doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com coloring aluminum receivers

I have a Browning Double Automatic and would like to have it's aluminum receiver recolored. I like French grey and know that some were originally made that way. My one is black but showing ware. I will remove all the steel parts of course and polish any scratches but does anyone know a place that can do it?
Nial

Try Midwest Gunworks. They do a nice French Grey on steel; not sure about Aluminum. Worth a try though. Good luck! Joe

http://www.midwestgunworks.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

Aluminum must be anodized - except I believe there is a chemical black. Suggest you have a source for this work before doing anything. Baring finding a shop that will anodize it gray, you could "polish" the black off and allow the raw aluminum to go gray.

Find a local plating shop. They will be able to strip the existing black anodizing. You may have to do some polishing after but then it can be clear anodized. They can usually do many different colors. Raw aluminum will start to corode over time and turn you hands black when you handle it. It is not like it will corode away but it will look like hell.

Bill G.

Bare aluminum looks like...well bare aluminum. It has a white silver that is clearly evident as aluminum. Bill's suggestion on a clear anodize may get you closer, but I'm guessing it won't be what you're after. Plating it with a satin finished chrome like hardchrome or trivalent (very grayish) chrome may be closer. Anodize can be had in virtually any color. Hard anodize is usually gray, green, or black. None of the hard anodize I've seen looked nice to me for a gun finish. The grey TiNitride plating is definitely gray, but it's a titanium color (medium gray) unless you get the gold type. Personally, I like the TiNitride but I'm not sure it can be plated on aluminum. The Guerini guns have TiNitride on the steel reciever guns.

The only cost effective cure is a "Sharpe" marker.
bill

Chuck, would you have a source address for this service ? Ken

Ken,
TiN?
I'll check with my friend that manufactures carbide and highspeed stl rotary files and endmills. He sends cutters out for this regularly.

This company offers a full spectrum of plating , anodizing and coatings. I have not used them but they appear to be very professional with a good customer list.

http://www.techplate.com/firearms_pl.htm

OB