Quote:
Originally Posted by ithacaartist
I do, however, wonder what process is used to make "aluminized steel" which was touted by Ford, I think, some years ago, in reference to body panels. I know it's also used in automotive exhaust systems.
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I believe they use a hot dip process, much like hot dip galvanizing (simply put: you dip it in molten metal). An automotive engineer told me that it often replaces zink on parts where the temperature varies a lot (like on exhaust systems), as the thermal expansion of aluminum is more similar to steel. The hot dip method is a bit "sloppy" and not really suited for gun parts where close tolerances are needed.
For guns, I'd say that any application of metal needs to be done chemically or by electrolysis to be able to control the thickness and to get a perfectly uniform coat. I have never seen any of those processes used for aluminum, but it's just another metal so I guess it can be done?