[hcpookie]

I'm considering how to prepare a barrel for a phosphate immersion, not the naval jelly trick. Obviously, you don't want the acid etching into the bore, so you must plug it. I have read that FAL builders who park their own have used things like PVC tubes (???) to save on expensive park tanks, so obviously they are doing something.

How does one plug the barrel? Is it plugged on both ends? The only way I can think that people do this, is to plug it one end at a time... plug one end and the gas port with a rubber cork, and partially immerse the barrel, then repeat the process for the other end. If the immersion line is on the gas block's journal, then there will be no "rings" or inconsistent coloring.

Is there a way to do this in one pass, with both ends plugged?

 

[F-Troop]

I now have a tank that is large. Before I got one I used a smaller dish and I Parkerized a barreled AK action using the immerse-Park-move-reimmerse technique. I got several lines in the finish and will have to do it again.

I plugged the muzzle, breech and the gas cylinder using cork. It was probably unnecessary since the chrome will not take the finish. I plan to replug and use the new tank.

You may wish to get a PVC pipe cut to size and capped with the right size cap. I did not check but a 3" or 4" pipe might be large enough to accommodate the height of the receiver. You may wish to place the pipe vertically with the sealed cap resting on the floor and pour the hot Parkeizing solution over the treated parts.

By measuring with water you can make enough to fill the pipe and avoid any liquid surface that might leave a ring on the metal. Keeping the solution hot enough may not be a problem if you do one action at a time.

 

[hcpookie]

yes I got the same immersion lines problem on my HK G-3 collapsible stock, but since its going to be duracoated I didn't care about it. My friend's FAL is completely parked & looks real nice, it is very uniform.

http://pookieweb.dyndns.org:61129/G3/g3_buttstock.htm

I didn't even think about the chrome lining not taking the phosphate coating - very interesting. What about the fact that this is an acid solution - would there be any significant erosion of the chroming?

 

[Rule .308]

I have heard of people recommending that it is not necessary to plug the barrels, as the stuff will just shoot out anyhow. I do not subscribe to this line of thinking myself. What I use is the cone shaped plugs that Brownell's sell that are made just for this purpose. On FALs I plug the chamber and then stuff one in the empty gas regulator hole, I pull that plug through the gas regulator while blowing on the muzzle end. When I can't pass air through it any more it is plugged, I then plug the muzzle end of it and parkerize the darn thing. Part number 082-201-100, qty. 6



Rubber plugs

 

[sks_hunter]

I was under the impression that parkerizing was a process that actually etched the surface and promoted a sort of rapid oxydation... I don't think you'd want to subject your rifling to this.. unless it has a chrome bore, which is a non-ferrous metal, I believe, and has no effect... better check with someone smarter than me to be sure, though.... I'd Plug it...

 

[hotbarrel]

I have allways used cork to plug both ends. push them in all the way then they can move out a little and still be tight, if pressure pushes them a bit. I have never had one come out. A small piece of cork rolled and forced into any small gas hole is fine.

Hay troop
have you used that new tank yet?

 

[F-Troop]

I didn't even think about the chrome lining not taking the phosphate coating - very interesting. What about the fact that this is an acid solution - would there be any significant erosion of the chroming?

It's funny. A friend of mine bought a Garand years ago that was loaned or sold to Pakistan. Somebody there refurbed it and released to the US market. All of the metal including the bore was Parkerized. The instructions stated that one should not worry, just shoot it until the finish in the bore wore off.

As for a chrome bore, my guess is that if the Phosphoric acid does not react with the chrome to phosphate it, it won't react with it enough to hurt it. Just a guess but it seems logical.

 

[mike26038]

Actually our own Gov. arsenals parked the whole thing bore and all. This is what I have been told anyways

 

[Toten Kopf]

I have been phosphating for years, I plug the barrel with wood dowels not real hard wood but the kind you find at local hardware stores. I taper the ends and tap one into the bore and chamber. Since the wood isn't hard it allows some air to escape during the 20 minute bath. Haven't had a dowel blow out, works great. The dowels also give me a place to put the stainless steel wire (.020") to hang the part into the hot solution. Just remember, after the phosphating, imerse the part into boiling water to prevent white-out. After this is done I remove the dowel plugs and clean the barrel.

Our gov. phosphating (MilSpec)requires that all parts be phosphated then assembled.

 

[hotbarrel]

HAY Toten Kopf
thanks for the heads up, I have and the white out you are talking about. I have allways rince with water. maby warm but never boiled them, I will do that next time. I usualy WD40 after rince and sometimes use a dab of oil after the WD.
thanks again

 

[Thumb Clip Pull Pin]

I was under the impression that parkerizing was a process that actually etched the surface and promoted a sort of rapid oxydation... I don't think you'd want to subject your rifling to this.. unless it has a chrome bore, which is a non-ferrous metal, I believe, and has no effect... better check with someone smarter than me to be sure, though.... I'd Plug it...

As I understand it; parkerization is the process of deposition of maganese or zinc to the surface of the metal parts. I think that is why it is important to bead blast before parkerizing. This roughs the metal up, giving it a "tooth" for the manganese or zinc to stick to.

I have read that U.S. military arms makers (Winchester, Springfield, International Harvester, Harrington and Wesson) all used to park M1 Garand barrels with out plugging the breech and muzzle end. However, I personally would plug them with soft, tapered wooden dowels.

Yours,
Thumb Clip Pull Pin