Tenifer coatings

[shark31]

I would like to get some slide work done to my Glock, but I'm wary of milling into the Tenifer for front serrations. I posted this in the handgun forums, but thought I would ask the collective if they knew anything about similar treatments that could be done. Here is the rundown I got on Wiki:

Tenifer is a trademarked name for the end result of a chemical bath nitriding process that embeds nitrogen into an iron-containing alloy to create a corrosion-resistant finish that is a dull grey in color and extremely hard. The generic term for this type of process is carbonitriding. Other trade names for carbonitriding include Melonite, Sursulf, Arcor, Tufftride, and Koline.


Long before Glock was making anything but furniture, SAAB of Sweden used the Tenifer process to treat its crankshafts and camshafts.

Glock, an Austrian firearms manufacturer, utilizes this process to protect the slides of the pistols they manufacture. The Tenifer finish on a Glock is the third and final hardening process. It is 0.05 millimeters thick and produces a patented 69 Rockwell C (diamond cone) hardness rating via a 500 °C nitride bath. The final matte, non-glare finish meets or exceeds stainless steel specifications, is 85% more corrosion resistant than a hard chrome finish, and is 99.9% salt-water corrosion resistant. After the Tenifer process, a black Parkerized finish is applied and the slide is protected even if the finish were to wear off. Several other pistols also use this process including the Walther P99 and Steyr M/S series.


Does anyone know who will do any of these treatments, or am I chasing after the Holy Grail of gun treatments that can't be found????

[cohiba]

Tenifer is a super hard finish for sure. Unfortunately, the chemical process must leave something that the EPA finds objectionable because true tenifer cannot be done in the US. Glock frames are made in GA but not the slides.

I have sent my Colt Tactical 1911 to Coal Creek Armory in Knoxville, TN to have the entire pistol done in melonite. Their webite has an excellent comparison of various finishes and a detailed explanation of the melonite process.

Cost is $200 with about a two week turn around time. I'll post pics when I get the pistol back.

I have no idea what cutting into your slide would do to your finish or if another tenifer like finish can be applied over yours. Someone here I'm sure can answer that.

[LOKNLOD]

Here are some good links I turned up. Some are specific Melonite/Tennifer; some are more general regarding salt bath nitrocarburization.

http://www.badgermetal.com/nitriding/tl-discuss.htm

http://www.finishing.com/324/69.shtml

http://www.burlingtoneng.com/melonite.html

http://www.tech.plym.ac.uk/sme/mats340/surfhard.htm

http://www.finishing.com/kolene/qpq/index.html

http://www.kolene.com/trc/trc_download.asp?TRCDocID=152 (PDF)


I see that most folks blame the EPA, and a few question that it might be a licensing issue, in keeping the tennifer process out of the US. I haven't confirmed it just yet but I am headed toward beleiving that the problem lies in the use of cyanide in in the process, whereas Melonite and others are a non-cyanide variation on the theme. I've not found any concrete facts regarding performance differences between the treatments.

Because it is a bath process, I don't imagine that it's feasible to spot-treat any areas were the surface treatment has been removed. I do know of some guys who have sent their Glock slides out for hard-chroming and such, so maybe something like that, or a Ceracote like Grant posted about recently, could be done.

In all honesty, even if you do cut past the surface treatment for front slide serrations, I won't worry about it too much. How much wear and abrasion will actually occur at the bottom of those cuts? As long as you go back with a reasonably durable finish, it should hold up fine. I'd wager that most folks who spend the cash to make these kind of modifications aren't then turning around and putting them through one of bigbore's truck-dragged saltwater soak tests. And if you ever did end up in some long, drug out situation where you were abusing the pistol without any opportunity to maintain it, then some scuffs or rust on the outside of the slide would be the last of your worries.

[Dave Berryhill]

Tennifer and Melonite are trade names for a salt bath nitriding process. I don't think they are exactly the same process but they are pretty close from a user's point of view. There are several places that do Melonite and similar treatments in the U.S.

Are you thinking of having your Glock re-treated after having front cocking serrations cut? If so, why bother? For one thing, it's not necessary. The rest of the slide will still have the Tennifer intact. Just have it blued/parkerized/coated/whatever after the cocking serrations are done. For another thing, I'm not sure that having the rest of the slide re-treated is even possible (or recommended). The process hardens the surface of the steel and thin spots, such as slide rails, edges and corners, can become brittle.

[mike240]

I had my duty G35 milled by Robar to have forward serrations in it years ago with no issues. It is still my primary pistol. The slide was then NP3ed. I know many who have had Glock slide milled for Bomars and other sights with no issue an no "re-tennifering".

[shark31]

Thanks guys, you talked me into it, Wendell Tactical, here I come.:D

[Hoplophile]

Just to be sure of accuracy, Tenifer is not a coating, it is a surface treatment. Coating makes it sound like Parkerizing or Teflon while it is actually a process more like case hardening.

[Singlestack Wonder]

Unfortunately, Glock doesn't use the equivalent of Melonite QPQ in their tennifer process. The result of which is that they must paint their slides black as the process they now use leaves the parts a very light gray color. The paint they are using comes off within two or three draws (it has happened on my last 8 Glocks). Glock used a different Tennifer finish similar to Melonite QPQ in the 80's and 90's which drew more carbon to the surface resulting in a darker color. If you have one of the older Glocks, one will notice that the finish over time goes from a very dark gray to a lighter gray while holding up even while driving nails with the slide.
(Note: I am a Glock man and the above is not a slight on the company)

I just had some 1911's Melonited by Drake Oldham and they came out great.

Here' some photo's:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii183/Singlestack_Wonder/IMG_3785.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii183/Singlestack_Wonder/IMG_3786.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii183/Singlestack_Wonder/IMG_3788.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii183/Singlestack_Wonder/IMG_3787.jpg

Drake's website is: http://www.drakesgunworks.com

[theJanitor]

one of my 1911s is at drake' getting a new barrel, checkering, sights, and meloniting. I'm eagerly awaiting it's return.

[Singlestack Wonder]

You will be very pleased with his work......

[LSK]

The vendor that does the Melonite QOQ for some of the companies that have been named in this thread is H&M metal processing in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio. They were at the Shot show. The Glock slides that they had displayed a better looking and tougher finish than Glock's factory finish. Their prices were very reasonable.

[Gutshot John]

Does anyone know where Gunplumber's METACOL coating fits in along this spectrum?

It seems similar to a tenifer type process.