Before proceeding with laser engraving your item, it is important to have a baseline of knowledge on this topic and of the services we offer. Once you read through this brief page, you will have a much better idea of what methods and techniques you are interested in. We also wanted to mention that we are now a distributor of OEM-style GLOCK slides this means we can engrave a new slide with your artwork request and ship directly to you as slides do not have serial numbers. Contact us for details.
We will cover:
- Laser Marking/Surface Engraving
- Deep Engraving
- Color Fill and Cerekote
- High-end Custom Jobs
Your name, your logo, your call sign, almost whatever you want — we’ll engrave it!
Our top-of-the-line CNC laser engraving machines and experienced graphic designers will work with your concept to get it engraved in polymer or metal!
We engrave black polymer GLOCK and SIG frames/grip modules and most metal items, slides and AR lowers being the most popular.
GLOCK has the perfect polymer formula for laser engraving and therefore the end results are spectacular. Sigs are nice too but the polymer from almost all other manufacturers does not do well. The other thing to note is we only do black polymer grips as the other colors react adversely to the lasering process.
METAL ENGRAVING – SLIDES, AR’s, etc.
It’s important to note there are two types of engraving: Surface Engraving or “Marking” and Deep Engraving.
- SURFACE ENGRAVING/MARKING is the most common and economical option which leaves the familiar silverish-gold look on black surfaces. It allows for spectacular designs that are just below the surface and holds up well to oxidation with a light coat of oil.
- DEEP ENGRAVING is almost always the technique used for intense, custom graphic designs usually with a full slide wrap-around. The process involves an incredible amount of lasering time, cutting down much deeper into the surface significantly more than the standard Surface Engraving/Marking method. As a result, bare metal is exposed and many people are fine finishing here, just being sure in keeping it well-oiled.
However, we will go a step further offering relief coloring/shading of the engraved design providing eye-popping contrast as well as Cerekote color and/or clearcoat options for a truly incredible, custom result! More details below…
ENGRAVING RELIEF FILL, CEREKOTE & CLEARCOAT SERVICES
Depending on your customization, DETROIT HOLSTER now offers Cerekote services. Everything from a laborious sandblasting and prepping procedure of your component to a priority color-fill of the engraving to Cerekote color application and/or clear coating.
Although any two objects rubbing together will ultimately cause wear, Cerakote is in a league of its own in the firearm industry. It is a specialized coating that can be applied to wood, polymers, metals, and plastics that is composed of a polymer-ceramic compound. The ceramic coating benefits the firearm by providing and enhancing physical components including:
- Improving the wear and tear over time
- Providing abrasion, corrosion, and chemical resistance
- Improving strength and durability
- Once removed from the oven and cooled, the component is hardened and ready for use
- This is not the case with many Cerekote competitors where it takes weeks for proper curing.
This gun coating is a part sealant, and a part finish — perfect for extending the longevity of your firearm. Up until a couple of decades ago, guns were protected with stainless and blued steel to protect them from the elements. While these materials hold up well, they are not water-proof and require a layer of water-repellant oil to keep water at bay and protect it from rust and corrosion.
Cerakote is a great option because not only is it waterproof and able to fully protect a firearm, but it is also available in a myriad of finishes to create anything from a bold to a subtle look.
We use Cerekote’s most durable formula, their E-Series.
- Highest performing thin film ceramic coatings on the market
- Unmatched abrasion, corrosion, and chemical resistance
- Coefficient of friction, rivaling Teflon®
- Perfect for tight tolerance applications and typically eliminates the need for masking.
Whether we are doing a color fill of engraved lines or Cerekote color or clearcoat applications, our proprietary techniques will involve time baking in a special oven to cure the coating providing the most durable end result imaginable.
Learn more about our Cerekote services here.
CUSTOM JOBS:
Although all of our engraving work is technically custom, many of our requests aren’t easily published to a website product page with drop-down menu selections. The customer has some unique ideas and much of our work stems from requests such as these.
For example, a custom logo or department badge surrounded in a basketweave background deep engraved into the polymer frame of a GLOCK 19 with a patriotic theme of the Stars and Stripes, Lady Liberty, and maybe an eagle crashing in from above deep engraved into the three sides of the metal slide. The project is then prepped and color-filled for contrast and clear-coated or painted with color / Cerekote.
These truly unique projects are visually stunning and are very personal to the customer as we turned their vision into reality. Projects like these take a lot of creative energy and a lot of time in the area of both graphic design and lasering time and require a healthy budget.
Contact us by email providing as much detail as you can about your project. The email thread is important documentation for us. We may end up scheduling a phone interview to iron out details and answer any questions you may have. We will get to work on the graphics and design layout as you ship your item to our shop. We will provide you with proofs prior to engraving.
Contact us to get started and please familiarize yourself with the documents in the section below.
OTHER QUESTIONS:
Now that you have a baseline understanding of our laser engraving suite of services, you will find the below documentation useful as well.
This includes how to ship firearms to DETROIT HOLSTER, Laser Engraving Terms of Service, and a custom request form we may ask you to complete.