Parkerized finish... need advise.

[Dulltool]

Hey guys,
I just received for engraving a 2nd gen SAA that appears to be parkerized. My customer got a good deal on it because of it.
Does anyone know if this finish can be removed other than 400 grit and a lot of elbow grease?

Thanks for any and all information,

 

[monk]

i'm told on good authority glass bead blasting is the only reliable way to remove parkerizing.. it must get down into all the lettering, recesses, nooks, crannies, everything. re-bluing will not occur over the least speck of parkerizing. apparently some of the phosphating finishes go deeper than you may think. this from a g-smith friend.

 

[Dulltool]

Monk,
Thanks for this information... For some reason bead blasting just never crossed my mind. I guess I just had hopes for some product called... "Parkerizing by gone".

Thanks again,

 

[monk]

no. my buddy said the "bowl cleaner" trick will not work here. no naval jelly, marmalade, nuttin but the beads. he does this junk for his cash, so he knows.

 

[jerrywh]

Call Brownells tech dept.

 

[fegarex]

I guess my question would be is the gun actually "parkerized"?
People do strange things but I can't see why anyone would parkerize a SAA. Is it a greenish color or is the gun done in just a matte blue? Or has it been coated with some sort of spray on finish? I guess I would do some checking first. Bead blasting may be the only option in case but perhaps a simple paint stripper may work if it is just coated with some new type of spray. Parkerizing has become a rather generic term.

 

[BJREBUCK]

As a point of historical interest the various armories never did "green parkerizing" the firearms were done
in gray and black only. The greenish color is the result of the common use of cosmoline as a preservative
applied to the surface. As the cosmoline degrades with exposure to light and the air the gray finish takes on a greenish tinge. And yes, you can black the zink phosphate (gray) parkerizing by the hot caustic blacking
process. I've been doing this for years with no problems. A few years ago Brownells brought out a solution
that produces a green parkerized finish. I've never used it however. You can test your finish by dabbing on some cold blueing solution in an area that won't show. If it turns black you're good to go. As for removing
it, glass beading is the most practical way to do so.
Hope this helps,
Brian

 

[Dulltool]

Rex and Brian,
Thanks for your help. Rex I know what you mean about all the different paints and coatings these days that are formulated to look like a military parkerized finish. The stuff on this Colt is very tough and nothing has touched it so far. Brian thanks for the confirmation on using glass beads for removal.

This all helped me come up with my game plan..... Thanks again,

P.S. The frame had been annealed and the finish still remained... ruling out paint.

 

[KCSteve]

On the plus side, this does show how good Parkerizing is as a durable finish.

 

[dlilazteca]

Last post was in 2009, I found this has someone tried it?

http://www.iosso.com/MivaStore/merc...&Product_Code=00018&Category_Code=GunCleaning

And this

http://www.orisonmarketing.com/evapo-rust.html

Carlos De La O III

 

[dlilazteca]

I ordered the orison brand see how it removes parkerized finishes next month I'll keep you guys posted.

Carlos De La O III