I said it was a beautiful finish, and I'd like to see it on larger Surefires, like the old-style M3.
The application would be as easy as reproducing the color. We've only done it once, so its not confirmed we can. If so, that leaves three challenges:
1) This is still a natural finish, without the color/shade control provide by dye. Even two parts put through the same batch can create different results because of the composition of the aluminum itself. This can be the bezel vs the body or older metal vs newer metal.
2) 100% of the parts we currently strip are type II. Parts that are already HA would need a separate stripping process (more $$).
3) Non serialized parts can be impossible to identify as unique items after the process(es). An M3 bezel, run as the only in a batch (service for one) would be easy. The tailcap, 1 of perhaps 100.
Ok so its is a process, how durable is it? Better than ceramic coatings? I want something as tough as can be.
HA color options can be tricky. The thicker it is, the tougher it is. But the thicker it is, the harder it is to add dye:
.0005 < - type II
.0006
.0007 < - limit for ha light colors
.0008
.0009
.0010
.0011
.0012 < - limit for ha dark colors (other than black)
.0013
.0014
.0015
.0016
.0017
.0018
.0019
.0020 < - OVEREADY spec
When someone shows a colored HA flashlight, its generally half as thick as what's possible. .0020 is the the only thickness we've ever used. The dieselpunk color, for example, is full thickness and does not use a dye. The durability of the coating remains. The durability of the color appears just as strong, but long term use is still underway.
As for paint vs HA. OR spec HA and H grade Cerakote (the tougher heat treated grade) are both very tough. HA is harder but can chip (hard = brittle). Cerakote is more elastic but can will still 'smudge' when struck hard by steel, concrete, etc. So in both cases, we still recommend steel bezel rings to protect the thin edge that surrounds the lens.
