how do you produce a phosphate finish?

[Jack H.]

Re: how do you produce a phosphate finish?

I used to Parkerize by heating the solution + parts on the stove in a Pyrex flat pan. The past tense is used because one day the Pyrex pan decided to simply fracture and the MESS that created on the stove was terrible!

Since, I've learned a short cut that works pretty darn good! Put the parts + solution in a plastic container. Move them into the microwave (yep, metal in a microwave is not good...).

Set the microwave for a SHORT run at 100%, say 45-60 seconds. Let sit for a minute or two. Repeat the process.

Within 3-5 microwave cycles, the parts are NICELY blackened and ready to rinse + oil seal. No muss, no fuss!

[Mark P.]

Re: how do you produce a phosphate finish?

I was planning to use an old crock pot which is how Gerry Fuccillo does it.

[Gerard F.]

Re: how do you produce a phosphate finish?

I was planning to use an old crock pot which is how Gerry Fuccillo does it.

Brandon,

Gray phosphate is just a solutioin of zinc phosphate. Black phosphate has a high concentration of manganese phosphate mixed in.

You can replicate black phosphate by mixing the zinc phosphate with black oxide available from a number of vendors as mentioned above, and cooking it in a crock pot. I keep a a dedicated crock pot with the mixture for black phosphate, so that I just have to heat it up when I want to do a few bolts or such. Here's my setup:



Here's a copy of an article on Gray and Black Phosphate with the crock pot method:

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17494&d=1240465614

Have fun,

[Michael L.]

Re: how do you produce a phosphate finish?

Guys,

I have some question about my black phosphate finish. I am ready to re-install the brake line clips after getting them back from the plater. I'm not sure if the brake line clips came out the way I need them. Although the specified finish was supposed to be black phosphate, these clips don't look anything like the other items that were done in that finish. I don't know if it is just how this alloy of metal reacts to the phospate or what. Can you look at the attached pic and tell me if you think these clips look like they have a black phosphate finish? For reference, the bolts on the left are black phosphate finished, the clips on the right are cad plated, and the clips in the middle are the ones in question.

Thanks,
Mike

[Michael L.]

Re: how do you produce a phosphate finish?

(I re-posted this since it was difficult to get to in the previous post)

Guys,

I have some question about my black phosphate finish. I am ready to re-install the brake line clips after getting them back from the plater. I'm not sure if the brake line clips came out the way I need them. Although the specified finish was supposed to be black phosphate, these clips don't look anything like the other items that were done in that finish. I don't know if it is just how this alloy of metal reacts to the phospate or what. Can you look at the attached pic and tell me if you think these clips look like they have a black phosphate finish? For reference, the bolts on the left are black phosphate finished, the clips on the right are cad plated, and the clips in the middle are the ones in question.

Thanks,
Mike

[Gerard F.]

Re: how do you produce a phosphate finish?

Mike,

The clips in the center look like black phosphate to me. Black phosphate will very in color from a black to dark gray to even having brown tones in them, depending upon the alloys in the metal being phosphated as well as the make up of the mix it is phosphated with. If you look at the phosphated part on sunlight you should see little speckles from the phosphate crystals.

The bolts on the left in the picture, actually look too black to me in the picture, and more like they were done with black oxide rather than phosphate. However, they might be black phosphate if you can see the speckles in sunlight.