Parkerizing questions

[moredes15]

I've read several pages of searches on different forums and can't find answers; I'd appreciate any help ya'll can give me.

1) I've read that I have to strip bluing off first before I begin the parkerizing process. Do they mean I have to chemically strip the bluing before bead blasting, or is bead-blasting sufficient?

2) Brownell's offers a gallon of "Post Treatment Solution" with their maganese parkerizing solution, but they don't offer the "Post Treatment" with their zinc parkerizing solution. ShooterSolutions.com offers a "Parkerizing Neutralizer". These offerings leave me with the general impression that some 'finishing process' is required after the parkerizing dip.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1110
http://www.shootersolutions.com/parneutdew.html
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1106&title=ZINC+PHOSPHATE+PARKERIZING

I've read a couple posts where readers say they removed their parts from the parkerizing bath and immediately dipped them in (boiling) hot water and then applied WD-40. Did they skip the "Post Treatment Solution / Parkerizing Neutralizer" step I mentioned above, or is hot water & WD-40 an equally good substitute procedure?

3) I can't find instructions for mixing the parkerizing solutions. What other chemicals or additives are needed besides either the manganese or zinc parkerizing solution? What is the ratio I'll need to mix them? (I need to know this in order to figure out how much parkerizing solution to order)

Thank you very much.

 

[VaFisher]

1. Glass bead or sand blasting are a good choice as it gives a better surface for the park to take.
2. After the park solution you dip in boling water, this is to clean and heat the metal and then dip in wd-40 and it will get into the pores.

I skip the water and dip into a oil bath right out of the park solution and it works well for me, in fact I like burnt motor oil the best as far as color finish.

3. The different solutions that you buy from Brownell's are consintrate and you will need to add distilled water. The different solutions all come with instructions on the ratio to mix.

Hope I have helped a bit, it's very rewarding to be able to park yourself but if you are only going to do a small park job it will be better cost effective to have it done by someone that does it for a living.

 

[Tom2]

I don't like sand blasting on most parts as it leaves too rough of a finish for me. I do fine glass beads so that you get sort of just a matte satin finish on the steel, not a coarse one. When I got started the zinc solution I bought was supposed to be mixed at 12/1 dilution in rain water or distilled water. I got a bottle of Manganese at a gunshow that had no instructions. I tried the same mix and got fine results. But Brownells might recommend something else, I would do what they say. I have usually used some stuff called Mounts neutralizer that is an oily spray that really stinks after rinsing the parts post treatment. Works fine but something else might work as well, but the special stuff supposedly neutalizes the chemical reaction of the acid on the metal. I heat my solution to about 160-170 F. on a stove top(thermometer used) and that seems to work ok. No boiling water used here. Still funny things can happen with your results depending on the heat treatment etc. of the gun steel. Had a slide with a slightly darker finish on one end due to the fact the Red Chinese apparently did not harden the slides full length the same? And a carbine bolt that came out an odd gold color once. But nearly always looks works perfectly for me. No need to remove the blueing, the steel should be 100% bare when you bead blast. But degreasing is important too.