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Author Topic: how do you remove parkerizing?  (Read 1499 times)

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Offline bluebayou

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how do you remove parkerizing?
« on: November 20, 2007, 05:04:42 PM »
Wow. A wire brush in a drill won't do it. It is nice and shiny, but still parkerized. How the crap did it get worn anyway?

My project rifle, the Ishapore Enfield, has.....50% parkerizing under the stove paint. I was going to cold blue the rifle thinking that the finish was just crappy bluing. Now I am thinking that it is crappy parkerizing.

Cold blue doesn't work on parkerized steel, in case anyone didn't know.

So. What do I do? Remove the parkerizing? If so, then how? Paint it? Gunkote it?
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Offline John Traveler

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2007, 05:29:14 PM »
The phosphate ("parkerizing") used on military arms IS tough.  It has to be to resist abrasion and wear.  Phosphate coatings work by modifying the surface of the steel.  Either iron, zinc, or manganese phosphate is typically used on military small arms finishes.  The raw steel is typically sandblasted, and then boiled in the phosphate solution, rinsed, and dipped into preservative oil.  Manganese phosphate is the current MIL-SPEC finish, and has been for over 40 years.  Hot tank bluing WILL work on a phosphate finish.

To remove your old phosphate finish, you need to either mechanically abrade ("sand"), sandblast, or beadblast the metal.

Why remove it at all?  The British used a black ordnance enamel over phosphate for extreme abrasion and rust resistance.  European arms did and still do use phosphate finishes and sprayed on epoxy paint.  AKMS, AK-74, FN FAL, and HK G-3 battle rifles are examples.  Many American gun owners think painted on finishes look "cheap", but they are amazingly durable and practical for military weapons.

If I were refinishing an enameled rifle, I would boil the parts in lye to remove the finish and degrease the metal, rinse, dry, and immediately spray Gunkote on it and bake in the oven.  Such a finish would look great, and have almost the durability of a factory paint job.

HTH
John

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John Traveler

Offline Captain Emo

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2007, 03:53:32 PM »
The proper way to remove the park is to bead blast.  Sand blasting will work, but leaves a rough finish.
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Offline bluebayou

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2007, 04:01:26 PM »
Gunkote looks great, but my oven isn't big enough.  I can't think of anyone with a larger oven (except my boss and she isn't going to go for that in her house). 

I wire brushed the magazine and used Brownells Oxpho Blue to test it out, it looks really good.  But I have no illusions about sanding the entire rifle thoroughly.  Going to blast the barrelled action. 

Asking around, stainless is very expensive for making a parkerizing tank.  The best long term solution is to save my pennies and make a park tank.  Either way it needs to be blasted.  Probably going to blast and spray paint for the short term. 
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Offline 1911crazy

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2007, 03:17:12 PM »
I touched up the park on my french mas 49/56 it was well worn off the front of the barrel.  I picked up some brownells aluma-hyde II in light gray park.  I washed the metal clean with aclcohol and some "0000" steelwool,  Then i heated the metal wit ha hair dryer and  then i shot it with the aluma-hyde spray paint.  It looks awesome and its holding up so far.

I picked up a well ridden 49/56 in 308nato that was dirt cheap but i didn't want to pay for a new park job.  The guys on gunboards recomended the brownells aluma- hyde II park paint.
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Offline creekwalker

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2007, 06:28:30 PM »
Well, I'm a little late in viewing this post but will offer another view for you it might interest you. One of the best looking and wearing finishes I've seen and used is a park finish that's then dipped in a hot blue tank. It is very nice and looks like a custom finish you spent ton's of money on, but didn't.

The Gun Kote and British Ordinance enamel offer a very durable finish but can chip, sometimes badly. They are however scratch and corrosion resistant. I've tried a number of finishes, but the only one i wish I had on more of my firearms is the park/blued finish.

Creekwalker
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Offline Captain Emo

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #6 on: December 25, 2007, 04:11:01 PM »
You could also use naval jelly or rust/blue remover.

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Offline bluebayou

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Re: how do you remove parkerizing?
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2007, 09:07:53 AM »
Naval jelly will remove parkerizing?

This is news to me.  I will see if I can find my bottle of it. 

It won't hurt to try, but I didn't think that phosphoric acid would remove what it put there, if you know what I mean.
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