Powder coating
Why do they “blue” guns instead of powder coating? Is there any reason not to powder coat the exposed part of an AF barrel?
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1/ They do it, because powdercoating changes the dimensions of the part. The bushings would be pressing against a layer of powerdercoat and would have to be significantly larger with wider tolerances.
2/ No, just make sure the end cap will still fit over the finish or you can modify it to do so.
I’m not interested in powdering the bore, just the outside of the barrel so where it extends past the Condor frame is consistent with the rest of the gun.
it would be hard to control it well in that small of a space and proabably very hard to neutralize to finish the treatment.
Read up on the process sometime to see what I mean.
Hot bluing (which is what majority of makers use) the parts are dipped in the solution and then rinsed and oiled. I don’t see how that makes it difficult/bad?
Actually, I would think that bluing the bore would be a very bad idea.
it would be hard to control it well in that small of a space and proabably very hard to neutralize to finish the treatment.
Read up on the process sometime to see what I mean.
Another alternative is “browning” it is what gives those old flintlock rifles their brown color. Basically, just plain old rust that is controlled to give it a protective covering. It takes a lot of work, treating to start the oxidation, sanding lightly, oxidizing, sanding, oxidizing sanding, and treating to stop the process. The more you work it, the better it looks and works.
I love the look of a browned barrel on those old guns.
powder coating can be done to any metal without problems.. the reason they dont powdercoat barrels is that it is basicly a plastic coating once its baked so dimensions change and you cann’t powdercoat the bore and even if you did the pellets wouldn’t fit and the coating would be gone before long anyways… Like MS said bluing is a rust preventer and dosnt take a lot to do and will go down the bore and still allow things to work as needed…
bluing imparts an oxidative coating to the steel, like a controlled rust. it doesnt add to dimensions. powder coat is more suited to aluminum, but aside from aesthetics(itd probably look like shit) i dont see why it couldnt or shouldnt be done… 😕
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anything you do not want powder coat on you simply put on a piece of tape. Spray powder coat, remove tape and bake for 20+ min at 400*