DIY parkerizing: Make your rusty bolts look beautiful 

I’ve started powder coating to mimic a zinc finish. But I parkerize where I want a natural metal look.

Heat makes most chemical reactions proceed faster but it doesn’t make it more durable.

I sometimes bake them under an infrared curing lamp just to drive the oil a little deeper. But they don’t need baked, the zinc phosphate is a porous finish on the metal and this soaks up the oil.

@@TheScientistHayFarmer Now this reply is staggering; I have 2xIR lamps in the bathroom and 2x1920's motorbikes in the shed that need Parkerised nuts and bolts. I ride them regularly and have just painted the fasteners till now. Paint works,,, just. I am rebuilding my 39SQ4 after years and, well, if I can accidentally ride it through rain without concern to its Patina, Terrific! Thank you ,,,,,,

I use a medium wave paint curing lamp for heating (I have a video on simple source of personal shop heat). But if you get the bolts wet, whether they've been baked or not, they will probably rust. I've never tried it, it just depends how much of the oil is washed off in the process. So don't get your hopes up too much :)

@@TheScientistHayFarmer Thanks. It is so good to talk these problems with others. I mean that REAL parkerising scares me not to try. mm

@@TheScientistHayFarmer Where is the video? Please/thanks

Naw bud, all holes need to be wet.

It’s reusable many times. This contains zinc phosphate and a detergent which ospho does not, so you cannot get a true phosphatization with ospho.

@@TheScientistHayFarmer ok thank you. I’ll pick up the right stuff 👍🏻

No, oxide coating is a little different chemistry. The zinc phosphate is a sacrificial coating that black oxide is not. Sacrificial meaning it will corrode instead of the metal.

Aluminum oxide

I’m not sure exactly how long. It depends if the hardware is exposed to weather and moisture or if it is sheltered and protected. It also depends how long the oil is able to stay on it versus getting rubbed off, etc. For some perspective, I have some bolts treated with this method sitting on a project car, which is currently sitting in a three sided shed so one side is completely open to the elements. those bolts have been sitting out on it for several months now and they look completely fine. Hardware that is stored indoors or inside the car will probably stay good for years.

I store sheet metal in the white with a transmission fluid coating. Good for about 3 years.

Yes it probably could. Used oil is just dirty.

I have no idea what is in their rust dissolver. I can say this product contains a detergent, zinc phosphate and a high level of phosphoric acid, more than most rust treatment products. Parkerizing is simply a process of cleaning metal and depositing a sacrificial layer of zinc phosphate or manganese phosphate mediated by an acid such as phosphoric acid. The phosphate layer, in addition to being sacrificial so it corrodes first instead of the metal, is also porous so it absorbs oil applied to it. It’s not a matter of “real” or fake Parkerizing, the final chemistry is all the same, but this gets you there faster and in fewer steps.

The reason I blast them first is because it makes the process a lot faster. If they go in rusty they need to soak overnight. If they’re blasted first it only takes 2 hr to get a decent zinc phosphate coat. For some metals, the longer they sit in acid the more brittle they become. This is especially problematic for things like springs.

Most of my videos are boring.

Parkerizing is a trade name, but the process used in Parkerizing is phosphatization. Phosphatization is a chemical conversion process that applies a layer of zinc on the metal surface facilitated by phosphoric acid. Which is exactly what’s being done here.

I’ll let you know when that “immediately” happens. But it’s been over a year. Hardware like this will last many years. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

@@TheScientistHayFarmer just speaking from personal experience. Sorry to hurt your ego.

@@dickbutt7854 you’re doing something wrong then. My hardware will last years. Some hardware even sat on the truck in an open sided shed through an entire winter and never rusted.

@@TheScientistHayFarmer probably am doing something wrong. Seem to fuck everything up.