Hard Chrome/ Cleaning?
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I cant say personally as mine is not hard chromed however I hear that it is supposed to be far harder and more resistant than the standard finishes. Word in the community is that the stainless steel finishes are ok but the SA factory "blue" finish is crap.
Other than that, I havent heard anything bad about chroming yet and am considering it myself.
Other than that, I havent heard anything bad about chroming yet and am considering it myself.
![[TASF]Overkill](/d1/avatars/m/2/2505.jpg?1156032827){kind=avatar}
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If it's actual chrome... then you can use steel wool to clean it. 
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Steel wool on chrome! OMG! I wouldn't use anything other than a dry cloth and maybe some chrome polish.
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The wheels on my Jeep rusted a little bit due to all the salt on the roads... and according to my brother... they're best cleaned with steel wool... I called bullshit on him... but he insisted... sure enough, yesterday, I tried it... I was shocked! Took the rust right off, but didn't do a thing to the chrome! Rinsed off the soap, towel dried it, and it looks good as new! Put a little WD40 on it after hoping it would keep the rust back for at least a little while.
Chrome harder than steel? Apparently...
Chrome harder than steel? Apparently...
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I was once told by a college chemistry professor that you shouldn't use WD-40. It works wonders in the beginning, but the chemicals in it actually turn it into a "sticky glue like" substance if left on.[TASF said:Overkill] Put a little WD40 on it after hoping it would keep the rust back for at least a little while.
Chrome harder than steel? Apparently...
He told me to purchase Liquid Wrench. It's worked wonders.
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My chemistry professor blew himself up! :wink:
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While on the subject of stupid chem profs:
I had one that tried to make Anbesol (I spell that right?) and because it was liquid instead of gel based, it instantly absorbed into her blood stream, went to her brain, and she passed out on the chem lab floor for 3 hours.
Anyway, sorry to contribute to the hijacking of this thread.
I had one that tried to make Anbesol (I spell that right?) and because it was liquid instead of gel based, it instantly absorbed into her blood stream, went to her brain, and she passed out on the chem lab floor for 3 hours.
Anyway, sorry to contribute to the hijacking of this thread.
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Why do I find that hard to believe? Hmm, I know, must be my psychopharmacology background.mr0w1 said:
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I feel so bad for hijacking your topic... PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR TEACHERS.... lol...
I was just talking to the guy about WD-40!!!!
I was just talking to the guy about WD-40!!!!
"Is cleaning a hard chromed gun any different than cleaning a gun with it's original finish ? Are some chemicals harmful to hard chrome?"
Chrome can be stripped from guns so sure there are some chemicals......
Chrome for guns is differnt than for some other applications. Roughly twice the hardness of ordnance steel or about 71 on the Rockwell C scale.
For pistols it's only a couple microns thick, or about .0002" max build-up. So it does require care but minimal care. A simple oiling, same as one would do for a blued gun, is good enough. Have a pistol with rust bleeding thru because the prep wasn't done properly at that spot. {Own use: Boeshield}
http://www.trippresearch.com/tech/hardchrome.htm
Chrome can be stripped from guns so sure there are some chemicals......
Chrome for guns is differnt than for some other applications. Roughly twice the hardness of ordnance steel or about 71 on the Rockwell C scale.
For pistols it's only a couple microns thick, or about .0002" max build-up. So it does require care but minimal care. A simple oiling, same as one would do for a blued gun, is good enough. Have a pistol with rust bleeding thru because the prep wasn't done properly at that spot. {Own use: Boeshield}
http://www.trippresearch.com/tech/hardchrome.htm
I'm planning on sending the slide of a CZ97B and maybe the slides from my XD9 SubCompact and XD40 Tactical to Tripp Research for the Hard Chrome treatment. Has anyong heard about the quality of their work? I've heard in other forums that they are very good at what they do. As far as cleaning chrome with steel wool, I've done that many times. On a couple of motorcycles that I've had I always kept some fine to very fine steel wool around for cleaning all that damn chrome. I also use SemiChrome and NevrDull (one of those tricks I learned in the Navy, Arrrr!) I'm sure that chrome on those motorcycles is thicker than what would be on a handgun slide. Or is it????
Hey, you do realize that a "couple of microns" isn't .0002 inches don't you? It is more like .0000787 inches.
Also, when you say 71 on the rockwell C scale, you don't really mean that do you? The reason I ask is that Rockwell C is a MACRO hardness test. The MINIMUM thickness you can measure using Rc scale is .022inches. Keep in mind this uses a diamond indenter at 150kg load.
Whenever you hear of someone claiming a plated layer in Rc scale, it is that they really don't know what they are talking about. If you doubt my expertise on the matter of measuring hardness of plating, i suggest you go to this link.
http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/01/03/003.html
Note that I "also contributed". Well, also contributed was that I did the entire article but then left the company so they took credit for it.
For those of you who ask about chemicals that attack chrome, yes there are chemicals that selectively attack chrome and not steel. Same goes for mosty metals. For instance, gold is almost impossible to attack. However, put it in a potasssium cyanide solution and it will come right off while not attacking most other metals.
-Dana
Also, when you say 71 on the rockwell C scale, you don't really mean that do you? The reason I ask is that Rockwell C is a MACRO hardness test. The MINIMUM thickness you can measure using Rc scale is .022inches. Keep in mind this uses a diamond indenter at 150kg load.
Whenever you hear of someone claiming a plated layer in Rc scale, it is that they really don't know what they are talking about. If you doubt my expertise on the matter of measuring hardness of plating, i suggest you go to this link.
http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/01/03/003.html
Note that I "also contributed". Well, also contributed was that I did the entire article but then left the company so they took credit for it.
For those of you who ask about chemicals that attack chrome, yes there are chemicals that selectively attack chrome and not steel. Same goes for mosty metals. For instance, gold is almost impossible to attack. However, put it in a potasssium cyanide solution and it will come right off while not attacking most other metals.
-Dana
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I had http://www.apwcogan.com/Refinishing.htm do my hi power barrel. I just got it yesterday and it turned out great. Turn around time was about 2 weeks even though they quoted me 4 weeks.
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