The following is the most descriptive written paper on the basics of weapon refinishing ever offered to the consumer. It is designed to answer 95 percent of the questions you might have about what we do.

First, we do industrial Chroming. Not Harley Davidson Bright, nor any of the softer flow coverings. You have all seen them chip and peel after time or turn color. Actually a precision firearm done that way could be dangerous to the shooter. This is alchemy whereas the finish bonds with the metal, it just doesn’t lie on top.

We have taken great pains to explain why we are different and offer more than just metal plating. It also serves to save you money and time. Few companies tell you what they really do, we have no reluctance to keep you informed. We feel we offer the best bang for the buck.

Honesty and being up front is what APWCOGAN is all about.

Just to let you know, we appreciate conversation but phone calls cost us both. We are a highly skilled, labor intensive business and the telephone is the number one distraction. On the other hand it is better than email if you have many questions. If we had to hire additional staff to answer questions we would have to raise the price of doing business.

In addition, we have very highly skilled technicians who have to produce a certain volume for us to stay competitive. We can’t be working on your gun if we are on the phone with you. We welcome your calls but we try to maintain a fast turnaround in a market that changes daily.

Again, our business is unique. We do not do bumpers, motorcycle parts, faucets or other household items… with the exception of and occasionally we’ll do golf clubs for custom putter builders, that’s our other downfall, we like to play once in a while and golfers like shooters have a favorite something they own and use and won’t part with.

SURFACE TREATMENTS

Your guns final appearance is based on two factors. The surface treatment it receives and then the exterior top-coat or plating. These exterior coatings are either “Plated” or “Applied” finishes. Plated finishes are just that. Metallic particles applied through electricity to bond to the basic metal or alloy of the firearm. Applied finishes are sprayed above a pre-bonding layer onto the firearm and cured or hardened by heat. It’s that simple….sure if you’re an alchemist. And we are the only ones equipped to do it this way. This is not kitchen oven refinishing.

All of our plated finishes, are available in three levels of surface texturing, or luster. They are: “AS-IS” Matte, Matte, Brushed. Due to the tight tolerances of firearms, we must prepare the part prior to plating to the level of polish we want after the plating is applied. Our plate will look similar to the finish below. The Brushed Chrome is exaggerated for explanative purposes.

Matte finish looks almost like the background of the page you are looking at if you own a MAC. Obviously all computer screens cannot duplicate the exact pictures we are trying to show you but this should give you the simple differences you can expect to see.

Plated finishes of any kind offer the greatest wear resistance and a very high degree of corrosion resistance. The finish is the final covering of metal that resides on the surface of the firearm or golf club. What ever the metal surface looks like before plating, when plated, it looks the same. So we first create a surface, like matte or brushed or high polish and then we plate and the plate takes on he characteristics of the metal.

Most plated finishes have hardness ratings greater than the base metal they are applied to. And offer superb corrosion resistance in the 100 salt test level. Preparation: We use both chemical, stuff you don’t normally find in your garage and manual methods such as buffing and sanding to prepare the metal for finishing.

We have to remove the old finish and make sure the surface is properly prepared to accept and bond to the new finish. The plated finishes like chrome easily restore the dimensions lost from the removal to insure proper function.

Proper preparation includes the texture, acidity, or neutralization, cleanliness, flaw removal, parts fit, and a hundred other things….