(galvanic) corrosion Sig P238

[E.Marquez]

My wife carries a P238 or 239 daily in a Kangaroo carry holster.
In the weekly cleaning routine last night she found a significant area of corrosion on the front edge of the frame, on the side that faces her body.
White powdery in color that fluffed off with a swipe of the finger. There is 1-2 mm of material that has corroded away.
Im thinking this is (galvanic) corrosion.

Sweat, cotton holster, aluminum frame, steel parts in contact.
Its cosmetic only at this point and I'll remove the corrosion, treat, and seal that spot. .. but makes me wonder why it happened on this gun, but not several others she and I have carried in this same holster summer after summer.
Thoughts on prevention?
Repair of the corrosion?

Thanks

[WildBill]

If the frame is aluminum then maybe the anodizing was not done properly so the bare aluminum was exposed.

Anodized surfaces are extremely hard and corrosion resistant. Did the gun ever get dropped? 1-2 mm is a lot of material.

[Scott B.]

I'd get in contact with Sig. Cosmetic is a ding or a scratch, or at least to my way of thinking. That's in the flaw category.

Repair? You'd have to smooth that erosion point and get it coated, otherwise it's just going to accelerate as more area is exposed.

I'd put that in Sig's hands.

[dcphoto]

The coatings on both the slide and frame should prevent any kind of galvanic reaction. This is definitely a manufacturing defect, and should be handled by Sig. I imagine they'll replace the frame, or the entire gun.

[bmwrdr]

My wife carries a P238 or 239 daily in a Kangaroo carry holster.
In the weekly cleaning routine last night she found a significant area of corrosion on the front edge of the frame, on the side that faces her body.
White powdery in color that fluffed off with a swipe of the finger. There is 1-2 mm of material that has corroded away.
Im thinking this is (galvanic) corrosion.

(galvanic) corrosion.jpg

corrosion sig.jpg

Sweat, cotton holster, aluminum frame, steel parts in contact.
Its cosmetic only at this point and I'll remove the corrosion, treat, and seal that spot. .. but makes me wonder why it happened on this gun, but not several others she and I have carried in this same holster summer after summer.
Thoughts on prevention?
Repair of the corrosion?

Thanks

I carry (and sweat over) my P938 all summer since two years now and never noticed signs of oxidation. To my best knowledge all of the Px38 models have an aluminum feame and SS frame.
I clean mine with oil only and never use any chemicals or "cleaning" solution at all.
If you are using solvents I'd sugest to let it go and see what happens.

[John Galt]

I would definitely send it back for Sig to look at.

[WildBill]

I would definitely send it back for Sig to look at.

Obviously this is not normal.

You definitely need to know if this is a cosmetic issue or a structural problem with the frame.

Sig Arms should be able to resolve this issue.

[jimlongley]

The sharp definition of the damage does indicate galvanic corrosion, but the two metals have to be in very close proximity to do that. Sweat is a pretty good electrolyte.

[E.Marquez]

Contacted Sig.
Person I spoke to was ummm very sure it was holter wear, as SIg guns can not do that so it must be holster wear... but if I wanted to send it in anyway,, they would start a work order.

Had to send pictures before they would set up the work order, so that was done and now i wait.
Not happy at this point, but understand one CS person on the other end of a phone does not make a company response.. So we will see where it goes.
To answer other questions, no no solvent is used to clean, just oil.. normally Rem Oil.
The issue is definitely corrosion, the question is why.

[johncanfield]

Holster wear? From a cloth Kangroo Carry? I don't think so. We have several Kangroo Carry holsters so the gun is completely covered by cloth - it wouldn't be the frame directly against skin. I just looked at my wife's P238 it is okay, no evidence of wear, etc.

[jimlongley]

Contacted Sig.
Person I spoke to was ummm very sure it was holter wear, as SIg guns can not do that so it must be holster wear... but if I wanted to send it in anyway,, they would start a work order.

Had to send pictures before they would set up the work order, so that was done and now i wait.
Not happy at this point, but understand one CS person on the other end of a phone does not make a company response.. So we will see where it goes.
To answer other questions, no no solvent is used to clean, just oil.. normally Rem Oil.
The issue is definitely corrosion, the question is why.

The person you spoke to probably had to Google "galavanting corruption" in order to try to understand you.

[bmwrdr]

I vhecked mine after sweating all over it yesterday, no signs of corrosion or oxidation. I have a stock SAS model without any modifications. Since you excluded the use of solvents and you use Remoil only I can only think of material impurity. Keep us posted.

[K.Mooneyham]

As an aircraft mechanic, I've seen a lot of corrosion on aluminum over the years. I concur that if the anodizing on the frame were weak (and it does happen) or damaged, it would provide a great place for corrosion to get started. It would still need a dissimilar metal (the steel) and moisture (sweat?) to happen, but I too would place this one on Sig assuming the gun has never suffered a blow on that area that would have damaged the metal enough to break through the anodized layer. BTW, if anyone does have an aluminum frame gun that has suffered a nick or scrape deep into the metal, I would look into repairing it with alodine. Not as good as the anodizing, but still helps prevent future corrosion. Order from aircraft supply companies.

[WildBill]

As an aircraft mechanic, I've seen a lot of corrosion on aluminum over the years. I concur that if the anodizing on the frame were weak (and it does happen) or damaged, it would provide a great place for corrosion to get started. It would still need a dissimilar metal (the steel) and moisture (sweat?) to happen, but I too would place this one on Sig assuming the gun has never suffered a blow on that area that would have damaged the metal enough to break through the anodized layer. BTW, if anyone does have an aluminum frame gun that has suffered a nick or scrape deep into the metal, I would look into repairing it with alodine. Not as good as the anodizing, but still helps prevent future corrosion. Order from aircraft supply companies.

[E.Marquez]

Erik,

Thank you for sending us the photographs of the pistol. We have reviewed them and will proceed with bringing in the firearm to correct the issue. Before I set up a work order, I will need the serial number of the firearm as I was unable to make it out clearly from the photo. The work order will take around three weeks, you will receive a pre-paid shipping label via email with instructions on how to send us the firearm.

Thank you.

So looking good,,,, 3 weeks for a work order?? I can only hope that is the whole process timeline, not just waiting on a shipping label.