Anyone use hard chrome on their guns instead of nickel?

[Virginia Gentleman]

I am curious if anyone has used brushed or polished hard chrome in place of nickel for any of their guns?  I like the way it looks and it is much harder than nickel and doesn't flake off like nickel can.  It looks similar to either nickel or stainless depending on the prep work.  Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing has done hard chrome for me for non-cowboy type guns and I was considering it for a well worn Uberti I am getting soon.  What do you all think?

[Marshal Will Wingam]

You have any contact information for Ford's? I have a few parts I'd like hard-chromed. Thanks.

[Virginia Gentleman]

www.fordsguns.com

They have excellent pictures of the work they have done and a few pictures of SAA type guns in hard chrome.  Larna and Horace Booth are the owners and they have treated me well.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks, I'll check them out.

[Laredo Crockett]

Yep. Had that outfit down in Florida[forget the name] do some. They have three different finishes, matte, brushed and bumper bright. I got the brushed and it looks very close to Nickel. Hard chrome is practically indestructible. Only problem is that it scratches easily. They told me that a Scotch Brite pad would remove the scratches, but it didn't have any effect at all. I tried a file on a hard chromed part once and it rapidly dulled the file while only slightly polishing the part. HC is especially good for carry guns-especially those carried in humid climates.

[Forty Rod]

Get someone reliable to do the work.  I had a hard chromed gun in an ankle holster.  The hard chrome flaked off and the gun rusted from sweat almost over night.

[Texas Tall]

Yes Virginia Gent, I had a pair of Blackhawks once with hard chrome cylinders grip frames and hammers and never had any sort of problems. The parts were chromed by a company out here that do that sort of thing for the aircraft industry so it was good work.
Regards...Texas Tall.
GSC 002

[jiminy criquet]

FWIW, Caswell Plating sells both a hard* chrome plating kit and an electroless chrome kit that, if they're anything like the electroless nickel kits, work like a charm.  (I prefer the slightly yellowish look of nickel myself.)

* All chrome is purportedly 'harder' and 'tougher' than nickel.  'Hard chrome' sounds like nothing more than marketing doublespeak to me.

http://www.caswellplating.com/

Hard chrome kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/copychrome.htm

Electroless chrome kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/electroless_krome.htm

Electroless nickel kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/electroless.htm



(By the way, after almost two years, the only 'chipping' I've seen on anything I plated with the electroless nickel kit occurred when I dropped/bounced the gun muzzle down on concrete.  It took a little chip out of the nickel on the gun's muzzle.  The trick to prevent chipping and flaking on chrome (or nickel) appears to be proper preparation prior to the plating, i.e. the part must be degreased and acid etched properly.)

[Virginia Gentleman]

The hard chromed guns I have had have never flaked and I have found it very difficult to scratch hard chrome.  In fact I had a stainless gun hard chromed to stop the scratches it seemed to pick up very easily.  Ford's guarantees their work and they do all the plating for Magnum Research the makers of the Desert Eagle.  I highly recommend them as a satisfied customer.  I was curious if CAS shooters have this done to help cut down on wear on the guns and make it even slicker?

[Virginia Gentleman]

FWIW, Caswell Plating sells both a hard* chrome plating kit and an electroless chrome kit that, if they're anything like the electroless nickel kits, work like a charm.  (I prefer the slightly yellowish look of nickel myself.)

* All chrome is purportedly 'harder' and 'tougher' than nickel.  'Hard chrome' sounds like nothing more than marketing doublespeak to me.

http://www.caswellplating.com/

Hard chrome kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/copychrome.htm

Electroless chrome kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/electroless_krome.htm

Electroless nickel kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/electroless.htm

Mr. Cricket:

Hard chrome is very different in hardness, resistance to wear and corrosion than "bumper" or decorative chrome which this kit looks like.  The process is somewhat different and the results are as well. Boeing, Lockheed Martin etc use hard chrome in aircraft parts that are subject to wear as do other industries.  Bumper chrome would disappear in an instant if subjected to this stress.  There is no hype about the properties of hard chrome and it is much harder than nickel and wears much better.

[jiminy criquet]

Uh, no.  These kits aren't 'decorative' ...they're the real deal.

I had a chrome bumper on a 70's Chrysler Newport that I ran into a concrete pillar underneath Penn Station in Philadelphia attempting to park one morning.  Took a nice chunk out of the concrete pillar with not a scratch on my bumper.  I call that pretty 'hard'.

Whatever.  Send it away and pay the big bucks.  I don't care.

(Besides, where do you think these 'gunsmiths' get their plating supplies from?  I'd be willing to bet at Caswell Plating, that's where.  Go ahead, ask your gunsmith, see what they say.)

[Virginia Gentleman]

I never thought you cared in the first place.   Do a Google search on Industrial Hard Chrome and you will learn quite a bit if interested.  Even if these kits are the real deal, the prep work, flaw removal on the gun,  knowledge of how to do it correctly and disposal are best left to the professionals.  The results will be better if you send it to someone like Ford's,r Tripp Research or Metalife.  My guy at Ford's told me he doesn't even know who Caswell Plating is, not that it means anything. 

[jiminy criquet]

Google search on Industrial Hard Chrome

Just as I suspected, 'Industrial Hard Chrome' is a bs marketing manufacturer's term...nothing more, nothing less.  http://www.industrialhardchrome.com/ (And their website sucks too.)

Here, this was #3 on the Google search list:

Peeling Industrial Hard Chrome [Massachusetts] 

Jan 28, 2005

I am having an Industrial hard chrome peeling problem from a carbon steel pump liner in an Crude Oil service. I believe it is due to corrosion originating from the H2S or water in the crude. From the online research I conducted, it appears the best solution would be to nickel plate, then apply the chrome. As I do not have any experience in this area, I have the following questions that I hope someone may be able to answer:

1. What type of nickel plate, and how thick?

2. Are there any chrome thickness limitations? We currently use 0.015-0.020".

3. Has anyone heard of chrome corrosion problems in H2S.
http://www.finishing.com/341/45.shtml
Thank you !

LOL!,  As you can see, even 'industrial hard chrome' is not without its pitfalls.

the prep work, flaw removal on the gun,  knowledge of how to do it correctly and disposal are best left to the professionals.  The results will be better if you send it to someone like Ford's,r Tripp Research or Metalife.

One would hope so for the money one's paying.  I prefer to do it myself if at all possible, as I don't learn anything when others do it for me.  You can actually end up doing a decent job yourself with a little careful prepwork using some readily available household chemicals, and while the results may not be perfect, they are certainly more than acceptable, unless you're looking for a gun finish for a safe queen, that is....as opposed to a 'user' gun.
((Examples:  Distilled water is your friend.  Automotive brake cleaner is an inexpensive, readily available degreaser.  Muratic acid for 'pickling' the parts prior to plating can be found in the grocery store under the guise of toilet cleaners...and 'dispose' of it by cleaning your toilet when you're done with it.  To 'dispose' of the electroless plating solution (if you don't save it for next time or have a dedicated tank) you generally plate a piece of steel wool until the solution is depleted of heavy metals))

My guy at Ford's told me he doesn't even know who Caswell Plating is, not that it means anything.

Well, unless you asked him the correct question, which is where exactly he gets his plating supplies from (as opposed to whether he knows who Caswell Plating is or not) then it means either he's not telling you, he's clueless, or he truly doesn't know....take your pick.
(Many, many shops have their 'intern' or 'flunky' run their plating tanks...it's not like its rocket science after all.)

Regardless, I was just offering a suggestion.  Whether someone takes it or not is entirely up to them.  After all, the answer to every question in this forum could just as easily be "send it here, send it there", as opposed to how to accomplish something one's own damn self.

[Virginia Gentleman]

Wow! You are a very cranky person this close to Christmas and I  don't think Santa will have a new SAA in your stocking this year.  I must admit I am amused at the ranting.   There is so much to answer in your post that is misleading I don't know where to begin, or do I care enough to even start. NAW!

[jiminy criquet]

LOL!  I suppose that answer is the easy way to settle a discussion and declare yourself 'right'.   No "rantings" involved here, just reasonable alternatives to sending a gun out for work (as you never can tell when you won't get one back).   I thought you were actually looking for opinions on the subject as opposed to (apparently) just astroturfing for 'Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing'.  I stand corrected.

As for the SAA, I'm assuming you mean a Colt SAA, and since they're somewhat overrated and overpriced IMHO, I'd actually rather have a Remington....although I do like percussion Colts 

Anyways, Merry X-Mas.

[Laredo Crockett]

Virginia Gentleman, you're correct. There is no real comparison between the durability of Hard chrome and Nickle-I'm not talking about hard chrome applied with a do it yourself kit, but as done by a professional plating shop. In addition to the protective ability you get increased lubricity between parts and a considerable increase in durability-it's nearly impossible to wear out a gun that 's been hard chromed if the internal parts have been done also. Caution-have action jobs done before hard chroming as filing a hard chromed part will only dull the file.T he most ijmportant part of any refinishing process is the polishing. It's difficult to find polishers anymore who won't grind out the lettering. I'm thinking of having my stainless Vaquero's hard chromed if I can find a shop which I can verify won't screw up the polishing.

[jiminy criquet]

LOL!  You guys need to get out more...either that or watch a program such as 'Dirty Jobs' that shows just how many many 'professional' jobs are actually accomplished.  The reality is, the 'professionals' aren't all that 'hi-tech', and in many cases have only slightly better equipment/conditions than a garage setup....if that, only on a slightly larger scale.  Plating is plating is plating.  The equipment/process is basically the same whether you do it in a garage or in 'Joe's Custom Gun Finishing'.

I think it's a generational thing.  Those folks in their 70's are still under the impression that you need to leave everything to 'professionals'.  The sad fact is that those days are gone...these days the 'professionals' are often some schmuck just off the street.  The real 'professional' is sitting in the front office counting all the money you're paying him to get the work done 'professionally', while the guy doing the actual work is making little more than minimum wage.  Sad but true.

[Virginia Gentleman]

Virginia Gentleman, you're correct. There is no real comparison between the durability of Hard chrome and Nickle-I'm not talking about hard chrome applied with a do it yourself kit, but as done by a professional plating shop. In addition to the protective ability you get increased lubricity between parts and a considerable increase in durability-it's nearly impossible to wear out a gun that 's been hard chromed if the internal parts have been done also. Caution-have action jobs done before hard chroming as filing a hard chromed part will only dull the file.T he most ijmportant part of any refinishing process is the polishing. It's difficult to find polishers anymore who won't grind out the lettering. I'm thinking of having my stainless Vaquero's hard chromed if I can find a shop which I can verify won't screw up the polishing.

Laredo:

If you are looking for hard chrome with a super polishing job that will not round the edges or grind off lettering or logos, give Ford's Custom Gunrefinishing a try.  www.fordsguns.com  Check them out and talk to Horace Booth who is a master polisher.  He has restored many guns I thought were a loss and returned them looking like new.  Their hard chrome is excellent and can be done in matte, brushed or high polish.  Thanks for pointing out the facts about hard chrome for guns.  I won't feed the trolls anymore.

[Laredo Crockett]

I agree that plating is plating and there's not much to it. Polishing is another matter altogether though and if you don't get someone who is very experienced to do this part of the operation you will end up with gouged and rounded surfaces and your gun will look like someone polished it on a bench grinder-been there. Regardless of whether you call them professional or whatever, you will be best served by making sure that they are very experienced at polishing firearms.

[Virginia Gentleman]

Without sounding like a hack for Ford's I can say their polisher Horace is the best I have ever seen.  He does not round off edges lose rollmarks or logos and maintains a nice sharp factory new appearance when the gun is returned.  He will even ask you if you want the factory flaws removed or did they need to be preserved.  With regard to Hard Chroming, also ask if they do an after treatment for hydrogen embrittlement as this condition can make some parts fragile if not after treated.