Parkerizing vs modern spray-on finishes.

manbearpig

manbearpig

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Ive been trying to get a parkerizing setup up and running for years now - a stainless container that I can fit a barreled action into has been eluding me, so I've only been able to do small parts so far.
I would like to do simple project guns - nothing show quality, just refinishing some older shotguns, .22s, non-collectible milsurps, etc to clean them up as well as prevent future rusting. Most of these guns earmarked for parkerizing are just waiting for me to get around to having a stainless tray fabricated that can fit them.

But I was thinking - parkerizing is a lot of fuss. A lot of finicky prep work which can make or break it, messing with toxic chemicals, varying results, etc. and the final finish really doesnt protect the metal much at all, simply holds oil.

Would it be a better idea for me to delve into modern spray-on gun finishes instead - like Gunkote? If a finish requires baking on, I can fabricate a tubular 'oven' for barreled actions quite easily so thats no problem at all - there are several project files online. I worked in a body shop during my college years so I have plenty of experience prepping/spraying. Should I be looking into this instead of parkerizing for less fuss/better results? The main appeal for me is rust resistance. The main turnoff is its a 'painted' gun, opposed to the timeless appeal of a parkerized finish.

What sortof user-applicable finishes are there on the market now besides Gunkote? Are they cost prohibitive?

Does anyone have any pics theyd like to share of guns theyve finished themselves with Gunkote or similar finishes?

Many thanks in advance!
:cheers:
 
Arma-coat works pretty good. I've used it before and it seems durable enough. With any paint/coating/parkerizing, it's all in the prep work. If you do a crap job prepping, you'll get a crap finish regardless of what method you use. But I agree that home parkerizing can be a little finicky (manganese more so than zinc).

If you prep properly, I would hazard to guess that a 'painted' finish is going to be more than satisfactory with the added benefit of that you can choose whatever colour you can mix as opposed to being stuck with grey/black.
 
Does anyone have any pics theyd like to share of guns theyve finished themselves with Gunkote or similar finishes?
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There was a thread just recently with pictures of some guns that were Arma-Coated.
I am waiting for my parcel to come in from Arma-Coat. I went with this product as it does not require baking. It will cure at room temperature.
There are so many guns now that are finished at the factory with a coating that my feeling is that I will give modern chemistry a try.
 
colinjw said:
There are so many guns now that are finished at the factory with a coating that my feeling is that I will give modern chemistry a try.
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careful though - many modern 'innovations' and design choices are based primarily on cutting cost, not necessarily improving effectiveness :)
thats what im worried about - doing all the work and ending up with something inferior to oldskool parkerizing in teams of wear resistance.
 
In terms of wear resistance... you wont beat a good park with the best of gun coatings. i used duracoat to finish a rifle and while it has held up very very well and will NEVER rust, it still has a small bit of wear on the loading gate and around the muzzle.

That said, for someone to do at home... coatings offer a very decent finish with relative ease compared to parkerizing and bluing. definately a trade off there.
 
mikeystew said:
In terms of wear resistance... you wont beat a good park with the best of gun coatings. i used duracoat to finish a rifle and while it has held up very very well and will NEVER rust, it still has a small bit of wear on the loading gate and around the muzzle.

That said, for someone to do at home... coatings offer a very decent finish with relative ease compared to parkerizing and bluing. definately a trade off there.
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Parkerizing is great ( and I love a nice dark parkerized finish......), but I would put Gunkote up against it for durability anyday..................

Any finish will show wear after enough use..............

I had my receiver and barrel GunKoted 4 or 5 years ago. It still looks great. From what I have seen, Gunkote is a little more durable then the non-bake coatings.

If you can build yourself an oven and bake a barrelled action, I would opt for Gunkote.

If Ease of application is a concern I would go with the DuraCoat air cure type products. Just keep in mind that you have to let stuff sit longer to properly cure.
 
building an oven actually seems like a fun project:
http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/heater/heater1.html


where can you get Gunkote in Canada now that Brownells wont ship it? is it expensive here? i have a compressor but my dumbass friend killed my spray gun by letting urethane harden in it, so i suppose my options are either to buy a spray gun, or try the spray bombs of Gunkote. has anyone tried either?
 
manbearpig said:
building an oven actually seems like a fun project:
http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/heater/heater1.html


where can you get Gunkote in Canada now that Brownells wont ship it? is it expensive here? i have a compressor but my dumbass friend killed my spray gun by letting urethane harden in it, so i suppose my options are either to buy a spray gun, or try the spray bombs of Gunkote. has anyone tried either?
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V-Bull Precision used to carry Gunkote..............not sure if they still do.................I stopped painting guns a few years back so I don't know who any other supplies are................


This is off of the KG Industries website:

[FONT=tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=terminal, monaco][FONT=tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]For Canada Sales Please Contact:[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=terminal, monaco][FONT=tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Andy Myers
Vintage Kawasaki
Phone: 647-212-5875
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
 
I've used spray cans, as well as an airbrush. You don't need a high volume system.
A spray on coating over parkerizing is about as good as you will get.
I like to blast just before the parts go into the park.
 
i've tried the spray-bomb gunkote from brownells that you bake and the air-dry duracoat. there is no comparison in durability.

the Gunkote does not adhere that well to non-beadblasted surfaces unless you lightly etch them with naval jelly or something similar like parkarizing.
 
More toxic chem in modern finishes. You can have your local sheet metal shop make up the tank.

Also, most enamel or powdercoating on guns is done over park.
 
manbearpig said:
careful though - many modern 'innovations' and design choices are based primarily on cutting cost, not necessarily improving effectiveness :)
thats what im worried about - doing all the work and ending up with something inferior to oldskool parkerizing in teams of wear resistance.
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That's a very good point. Another motivator for many innovations is "environmental friendliness", which can sometimes reduce the effectiveness of a product. I don't think that's the case with parkerizing, which is not a terribly hazardous process, but it certainly is with other products such as industrial paints, adhesives, and degreasers.
 
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