What is parkerizing?

Parkerization is a technique used to add a phosphate coating to the steel to provide protection against wear and corrosion. This coating is usually composed of zinc phosphate, although iron or manganese can also use instead. It cannot be used on numen metals such as copper and aluminum, and even steel that has a high nickel content can be inappropriate. This technique is most commonly used on weapons and since the mid -20th century it has been a popular alternative to Bluing. Most parkerized metal occupies a matte gray surface, although some techniques can lead to darker black. Similar phosphan manganese was also experimented at the beginning of the 20th century, which led to the development of parkerization around 1915. The new process with the same name was developed around 1938, which used Zink instead of manganese. Because Zinc was Easier to come and cheaper than manganese, it became a more popular method at that time.

phosphting is a process that includes immersion of a metal object in a bath of acid and salt. In the case of parkerization, metal is steel and phosphate salts can be zinc, manganese or iron. The chemical reaction between steel and acid leads to the fact that phosphate salts are pulled from the liquid and into the metal of the workpiece. This results in the formation of phosphates of zinc, iron or manganese on a metal surface.

Because phosphates are chemically stored on the surface of a metal workpiece during the parkerization process, they become an integral part of steel. This is also the case of Bluing, which is what differentiates these techniques from other types of corrosion protection. Methods that include painting a metal on metal can create a similar color and patina, but the metal does not change chemically.

In order for a parkerized metal to show resistance to corrosion, it must usually be covered with oil. The reason is that the phosphate coating is resistant and is not resistant to corrosion. When they are regularly covered with oil, the pores are filled and the phosphate coating can offerNout excellent corrosion protection. Parkerized metal is usually more resistant to wear than untreated steel, whether it is covered with oil or not.