Finish of aluminum parts.

[siggypoo]

I'm given to understand that CNC'd aluminum is popular with the higher-end airsoft guns.
I'm about to get a Glock 18C and am wondering about the slide and other aluminum components.
What type of aluminum is usually used? My sole experience is with T6.
Do these parts tend to employ anodized aluminum, or just regular aluminum with a painted finish?
Anodizing is usually used to harden the surfaces of aluminum parts and increase corrosion resistance. The process can also colour the parts if a dye is added to the process.
I considered blasting the slide to remove the marred finish with silica beads or aluminum oxide, but I don't want to damage the slide itself.
Anodizing (with or without a dye) afterwards is another option I'd like to explore but is more an afterthought if the blasting works well.
What are your thoughts on it? Could this turn out well, or am I better off to not anodize or even blast the aluminum components?

[ThunderCactus]

The aftermarket slides are typically 6061-T6 and anodized
But the manufacturer typically states what the material and finish is
Stock slides are typically monkey metal, can't really do anything with it, so best to leave it alone.

[The Chad]

I would say easy off or greased lightning but TC is right, you need to know the metal, fat chance you'll find that out from the manufacturer unless it's something to be proud of. You could go through time consuming destructive tests only to find out it's poopy metal. Soda blasting is an option to strip it. I plan to use that black BBQ paint from CT to paint parts of my project, dunno if anyone else has.

I may be wrong but weight can be a helpful indicator.

[ThunderCactus]

Best place to test slide material would be over the inner barrel on the inside of the slide

[Hectic]

You could just sand it down and polish it or paint it the color you want almost all the metal youll find in airsoft will be on the whimpy side and likly t6 will be the highest grade ( with a few exceptions and those will mostly be clearly advertised as what they are and the price of them will be a dead give away) and then there are a few cnc steel slides on the market.
Like so http://en.ratech.com.tw/english/inde...=27&Itemid=119

[siggypoo]

All review articles and videos I've seen about Stark Arms' S18C say the slide is CNC aluminum, so my I'm feeling optimistic. If such turns out not to be accurate, then an aluminum slide will simply wind up on my to-do list.

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by siggypoo

What type of aluminum is usually used? My sole experience is with T6.

1. Usually, die-cast zinc-aluminum pot metal is used, particularly with lower priced guns. I would be very wary of low priced guns that claim CNC machining (such as Stark Arms.) CNC is merely a machining process, and in many cases, is used to finish details and features on a product, even if the core product is just pot metal. Pot metal with some aluminum content has also been referred simply as "aluminum slide" by airsoft manufacturers. Add in CNC process to cut the serrations, sight dovetails, and engravings, all of a sudden, this cheap pot metal product is now marketed as a "CNC Aluminum" slide. Find out the actual material alloy, if they're willing to give you that information.

2. "T6" isn't a type of aluminum. It identifies a tempering process. "6061" would be a type of aluminum.

Originally Posted by siggypoo

Do these parts tend to employ anodized aluminum, or just regular aluminum with a painted finish?

Most pot metal slides have an enamel baked finish. Aircraft aluminum (6061 or 7075) slides are typically anodized.

[siggypoo]

I wasn't aware of those distinctions for aluminum. Thanks for the correction.
I'm quite comfy with CNC, having tried my hand at machinable plastics and starting a business in rapid prototyping. That's what I'll be doing for the AEG SKS I'm designing.
I'll see what other info I can glean on this S18C and, like I said, if it's cheaper metal I'll just add an aluminum slide to my wish list.
My girl would love to have a pink-anodized slide, lol.
Now what about stripping the finish with TSP instead of bead blasting?
I have two 30mm casings that were a gorgeous anodized greenish brown, and I soaked them in TSP to clean the insides (should've just filled them instead if soaking them).
But the TSP unexpectedly stripped the anodizing from the casings.
Might that be a viable alternative in this case?