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garandsrus
04-26-2007, 11:24 PM
Hi,

I did a search here and didn't find much, so I started a new thread.

I recently received a Remington 513T (.22 cal match rifle) from the CMP for a whopping $100. The finish is a bit bare so I was thinking of re-parkerizing it and would like to do it myself. I have searched on the web and found instructions, kits, etc, and it sounds pretty simple, but I still have a couple questions that I didn't see an answer for. Any help would be appreciated.

1) Do I need a re-park in a stainless steel tank or can I use aluminum (gutter!) or plastic?

Since the park won't stick to stainless, I don't know if it's part of the process or if it's just a way to hold and heat the hot solution.

I saw one web post where the person used ABS plastic to hold the hot solution. I'm not sure how he kept it hot, or if he needed to. A cheap immersion heater or two might work. A 6 or 8" piece of pipe with plugs on the end and a wide opening on top for the length of the pipe would work very well.

2) Can I re-park the receiver and barrel as one unit? I will plug the barrel.

Any other suggestions or comments about the process would be appreciated. I plan to sandblast the parts to clean them.

Thanks,
John

KCSO
04-27-2007, 11:13 AM
Since I did a LOT of parkerizing I will go through the basics for a superior job of parkerizing. I use a ss tank on a gas burner with a thermometer at each end. I wnat the solution between 175-185 degrees during the actual process. I use a glass bead blaster to prep the metal. You don't want a polished surface for parkerizing. I get my solution to temp and then blast the parts and then dip them oin a plastic tub of boiling water and degreaser. I take the parts directly from the vat with tongs and place them in the parkerizing solution for 15 minutes by the clock. The parts then go back to the plastic tank now set to rinse. After a hot rinse the parts go directly to a moisture displacing oil bath and when they come out they are oiled with CLP. The barrel and receiver can be done as a unit but they need to be plugged and you must get all traces of bead blast from the receiver when you are done. The regular shop wire brush will not give you a good job as they contain oil and make it hard to degrease. I only use Brownell's solution and I mix it EXACTLY to formula. I temper the solution for first time use with steel wool in a cloth bag.

Uneven tempreture in the solution will cause streaking and an uneven finish, as will any traces of oil on the work. Some softer pre war steels will turn out darker an almost grey black, you need to test a piece if you havent' worked with that particular steel before. I will caution you that the cheaper (GPC) kits to parkerize are about like cold blue in that results vary and they do not seem to have the durability of a properly done job. If the above sounds like a lot of work and more equipment that you want to use You can try a cheap kit on the kitchen stove but you may not like the results. I have done pistols that way and gotten some good results, but rifles and shotguns need proper tanks to keep the color even.

garandsrus
04-27-2007, 10:39 PM
KCSO,

Thank you for the detailed reply... The only stumbling block is the stainless steel pan that will hold the barreled receiver. I saw one on eBay for about $120 which isn't too bad as it's a once in a lifetime investment. Any thoughts on using either plastic or aluminum for a pan?

What is the purpose of the oil bath? Could I just rub/drench the part in oil?

I am thinking of also taking my Remington 11-87 and parkerizing it. It is my duck hunting gun and as such gets a lot of abuse.

One other question... I have read that once the solution has been heated it can't be reused. I have also read that it can be reused almost indefinitely. What's your thought?

Thanks again,
John

richbug
05-01-2007, 04:07 PM
I made my tank from 6" PVC, and used a 1500W hot water tank element for heat. It isn't pretty, but was cheap and it works(redneck ingenuity).

Parking doesn't require anywhere near the attention to detail that blueing does.

I sand blast with a $12 gun from home depot, using play sand(use a respirator).

Then rinse off and immediately into the already hot park tank.

After it stops bubbling, or when you remember to, pull out the hot parts(15 minutes or so), they will dry in about 30 seconds, then I hose them down with CLP or WD-40.

The secret to a good job is not having any oil on the parts when they go into the tank. If your gun is greasy, you need to degrease it.

My opinion on parkerizing? "It ain't rocket science."



How was your 513 other than the thin finish? I am waiting on mine still, have sights and mags rounded up.

richbug
05-01-2007, 04:11 PM
One other question... I have read that once the solution has been heated it can't be reused. I have also read that it can be reused almost indefinitely. What's your thought?



I have been using the same solution since I started 5 years or more ago, I just add to it when it gets low. I think my solution is 5 parts water to 1 part solution.

The other nice think about park(like on your shotgun barrel), is that since you sandblast the parts, it hides all kinds of surface imperfections. I did a rusted solid Mossberg 500 for my uncle, other than the fact the finish is matte black, rather than polished blue you couldn't tell it from new.

Hackleback
05-11-2007, 02:01 PM
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=29

http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=22740

garandsrus
05-11-2007, 07:51 PM
Thanks everyone... It sounds like some PVC should work fine.

I found a piece of stainless steel pipe long enough for what I need, but I would need to get end caps soldered onto it. It would be a whole lot easier to just go to the plumbing isle and buy pipe and end caps.

Thanks again,
John