Parkerizing Guns, Tools, and Parts in a Small Shop

I’m a sucker for metal finishing and treatments because they add that final finish that leaves whatever you’ve made looking very professional. They can also add durability and rust proofing. Parkerizing is a popular metal treatment for firearms because of its incredible durability and resistance to corrosion.  It uses a chemical called Manganese Phospate that is readily available.  It’s actually very straightforward and even relatively inexpensive to Parkerize in the small shop, so I captured some photos and Parkerizing instructions for the process on my metal finishing page.  With just a bit of effort and some expenses for the chemicals and other components, you can be producing military grade rust preventative finishes for your guns, tools, and parts in no time.

Here is a teaser:

I’d love to set up to do some Parkerizing in my shop. I’ve experimented with Cold Bluing (also discussed on the metal finishing page), which is a lot simpler and even cheaper, and was very pleased with my results.  I know one machinist who told me they took and old drip coffee pot (the glass kind) and leave it on a hot plate in the back of the shop with Parkerizing solution available at all times.  This makes it easy to drop in small parts and get them treated any time.