# FYI: Parkerizing Formula



## IMAPEOPLEPERSON (Jul 21, 2010)

This is recipe I found if ne1 would be interested.

- Xenophile™  Parkerizing Formula & Process -
Matte Charcoal-Black Manganese Phosphate Formula
POISONOUS - SCALDING LIQUID - CAUSTIC - DANGEROUS PARTICULATES & VAPORS - Will CAUSE SKIN & EYE DAMAGE
If taken internally, do not induce vomiting and immediately call your physician or the Poison Control Center @ 1-800-222-1222.
If eye or skin contact, wash immediately with cool water and call your physician.

General Notes:
This formula & process will produce a charcoal-black matte finish that will be more durable than most blue jobs. However, this is not the original Parkerizing process although processes like this are commonly referred to as such. More accurately, this particular process uses an updated manganese phosphate formula that chemically etches & bonds (phosphates) the steel gun surface. Do not confuse this with the slate-gray zinc oxide Parkerizing procedure, which is the original process used on WWII U.S. weapons. Manganese phosphate is effective on most ferrous gun metals whose primary alloy is steel...basically, anything that a magnet will stick to. This process does NOT adhere to copper, chrome, nickel, aluminum, aluminum-magnesium alloy, lead or silver soldered areas, or stainless steel. Overall, the formula is not finicky unless the manganese dioxide concentration is too low or the bath temperature is also too low. The solution can be saved and used again as long as all ingredients are refreshed a bit. However, the ingredients are so inexpensive (as compared to commercial Parkerizing kits) that you may as well mix a fresh batch each time. This is an easy Do-It-Yourself process. You must also work outdoors due to the annoying fumes, and wear protective clothing. The most critical steps involve preparing the gun parts for their bath. Lets get started:

Materials Needed:
Stainless Steel Container/Tank (a cheap kitchen pan from a dept. store or buy the rifle tanks at guns supply dealers).
Black Wire (any kind of mechanic's steel wire will do as long as it's not copper).
Stirring Stick (stainless steel spoon or wood kitchen spoon).
Wood Support Sticks (parts will be hung from these sticks across the top of the container with the mechanic's wire).
Kitchen Thermometer (optional).
Spray Can of WD-40.
Plastic or Rubber Gloves.
Protective Glasses.
Rubberized Shop Apron.
Acetone (any other degreasing solvent may be sued).

Formula: (Enough for a handgun. Everything depends upon the size of your container/tank.)
1 Gallon: Distilled Water (available at grocery stores...do NOT use tap water, filtered water, or drinking water)
¼ Cup: Manganese Dioxide, 325 mesh or smaller (available from all pottery supply stores @ $1.25 per lb.).
½ Cup: Phosphoric Acid ($7.50 for Jasco Prep & Primer at Home Depot...make sure you read the warnings on the container)
1 Steel Wool Pad: 1 pad for each 1 to 5 gallons of mixture (suspended in the mixture).

Step-By-Step Instructions:
1. Disassemble the gun...right down to the smallest spring and pin (although, you don't need to disassemble any parts that won't be Parkerized.
2. Remove the old finish. The easiest way to do this is to soak the parts in a 50/50 mixture of Water/Muriatic Acid or simply use the Jasco Prep & Primer until it's as clean as a whistle.
3. Remove or smooth out any undesirable nicks, scratches, or dents as necessary. Be careful not to remove any legally-required information.
4. This process works best when the surface is slightly distressed...it gives the manganese dioxide something to hold on to. Mirror-smooth surfaces (like the bore) won't hold any Parkerizing solution very well. To distress the surface, you may use a glass bead blaster ($15 at Home Depot), 180 grit emery cloth, or a wire wheel (my favorite). It doesn't take much and any distressing you do will usually not show up on the finished product unless you gouge things out too much.
5. All parts must be thoroughly degreased. This is best accomplished with a thorough washing with soap & water followed by a soaking in Acetone. Any method you use is fine as long as all grease and oils are removed. You must never touch the gun surface after this because even the slightest fingerprint will be evident.
6. Use this formula on only the parts you want covered. Basically, if the gun's bolt or barrel wasn't originally blued, then don't use this method either. Also, springs should probably not be finished.
7. Don't plug (or seal off) blind holes or the bore. If you do this, chances are that it will explode due to the heat and spray hot chemicals on you. Don't worry about the bore because this solution doesn't stick well on mirror-surfaces and it can be easily removed later by a few strokes of a brass cleaning brush.
8. Prepare the worksite and the hot-bath container that you'll be using ahead of time. Is the container long & deep enough to allow complete submersion? A propane camp stove used outdoors is a good choice. Thread the mechanic's wire through pin holes in the gun parts and suspend them from wood sticks atop the container. But remember, every place that a wire touches, there will be no finish (unless you jiggle things around quite a bit during the process). For small parts, punch several small holes in a vegetable can and place the parts in the can (put a wire handle on the can so you can grab on to it during the process). You'll also need room for stirring and suspending the steel wool pad in the mixture. Now that you know everything will fit, remove all the gun parts from the container so that you may mix the formula.
9. Add & thoroughly mix the above formula ingredients (in the order shown) to your container/tank (note, you haven't added the gun parts yet). Bring the mixture to a slow boil (you can use a kitchen thermometer if you like and bring the temperature up to 210ºF. to 225ºF.). The reason that a thermometer isn't necessary is because you won't be able to get the mixture any hotter than the boiling point...in reality, a hotter temperature would make the process work faster but you're limited by the boiling point. Expect some boil off and obnoxious fumes (that's why you're working outdoors). Stir the mixture frequently and then add all the parts once you've reached the boiling point. Continue to stir and jiggle the parts & parts can each 30 seconds during this process. The gun parts will fizz in this mixture...this shows that everything is working perfectly. Normally, the process takes from 15 to 40 minutes but this depends upon the mixture concentration, temperature, and metal alloy. Once the fizzing on the parts has greatly subsided, then keep the parts in the bath for another 5 minutes (or until the desired finish is achieved). Nothing is very critical here and it all depends upon your preferences.
10. Turn off the stove when you're satisfied with the results.
11. Remove each part (or the can of small parts) one at a time from the hot bath. In about 5 to 10 seconds they'll be dry due to the temperature...IMMEDIATELY spray the part with WD-40. This stops the process, neutralizes the mixture, and prevents unsightly white smears/streaks from appearing. Remove each part one at a time and do the same. Keep all parts soaked in WD-40 until the parts have cooled down. Once cooled down, wipe off the WD-40 and clean the parts as you normally would (I recommend oiling & preserving with Break Free CLP). Before you assemble the gun, clean any residue from the bore with a brass brush. Instead of using this WD-40 process, you can also use a hot water bath followed by a soaking in motor oil but the WD-40 process seems to be the most efficient.
12. You'll notice that the bearing/contact surfaces are not as smooth as they were originally. This is especially noticeable on automatic pistols and rifle bolts. No problem! Just work things back and forth a little and they smooth right out.
13. You're done! Your gun will look new and the finish will absorb & hold gun oil better than a blue job.


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## carver (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks for the Info.


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## clw3 (Jul 24, 2010)

Wow! Very informative. Thanks

I think I'll try that on some working knives. Do you have a picture of the final finish?


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## IMAPEOPLEPERSON (Jul 28, 2010)

*Finish*

here is a picture of a 1919A4 that was done with the formula.


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## IMAPEOPLEPERSON (Jul 28, 2010)

*Finish*

Whoops!


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