Parkerizing metal parts

Parkerizing metal parts



If you have wanted a metal part to be weather prof but didn't want it chromed ( or chrome cost to much ) and
wanted a dark gray color but gun bluing was out of the question then you might want to try Parkerizing.
I Parkerized a few handguns and some light-bars for motorcycles, SEE:
http://www.crapmods.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5401

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about historical phosphating of firearms and military equipment. For modern phosphating, see Phosphate conversion coating.
Parkerizing (also called phosphating and phosphatizing) is a method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating. Parkerizing is usually considered to be an improved zinc or manganese phosphating process, and not to be an improved iron phosphating process, although some use the term parkerizing as a generic term for applying phosphating (or phosphatizing) coatings that does include the iron phosphating process. Parkerizing is commonly used on firearms as a more effective alternative to bluing, which is another electrochemical conversion coating that was developed earlier. The Parkerizing process cannot be used on non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, brass, or copper. It similarly cannot be applied to steels containing a large amount of nickel, or on stainless steel.

If you want to try it, here is a few things you will need, safety glasses, plastic gloves , heat source ( I used a camping stove) wood sticks 3/8 dowels will work well, a stainless pan or bowl , stainless steel wire, WD-40 and a few ingredients.


The first is Distilled water

Second is Phosphoric Acid (the active ingredient in Naval Jelly) , I used ( Klean-strip) Rust Remover from Wall-Mart.
Add 4 oz per gal of water.

Third is Powdered Manganese Dioxide (a very dense and heavy dark gray to black powder) an easy place to find this is inside "D" cell Alkaline batteries , with gloves and glasses on use a pair of diagonal side cutters and remove the negative or bottom end of the battery, then slowly peal back the metal and remove the black cylinder and then remove soft core . The black cylinder in the Manganese Dioxide , place these in a plastic bag and pound it with a hammer until you have a powder. three batteries will make about 4 oz .
Add 4oz per gal of water.

Last is a biscuit of steel wool , I used the 0000 (do not use the kind with soap in it)
Place one biscuit on the bottom of the pan and keep in place with a wood rod clamped to the side of the pan.

To start with sand blast the item to be parkerized and don't touch it with bare hands , tie the metal to a rod with the stainless wire so when the rod is resting on the pan the metal is low enough to be submerged under the water but up off the bottom of the pan .

Put on the glasses and gloves then put the water in the pan first , then the Phosphoric Acid slowly , then
the Powdered Manganese Dioxide and start heating it, when it gets hot enough that steam starts to rise but
before it starts to boil place the steel wool in the bottom and keep it there with a rod. now you can lower the metal
into the pan of hot Phosphate solution ( no need to let it boil) bobbles will form on the steel wool and the metal.
Then after 30 to 45 minuets remove and rinse with hot water and spray with WD-40 .
After a few minuets cote with grease and let set over night. The next day remove the grease and then spray with
WD-40 and you are done , Color may get darker with age.



Good luck, and be safe, Horseman8m

I like that! But what happens to the stainless wire? I have a gun made of stainless and might like that this gray...

Sorry but Parkerizing doesn't work on non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, brass, copper and stainless steel.
look on the internet search sites for bluing black oxide stainless that ought to get you to the right places.
good luck, I hope i could help, if not drop me a pm and i'll find what you want.
have fun , Horse

P.S. try the ssb370 on this link
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm
call and ask questions before you buy. I do and it saves a lot of time.

Thanks for the reply. The 1 gun in ss I have is a back up piece. I can wire brush it to matt..
Still the home brew is fasinating for the parker.... I do some silver, copper and brass working, and figure this was going to be the way it worked. In silver work if you use common steel pliers to quench silver in acid solutions you get nice pink silver... It brings the3 copper in silver to the top.