What is Suncorite and when was it used?

vinver

vinver

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So I'm stripping and cleaning a 1942 Maltby-made No 4 Mk 1, and using some brake cleaner to flush the goo out of the multiple nooks and crannies , and I notice my rag getting awfully black, As I rubbed on the receiver, the finish literally rubbed off, and what didn't rub off came off almost completely with a wire brush. I don't think it was the original finish, some kind of cheap paint, but was wondering what would be original for a 1942 era Maltby. Also, curious about the "Suncorite" used as a finish- what was it and when was it used?
Thanks, Vincent
 
Brake cleaner? Not so good on the older finishes like Suncorite as you have found out. Suncorite was basically the grand daddy of the new armourcoat and ceracote paint but not as durable as they are
 
It worked out well as I suspected the finish was not original, and mostly gone anyway, and I planned to strip it off anyway. Some proof marks and stamps were revealed underneath (BNP, King's Crown, etc) giving cred to the theory it was a later finish and not worth trying to salvage.
You must mean Arma-Coat and Cerakote right?
 
from what i know when i stripped my MK2 it was used when guns were in short supply and thay wanted them out of the factory as quick as possible, slapped the paint on them and shipped them out, i used a wire wheel on a drill to get it all off, a finer wire didnt damage the gun,
 
Suncorite 259 must be heat cured after application. Also, the surface must be prepared before application. It is not available anymore and was never really available on the domestic market. Suncorite 259 as used by the British and other military forces and was a decent protector for use in adverse and hot and humid climates to prevent rust under wood.
It is difficult to store and use due to the rapid sedimentation rate of the product. I have to stir my meager supply on a monthly basis.
I use it for refinishing No.32 scopes when duplicating the original finish on the Mk. II and III scopes after I overhaul a No.32 scope.

If the coating is not properly cured you can often remove it with alcohol or any of the organic solvents such as MEK and Xylene.
 
haretrigger said:
I don't know whether this is indeed true, perhaps some of the more weathered milsurp enthusiasts here can comment:

Did the original suncorite finish contain asbestos and/or lead?
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Suncorite 259 IS the original stuff used on British military arms
Hazardous materials and low VOC were not known in WW II days and not until recently were they even thought of.
 
After Dunkirk Enfield rifles were no longer completely torn down for their yearly inspections, these rifle were then painted under the wood with a green primer. The Enfields were only torn down for repairs as needed and raw linseed oil was issued to the troops to oil the stock themselves. Prior to this the unpainted Enfield rifles had the fore stock packed with mineral jelly (red Vaseline) as corrosion protection by the armourers.

After the war many of the Enfields were painted with a black enamel and sometime in the late 40s to early 50s suncorite was starting to be used during manufacture and overhaul.

If your paint came off with break cleaner then it was not suncorite paint because it is almost bullet proof and impervious to chemicals.

The 1950 No.4 Mk.2 with South African marking below was painted with a enamel and started to rub off when I was giving the barreled action a rub down with Kroil a penetrating oil/rust remover and it almost left brown stains in my underware. :bangHead:

enfieldHS-1.jpg
 
it is just old fashioned stoving enamel. Ibelieve it may have had a self=-phospahted/etching action as well. Now replaced by powder coating. arma-coating, etc would work well as another replacement
 
vinver said:
Any ideas on a modern replacement that's easy to apply, cheap and safe ;) ? How about hi-heat header paint, baked and cured?
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They have been home repainted with bar-b-que black paint, high temp header paint and assorted other paints. My No.4 Mk.2 was centered bedded by the South African military, used as a target rifle, painted black and the paint would even come off with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol. You could say they were painted both at field level and depot level with an assortment of paints depending on the country they were used in.

Bottom line, you will be the only one who knows what it was painted with.
 
Suncorite is highly toxic and carcinogenic (you should see the MSDS; definitely contains asbestos and lead) - it is still available, just not anywhere with environmental standards. The good news is that if the stuff on your rifle came off with break clean, or anything short of a nuclear holocaust, it wasn't Suncorite. If you can strip the rifle down to bare metal, nitrocarburizing is permanent and black.
 
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enefgee said:
Suncorite is highly toxic and carcinogenic (you should see the MSDS; definitely contains asbestos and lead) - it is still available, just not anywhere with environmental standards. The good news is that if the stuff on your rifle came off with break clean, or anything short of a nuclear holocaust, it wasn't Suncorite. If you can strip the rifle down to bare metal, nitrocarburizing is permanent and black.
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I'm glad to hear that what I thought may have been a hazmat situation was just black enamel from the sounds of it. I had a 4/49 Fazerkerly No.4 Mk.2 that exhibited the black paint coming off while I was degreasing it with isopropanol a few months ago, freaked me out because I thought that I was removing suncorite which may be messing with something that shouldn't have been messed with. Thankfully under the enamel was a nice even albeit dull bluing job that was still intact.
 
vinver said:
Any ideas on a modern replacement that's easy to apply, cheap and safe ;) ? How about hi-heat header paint, baked and cured?
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You can get Hi Heat header paint at most automotive supply shops that looks VERY close to Suncorite. There are a number of shades of black/brown available and it will ALMOST match Suncorite 259. Suncorite does have a spectrum of colours depending on how it is thinned and applied. It ranges from almost a brown/black to black; gloss and matte finish. Suncorite is safe to use provided you use proper procedures such as a fume hood or used outdoors The MSDS will scare anyone, but also check the MSDS for baby powder or dish washing soap. Common sense does or should prevail with any none low VOC product or for that matter any chemical product. Suncorite should be used over a parkerized or bead blasted surface then prepared with an etching primer.
 
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