Question about parkerizing inside the chamber ?

[jedman]

  I have a handi rifle barrel thats chambered in a rimmed cartridge and has a auto-ejector, the barrel was painted with a bake on finish now I am going to strip that off and parkerize the barrel.
My question is, if I were to plug off the bore and the muzzle with plugs but let the inside of the chamber get the parkerized finish would this give me any problems ?
There is no real reason that I need to do it that way I just thought if it would not create any ejection problems or create a condition where the case would not grip or seal to the inside of the chamber and create more breech thrust that I might try it for the sake of being different ?
Does anyone have a gun with a parkerized chamber, or is this a bad idea altogether ?      Thanks,    Jedman

[trotterlg]

I've parkerized dozens of H&R Barrels and would never let it get into the chamber.  It makes a very rough finish compared to what you need in the chamber.  I use a rubber cork for the chamber and a wooden peg for the muzzel.  Larry

[jedman]

 Thanks  Larry,  I will take your advice and plug the chamber also before dipping the barrel.
Thanks to your prior advice and posts I built a upright ABS plastic tank very similar to yours and bought a gallon of the parkerizing mix, it all works great.
I have done 3 barrels with it so far and it is as you say , very easy and they look professionally finished,
Thanks.     Jedman

[trotterlg]

I would guess I have done about 2 dozen barrels in mine with a single mixture of the solution, seems like it will never die.  A year ago I got another gallon to have on hand but still haven't opened it.  Good luck, it is an amazingly simple thing to do and the results are perfect every time.  Larry

[JonD.]

I would guess I have done about 2 dozen barrels in mine with a single mixture of the solution, seems like it will never die.  A year ago I got another gallon to have on hand but still haven't opened it.  Good luck, it is an amazingly simple thing to do and the results are perfect every time.  Larry

I just purchased a kit to do my old stevens shotgun. Do you just reclaim the solution back into a bottle when finished? What about the ejector assembly? Take apart and dip in at the same time?

[trotterlg]

My tank is a vertical piece of 3 inch ABS plastic pipe with a 110V water heator element in the bottom.  I just leave it in the tank, it's been there for two years now.  I think I would try using the two inch pipe if I were to make another, it would use about a third the amount of solution.  I would take it apart and clean it all up.  I sand blast the barrels for a nice finish, but it will do well with it smooth also.  Larry

[jedman]

  This is a picture of my parkerizing tank.  I went with 4" ABS so as to have room to do just about any gun part I could think of.
I live in Ohio and they do not sell ABS anywhere around here, the way I got my ABS pipe and fittings was quite a journey.
I was visiting family in California this past July and my brother in law is a plumber, he had a stock of 4" ABS pipe and fittings since they use ABS out there in residential jobs.
I brought home 2 lengths of pipe and a cap and coupling in my suitcase, checked bagage and when I got home I found a note inside that Homeland Security had inspected my luggage and put it all back in my luggage without issue.
The 2 pcs. of pipe must have looked suspicious when they X rayed my bag, but ended up to be not a problem.
I used a 115 volt water heater element as Larry did and it works great, total cost of the tank, heater, and parkerizing solution about $ 50.00.      Jed

[JonD.]

My tank is a vertical piece of 3 inch ABS plastic pipe with a 110V water heator element in the bottom.  I just leave it in the tank, it's been there for two years now.  I think I would try using the two inch pipe if I were to make another, it would use about a third the amount of solution.  I would take it apart and clean it all up.  I sand blast the barrels for a nice finish, but it will do well with it smooth also.  Larry

I just got my chemical kit, it is American Gunsmithing Institute complete with an instructional video. The ABS pipe and water heater element are a great idea. I already have a sand blaster and can't wait until it warms up to try it. BTW does this give off much fumes or smell( can I do it in the house without the wife fussing about it )

[trotterlg]

Mine gives off near zero smell, I have my tank sitting in a plastic bucket incase it wrere to leak, but so far in 2 years not a drop.  I painted the water heater element with the high temp BBQ paint to keep the solution off it, just don't plug it in without water or solution in the tank.  Larry

[JonD.]

Thanks Larry. I picked up my tank supplies at Lowes today. Does the temp stay constant and what temp? I had the thought of using a light dimming switch as a "thermostat" with the 120v 1500 watt heater if needed.

I bought the higher temp rating ABS pipe, but you know, I wonder if plain old schedule 40 PVC would work as well. You can boil water in a plastic pop bottle with an acetylene torch and not melt the plastic because the liquid in the bottle keeps it from doing so, so as you said, as long as you always heat with liquid in the tank it shouldn't melt.

[trotterlg]

I have a thermostat in my tank, but I think if I do another I will probably just put the heater in and skip the thermostat.  Just heat the solution to about 150 F, put the barrel in, watch the temp until it hits about 180 to 190, pull the plug and by the time it is cooled off the barrel will be done.  Mine take about 15 minutes, guess you could just watch the temp and plug it in for a few minutes if you need to go longer.  The pipe I used is the black ABS, it has sort of a foam core to it, it stays cool enough to touch on the outside while in use.  Larry

[JonD.]

I'm happy to report that my PVC, water heater element, tank set-up worked pefectly. I did use a cheap rotary light dimming switch for a thermostat though and it works great. I marked it at the correct temp. and now all I have to do is set the dial on the line, plug it in and wait a little while, and then just dip my parts and walk off and do something else for about 15 or 20 minutes.(I do still use a meat thermometer to keep a check on it though) I did have a small boo-boo with it though, I used plain ole' tap water instead of distilled water for my solution. It did a couple of parts fine but it really did not "gas" as it should have, and now the solution seems very weak. I have come across a recipe for a home made solution using distilled water, phosphoric acid(concrete cleaner), magnanese dioxide powder(pottery makers die) and steel wool. I will try it out and let you guys know if/or how it works.

[trotterlg]

Did you paint the heater element?  If not, the copper element most likely killed the solution, I have heard that copper will do that.  I painted my element with high temp BBQ black paint, let it dry and then only powered it up when there is water or solution in the tank.  That seems to keep the paint cool enough to keep it from flaking off and it protects the element from the solution.  Larry

[JonD.]

The element I have is made from stainless steel. Picked it up at Lowes. Now I understand why you put paint on it.

[trotterlg]

Mine came from Lowes also, the first time I didn't paint it and the solution ate it half off.  Check to see what yours looks like now.  They seem to have a thin tin plating on brass, the tin is gone in a few minutes and then the stuff starts workign on the brass.  Larry

[JonD.]

You are absolutely right, it is a zinc or tin plated copper electrode. Boy I feel dumb now     When i bought it, I even went to the tool section and got a magnet to test it with to see if it was SS.  Great idea with the BBQ paint.

[trotterlg]

So the mistery of the short lived solution is solved!  Good luck, mine has been working with the same solution for a couple of years doing dozens of barrels and it is still as fast and dark as the first day.  Larry