PARKERIZING, SHOOTERSOLUTIONS.

What is Parkerizing?

Parkerizing - the good stuff otherwise known for Automotive and Motorcycle (and useful for) as Phosphating and/or Phoshatizing, where outside of the Gun industry, Parkerizing is an unknown, and is generally a do-it-yourself project with the right equipment. It also stands for Manganese Phosphate for guns and also Zinc Manganese Phosphating for guns. US new Factory is generally soft, and from those who use normal phosphate is generally way too light. If you want better than factory and better than lesser results, or good results though, the chemistry is important. If you don't have to play with the Parkerizing formula with additional chemistry, and don't have to make the metal black first before Parkerizing, then your results will be much better. Here you will find in addition to chemically-complete kits, tips, suggestions, and free support up front to select and get the best results for your own gun parts, Tools, Auto Motorcycle Restoration Hardware, Automotive tools, Harley Davidson Hardware, and miscellaneous with a Parkerizing that is without doubt the best, and in easiest to use and most rugged:Zinc Parkerizing has been discontinued due to it as a modern solution is much more elaborate to use and like Manganese leaves a toxic residue, replaced by better phosphate and better Manganese. Better phosphate includes the Bare metal 4C metal prep.

The chemistry the Heavy Duty Industrial is complicated for strength and best results:

Below are three posts in a row from three random customers from some time ago on Parkerizing and in reference to purchased parkerizing kits some years ago who posted these results on the FAL Files, and enhanced since.
I'll put up some of the recent testimonials and picture received over the recent couple of years. But the below are history:

• ..."especially pleased with Shooter's Solution." (customer)
• "complete, cheap, no mixing and gave me great results. The Brownells was OK but not as user friendly as the shooters."
• "Another vote for Shooter's Solution. The stuff is just about idiot proof (as I can vouch) and the results are excellent." - He sent pictures (Parkerizied from Sean TX).

This is what we aim for shooter solutions, the owner being a shooter. Even our least expensive half-kits produce terrific, raved-about results as far as color, and none of them are "soft" requiring them to "harden" or the "Parkerizing" will "wipe off". Check their customer reviews: you'll see. Available by phone for consultation, because your results are vital, since my name, Jonathan Doege is important. Having to harden, means different chemistry. (Advantec directions – long time ago changed the name of the company - compare bottle labels, directions to Calvan). We have "overdone" the quality of our finishes from an economic point of view, in that our chemistry costs are high because the quality goes in: but you get what you pay for. It is more expensive than Brownell's, but you get what you pay for, if you want to be stuck with gray, and less expensive than their other one, they now mock as "parkerizing" but all customers care about are the results.

The Heavy-duty kits are what you want. They are something else, if this type is better for you (much more metal, nickel plate, which is expensive, yet extremely desirable"). If you want a dark or black Manganese instead of light gray Manganese, you want the Heavy-Duty. Don't even consider any other product. Their is no comparison. If you want durability, corrosion resistance original-style, then there is no other product that compares with the standard industrial heavy-duty Zinc, even though Zinc can't have as good a corrosion resistance or lubricity as Manganese. The Zinc does not need a pre-blackener to create a smut first to impregnate for a black smut/zinc Parkerizing. You should use it by itself, as any Antimony Tri-chloride vapor creates absolutely permanent irrevocable damage to the lungs, as well as liquid drag out destroys the phosphate bath during contact. On top of that, the Manganese has been known for its light-gray look.

With our products, you can Parkerize any metal that contains carbon, and is not on the list of metal you can't Parkerize below. It is not possible to Parkerize non-carbon steel like stainless, or plated steels, like nickel plated, zinc plated, etc. without removing the plating first. Nor can you parkerize non-ferrous metals like aluminum.

The type of ‘Parkerizing” we have starts out with acid, and adds metals of various types and rust proofing "welded" to the existing steel, to create a new, good looking and/or durable rust-resistant finish that makes for a good oiling or painting surface. Our Shootersolutions Heavy Duty Industrial is the very best that we can generate so it will have the best chance of producing results for you..

Customers always say the instructions and tips are simple and easy to use, plus help in instruction is available. I call back by phone if more help is needed. We want to work with you to make sure each of you is happy with your results, and everyone else is, also.

One customer, a purchasing agent for a Semi-Automatic Gun Manufacturer said he got better results on his own than factory finished parts. He especially noticed how good the finish was and is. When you're saving the money on labor, you want a good looking result. Why go for cheap? Even by the gallon why go for cheap but piddle it away with having to blacken the metal before Parkerizing. Isn't that just a bit backwards? Why not go for the "awe" factor, even if it is just your customer's "super wow effect" that is worth the money (and if it looks better than factory - or even just as good) not including durability - If it holds up better (stronger) as a result?

I'm thinking about buying some Shooters Solutions mix and trying again after re-blasting these parts. Everyone seems to like them. The big question in my mind is why didnt it "stick"? I havent seen anyone report this problem before. If I degreased them any more they would have melted and I handled them with surgical gloves. Member FALoholic # 904 [A competing, more expensive kit from Adventec (Calvan look-alike now) as not good: it is not parkerizing, but a finish "it is soft and needs to cure before rubbing"] 8-27-01 "The kit offered by Shooter's Solution is a true manganese phosphate kit and works very well." post - 8-28-01. (Our products commented, and misspellings on purpose - there have been many more equally good reviews since then: including 2003, but the "oldie" testimonial explains why Advantec went out of business and re-entered under another name (Calvan, according to the FAL Files later: still worked no better then when named another name, but still sold on E-Bay. You should still see that testimonial somewhere).)

"Parkerize" and "Parkerizing" are equivelant terms of phosphate and phosphating as well as phosphatizing derived from the former Parker Chemical Co., which was the inventor of the process: less expensive, more rugged, and more rust resistant than bluing. Bluing was not rugged enough for War use.

Our parkerizing gives you better-look finishes, protects your metal better than any other product, and is more simple to use a kit than anything else available anywhere. We have two main types followed by different heavy-duty types for the requirements of all Hobbyists to Professionals. We explain the details of each so you can choose, including mix 'n match, where we add a custom kit just for you.

Parkerizing will only occur to carbon (chrome-moly) steel: never Stainless Steel nor Aluminum.

In place of Parkerizing or phosphating as a "metal Prep" rather than a finish, a better product for this purpose (can be used hot), a new prep product named 4C bare metal prep a "prep" also a "rust freeze" (retards visible and microscopic brown or black rusting through a conversion(chemical name) coating) of metal parts to be "parkerized" and/or coated with another product-service. This will take the place of Parkerizing/phosphate when it is not the final finish with oil (Like as a preliminary and final preparation before coatings, powder coatings, e-coatings, and primers on steel, stainless steel (like 305 and 316), and aluminum alloy (instead of temporary chromate - which is done on phosphate as well - because without chromate, phosphate will rust quickly - chromate retards rust for up to three weeks when used in place of oil). 4C metal prep is simpler since no Iron has to be flushed off of the surface before painting, powder coat, teflon® coat and no oil is needed. 4C or whatever it will be called is a finishing product all by itself.
-- 07-26-2006.