Boran Carbide or others like it?

[cajunfj40]

Hey im looking for a finish thats far more wear resistant than the poly coatings out there. Any one know about boran carbide or were I can have it done. If so how great is this coating in terms of wear and rust proofing.

[thegeeze]

try a search for "bodycote"... there's one in Melrose Park, Il.

[RickB]

I though Bodycote had been bought by Ionbond? The guy who was my contact at Bodycote when I had my gun coated in '02 is now with Ionbond. He posted at that other 1911 forum, with contact info for their guy who is doing gun work.
When I had my gun coated, the boron carbide was applied directly to the steel, and the rust resistance wasn't very good. The process was changed a couple of times subsequently, with platings or coatings going on the steel before the BC, but I don't know how they're doing it today. I believe that both Nighthawk and STI are using the Ionbond coating, so it must be working well enough for high-end manufacturers to use it.

[thegeeze]

I haven't used them as of yet and it's been a while since I checked their site, so you are more in the know than I am.
I thik I remember someone saying that although the stuff is really tough... it is really abrasive to itself. (something like that)

[RickB]

I thik I remember someone saying that although the stuff is really tough... it is really abrasive to itself. (something like that)

That is my experience, but again, my gun was coated early in the learning curve, and the process may have been improved over the last five years. I would certainly get another gun finished in BC, if the price was comparable to hard chrome, and the people doing the application were "gun people".