Kahr P9 black diamond coat and Ultrasonic Cleaning

[ORSalesRep]

Hi all,

I have a P9, black polymer and factory blackened, diamond coated, stainless steel slide. I also have a HG-575 Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner.
http://www.cleanosonic.com/home-weapons-cleaner.html
I have used the ultrasonic on the Kahr once so far. I was wondering if anyone else has had experience using an ultrasonic cleaner on the Kahr polymer and blackened slide. Are there any who would say not to continue to use it because it will damage the finish?
So far my experience has been that it may have ever so slightly lightened the black finish to a black-grey, but I may be imagining this. I find that if I re-lube the metal and keep it nicely oiled the richer/darker finish is restored.
Lastly, I did have the mishap of the slide falling onto it's side during the cleaning process and the metal basket that it was in did create two very subtle discolorations where the grates of the basket were making contact with the slide. Again, the more oil, the less noticeable. Is there a way to re-darken the black? I have been reading about Wheeler Engineering's Cerama-Coat, which it appears one can apply themselves.
Wheeler Engineering Cerama-Coat 4 oz Aerosol Black - MidwayUSA (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=455475)

Robargun's blackening of stainless process, which I would have to send the gun in to have done.
Robar Black Oxide, e-Nickel & Chrome Sulfide Finishes (http://www.robarguns.com/additional_finishes.htm)

Brownell's GunKote, which is another baked on finish that can be self applied.
BROWNELLS : GUN-KOTE OVEN CURE, GUN FINISH - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools (http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1150/Product/GUN_KOTE_trade__OVEN_CURE__GUN_FINISH)

Duracoat, again appears to be a baked on do it yourself solution as well.

One of the major concerns over the baked process and doing it myself, is that I am thinking that I cannot bake the slide @ 350 degrees for and hour with the trijicon sights and the striker housing still in place and I don't think it would be an easy task to remove the sights and have never disassembled/removed a striker housing.

Has anyone had experience with any of these products and would the sights have to be removed and the slide completely broken down to bake the slide?

Thanks for your knowledge and expertise!

Steve

[wyntrout]

Gee, I'm no expert, but a vibratory cleaning thingie makes stuff rub together at a high frequency or rate and you get some accelerated friction wear -- not such a good thing on gun parts touching each other and it's a wonder you didn't "clean" those Night Sights right out of their sockets.:eek: That DLC is a Diamond-Like-Coating deposited by plasma vaporized tungsten increasing the surface hardness from about 30 to 90 on the Rockwell scale.
From a gun magazine review:
"Paint It Black
A couple of years back Kahr decided to discontinue carbon steel guns and manufacture all slides and steel frames from stainless steel. Most consumers liked the corrosion resistance of stainless.
However, Kahr quickly discovered that not all consumers wanted bright and shiny guns. In dim light, the glint of a stainless slide being withdrawn by an undercover operative could lead to fatal complications.
To solve this problem and darken the stainless slide, Kahr flirted briefly with baked-on Teflon used by many manufacturers but found the results less than satisfactory. The economy of the finish was appealing to Kahr, but is soon discovered that the cosmetics were short-lived. Kahr tried another process that required substantial heat. This actually changed the metal's molecular structure and made it more brittle. Finally, Kahr developed its proprietary Tungsten Diamond-Like-Coating (Tungsten DLC), which uses a process called Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition to coat the parts.
Tungsten DLC is applied in a vacuum chamber where cathodes transform the tungsten into a gas that plates the parts. The process increases the surface hardness to a whopping 90 on the Rockwell C scale. Just for comparison, your average 1911 frame will register about 28 to 30 on the same scale.
One of the best selling points of the Diamond-Like Coating in that the parts are never heated over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, so there's no need to worry about the parts losing their temper, softening, or becoming brittle. Also, only about two microns of the material is deposited on the slide. In case you're wondering, that amounts to about 80 millionths of an inch-far too little to affect the parts' function or fit.
Kahr's Tungsten DLC thoroughly impresses me. Not only does it perform its intended task of coloring the bright stainless steel to a matte, non-reflective black, it also provides a tough, corrosion-proof covering that is virtually scratch proof. And it will not wear even when subjected to extensive holster carry. For a gun that will be used exclusively for concealed carry, the Tungsten DLC finish makes a lot of sense."
Those other finishes aren't close to or as hard or durable. This was from an article on a Kahr review/test and I ran across the text first. I would leave it like it is and not use any more abrasive cleaning processes like vibratory or sand blasting! Use a silicon rag to buff it a bit or some good gun oil and a cloth, but you can't improve on the finish.
And heating your night sights is insane -- exploding those little glass vials of radioactive tritium gas!:eek: Removing the sights is a real task and you'll likely scratch the slide or damage it or the sights while trying to slightly improve a cosmetic discoloration, if it is indeed permanent.JMHO
Wynn:rolleyes: