Anybody tried "parkerizing" their own bolts?
 

I bought a big bottle of the auto/motorcycle parkerizing solution from calvan.com, just wondering if anybody else has tried this and what results you have gotten. I'm going to buy my own stainless pot to use it in, I can't imagine how in the doghouse I'd be to use the wife's.

Have a bunch of nuts & bolts I've glass beadblasted, so I'm eager to try this.

I've utilized Caswell system for "parkerizing" which I believe is the same meaning as black oxide as some nuts/bolts were done. Also, some were actually black phosphate coated instead which looks similar.

I think parkerizing and black phosphate are one in the same, I could be wrong though.

How did it turn out? I didn't buy their protective oil, but I'd guess any type of light oil, (like air tool oil) would work.

Parkerizing and black phosphating are one in the same. We do it at work all the time. The hot(Or I should say Warm) method works best instead of the cold. Heat Phosphate solution to like 140 degree. It also works better if parts are clean. Best to bead blast and degrease before phosphating.
I use POR-15 phosphating and get about same results at home. (Except I do it cold)
You can buy kits from Caswell, McMaster Carr, Etc.
But I think you can even get that phospate at Lowes, Home Depot, Hardware stores.
Always turns dull gray then when you put oil on it turns black. The longer you leave it in a heated pot the blacker it turns. I think 10 mins. is what recommended.
Thats just my take on it.

Pleased with the results and will take some pictures to share. Best to bead blast and keep them as clean as possible to get an even and deep black.

Well, I drug out the coleman camp stove today and gave it a shot. First batch I did a bunch of bumper hardware so if it didn't turn out so hot, nobody would know! Had a few issues I noticed, tried things a little differently with another batch with much better results. The second batch look like brand new bolts now!

My one comment - it has quite a stink to it! There is no way I'd want to do this in my house!

We use a submergeable electric heater like they use in cattle troves along with thermometer. I would think it would be hard to control a coleman stove.
What you do different between the two batches?

The kit I have says anything over 200 is good for black, and just to bring it to a vigorous boil. For grey it says to hold it at 200.

I think it was not hot enough. Between the little burners and the 10 cups of water I had in the pot, and the fact that the burner is a couple inches below the pot, probably couldn't bring it up high enough. It was fizzing but it lacked the coverage of the 2nd batch. I flipped the grate over for the 2nd batch so the pot was almost right on top of the burner, and it worked great.

I would coat the hardware in WD-40 or something like that after you "parkerize' them if the vehicle will see any weather. The hardware that I "parkerized" began to show signs of rust within months of being outdoors.

We use a cold blackening at work made by Birchwood-Casey. It works really good, but you really need to use the sheathing after the blackening. The sheathing is a deep penetrating special oil that also seals the coating. Even at that, if exposed to weather or salt, it will start rusting.

I soaked all the bolts in motor oil for about 15 minutes after the parts dried and were still warm. I live in a desert environment so rust isn't much of an issue around here, unless I crash my car into the columbia river. ;)

Parts I bead blast don't flash rush after weeks.

I also thought about using some penetrating oil made by Marvel, maybe I will try that on my next batch.

Hey Guys, I am curious how your fasteners are holding up 8 years later :) (2008-2016)

Thinking about doing the same thing with some of the bolts & clips that are not reproduced correctly.

Most of the bolts I've done are fine ..... as long as they are kept reasonably oiled. So ... I guess you could say that of any bolt. The only thing Parkerizing really does is add a porous layer that retains oil longer. So an added year of protection probably on a non-maintained bolt, but way better protection if a small amount of maintenance is done compared to a bare, un-oiled bolt.

It's certainly no magic bullet, and not nearly as good as zinc plating ... which is also easy to do at home. I sometimes cringe at the thought of the chemicals I have in my shop to treat hardware .... including pure hexachromate powder to treat zinc parts.

Love Parkerizing, only problem is it can be hit and miss. Parts must be glass beaded, absolutely clean and oil free. Some bolts/metals seem to take to the process readily, other not so much. Any way you look at it, it's better than a bare metal hardware.

Trying to decide a path. I bought a bunch of fasteners from
AMK that look close in many instances, but spring nuts like the fender to wheel well & the ones used on the core support are not the same. So I am thinking about restoring the ones that are one of a kind. The ones from AMK are phosphate so I'll guess its the same deal as far as corrosion goes. This car will get driven eventually, but it will be in the garage most of the time.

I do have a bunch of fasteners I had cadmium plated years ago I was thinking I would paint flat black, but most were rusted & don't look so good. no where near enough of the correct ones anyway.

I used the Palmetto Enterprises black phosphate stuff and it turned out good. Once plated i used Boeshield to spray them down figuring it would stay in the plating better and not evaporate out. So far so good. After 5 years they still look nice. A Harley restorer i talked to said after he plated them, he put them in boiling oil and that keeps them nice forever. I did that on my last batch of bolts and they still look nice as well. But, boy does that stink up the entire neighborhood. I was a little concerned that the underhood bolts that are always in a hot environment could evaporate out even the Boeshield. Those still look good too but are the ones i am watching closely.

68bird .... EXACTLY the same process I use ... even the same brands of phosphate and the Boeing Bioshield :)

I have thought of going to a firearm supplier next time for my phosphate ... the Palmetto stuff seems unnecessarily pricey.

Do you guys have your cars nearby where you could take a few pictures of the fasteners & how they look?

I just googled the palmetto stuff. Landed on this video & I watched it. Interesting that his parts look very natural in color.
Is this a different product? Looks like the right color for hood hinges & tuts another thing I have to do at some point soon....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zseVKqcHAmI

I am in the Madison area. If you are ever down this way feel free to PM me.

Great minds think alike....lol

So I am starting to get myself a little confused....

So Parkerizing is the same as black oxide for a black finish.

Is phosphate magnesium also the same? The images I saw in the video above do not look like black oxide to me. more of a gray slate color?
they look close to the correct color for our hood hinges & maybe they are?

Palmetto sells both Manganese & Zinc.

the whole thing seemed simple to me until I dug a little too deep :o


Here's an image from 5 minutes into the video.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1480446144