I have a Colt Gold Cup that the finish is a little worn on. Since I intend to be buried with this gun I would like to keep it up. Any suggestions as to where to send it (and approximate price) to refinish it? (Please no references to pink duracoat finishes, please. That joke is getting real old!! )

Thanks in advance, guys!!

Hard chrome. Prices range $170-$250 depending on who does it.

How worn?

If the gun is anything other than a safe queen, it will quickly show wear even after being reblued.  

Ford's Guns has a good reputation for bluing.  www.fordsguns.com/

Quoted: How worn? If the gun is anything other than a safe queen, it will quickly show wear even after being reblued.   Ford's Guns has a good reputation for bluing.  www.fordsguns.com/

It was fairly worn when I picked it up at an estate sale and has been my CCW for about a year, so I shoot it a couple of times every week. However, I am looking at picking up a new Wilson Combat at the end of the year, so I thought I would retire the old girl.

So, I guess she will be a safe queen. This is the first gun I have had that I have felt an attachment to. The history behind it (nothing fancy, just belonged to a 90-year-old fella who passed and he "loved" it according to his widow. She sold it to me for $400 instead of a guy who offered her $1000 because she wanted it to "go to a good home".) It has probably had several hundred dollars of custom work done to it (Briley barrel, Bomar sights, very nice trigger job, and I think the tolerances have been tweaked because it doesn't "rattle" like some of the series 70s I have seen at the range.)

All I have done with it up to this point is shoot it and keep it clean. I'll check out Fords. Thanks for the tip.

Why don't you send it to Birdsong for Black-T. Looks similar to blueing, but is a little bit...different.

Quoted: I have a Colt Gold Cup that the finish is a little worn on. Since I intend to be buried with this gun I would like to keep it up. Any suggestions as to where to send it (and approximate price) to refinish it? (Please no references to pink duracoat finishes, please. That joke is getting real old!! ) Thanks in advance, guys!!

Have you considered sending it back to Colt? They do offer refinishing services. You have to call for prices.

You know how girls like shiny things!! A chrome finish is tugging at my leg HARD, but I really think I want to leave this one as original as it was when I got it. The bluing is really pretty.

Maybe I could talk GlockCop into letting me build a 1911 from scratch. Now that would be fun!!

Why don't you talk him into buying you an STI Eagle in .38 Super, with Heinie sights and hard chrome.

I think you have put enough out there to pick up on with respect to your wishes.

1. If you want to keep it close to its original state you are going to have to leave it alone, or compromise its collectability with rebliung (BFD if you will be buried w it though).

2. If you reblue and continue to use in a holster (carry) you will be doing this over and over again, or you will find you wasted your money the first time if you don't keep rebluing, so you will have to decide whether a) you should reblue at all, b) you should carry should you reblue.  I suggest you embrace either A or B and don't look back.

3. If you want better than "a)" or "b)", you are going to have to reconsider the finish and look into duracoat/armortuff/hardchroming/Black T/etc. which comes with the tradeoff of compromising originality

Tripp Research for hard chrome
EGW for Etreat.

Quoted: I think you have put enough out there to pick up on with respect to your wishes. 1. If you want to keep it close to its original state you are going to have to leave it alone, or compromise its collectability with rebliung (BFD if you will be buried w it though). 2. If you reblue and continue to use in a holster (carry) you will be doing this over and over again, or you will find you wasted your money the first time if you don't keep rebluing, so you will have to decide whether a) you should reblue at all, b) you should carry should you reblue.  I suggest you embrace either A or B and don't look back. 3. If you want better than "a)" or "b)", you are going to have to reconsider the finish and look into duracoat/armortuff/hardchroming/Black T/etc. which comes with the tradeoff of compromising originality

OOOOO-Kaaay. Now you have inserted a rational thinking process into this instead of letting me run strictly on emotion. Good food for thought!! Let me think about this some more.

And thanks -- either my husband pays you very, very well or there is a secret society of men out there determined to make me think with my head occassionally!!

I still vote Black T

Quoted: I still vote Black T

You are very persistent!!

After I get a few things done to my new GI, I'm going to have it done in Black T ;)

My thought is that if you're going to the trouble of sending it out and having it refinished, might as well do it in something that's as long lasting as possible.  That rules out a paint / coating process like ArmorTuff, GunKote, and BlackT.

For my money, I'd either have it hard chrome plated, or if you want a black finish, go with Melonite, E-treat, or another PVD/DLC coating like Ionbond/Bodycote boron carbide.

Unfortunately I think some of these, like Melonite, will require a matte finish and won't work well on a highly polished surface.