Parkerizing on a No4?

[browningautorifle]

Always looked like park to me?

I agree MC...they were done like that late.

[Ridolpho]

My late Mk II has very black suncorite which I believe was done on top of a parkerized surface. I know it's original as it was in a paper wrapper prior to my purchase of it. I believe I've seen comments on this forum that late LB's had a parkerized finish (ie without paint)? I have seen a parkerized finish on WW2 built/refurbed Australian rifles that is very light green (like many 03A3's). Getting a handle on all the possible "genuine" new built/ FTR'd metal finishes is challenging.

Ridolpho

[browningautorifle]

I believe I've seen comments on this forum that late LB's had a parkerized finish (ie without paint)?

I don't think we used paint here...

[Ridolpho]

I don't think we used paint here...

BAR: No, I believe the earlier ones (LB) were originally "blued".

Ridolpho

[Roger Payne]

Agreed: I think Brian mentioned recently that post war LB used a parked finish (not painted on top), whereas the original factory finish was blued.........

The finish on the OP's photograph looks so light it almost looks like it has been bead blasted but not parked afterwards. As suggested, perhaps an effect of the light?

[no4mk1t]

Back about 15 or so years ago, Brian had a batch of Long Branch No4's that came back from Greece.

If memory serves, he said that Long Branch rifles were factory blued up until about 1951 when they switch to parkerizing. Any earlier rifles that went through a rebuild were parked after 1951.

If the rifle had ever been cosmolined, that would account for the green tint. I seem to remember a few of the parked Greek rifles being greenish.

Zinc Parkerizing, the type used during WW2 and immediately after, on its own ranged from light slate gray to almost black, depending on the concentration of the bath. Any green tint came from the cosmoline dip that all American arms subject to overseas shipment received. Not sure about Canadian weapons.

It seems that the rifles that had the lighter gray parkerizing came out more noticeably green from the cosmoline than rifles that were darker.

I had the luxury of picking out a pristine blued 1949 LB from the hundreds that he had at the time.

[Surpmil]

Long Branch used a dark grey parkerizing, almost black at times. A well known commercial phosphate finish. Can't say exactly when it was introduced, but certainly by the 1950s. The colour varies according to the chemistry of the bath and the metal being coated. When the bath gets out of whack the crystalline deposit that comprises the coating begins to show various defects. The major concern would logically have been the durability of the coating rather than the colour.

The bluish finish used during WWII and after was something else.

[Brian Dick]

RCEME Parkerized weapons during FTR starting in the mid/late 1950's onwards but it isn't that color. It's a dark grey manganese phosphate that was used and is a very nice finish.

That Mk.2 looks unfinished without baked Suncorite 259 paint on the phosphate.

---------- Post added at 03:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

CAL switched to manganese phosphate in the 93L serial range. That would be at some point in mid to late 1950 if memory serves. Inglis pistols, Stens and Brens also sport the very nice dark grey Parkerized finish so it was being applied to other factory new weapons during WWII. I wouldn't be surprised that the chemicals were the same as used on many U.S. weapons. Wow, that would be a study in itself learning who produced and supplied the chemicals!

I wish I had 'em all back Buck!! The L42's too!!! I thought I was going to die with them. It's hard to believe the good old days have come and gone.

[Lee Enfield]

The green tinted parkerizing that USGI collectors go GaGa over is fairly easy to reproduce. The colour is caused by a reaction between the phosphate finish and a chromic acid rinse.

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/721283.pdf

A chromic acid rinse solution is/was used after zinc or manganese phosphate (Parkerizing) to improve corrosion resistance.

[Surpmil]

Wow, that would be a study in itself learning who produced and supplied the chemicals!

Parker-Amchem, "Parco Lubrite 2" About $800 a carboy last time I asked.