I'm looking for a way to coat my SS rifle to black and was interested in Melonite,but I found this, it doesn't require a 1000 deg salt bath,which has it's problems.

http://www.jabuie.com/_fileCabinet/Club_brochure.pdf

http://www.ionbond.com/en/technology/pvd/


http://www.ionbond.com/en/

http://www.dayattherange.com/?p=1516

Looks pretty darn good....

These coatings were developed by the semi-conductor industry for depositing conductive metals on silicon wafers.

Look at the data below and convert the temps to F and compare to the heat treating temps for 4140 and other alloys used for firearms.

You can put most anything on the surface of your firearm but it might anneal it somewhat.

The coating below say they are 2 to 5 micrometers meaning so thin you could not measure it with conventional measuring equipment. These are very high tech coatings and probably very expensive.



The typical process temperature for PVD coatings is between 250°C and 450°C. In some cases, Ionbond PVD coatings can be deposited at temperatures below 70°C or up to 600°C, depending on substrate materials and expected behavior in the application.

The coatings can be deposited as mono-, multi- and graded layers. The latest generation films are nano-structured and superlattice variations of multi-layered coatings, which provide enhanced properties. The coating structure can be tuned to producing the desired properties in terms of hardness, adhesion, friction etc. The final coating choice is determined by the demands of the application.

The coating thickness ranges from 2 to 5 µm, but can be as thin as a few hundred nanometers or as thick as 15 or more µm.

Substrate materials include steels, non-ferrous metals, tungsten carbides as well as pre-plated plastics. The suitability of the substrate material for PVD coating is limited only by its stability at the deposition temperature and electrical conductivity.

I did the slide of a stainless 1911 pistol in Ionbond. Looks really good against the stainless frame. Rub it with a little gun oil and it brings out the sharp black color really well.

I have a custom 10mm 1911 w/6" barrel with this finish. Love it!