"Nitron" durability?

6Gears1Speed

6Gears1Speed

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My Sig 938 is my carry and I fully expected to get scuffs and dings here and there but I've had it for less than two weeks and there are already two ugly scratches. I just cleaned it two days ago and it was perfect. Today it's scratched. I thoroughly clean the inside of my holster to make sure there's no dirt so it didn't come from that. I have no idea where they came from. I thought "Nitron" was supposed to be durable???

938scratches.jpg
 
Damn it. I hyper extended my left thumb so I'm wearing a finger splint. A METAL finger splint [banghead] . Now it's even worse than the photo. Scratches all over the place. I think I'll have this thing parkerized or something...
 
I mean, it's a carry gun... It will eventually look used, no?

Are you already worried about resale? If that's what you're thinking, maybe that's not the gun you ought to be carrying. I think maybe God is telling you something.
 
You can't Parkerize Stainless steel. Are they scratches or transfer. Most likely you splint is aluminum and some has transferred onto the gun... meaning the finish is harder than the aluminum. Have you tried a bore solvent on the marks?
 
I doubt aluminum can scratch that finish. As suggested hit it with some hoppe's #9 and see what happens.

Nitrided steel is very hard.
 
Aluminum easily leaves marks on many surfaces. Getting them off can cause more scratches . Be sure not to use an abrasive when scrubbing off the aluminum. Just a hint, Birchwood Caseys an aluminum black product to hide scuffs.
 
SJan said:
It's not

For durability you want hard chrome, or DLC
Click to expand...

The newer (last few years) Sig Nitron finish is similar to DLC. This is not the thin finish from 226s of yesteryear.

As others have mentioned the 'scratches' are more likely transfer that can be removed with Hoppes or something similar and some TLC.

I have a couple Nitron SIG 1911s that I do most of my gaming with and they still clean up good as new. No appreciable wear even on the rails, which is saying something.
 
No I'm not worried about resale. It's a keeper. It's just that it's brand new and looks like its been dragged along the road.
Yes it is an aluminum finger splint. I'll try some number 9 and see if it cleans up.
Thanks.
Here's what it looks like now...

938scratches (2).jpg
 
I wouldn't fuss about it too much, it's a carry gun. Try to buff it out and move on. If it was mine I wouldn't even bother.

-Mike
 
Ya I know but I'm fussy about my stuff being clean and in good shape. My 2000 Fender American Strat that I sold last year looked brand new and I played the crap out of it [laugh] . We all have our little quirks...
 
Sweeney said:
Are they scratches or transfer. Most likely you splint is aluminum and some has transferred onto the gun... meaning the finish is harder than the aluminum. Have you tried a bore solvent on the marks?
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding Sweeney nails it at post #4.
I looked at the marks under a magnifier and sure enough they were not scratches but rather aluminum residue.
So I took out the #9 and it got half of it off, but there were a couple of really thick smears that wouldn't come out.
After trying a half dozen chemicals on my shelf I see a can of Brasso and look at the back. "DO NOT USE ON ALUMINUM"
I'm no rocket scientist but if it says not to use it on aluminum then it must be an aluminum solvent. Duh.
I dipped a Qtip into the can and after rubbing carefully for a few minutes all marks are completely gone! Now my new gun looks new again! [bow]

938CleanedUp.jpg

It's always a good day when I learn something new.
Thanks!
 
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6Gears1Speed said:
Ya I know but I'm fussy about my stuff being clean and in good shape. My 2000 Fender American Strat that I sold last year looked brand new and I played the crap out of it [laugh] . We all have our little quirks...
Click to expand...

Then you'll get this reference: your Nitron has been "reliced."

I swear, gun forums and guitar forums are exactly the same. I notice that more and more each time I visit.
 
squatch413 said:
If it really bothers you cerakote it. Much tougher than sigs finish. My 220 looks well loved, but eh it has character.
Click to expand...

Not even close. As mentioned earlier,SIGs new Nitron finish is a Nitrocarburizing process which gives a much more durable finish than any shake and bake product out there. I'll have to go grab my oldest SIG with this finish and share some pics.
 
Picton said:
Then you'll get this reference: your Nitron has been "reliced."

I swear, gun forums and guitar forums are exactly the same. I notice that more and more each time I visit.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing [laugh] .
Some people go out of their way to make their guitars look old. Manufacturers even make some models look like relics.
Then there are people like me who like their guitars to look new.
You're absolutely right. I see both of that here.
 
Nitrided steel is way harder than any paint on finish. Even when the surface finish wears the metal is still hardened- it penetrates the steel surface.
 
So does this stuff patina over the years? I wouldn't mind a nice patina finish. It's scratches I don't like. I have some nice door knobs in my house that used to be dark black and now they have a really nice goldish patina just from hands touching them over the years.

This...

PatinaDoorKnob.jpg
 
Kinda but not really- the black finish will smooth and look a little more polished and lighter color where it wears. It won't look "new" but any of these- glock tenifer, S&W melonite, sig nitron and so on (they are all similar processes) will wear well and are a more durable and corrosion resistant finish than bluing or parkerization.
 
The specs on the Sig web site say that the slide is stainless steel with a Nitron finish. Does anyone know for fact that the Rosewood model has a stainless slide? I don't always believe web site specs as there are sometimes cut and paste errors. I'm thinking about polishing some of the flats on the slide but will only do it if it is stainless. I'm going to do the raised part of the slide and leave the lower parts black. I did that with my Beretta 92 and it came out awesome. I never really liked black guns but this was my only choice at the time.
 
6Gears1Speed said:
Ya I know but I'm fussy about my stuff being clean and in good shape. My 2000 Fender American Strat that I sold last year looked brand new and I played the crap out of it [laugh] . We all have our little quirks...
Click to expand...

My guitars look mint.... the guns I carry are nothing more than tools and look like it. It a self defense tool, not a fashion statement, dont worry about it
 
I'm not LE. I'm not a secret agent. I'm not a security guard. The way I see it is that I will probably go my entire life never having to use a gun that I carry for protection so I may as well get some use out of it as a collection piece and I like my collections looking good. That's the way I like it. Others like it differently. To each their own.
 
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6Gears1Speed said:
I'm not LE. I'm not a secret agent. I'm not a security guard. The way I see it is that I will probably go my entire life never having to use a gun that I carry for protection so I may as well get some use out of it as a collection piece and I like my collections looking good. That's the way I like it. Others like it differently. To each their own.
Click to expand...

Sorry, just assumed from your OP where you stated you knew it was going to get scuffs and scratches that is wasn't a "collectible"

Im sure the BG will be impressed by your shiny pistol if you ever need it [wink]

I see you have your answer anyway.... My P238 finish has held up pretty well all things being considered. its seen several thousand rounds and almost daily carry for 9 months. The holster will wear the finish more than anything you could probably do to it ( mine took accidental trip to the sandy rocky action pits at HSC without issue )
 
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I just mean part of my collection not a collectible. Once the sig cs rep told me he doesn't recommend #9 on "nitron" finish that's all I needed to hear. I have one side already halfway sanded. From now on its all stainless for me. Screw the super duper finishes.

Polishing_resized.jpg
 
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Almost done with rough sanding and it looks 1000% better already. Nice to see the steel.
And I know why it was easily blemished in the first place. The finish on the side shown in the pic sanded off fairly easily. It was harder to remove the finish from the other side. This tells me the finish wasn't heavy enough on this side. Sig wanted $60 plus $15 shipping to work on it. I like my fix better.

938Sanded_1.jpg
 
Thanks. I finished the polishing but I can still see some grain which appears as a mild haze so I have to hit it with the 400 grit again to get it out. The hard part is done though. Progression was wet sanding with oil 220, 400, 2000, 5000 (synthetic automotive). Then 5000 with automotive metal polish and then a jewelry cloth. Once I get the haze out it will look like a mirror.

PolishedLeft.jpg PolishedRight.jpg
 

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