Parkerized Finish, what exactly does this mean?

NOTPARS

A few years ago I bought a Springfield Armory Mil Spec .45. I thought about going stainless but was told the parkerized finish was the way to go as it fought corrosion and was a more subdued color. I noticed that this finish scratches real easy. I was trying to imagine how it would hold up in the field if it scratches so easily. I am not even sure what it means to "parkerize" something. I was wondering what this means and is it the kind of finish one would want in the field or combat conditions? Does it really protect against rust? Thanks in advance.

iwannausername

Parkerizing is a chemical process that puts a coating on the steel. Good finish, rust resistant since it oxidizes the metal (so rust can't form). Maganese and phosphate can be used, you can do it at home.

Most military arms are parkerized these days, if they aren't plastic or aluminum...

NOTPARS

iwannausername: Thanks, that helps. I am still bothered by how easily it scratches. I was thinking of going stainless but Springfield told me if I wanted to make modifications to stay away from stainless as the metal is too hard. I like the idea that this is a chemical corrosion resistant deal though. Again, thanks.

Hawk Carse

Parkerizing converts the surface of the steel to iron phosphate, different treatments include zinc phosphate or manganese phosphate in the bath to control grain size and color. Dry Parkerizing does mar easily, but it is not meant to be a protective finish by itself. It is supposed to hold lubricants in its porous crystalline surface. One guy even coated his in Vaseline and baked it in the oven. He said it oozed grease for a month but after that was a smooth strong finish.
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/search?q=parkerizing+vaseline

iwannausername

No problem. Some people paint over the parkerizing to give an even color, since steel of different hardness will color slightly differently, as will temperature differences. Oil bathing after the process will also affect color.

You may want to look at one of the spray on / bake on finishes like Gun Kote or Duracoat.

beantownshootah

Parkerizing, as mentioned is a type of phosphate finish. There are multiple different types (eg iron, manganese, zinc), with slightly different features and appearances.

The term came from the phosphating processes invented by the Parker company in the early 20th century.

This sort of finish is popular for military type weapons because its matte (ie non-reflective), wear-resistant, low-maintenance (it absorbs oil), and most importantly from a military standpoint, its CHEAP! [;)]

Yes, it does protect against rust.

The downside of it is that most don't consider it a particularly attractive finish, though you can put other finishes on top of it.

jimthompson502002

Phosphate finishes are going out of vogue, since they absorb ANYTHING, including blood and salt water. Most modern finishes are much denser oxides (to include variants of tank bluing, by the way) or plated on or polymerized finishes. The brits called a couple of phosphate finishes "Harveyizing" and we called one or two "Parkerizing" and it was also called "graying" or "PermCoat". Calling it "Parkerizing" is really a kind of quaint thing, rather like calling all carbonated beverages "coke", since it really was once upon a time a copyrighted trade name.

NOTPARS

Hey folks, thanks I learned a lot from posting this question. My perception of what parkerized meant was off a bit. I have this stuff called G96, the lubricant, and I noticed that not only does the surface drink this stuff in, it seems to "hide" minor scratches. So, another finish "painted" over the parkerized finish might make it harder? I have to check this out. Again, thanks for the help. As for me, I kind of like it the flat grayish-black color but may look into coating it for hardness.

Blairweescot

quote:Originally posted by jimthompson502002
Phosphate finishes are going out of vogue, since they absorb ANYTHING, including blood and salt water. Most modern finishes are much denser oxides (to include variants of tank bluing, by the way) or plated on or polymerized finishes. The brits called a couple of phosphate finishes "Harveyizing" and we called one or two "Parkerizing" and it was also called "graying" or "PermCoat". Calling it "Parkerizing" is really a kind of quaint thing, rather like calling all carbonated beverages "coke", since it really was once upon a time a copyrighted trade name.




Well, quaint maybe, or like Kleenex and Band-aids maybe high name recognition.

At one time, a lot of soft drinks were in fact called 'coke' [:D]

Colt Super

The guy who builds the "Mini-G" on the auction side is a specialist in Parkerizing.

If you search "Mini-G", you can get contact info, and he is very responsive and a nice guy. I've spoken with him on the phone a couple of times and he is very knowledgeable.

Doug