Another refinish... Glock 32 with Stainless Moly

[TGO David]

JHatmaker here on TGO was the other person to volunteer their firearm for a refinish. What surprised me was the fact that what Mr. Hatmaker provided was a pristine Glock 32 that had barely any wear on it at all. It takes cajones to offer up a like-new firearm for something like this.

Before I get into the photos, I do need to say this:

We often read and hear about how awesome Glock's Tenifer finish is. In fact, the durability of Tenifer has reached almost mythical status. Having now had one's slide media blasted, I have a profoundly deeper respect for just how true some of the hype about the factory Glock finish.

My compatriot who did the media blasting actually commented on how much more involved it was to remove just the black surface layer of the Glock finish. He stated that it took quite a bit more work than the other firearm pieces that he blasted for me, and that he had to run the air pressure to the maximum for their blasting cabinet. Even then, what resulted still had a lot of pigment left to it.

Clearly the Tenifer chemical-bath nitriding process really does penetrate deep into the metal and provides serious protection from within. I would wager that even with the black outer finish removed, the slide would have exhibited excellent corrosion resistance thanks to the Tenifer process.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are photos of the slide "in the white" as it were...

And here are photos of the slide after it was shot with Norrell's Stainless Moly Resin and thermally cured. As I stated in the thread regarding Daniel's SIG P6, the moly resin finish is not a paint and does not properly activate until it has been baked for a period of time at the appropriate temperature.

I am awaiting receipt of the nylon firing pin channel liner for this slide and will then reassemble it. I'm really pleased with the way the color and finish quality turned out, and entirely confident that even if the finish wears some over time, the Tenifer treated metal beneath will still provide superior corrosion resistance.

[Guest Hornet Handler]

DAMN! Sexy time!

[TGO David]

Not one to be content with anything that strikes me as being not quite perfect, I shot the Glock's slide again tonight but this time used my airbrush instead of the HVLP spray gun that I had used earlier.

This time the finish looks absolutely STUNNING. The color is absolutely FLAT and shows no shine or sheen. Exactly the way that I had hoped it would have looked to begin with.

The Glock's slide now has the appearance of brushed stainless steel. Very classy!

I'm blown away with what a difference this second set of coats with the airbrush made and I think that Jason will be even more pleased with this than he was with the previous photos. The pieces are curing in the oven right now and I will get photos of them tomorrow morning out doors when the light is best.

[poak]

Dude... That. Is. Sick.

[Guest Plainsman]

Very Nice!!

[TripleDigitRide]

Another great job. I really like that look.

I wish I had something to refinish, just for the heck of it.

[Guest flyfishtn]

That is sweet. I really like the stainless look.

[memphismason]

Very Nice Looking

Maybe next time I can get you my G30.

[MikeW]

Nice Work David

[Guest Jason F.]

I have a new appreciation for the plastic fantastic I tell you. I was never a real fan of anything from Glock just due to feel and aesthetics. I knew they were extremely functional and reliable guns but they really just did not do much for me.

After handling this stripped slide and making slightly futile attempts to media blast the Tenifer finish I changed my mind. The machine quality of the slide is easily superior to numerous other firearms I have handled. There absolutely no burrs, tool marks, material blemishes, or poorly machined surfaces. That finish is the toughest thing I have attempted to remove to date and that includes some very tough stuff such as NiTuff which is a 60+ Rc surface hardness finish we use on military gun mount bushings.

Looking forward to the finished pics David. Looks great so far!

Edited June 13, 2009 by Jason F.

[Daniel]

Thanks for doing your part Jason. Hope to see you Sunday or at a shoot.

-Junglist