Anyone local set up to do Parkerizing?

[legendre]

Howdy folks,

I've got a few pieces that I'd like to have refinished, and was wondering if anyone local to St. Paul might have a Parkerizing (well, manganese / zinc phosphate or whatever) tank set up - and a burning need to help out a complete stranger..

You can recoup some of your investment in the form of parts, ammo, 12-packs, wild yarns from distant seas or even that worthless green paper stuff.

Thanks much for any & all assistance and/or advice!

[hoel6466]

I have a setup in my garage. At the moment I only have the zinc solution, but I have the predip blackening solution if you are looking for a dark color.
The tank I currently use is 12"x12"x8" so anything longer like a barrel gets a little tricky. I've been meaning to get a larger tank but I haven't gotten around to it.

What are you looking to parkerize?

[legendre]

I have a setup in my garage. At the moment I only have the zinc solution, but I have the predip blackening solution if you are looking for a dark color.
The tank I currently use is 12"x12"x8" so anything longer like a barrel gets a little tricky. I've been meaning to get a larger tank but I haven't gotten around to it.

What are you looking to parkerize?

A couple of FAL parts, and an SKS Para. Sounds like I'd have to come up with a tank to fit the Para action, it's about 22" long or so.

And I'm not looking for a particularly dark color. Is Zinc darker than Manganese, or vice-versa?

[hoel6466]

Zinc is the grey. Manganese is the dark charcoal. For longer items I have used a thick plastic bag. A piece of PVC pipe can be used as well if it is preheated with boiling water. I would suggest using the maganese solution if you are loking for a darker color, the predip doesn't work very well with large parts. I had to blast and dip an 870 receiver five times to get it just right.

Here are some pictures of a Garand that I parkerized. The parts look different with different lighting but it is a Gunmetal grey color. With the zinc phosphate the final color really depends on the type of metal.

http://s635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/Hoel6466/Garand/

[legendre]

Zinc is the grey. Manganese is the dark charcoal. For longer items I have used a thick plastic bag. A piece of PVC pipe can be used as well if it is preheated with boiling water. I would suggest using the maganese solution if you are loking for a darker color, the predip doesn't work very well with large parts. I had to blast and dip an 870 receiver five times to get it just right.

Here are some pictures of a Garand that I parkerized. The parts look different with different lighting but it is a Gunmetal grey color. With the zinc phosphate the final color really depends on the type of metal.

http://s635.photobucket.com/albums/uu73/Hoel6466/Garand/

Like I say, I'm not really after a dark grey color.. I think the zinc stuff that you have should be just fine.

All the smalls will fit fine in your tank, but not the action.. looks like I'll have to come up with a tank. My best friend is a wicked good machinist / welder and general metal wizard. If need be, I could have him make a tank for this - if I can find some material to make it out of.

But just how the heck can you use a plastic bag?! Do you put the parts in it and then dump boiling chemical on it? =)

[hoel6466]

Yeah pretty much, it's how I did an 870 receiver once. Just think of an industrial strength bread bag.

After the part has been blasted and degreased I place it in the bag. I put the bag in a platic wallpaper tray for support and pour the solution in. It sits for about ten minutes and you end up with a nice finish. The actual parking is easy, it's the part prep that is difficult and has the most to do with how your part's finish will turn out.

The blasting take the longest. The small parts shouldn't take very long but the barreled receiver will probably take about 30-45 minutes to blast. My compressor is only so large and takes a bit to recover so half that time is spent waiting/drinking beer.

Could your friend weld aluminum? I've been thinking about building a cheap custom tank out of aluminum.:cogitating:

After looking around it seems aluminum isn't the ideal material. It's going to have to be stainless, I'll just have to save my pennies.

[legendre]

Yeah pretty much, it's how I did an 870 receiver once. Just think of an industrial strength bread bag.

After the part has been blasted and degreased I place it in the bag. I put the bag in a platic wallpaper tray for support and pour the solution in. It sits for about ten minutes and you end up with a nice finish. The actual parking is easy, it's the part prep that is difficult and has the most to do with how your part's finish will turn out.

The blasting take the longest. The small parts shouldn't take very long but the barreled receiver will probably take about 30-45 minutes to blast. My compressor is only so large and takes a bit to recover so half that time is spent waiting/drinking beer.

Could your friend weld aluminum? I've been thinking about building a cheap custom tank out of aluminum.:cogitating:

After looking around it seems aluminum isn't the ideal material. It's going to have to be stainless, I'll just have to save my pennies.

Nope, aluminum won't be suitable - like you said, stainless - or I believe an enamelled steel vessel should be fine as well, as it's basically a glass surface.

My friend can weld anything.. he's got MIG, TIG and gas rigs.

[promod1385]

How about a stainless sink? Would that work?

Do a CL search, there is a guy who sells used restaurant kitchen fixtures in St Paul. I was in there a while back picking up some stuff with a buddy, he had a ton of large stainless sinks. Most were less than $300.

[legendre]

How about a stainless sink? Would that work?

Do a CL search, there is a guy who sells used restaurant kitchen fixtures in St Paul. I was in there a while back picking up some stuff with a buddy, he had a ton of large stainless sinks. Most were less than $300.

I could more than likely have a custom tank made for less than half that.

But restaurant ware (or possibly surplus surgical equipment) is well worth considering. I'd actually been planning to check out one of the local used food service equipment places.. they might just have something, or at least something that can be modified to fit the bill.

[hoel6466]

Here is one I've had my eye on for a while. Maybe I'll pick it up when I get my meager tax return back.

http://stainlesssteelcreations.net/parkerizing-tank--40quot-x-6quot-x-64066.html

Shoot me a PM if you would like to give it a go. I should be around all weekend.

[legendre]

Here is one I've had my eye on for a while. Maybe I'll pick it up when I get my meager tax return back.

$110 for that tank.. how much to ship it? That seems like a very fair bargain to me, what must the materials cost them? I'd expect to pay $150 to have one made up, one-off, by a good welder with a shear & brake.

Shoot me a PM if you would like to give it a go. I should be around all weekend.

It's kind of a tight weekend, but I might be able to drop-in on Saturday afternoon. Do you have a blast cabinet setup, such that we can perform the whole process - old finish to bare to new finish?

Another question.. what happens if we try to Park a chromed Chinese bolt carrier? I'm confident that it won't take the finish (a least not evenly) - but could it poison your chemicals?

[legendre]

Hey, BTW.

Forgot to mention it, but I have a cut-down gas range that I've used for stuff like this. Cute little thing, it was a kitchen stove from the 1930s or so.

I unscrewed the base, cut the top range portion off of the oven portion - which I junked - and then re-attached the base to the bottom of the range section. The design was very conducive to this modification, it was really just cutting & drilling. Now it's a 4-burner tabletop natural gas heat source. =)

If you want to use it, I'll bring it over. It has a 1/2" SS flare fitting, but I might have fittings to adapt to 1/2" NPT.

[hoel6466]

It's kind of a tight weekend, but I might be able to drop-in on Saturday afternoon. Do you have a blast cabinet setup, such that we can perform the whole process - old finish to bare to new finish?

Another question.. what happens if we try to Park a chromed Chinese bolt carrier? I'm confident that it won't take the finish (a least not evenly) - but could it poison your chemicals?

I do have a blast cabinet setup so we should be good to go. We could try to blast the crome off first. As far as contaminating the solution, I have more. I wouldn't think it would have much of an effect.

[hoel6466]

Hey, BTW.

Forgot to mention it, but I have a cut-down gas range that I've used for stuff like this. Cute little thing, it was a kitchen stove from the 1930s or so.

I unscrewed the base, cut the top range portion off of the oven portion - which I junked - and then re-attached the base to the bottom of the range section. The design was very conducive to this modification, it was really just cutting & drilling. Now it's a 4-burner tabletop natural gas heat source. =)

If you want to use it, I'll bring it over. It has a 1/2" SS flare fitting, but I might have fittings to adapt to 1/2" NPT.

I'm using an electric laboratory water bath as the parkerizing tank at the moment so we should be good.