Boron Carbide Finish

BackTalk · April 13, 2009, 08:42 AM

I know this subject has been beat to death, but. I wanted to try and find out if those that have had this finish put on years ago, how is it holding up?
I have a Browning HP that was finished with BC back in the early 90's, and it still looks like the day it was done. No holster wear or even any slide marks. The wear spots you get behind the saftey isn't there. Mine looks to be bullet proof. How is yours holding up?

RickB · April 13, 2009, 10:55 AM

I had a Colt M1991A1 coated in '00, and it's holding up very well. There is some wear in areas where two coated surfaces rub together, but it's almost all internal. Conventional "holster" or "handling" wear is non-existent. I did some grinding on some of the small parts recently, sent them to IonBond for coating, and they came back almost a prefect match.

Dingoboyx · April 13, 2009, 10:58 AM

Certainly holds up to wear?

How is it done? (hot, cold?)

intrersting

RickB · April 13, 2009, 12:23 PM

I'm not an expert, but here goes . . .
Boron Carbide is a Positive Vapor Deposition coating. It's applied at fairly cool temps, 350 degrees versus the 700 degrees of hard chrome. The parts are prepped, and put in a chamber and electrically charged (POSITIVEly?). The material to be applied is then VAPORized and is DEPOSITed on the surface. It's extremely thin and hard, harder than chrome. IonBond is a development of the older boron carbide coating applied by Bodycote. Bodycote called it Diamondblack, which is what some today call IonBond when it's offered as a finish option.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...l/coltpic3.jpg
In the pic, you can see what looks like a small scratch at the rear corner of the frame; that's actually metal, from a holster snap or zipper or something, that's been deposited on the surface. A little steel wool will take it right off.

Bill DeShivs · April 13, 2009, 01:27 PM

Hard chroming is NOT done at anywhere NEAR 700 degrees!

RickB · April 13, 2009, 01:36 PM

It is my understanding that PVD coatings are applied at considerably lower temps than some of the other processes used for gun finishing. I have seen well over 1000 degrees quoted for some other finishes, and "700 degrees" has stuck in my head for chrome since I had my first gun plated, almost twenty years ago. Maybe the process has changed?

BackTalk · April 13, 2009, 05:55 PM

What are some of the prices to have this finish put on. I know back when this Browning HP was done in the BC it was only $200. I will bet it is double that now.

RickB · April 13, 2009, 06:12 PM

I don't know if anyone is doing boron carbide as a gun finish, anymore. IonBond is "son of boron carbide", and you can get a complete gun done for about $300. They don't deal directly with the public, so you have to send your gun to a gunsmith middleman who will deal with IonBond. It seems sort of cumbersome, but I know a guy who's on their dealer list, so it wasn't a big deal to send the gun (parts) to him, his shop did the prep, sent it off, then returned it when it was finished. I delt directly with Bodycote when I had my gun done back in '00, but shortly thereafter they adopted the policy of dealing with "the trade" only, and that's carried over to IonBond.

Bill DeShivs · April 13, 2009, 07:46 PM

Electroplating is done in water-based liquids. Always has been. I doubt the liquid would stay liquid at 700 degrees.

Chui · April 13, 2009, 07:56 PM

It's a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating and is extremely thin and hard. It's approximately 3 to 7 microns thick and would probably have electroless Nickel laid down first and then topped with the Boron Carbide. IonBond was once doing this for a bit. I have had W DLC applied to several 1911s and it's phenomenal.

**JohnKSa** · April 14, 2009, 12:40 AM

Quote:

I have seen well over 1000 degrees quoted for some other finishes, and "700 degrees" has stuck in my head for chrome since I had my first gun plated, almost twenty years ago. Maybe the process has changed?

I doubt it. Getting metal that hot will affect the heat treatment.

I believe that boron carbide coating is usually applied at temperatures around or below 250F. Hard Chrome is applied at 150F or below and Electroless Nickel can be applied at 200F or below.

April 13, 2009, 08:42 AM	#1
BackTalk Member Join Date: March 12, 2007 Posts: 53	Boron Carbide Finish I know this subject has been beat to death, but. I wanted to try and find out if those that have had this finish put on years ago, how is it holding up? I have a Browning HP that was finished with BC back in the early 90's, and it still looks like the day it was done. No holster wear or even any slide marks. The wear spots you get behind the saftey isn't there. Mine looks to be bullet proof. How is yours holding up?

April 13, 2009, 10:58 AM	#3
Dingoboyx Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2009 Location: South East Queensland, Australia Posts: 1,513	Looks good Certainly holds up to wear? How is it done? (hot, cold?) intrersting __________________ Muzza If you cant blind them with brilliance, Baffle them with BS Be alert...... there is a shortage of LERTs

April 13, 2009, 12:23 PM	#4
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	I'm not an expert, but here goes . . . Boron Carbide is a Positive Vapor Deposition coating. It's applied at fairly cool temps, 350 degrees versus the 700 degrees of hard chrome. The parts are prepped, and put in a chamber and electrically charged (POSITIVEly?). The material to be applied is then VAPORized and is DEPOSITed on the surface. It's extremely thin and hard, harder than chrome. IonBond is a development of the older boron carbide coating applied by Bodycote. Bodycote called it Diamondblack, which is what some today call IonBond when it's offered as a finish option. http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...l/coltpic3.jpg In the pic, you can see what looks like a small scratch at the rear corner of the frame; that's actually metal, from a holster snap or zipper or something, that's been deposited on the surface. A little steel wool will take it right off. Last edited by RickB; April 13, 2009 at 12:29 PM.

April 13, 2009, 01:27 PM	#5
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,989	Hard chroming is NOT done at anywhere NEAR 700 degrees! __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

April 13, 2009, 01:36 PM	#6
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	It is my understanding that PVD coatings are applied at considerably lower temps than some of the other processes used for gun finishing. I have seen well over 1000 degrees quoted for some other finishes, and "700 degrees" has stuck in my head for chrome since I had my first gun plated, almost twenty years ago. Maybe the process has changed? Last edited by RickB; April 13, 2009 at 02:18 PM.

April 13, 2009, 10:55 AM	#2
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	I had a Colt M1991A1 coated in '00, and it's holding up very well. There is some wear in areas where two coated surfaces rub together, but it's almost all internal. Conventional "holster" or "handling" wear is non-existent. I did some grinding on some of the small parts recently, sent them to IonBond for coating, and they came back almost a prefect match.

April 13, 2009, 05:55 PM	#7
BackTalk Member Join Date: March 12, 2007 Posts: 53	What are some of the prices to have this finish put on. I know back when this Browning HP was done in the BC it was only $200. I will bet it is double that now.

April 13, 2009, 06:12 PM	#8
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	I don't know if anyone is doing boron carbide as a gun finish, anymore. IonBond is "son of boron carbide", and you can get a complete gun done for about $300. They don't deal directly with the public, so you have to send your gun to a gunsmith middleman who will deal with IonBond. It seems sort of cumbersome, but I know a guy who's on their dealer list, so it wasn't a big deal to send the gun (parts) to him, his shop did the prep, sent it off, then returned it when it was finished. I delt directly with Bodycote when I had my gun done back in '00, but shortly thereafter they adopted the policy of dealing with "the trade" only, and that's carried over to IonBond.

April 13, 2009, 07:46 PM	#9
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,989	Electroplating is done in water-based liquids. Always has been. I doubt the liquid would stay liquid at 700 degrees. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

April 13, 2009, 07:56 PM	#10
Chui Senior Member Join Date: June 28, 2004 Posts: 1,784	It's a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating and is extremely thin and hard. It's approximately 3 to 7 microns thick and would probably have electroless Nickel laid down first and then topped with the Boron Carbide. IonBond was once doing this for a bit. I have had W DLC applied to several 1911s and it's phenomenal. __________________ "Necessity is the plea of every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants, it is the creed of slaves." ~ William Pitt, 1783