Took a sandblaster to my P380 today...

[dsk]

Today I decided to bead blast the entire slide of my Kahr P380. It already had a small nick on the top from when I dropped something on it during a cleaning session, so it was a good candidate to try out my newly-acquired sandblasting skills and fix the damage. My equipment was mostly all from Harbor Freight, using one of their cheap gravity-fed guns and 80-grit glass beads hooked up to a 4gal. Dewalt air compressor.


First, the before picture:





Now, the after pics:








I'm liking the grey finish a lot more than the bright silvery finish it had before. The only downside is that the coarser finish picks up lint more easily, so we'll have to see over time whether that becomes an issue with a pocket pistol. At first I was just going to sandblast the flat surface of the top of the slide, but my masking skills proved too unrefined so I ended up just blasting the whole thing (minus the insides). In the end I prefer it this way, as the cocking serrations now feel sharper which makes the slide easier to retract. Who knows, if I get bored with this pistol I may try polishing the sides someday for a true two-toned look.

[Bobshouse]

Very nice job!

[Bawanna]

What did you do to contain the blast media or did you coat yourself in the stuff.

I got the same setup via a friend here on the forum but I'm still tossing around idea's in my head on a cabinet to work inside so I'm not covered in blast media and the stuff goes every where.

[Scarywoody]

Harbor freight sells a bench top cabinet for $114. They always have a 20% off coupon as well. It would be hard to build one much cheaper.

[dsk]

What did you do to contain the blast media or did you coat yourself in the stuff.

I got the same setup via a friend here on the forum but I'm still tossing around idea's in my head on a cabinet to work inside so I'm not covered in blast media and the stuff goes every where.

I just blasted it outside in the back yard, using gloves, a respirator and goggles. A 25# box of media will probably last me 20 years so I'm not concerned about re-using it. But yes once I was done it was time to hook up the air gun and clean myself off before I could even go back inside.

[Bills1873]

Years ago, I made a blast cabinet from a large cardboard box and a piece of plexiglass for a project. Threw an old bed sheet over the open top to keep the dust down. Had holes in front ringed with cloth to put my hand through. Used a suction gun and fine sand, worked pretty good at the time. Great for small parts. Blasted quite a few things in that box. Even had a light bulb in the side.

[muggsy]

Looks good, even though I prefer the original finish. You did a very nice job. Looks very professional.

[items]

I like the look! I had my eye on the CT380 Tungsten model from Kahr. But the LGS had only the two tone one in stock - and I guess I'm weak and impatient

Nice work on your P380 sir!

[Ronni3_J]

Get it cleared with ceramic coating from Cerakote. The color will stay but it will roughness will go away

[dsk]

Looks good, even though I prefer the original finish. You did a very nice job. Looks very professional.

Thanks. It would've stayed original finish had I not fumble-fingered my Glock 42's barrel while cleaning it and the Kahr one day. It landed right on the Kahr's slide and a sharp edge dug into the steel. That was the umpteenth time I dropped or banged up one of my guns or its parts while cleaning it... you would think I'd have learned to stop doing that by now.

[yqtszhj]

I like the looks of that.

[cw9 covert]

did you take off the sights or blast over them?

[CJB]

Nice job

[gb6491]

That looks like a nice even finish...well done!
Regards,
Greg

[dsk]

did you take off the sights or blast over them?

Yes, I removed the sights and all the internals, and taped off the insides. I put the rear cover plate back on to keep from blasting inside the striker channel and also to match the slide.