Glock slide finish

[JKTex]

Originally Posted by TXSUT

I can't tell if that's a joke or not. LOL

Yes, it was a joke. He said one was 1999 and one 2001 so I just put it together.

Originally Posted by 87'vette

Tenifer? Ya, I hope he's joking too!

I always forget what Glock calls is, it's called Melonite outside of the Glock world. Now I need to go dig it up again, I thought they called it Tenifer but I take it that's wrong?

[Sig_Fiend]

AFAIK it's Tenifer. All I know is it's one tough finish. I've seen some beat up, old, worn out Glocks and while the parkerized coating may have worn off, the tenifer finish still prevents them from really rusting since it's not just a surface finish but impregnates the metal below the surface too. That's my understanding anyways.

[JKTex]

I was hoping 87vette would come back and expand on his comment.

[87'vette]

JK, ask and you shall receive.
Borrowed this from another site.
Here is a good explination of what Tenifer is:

Tenifer is a trademarked name for the end result of a chemical bath nitriding process that embeds nitrogen into an iron-containing alloy (like a pistol's slide) 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". Glock, an Austrian firearms manufacturer, utilizes this process to protect 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 64 Rockwell C (diamond cone) hardness rating via a 500 °C nitride bath. The final matte, non-glare finish (still not the finish you see) 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 (because the metal under the surface fiinish has been hardened via the Tenifer process) .

[JKTex]

Ok, thanks for posting that.

Now the question. So what was the "Tenifer? Ya, I hope he's joking too!" comment then? It appears I was correct, it's Tenifer.

[txpolecat]

If you want that "wet" look on your parked or Tenifer pistol just drop the metal bits into a bucket of motor oil for a day or two, it will soak it up. I hate it when the GLOCKs get all 'ashy' and grey looking.

[TXSUT]

So, the question still remains...did Glock, at some point, change the manner and/or products they use for the external treatment (the parkerizing, not the Tenifer) of their slides? Or, is it as Txpolecat implies, just a drying out that causes them to take on a more matte look over time?

[Texas1911]

It's a change in finish. They all have the hardening process and anti-corrosion process, but the final processing is different between the Generation 1/2s and the Generation 3s.

It's purely cosmetic, but it does look nice. In fact, on my Gen 2 I think I like the rough texture, it makes working the slide easier when your hands are wet.

Maybe I'll try spraying some light oil on the "ashy" slide and see if it looks like a new one. That'd be pretty cool. (like Polecat is saying)

[txpolecat]

The park finish has a lot of very fine pores in it, I dont think wiping or spraying it will have much of an effect.

Maybe if you laid one side of the slide in the oil to compare, or just soak the dang thing already :)

(I've used 10w-40 before on my pop's glock and he thought I had painted it or had it refinished!)

[TXSUT]

Originally Posted by Texas1911

It's a change in finish. They all have the hardening process and anti-corrosion process, but the final processing is different between the Generation 1/2s and the Generation 3s.

I thought that with the Gen 3 came the finger grooves. No?