmarks on this one and go with a fine matte finish. That's the cool think about custom guns, they build what you ask for. If I'd wanted sharp corners and crisp lines on any of them I'd have kept them stock.
MikeGoob- Yes, as I said in the post that JohnKSa referenced, that is "just bluing", other than that it's metal prep, polishing, and good steel that create the appearance.
Stainless can be polished to that kind of mirror finish but it doesn't take bluing the same as carbon steel so you have to coat it. Also, it is slightly softer than carbon steel and if it isn't protected it will be more prone to fine scratches. As DA/SA Fan pointed out, Ionbond DLC (or any other brand of Diamond Like Carbon coating) can be applied to stainless. It is about the coating that doesn't have a texture of it's own so the level of polish will be the same after it's coated as before. It's very hard so it will protect against fine scratches but it is very thin and won't stop deep gouges, dings, etc..
Bill DeShivs & 4thPoint - My Colt Compact is a Clark Custom Meltdown gun - http://clarkcustomguns.com/gun/meltdown/ - it was done shortly after they started offering the package in the late'90s. The melt jobs were a bit more radical then than the ones they're doing now. They're not everybody's cup of tea but Kimber thought enough of the idea to rip it off for their factory "melted" CDP line.
As you can see in this pic, my gun was melted before it was polished.
The full size Colt with the polished flats has had all of the edges broken intentionally, as DanTSX pointed out, it is not the result of a "bad polish job". In addition, the slides were smoothed and rollmarks removed on both guns per my request, because I wanted them that way, again, nothing to do with polishing.
Obviously, neither of you had any idea what you were talking about when you posted your assumptions. If you don't like my guns that's fine, but rest assured, both of those guns are built and look exactly as I ordered them.
BTW, this is a picture of the slide from a Colt Commander that I'm having built for my son. As you can see, it has a mild melt to the edges, that is how I ordered it to be done, the rest of the gun is being done the same way. I also chose to keep the rollmarks on this one and go with a fine matte finish. That's the cool think about custom guns, they build what you ask for. If I'd wanted sharp corners and crisp lines on any of them I'd have kept them stock.
Ha! Thanks! I cut way back on the numbers of guns I have a few years ago, kept only the really important ones (got rid of some very nice guns) and started refining those. Since then I haven't been buying nearly as many as I used to and my purchases are generally geared towards filling some long standing need/want.
One way to start with customs is to buy used. Older, "vintage" custom guns can often be had for a fraction of what they would cost to replicate today and, in my experience, except for competition guns, the majority are well cared for and have seen relatively little use. It's a great way to experience hand built guns and learn about them and what you like. I bought guns built by name 'smiths like Jim Clark and Austin Behlert, and early work from shops like Mag-na-port, and they were incredible. The only thing about buying used customs is that you're buying someone else's vision, eventually you'll want to commission a build of your own.
Also, don't feel like when you want to have a gun built you need to go to Heirloom Precision, Stan Chen, Rogers Precision, etc.. Those guys build amazing weapons but the wait times are super long and prices can be daunting. Their are lots of shops that can build what you want at a lower cost, you won't necessarily have the same name recognition but, IMO, it's about the gun. Robin Dietrich is only 28 years old and still making a name for himself. He's been doing work for me since he and his dad opened their shop in a little bitty town here in Maine. They charge accordingly. I couldn't afford to have my guns built by a big name 'smith.
One way to start with customs is to buy used. Older, "vintage" custom guns can often be had for a fraction of what they would cost to replicate today and, in my experience, except for competition guns, the majority are well cared for and have seen relatively little use. It's a great way to experience hand built guns and learn about them and what you like. I bought guns built by name 'smiths like Jim Clark and Austin Behlert, and early work from shops like Mag-na-port, and they were incredible. The only thing about buying used customs is that you're buying someone else's vision, eventually you'll want to commission a build of your own.
Also, don't feel like when you want to have a gun built you need to go to Heirloom Precision, Stan Chen, Rogers Precision, etc.. Those guys build amazing weapons but the wait times are super long and prices can be daunting. Their are lots of shops that can build what you want at a lower cost, you won't necessarily have the same name recognition but, IMO, it's about the gun. Robin Dietrich is only 28 years old and still making a name for himself. He's been doing work for me since he and his dad opened their shop in a little bitty town here in Maine. They charge accordingly. I couldn't afford to have my guns built by a big name 'smith.