A few guys now have asked me about either manganese phosphating, or zinc phosphating parts, so quickly went out and did a few parts of my ute just to show the process. Absolutely NO surface prep went in to the parts and they were used just because I value my scrap steel more than I value the POS Toyota Hilux*. I'm going to call this an "experiment" as I've manganese phosphated parts before, but not zinc phosphating. The process is however identical.
Before starting be aware this process involves acids and is dangerous. Do not try this. I am a trained professional (just not in this field). If you ignore that advice you will probably die. In fact I can say 100 % certain you will die, though don't know if it will be caused by this. Hopefully it will instead be old age, but you will die. If you're an idiot, or especially if you're a moron, you try this, and do something stupid like get acid in your eyes, don't blame me. You're still an idiot, but now a blind idiot. Etc etc etc. Get the point? With that in mind off we go ...
Firstly what's phosphating? Well it's better known by the trade name "Parkerizing", so named after the Parker company who first developed the process. Now the significance about this is that it's used extensively in the firearms field to finish, well firearms. Now that's a great thing, because it means there's a LOT of, well shall we say "data" out there on the internet about the process. Now the bad thing is that it's used on firearms, and I don't know what it is about guns, but that area seems to attract morons like flies to a fresh ! Not to say that everyone involved with firearms is a moron, far from it, indeed a very close friend is a target shooter and I admire gunsmithing. Lots of good people there, sadly surrounded by a sea of morons. I specifically mention this because there's nothing a moron likes better than to believe everything they're told at face value and just regurgitate that as "fact". They're too stupid to stop and think if it possibly makes any sense. The upshot of that is there's a disproportionate amount of BS on the net about parkerizing, even from people who are doing it every day. Why? Because they're morons and just because they get told something, it works, and they just keep doing it. Dig in to the chemistry and it's mostly BS. So I'd encourage others to do their own research, but be warned about what you read ... even here, as I could be a closet moron! Anyway, the process involves coating the part with an extremely thin layer of zinc or maganese phosphate that will in itself help protect the part, will change the colour, but most importantly provides a very good, almost perfect in fact, substrate for further finishing such as paint of powder coating. After finishing you'll notice a matt "texture" to the part that you can easily feel with your fingernail. I use that to confirm the parts are completed.
Firstly the parts, here are a couple of brackets off the Hilux that are rusting. I whipped them off and just happened to have a little CLR in a container from fixing a valve in my coffee machine. Being far too much a tight-wad to throw it out, I diluted it down with water until it covered the parts, and cranked up the heat. Heat BTW is a good way to speed up chemical reactions, just don't go crazy. It removed the rust on all but the worst of the parts.
Hilux before 1.jpgHilux before 2.jpg
* While it would be a stretch to say I "hate" the vehicle, I'm certainly not a fan. An overpriced piece of crap that's clearly been built on the cheap, indeed I had to buy the 4 litre version just so I could get, wait for it, electric windows and cloth seats! The fuel economy is right up there with 1950's technology, and I consider myself lucky if I get 500 km out of the most careful consistent driving imaginable. The only enduring feature I've found is that from what I've seen, the equivalent by other manufacturer's is even worse, hence why I own it!!!
At this point we need to decide whether to do zinc phosphating or manganese phosphating. The zinc leaves a dark grey finish, the maganese a very dark brown finish. The zinc is said to provide better salt spray resistance in tests, but both are excellent. We're doing zinc phosphating so need zinc. I used a zinc anode obtained from a boat dealer I ride past on my bike. I think it cost me a few dollars. I then threw that in the lathe and shaved off some. You could file it too, but it would take a while.
Zinc anode.jpgZinc ready.jpg
The recipe I use to phosphate is as follows:
20 g phosphoric acid as free acid. If using common 3M rust converter for example, that is 298 g/l, so you need around 65 ml of 3M rust converter acid. If the acid you use is stronger or weaker you'll need to change this amount. NOTE: more is NOT better. The acid is used to provide the phosphate ions and achieve the appropriate ph of the brew. Think of it like cooking the Weber (bogans substitute sausages), 180 degrees may be the sweet spot and is a good temperature. Cracking out the oxy and hitting your snags with 4000 C ain't gunna crack it. This is really the only critical measurement here, as if it's too strong the acid will etch your parts, if it's too weak it will take too long.
4 g Fe (that's iron for those, like me, who failed chemistry). In the past I've shaved cast iron off on the lathe similar to the zinc. This time however I used 0000 steel wool. It doesn't matter. Indeed I'm not entirely convinced it matters at all, that could be in the BS camp, but honestly it really is difficult to seperate fact from fiction. i throw it in but next lot I'll leave out and see what happens. I suspect it may slightly etch the part.
10 g Manganese powder (available off ebay), peanuts for more than you'll use in 100 lifetimes. Otherwise Zinc as above.
1 litre water.
I'll be back later with another episode of Crazy Science 101
Before starting be aware this process involves acids and is dangerous. Do not try this. I am a trained professional (just not in this field). If you ignore that advice you will probably die. In fact I can say 100 % certain you will die, though don't know if it will be caused by this. Hopefully it will instead be old age, but you will die. If you're an idiot, or especially if you're a moron, you try this, and do something stupid like get acid in your eyes, don't blame me. You're still an idiot, but now a blind idiot. Etc etc etc. Get the point? With that in mind off we go ...
Firstly what's phosphating? Well it's better known by the trade name "Parkerizing", so named after the Parker company who first developed the process. Now the significance about this is that it's used extensively in the firearms field to finish, well firearms. Now that's a great thing, because it means there's a LOT of, well shall we say "data" out there on the internet about the process. Now the bad thing is that it's used on firearms, and I don't know what it is about guns, but that area seems to attract morons like flies to a fresh ! Not to say that everyone involved with firearms is a moron, far from it, indeed a very close friend is a target shooter and I admire gunsmithing. Lots of good people there, sadly surrounded by a sea of morons. I specifically mention this because there's nothing a moron likes better than to believe everything they're told at face value and just regurgitate that as "fact". They're too stupid to stop and think if it possibly makes any sense. The upshot of that is there's a disproportionate amount of BS on the net about parkerizing, even from people who are doing it every day. Why? Because they're morons and just because they get told something, it works, and they just keep doing it. Dig in to the chemistry and it's mostly BS. So I'd encourage others to do their own research, but be warned about what you read ... even here, as I could be a closet moron! Anyway, the process involves coating the part with an extremely thin layer of zinc or maganese phosphate that will in itself help protect the part, will change the colour, but most importantly provides a very good, almost perfect in fact, substrate for further finishing such as paint of powder coating. After finishing you'll notice a matt "texture" to the part that you can easily feel with your fingernail. I use that to confirm the parts are completed.
Firstly the parts, here are a couple of brackets off the Hilux that are rusting. I whipped them off and just happened to have a little CLR in a container from fixing a valve in my coffee machine. Being far too much a tight-wad to throw it out, I diluted it down with water until it covered the parts, and cranked up the heat. Heat BTW is a good way to speed up chemical reactions, just don't go crazy. It removed the rust on all but the worst of the parts.
Hilux before 1.jpgHilux before 2.jpg
* While it would be a stretch to say I "hate" the vehicle, I'm certainly not a fan. An overpriced piece of crap that's clearly been built on the cheap, indeed I had to buy the 4 litre version just so I could get, wait for it, electric windows and cloth seats! The fuel economy is right up there with 1950's technology, and I consider myself lucky if I get 500 km out of the most careful consistent driving imaginable. The only enduring feature I've found is that from what I've seen, the equivalent by other manufacturer's is even worse, hence why I own it!!!
At this point we need to decide whether to do zinc phosphating or manganese phosphating. The zinc leaves a dark grey finish, the maganese a very dark brown finish. The zinc is said to provide better salt spray resistance in tests, but both are excellent. We're doing zinc phosphating so need zinc. I used a zinc anode obtained from a boat dealer I ride past on my bike. I think it cost me a few dollars. I then threw that in the lathe and shaved off some. You could file it too, but it would take a while.
Zinc anode.jpgZinc ready.jpg
The recipe I use to phosphate is as follows:
20 g phosphoric acid as free acid. If using common 3M rust converter for example, that is 298 g/l, so you need around 65 ml of 3M rust converter acid. If the acid you use is stronger or weaker you'll need to change this amount. NOTE: more is NOT better. The acid is used to provide the phosphate ions and achieve the appropriate ph of the brew. Think of it like cooking the Weber (bogans substitute sausages), 180 degrees may be the sweet spot and is a good temperature. Cracking out the oxy and hitting your snags with 4000 C ain't gunna crack it. This is really the only critical measurement here, as if it's too strong the acid will etch your parts, if it's too weak it will take too long.
4 g Fe (that's iron for those, like me, who failed chemistry). In the past I've shaved cast iron off on the lathe similar to the zinc. This time however I used 0000 steel wool. It doesn't matter. Indeed I'm not entirely convinced it matters at all, that could be in the BS camp, but honestly it really is difficult to seperate fact from fiction. i throw it in but next lot I'll leave out and see what happens. I suspect it may slightly etch the part.
10 g Manganese powder (available off ebay), peanuts for more than you'll use in 100 lifetimes. Otherwise Zinc as above.
1 litre water.
I'll be back later with another episode of Crazy Science 101
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