I've finished all my guns with Robar (CTI) NP3 since the 90s.

I think Robbie has a wing of the building dedicated to me.

It was convenient for me to just drop the gun off and pick it up all done.

Firearm finishing is a fraction of CTIs business, but luckily Robbie Barkmann kept it available.

Years ago Robbie sold the gunsmith shop in the North end of the building to Freddie Blish. That's where you dropped off your gun.

They also had a guy named Henry Heng doing the polymer frame work like the Glock grip reductions.

They would disassemble it, give it to CTI for the finish specified and then put it back together for you.

Ultimately Freddie didn't keep the ROBAR gunsmith side open.

So now CTI has several gunsmiths (on their NP3 page) who do the work ROBAR was doing and sending the parts for finishing.


Henry is still doing the polymer work at his company Robar Customs LLC.

The finishing process isn't fast. 4 months is a good average.

I have parts for a Glock 43X there now, I sent them to Vang Comp who then sent them to CTI. (Coating technologies inc).

I just sent my P220 in a million pieces to them. I had the slide milled by Mark at L&M. Now comes the painful wait.

Thank you for the update.

Thanks for the information.

Good to know! Thanks for the info. I was under the impression they closed up their doors for good. I've had a handful of my stock NP3'd over the years.

Thanks. I knew there was a lot of shuffling around out there but it is interesting to get the details.

I've been making hand made putters for the past several years and have used CTI for most of that time, for the NP3. When I heard that operations had closed for some of the companies associated with them, I was worried. But, a phone call or two and I was back up to speed and the next batch of putter heads that went in for NP3 had a handful of Beretta 92 magazine bodies with them. NP3 is an amazing coating and beautiful, as a bonus. I have only been back in the shooting world for a couple of years, but am loving it and having the connection with NP3 is going to be a positive.
Would love to see pix of any work that you guys have had done in the NP3.
LaMont in AZ

quote:

Originally posted by inspcalahan:
Good to know! Thanks for the info. I was under the impression they closed up their doors for good. I've had a handful of my stock NP3'd over the years.

I have had several people say that to me... so I thought maybe if we got the word out it was still going strong.....

quote:

Originally posted by MannKrafted:
I've been making hand made putters for the past several years and have used CTI for most of that time, for the NP3. When I heard that operations had closed for some of the companies associated with them, I was worried. But, a phone call or two and I was back up to speed and the next batch of putter heads that went in for NP3 had a handful of Beretta 92 magazine bodies with them. NP3 is an amazing coating and beautiful, as a bonus. I have only been back in the shooting world for a couple of years, but am loving it and having the connection with NP3 is going to be a positive.
Would love to see pix of any work that you guys have had done in the NP3.
LaMont in AZ

Just a few of my NP3 projects...

Yeah, I may be in trouble. Knowing the extent of the use of NP3 may morph into a whole new addiction for me, .
Thanks!
LaMont in AZ

It's an addiction for sure.

I first met Robbie Barkmann in an indoor gun range in Bellevue, WA while he was giving a demo of a SD shotgun he built. He also had some firearms in NP3. I was hooked and sent many to him over 30+ years. I finally moved to AZ in 2001 and live 12 miles from his (former) shop.
He really liked the Mini UZI SMG with bayou & suppressor that got the finish.
I really liked the HK93 varmint rig in NP3 I used in the early ‘90s for hunting in MT.

My oldest NFA item a Mossy 500 AOW

and (infamous) OA93 serial #DB0002

that were NP3’d.
The ROBAR NP3 finishing is currently available @ Wright Armory in Mesa, AZ. They a good folks.

quote:

Originally posted by Z06:
It's an addiction for sure.

I first met Robbie Barkmann in an indoor gun range in Bellevue, WA while he was giving a demo of a SD shotgun he built. He also had some firearms in NP3. I was hooked and sent many to him over 30+ years. I finally moved to AZ in 2001 and live 12 miles from his (former) shop.
He really liked the Mini UZI SMG with bayou & suppressor that got the finish.
I really liked the HK93 varmint rig in NP3 I used in the early ‘90s for hunting in MT.

My oldest NFA item a Mossy 500 AOW

and (infamous) OA93 serial #DB0002

that were NP3’d.
The ROBAR NP3 finishing is currently available @ Wright Armory in Mesa, AZ. They a good folks.

The shop is still in the same place (CTI), on the South side of the building.

Thise are some nice toys, The SMG is really nice.

I used Wright Armory on a NP3 job and wasnt really happy with them. I spoke to another person when I qualified last week, and they too had a poor experience at WZ. I cant recommend them at all.

Wright was good to me on several SIG/Ceracoat jobs, so I hoped they would be as good on NP3. I haven't had them do any NP3 for me.

What fantastic looking firearms. I have a P-220 with full NP3 finish from the mid 90's. Still a favorite of mine.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
What fantastic looking firearms. I have a P-220 with full NP3 finish from the mid 90's. Still a favorite of mine.

Yup, that was my first gun to go to them for NP3. Numerous others have followed like HK P7s (M8, M10, M13), HK91 rifle, Colt AR15, a bunch of Glocks and Sigs.

I cant see myself having a gun not done in NP3.

quote:

Originally posted by Z06:
Wright was good to me on several SIG/Ceracoat jobs, so I hoped they would be as good on NP3. I haven't had them do any NP3 for me.

It wasnt the NP3 that was the issue.

They dont send the stuff you send right to CTI, they sit on it until they get enough for them to decide to send. For a process that takes months, that isnt something I was appreciative of, especially with them not mentioning that.

Beyond that the charges for shop fees and shipping fees are not anything I have experienced before. Shipping some Glock parts (no frame) from Mesa to me is a 1 day trip even with Fedex Ground. Instead it went Next day air! Really expensive for nothing.

When I asked about it his nasty response was indicative of what others told me they had experienced.

Vang Comp by comparison has been very pleasant, shipped my parts to CTI immediately and didnt even require payment up front.

And since Vang Comp just relocated to NV, no sales tax!

I appreciate the update billinaz. I probably had a dozen, or more, guns that Robar worked on over the years. My favorite was a beat-up Dan Wesson Valor where they gave it the Norton Special with NP3.

So, can NP3 be applied to an alloy frame without stripping the factory anodizing?

quote:

Originally posted by Belgian Blue:
So, can NP3 be applied to an alloy frame without stripping the factory anodizing?

It may have to be stripped, but my W German P220 has NP3.

Yes alloy such as Sig frames need to be completely stripped of all the anodization before they can be plated in NP3 or any plating process

Please keep in mind that the factory type III hard anodize has a much higher hardness rating then NP3 does.

quote:

Originally posted by CCR:
Yes alloy such as Sig frames need to be completely stripped of all the anodization before they can be plated in NP3 or any plating process

Please keep in mind that the factory type III hard anodize has a much higher hardness rating then NP3 does.

What is that hardness number of the Anodizing?