[og556]

I’ve been interested in having a higher end blued 1911 zinc parkerized eventually (once it’s worn). I see most vendors offer Manganese Phosphate parkerizing but I can’t seem to find any one who does Zinc Parkerized finishes. I like the greenish gray of zinc parkerized WWII 1911’s.

Has any one had this finish job done to a higher end 1911? If so, who would you recommend for this type of finish?

 

[1911fanatic]

I’ve never heard of zinc parkarized finish. I’ll probably learn something in this thread.


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[ZoidMeister]

Ditto. Time for Google-Fu . . .

 

[Doug Humbarger]

That green tone take years of ageing to get that color. It is not immediate.

 

[ZoidMeister]

Seems like Brownells sells the stuff to do it for the DIY'ers.

https://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=Zinc+parkerize&ksubmit=y

 

[og556]

I’d be curious to know if any special surface prep would be required for a previously blued gun.

Mind you this pistol is pretty darn tight (think Baer) so I’m a little concerned about tolerance stacking but I’m not open to removing metal or lapping rail interface for tolerance for this finish.

 

[ZoidMeister]

In the two minutes I was reading threads on this process, bead blasting was mentioned fairly consistently.

If you are worried about the blue finish, just soak your parts in vinegar for a couple minutes to strip it off, then rinse and dry thoroughly (a low temperature oven would work).

 

[Uncle Bob]

I’ve been interested in having a higher end blued 1911 zinc parkerized eventually (once it’s worn). I see most vendors offer Manganese Phosphate parkerizing but I can’t seem to find any one who does Zinc Parkerized finishes. I like the greenish gray of zinc parkerized WWII 1911’s.

Has any one had this finish job done to a higher end 1911? If so, who would you recommend for this type of finish?

Can't do old school parkerizing anymore thanks to OSHA. Manganese is fine and just as good if done right. BTW original USGI was not zinc

 

[Doug Humbarger]

I sand blast then pickle in muratic acid.
Only carfully swabbing on the external parts.
Gives the park a better surface to bite on too.

 

[og556]

I am getting a lot of conflicting info regarding these finishes. It was my understanding that the greenish park was Zinc Phosphate.

Uncle Bob - Thank you for this info. Is there any more info you might be able to provide about the older finishes which are now not possible to get due to OSHA regulations?

 

[Uncle Bob]

I am getting a lot of conflicting info regarding these finishes. It was my understanding that the greenish park was Zinc Phosphate.

Uncle Bob - Thank you for this info. Is there any more info you might be able to provide about the older finishes which are now not possible to get due to OSHA regulations?

Sorry I had to go back and dig up my notes on this since it's been to long:

Early WW2 was iron phosphate with zinc chromate dip until mid 1943 “the green stuff” Federal Specification TT-C-490 Type II.

Zinc Phosphate: is used on both raw ferrous and galvanized substrates. This material is considered hazardous and must be processed through a wastewater treatment system before dumping to drain. Depending upon the coating weight of the zinc phosphate, this pretreatment can provide 750 hours of corrosion protection over raw steel and up to 1,000 hours of corrosion protection over galvanized steel. It also provides excellent adhesion for powder coating.

Late WW2 and Korea Zinc phosphate and postwar reworks “the gray stuff” - Bonderiite is the common trade name, dates from WW2 Germany by Henkel Aircraft, still sold under that name.

Iron Phosphate: is the most popular pretreatment used on ferrous products. It provides both corrosion resistance and better adhesion for powder coating than the raw substrate. It is considered non-hazardous, and can be dumped to drain in most parts of the country after the oils are removed. Depending upon the number of stages in the pretreatment system and if a sealer (such as Zinc chromate) is used, this pretreatment can provide between 250 hours and 500 hours of salt spray corrosion protection over steel. It also provides excellent adhesion for the powder coating.

Manangese phosphate, Vietnam era and later manganese phosphate, “the black stuff” – FN process is called ”Fermangan”, same as MIL-DTL-16232 Type M

I can post links for this if you want.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Seems like Brownells sells the stuff to do it for the DIY'ers.

https://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=Zinc+parkerize&ksubmit=y

Not the same as classic Zinc Parkerizing.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Ditto. Time for Google-Fu . . .

Zoid, Googling doesn't always work quite right depending on the source material it comes up with.

In this case I'd go back to the old and classic American Rifleman before George Martin was brought in to run the magazine. He was brought over from guns and blammo and basically turned AR into another gun rag to make money from advertising. My collection goes back into the 30s. Used to be a great technical journal.

Then comes friends in industry and access to people since I write for them.

 

[BSP85]

Give Dave Sams a call at Sams Custom Gunworks. I know he offers parkerizing along with bluing (looks great) which he does in house. If he doesn’t do the type you are looking for he may be able to point you in the right direction.


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[july19]

Does anyone have photos of 1911’s with the mentioned finishes?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Does anyone have photos of 1911’s with the mentioned finishes?

Yes. I have a classic 1911A1NM