Engraving Options
Contact us now to receive a quote on your engraving project, or view more photos of our work in the engraving gallery
Shallow or Deep?
When deciding on an Engraving the first question to ask yourself is whether you would like depth to the engraving or just as surface marking. Our surface markings on a full slide start at $100, and deep markings (~.7mm depth) starts at $150.
Is your slide stainless, blued, or cerakoted, and do you want the engraving to be bare metal, annealed or cerakoted?
Bare Metal:
If you are looking for a silver/gray mark on a dark slide, it can be left as bare metal. Although it is now unprotected from rust, as long as it is stored in a dry environment and well cared this will not be a problem. Polished steel does better left bare, as where a bare mark on a Glock/Smith & Wesson/Sig etc will absorb the oil from your hands as it is handled, this requires the slide to be cleaned with degreaser, and then a light coat of barricade or gun oil reapplied.
Annealing:
What is laser annealing? Quoting from our laser manufacturer's (Tykma) website: laser annealing is created by applying heat, just below the melting point, to the surface of the material to produce a superficial heat temper, resulting in a smooth, high-contrast surface mark. This mark is typically jet black in appearance and is common for medical marking on stainless steel and titanium where minimizing surface disruption is paramount.In addition, annealing can be utilized to create various color markings on stainless steel and titanium."
The color markings vary from metal to metal, therefore we have to learn what settings produce what type of color each time we mark a new type/brand of slide. The color's are unique in the sense that it is almost a polished/mirror finish that will appear black or silver in certain light, and then when the light hits it at an angle the color shines.
An example of a red hue that looks silver at certain angles.
Red roses and gray/green leaves on Smith and Wesson Slide
Blue/gray on 1911 slide
We can engrave over existing cerakote.
Shallow marking with black annealing over shimmering aluminum cerakote
Shallow marking with black annealing over gold cerakote
Deep Engraving with two tone cerakote finish:
For deep engravings on slides other than polished steel (where we can sand and repolish, see photo above) we recommend adding cerakote to protect the slide. This allows us to sand down the sharp edges caused by the engraving and protect the slide from rust, as well as enhancing the look of the engraving. We work with our customers and offer discounts on the cerakote if done in combination with a deep engraving.
