Rust on my Glock custom build

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I built a Glock 43 a year or two ago.
Custom slide cuts and a Shield RMS sitting on top.
I sent it to Zev to have them apply their Titanium Gray DLC coating which I though was supposed to be pretty durable.
I polished the barrel.

It is reliable and I carry it every day in a kydex holster.

I'm not one who sweats much. I've never had a gun rust on me due to sweat...I've actually had very few guns even has rust start to develop.

I probably have looked at this gun in months. Maybe 6 months or so. One day I pulled it out of it's holster to clean the lint off and I notice rust spots in many places on the slide, near the rear sight and even at the crown of the barrel.
Some rust spots are deep enough to feel with your finger.

So I need to have it refinished and am looking for suggestions that are rust resistant for carry.


Interesting tidbit:
I'm currently building a Glock 43X which I had Black Nitrided by www.fire-4-effect.com. This Black Nitride process is actually salt-bath nitriding which is supposedly the same as Melonite and Tenifer however my CNC guy says my slide does not seem to be as hard as a stock Glock slide.

My CNC guy modified an optic cut on the already Black Nitrided finish and let me know that my slide was very easy to cut into. He mentioned that factory Glock slides are really tough to cut at first, but once you break through the outer layer then it gets softer.

So the Black Nitride offered by www.fire-4-effect.com does not seem to be of the same quality as the Glock Tenifer.

I am currently sending the Glock 43X slide out to JagerWerks to see about their black nitride treatment. Hopefully it is better.

20200728_125743.jpg

20201106_005454.jpg
 
it's odd that the line of rust is in a straight line like it is. what is that whitish looking discoloration on the rear of the slide? it's under the optic and runs down the middle of the cocking serrations. is that the beginnings of rust? or holster wear? i can't offer a solution, sorry, but i'd be taking a long look at the holster.

i use kydex exclusively and have been for several years, and i sweat like i'm in a rain forest, and have never experienced anything like you are. all the metal screws on my holster that touch my body are rusted over heavily. i did start to notice that on extreme humid days, visible moisture would be on the pistol i am carrying.

either way i'd be talking to the folks at zev to see what the hell is going on. nothing they do is cheap which leads me to believe all the work coming out of there was top quality, guaranteed.
 
Is it just that one side?
Looks like some finish wear on that side also?
Yup just the left side which is the body side.

And there is holster wear which appears more white-ish on the rear serrations.

Cerakote - I've sprayed that myself in the past. I thought DLC or Melonite would be more durable. Maybe not in real life.
 
What environment is it stored in? Often the swing of the winter/summer will cause condensation in storage that results in rust. That can be dramatic when you open for example a safe for the first time after humidity change I have seen condensation form right before my eyes because inside conditions were so much different than outside the safe.

And storing handguns in their holster is never a good idea. That always creates places for moisture to form even if it is kydex.


Very sweet pistola BTW

.
 
What environment is it stored in? Often the swing of the winter/summer will cause condensation in storage that results in rust. That can be dramatic when you open for example a safe for the first time after humidity change I have seen condensation form right before my eyes because inside conditions were so much different than outside the safe.

And storing handguns in their holster is never a good idea. That always creates places for moisture to form even if it is kydex.


Very sweet pistola BTW

.
It's in a small pistol safe or up on a high shelf. It is stored in the holster.
Maybe 6 hours a day it was on me, the rest of the time split between pistol safe and high shelf.

I have other pistols in the same safe. No rust.
 
Wow. Would have expected better from Zev, particularly for the money they charge. Is that holster wear on the rear by the serrations? Also, what is the powdery pattern on top, almost looks like pitting?
 
Wow. Would have expected better from Zev, particularly for the money they charge. Is that holster wear on the rear by the serrations? Also, what is the powdery pattern on top, almost looks like pitting?
Yea I sent the slide to Zev or their coating so I could match another slide I have from them. They outsource the coating. Maybe I will contact them.

Yes holster wear on the rear serrations.

As far as the powder on top. That's cocaine.
Just kidding. It's lint/dust from being in a holster.
 
Yea I sent the slide to Zev or their coating so I could match another slide I have from them. They outsource the coating. Maybe I will contact them.

Yes holster wear on the rear serrations.

As far as the powder on top. That's cocaine.
Just kidding. It's lint/dust from being in a holster.

lol. Sniffing lines off your slide is so 80's action movie villain.
 
I use eezox for my carry guns. It’s a thin solvent based rust preventive. It’s good for wiping off crud too


I never had rust
 
I emailed Zev and got an interesting response. I can't blame them for it.

Zev said:
Hello,

Thanks for contacting ZEV customer service.

We are no longer doing custom coating. We would suggest keeping a light coat of oil on the outside of the slide to prevent any issues with the coating.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.
 
What? That doesn't change the fact they did yours and you paid for it.
Yea.
I'm not gonna fight them for this. It's not worth any time or effort. I'll just try another finish.

I still like their slides and would buy their product.

I have 2 slides off to Jagerwerks for Black Nitride finishing. Let's see how that turns out.
 
I had the same rust problem on my G43. I had someone refinish and cerakote it, but the pits were so deep, the Glock logos almost got sanded away. I ended up buying an aftermarket slide.
I wonder if it’s some thing in the metal itself. Bad batch?
 
I still like their slides and would buy their product.
i commend you're loyalty, but....as i said before, anything from zev is not cheap. i certainly would open a dialog regarding this. isn't the purpose of a coating to protect the metal? you sound even tempered so i know you'll keep it civil, they owe you something...the bare basic lower limit big zev apology at the least. i am impressed you're not screaming boycott.
 
i commend you're loyalty, but....as i said before, anything from zev is not cheap. i certainly would open a dialog regarding this. isn't the purpose of a coating to protect the metal? you sound even tempered so i know you'll keep it civil, they owe you something...the bare basic lower limit big zev apology at the least. i am impressed you're not screaming boycott.

I'm with you on this one. I'll be upset and looking for some compensation from their side other than saying "we don't do that anymore".

My completely novice armchair analysis (ie. grain of salt) says this is either DLC pinholes or delamination with micro fractures, both of which are application defects.
 
My completely novice armchair analysis (ie. grain of salt) says this is either DLC pinholes or delamination with micro fractures, both of which are application defects.
almost makes you wonder if they had an application problem that was too much trouble to correct and that's why they stopped coating services. i dunno, a shame...nice pistol.
 
Rule of summer carry is un-holster the gun at the end of the day and wipe it down and don't store it in the holster, let things dry out. Your sweat and condensation will do a number on any finish. Sit in a room with ac for a few hours and go outside = moisture, then add sweat and salt and lint which holds the moisture, and never let it dry out because the gun is always holstered, just about any gun would rust or have some sort of corrosion after doing that for 6 months without ever wiping it down.
 
Rule of summer carry is un-holster the gun at the end of the day and wipe it down and don't store it in the holster, let things dry out. Your sweat and condensation will do a number on any finish. Sit in a room with ac for a few hours and go outside = moisture, then add sweat and salt and lint which holds the moisture, and never let it dry out because the gun is always holstered, just about any gun would rust or have some sort of corrosion after doing that for 6 months without ever wiping it down.

Yea that's a good idea. I've just never had that issue on any other gun ever...and I've gone through plenty of summers. Maybe I sweat more now.
 
I've had glocks that got a few specks of rust here and there, but it was usually after ocean water exposure and it wipes right off with some clp usually
 
I emailed Zev and got an interesting response. I can't blame them for it.
Wonder why they dont do custom coating anymore? Seems to me like a lot of things going on with your slide. Contamination, reactions of sweat,lint something in the holster. Im not sure if its something you can hold zev to or not.
In the end you can always say its a battle worn custom job.
 
Wonder why they dont do custom coating anymore? Seems to me like a lot of things going on with your slide. Contamination, reactions of sweat,lint something in the holster. Im not sure if its something you can hold zev to or not.
In the end you can always say its a battle worn custom job.
Battle worn is OK. Battle rusted is just rusted.

Maybe it's like the ripped jeans the kids are all wearing nowadays.
 
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I built a Glock 43 a year or two ago.
Custom slide cuts and a Shield RMS sitting on top.
I sent it to Zev to have them apply their Titanium Gray DLC coating which I though was supposed to be pretty durable.
I polished the barrel.

It is reliable and I carry it every day in a kydex holster.

I'm not one who sweats much. I've never had a gun rust on me due to sweat...I've actually had very few guns even has rust start to develop.

I probably have looked at this gun in months. Maybe 6 months or so. One day I pulled it out of it's holster to clean the lint off and I notice rust spots in many places on the slide, near the rear sight and even at the crown of the barrel.
Some rust spots are deep enough to feel with your finger.

So I need to have it refinished and am looking for suggestions that are rust resistant for carry.


Interesting tidbit:
I'm currently building a Glock 43X which I had Black Nitrided by www.fire-4-effect.com. This Black Nitride process is actually salt-bath nitriding which is supposedly the same as Melonite and Tenifer however my CNC guy says my slide does not seem to be as hard as a stock Glock slide.

My CNC guy modified an optic cut on the already Black Nitrided finish and let me know that my slide was very easy to cut into. He mentioned that factory Glock slides are really tough to cut at first, but once you break through the outer layer then it gets softer.

So the Black Nitride offered by www.fire-4-effect.com does not seem to be of the same quality as the Glock Tenifer.

I am currently sending the Glock 43X slide out to JagerWerks to see about their black nitride treatment. Hopefully it is better.

View attachment 408474

View attachment 408475
Ouch, I only bought stainless slides.
 
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