Ive been checking into Parkerizing at home.Anyone done it?Looks like all I need is to find a SS Tank to do it in.I have a couple of options for the heat source.Stove,3 burner Camp stove or burner from fish fryer.Can it be done on the stove?What should I watch for?So anybody wanna do Parkerizing 101 for me.I have a complete Blueing set up I was given.Has 6 Black Iron tanks,burners,supplies and chemicals.Got it all for free.I dont guess I could use one of the Black Iron tanks could I?Everything Ive read says SS Tanks.Thanks,45B10

I talked to the local Machine/Supply Shop and they can build me a 10x10x30 tank but its rather pricey.Im gonna stop by the kitchen/resturant supply stores tommorro while in Springfield and see if they have something big enough.Im wanting to do the Barrel and Receiver togather so I need something that long.Also gonna pick up the Park mix while up there.
RotDorn
      How caustic is it?Is it outside project?Ive heard of a few doing it on there stove but if its that nasty I better do it outside.

Look here--www.parkerizingtanks.com/

equipment for sale AND a discussion forum.

I just my first repark job on my garand.  I didn't have a stainless steel tank, so tried a technique I heard about on www.falfiles.com.  I bought one of those long plastic storage tubs used for wrapping paper for like $8 - its about 48x6x8 - a bit bigger than needed and so required some extra solution.   Anyway, I just heated up the solution in pots on the stove, placed the items to be parked in the "tank" and poured the solution in - trying not to pour it on the parts themselves.  I heated the solution a bit on the high side - about 190F (bought a candy thermometer as mentioned above).  I also kept some heated in "reserve" that I poured in about 10 minutes into the process to keep the heat up.   The process finished and stayed hot enough to get the job done.  

Some others have done a similar process, but used PVC tube they cut in half and capped the ends.  That would probably be a bit more efficient in regards to the amount of solution you need.

You could use the black iron tanks, but the inside of the tanks will get parkerized themselves.  Once they are completely parkerized, though, the process should for the most part stop.  However, you would be wasting a portion of the solution parking the tank.  I have heard that the solution will eventually eat through the iron tank, but shouldn't if store the solution in another container when done.

What you could probably do, if cost is a concern, is set up a double boiler system using the method outlined above along with your tanks.  Just put plain water in the iron tank and suspend the plastic tub or PVC pipe in the water with the solution in the water.  Heat the water in the tank, which should in turn heat the solution in the tub or PVC.

However, if you want to do it "right, in addition to Doubleought (the owner of www.parkerizingtanks.com), another member at the falfiles by the name of Deltaten has offered SS tanks in the past for a bit cheaper.  I'm not sure if he is going to continue to make them, though.  IIRC, he needed one himself but ended up making a bunch and selling them, but I believe he did another batch after that as well.

In regards to the chemicals, I'd say just buy the pre-mixed from brownells.  My first attempt was using a homemade mix from chemicals bought at home depot, etc.  All the running around looking for brand X,Y,etc cleaner that contained phosphoric acid was basically a waste of time and money.  Even when you finally find the proper cleaner that has the proper chemical, you have no idea what the concentration really is.  

One bottle of the concentrated brownells zinc solution is enough to make 4 gallons of solution, and I believe is under $10.  The manganese solution ends up being more expensive, as there is a higher concentrate:water ratio.   Unless you are going to be doing this in volume, you likely won't see any cost savings in buying the chemicals from a chemical supply house and mixing the solution yourself.  The single batch of the solution can be reused multiple times.

Many people seem to use the stovetop burners with good success.  However, you are heating the solution unevenly, which may result in "hot spots" in the solution which in turn may result in an uneven finish.  If you are going to do it this way, it may be best to give the solution a stir every once in a while.  However, this is just my thinking logically - not anything from experience, being I just used the plastic tub method so far.

The "Links" section of parkerizingtanks.com should have lots of links to directions on the process itself.

Hope I covered mostly everything...

Rocko

Did some FALs before at a friends home shop. He made his own SS tank, but said he would have been better off getting a tank from Doubleought on the falfiles (welds are not easy with SS). Put the long rectangular tank up on wood blocks at each end, put two camp stoves under the tank, watched the temps, used wood sticks and wire to hang the big parts, and a SS fryer basket for the small parts. Keys were a REALLY good blast just before the park, and not waiting till absolutely all the bubbles stopped so it was not overcooked. Practice on some spare kit parts (receiver stubs/furrin bits being replaced) before you do the final park. Cheap motor oil worked fine after the water dip, but I did not paint mine either. Brownells chemicals worked fine. It will also park differently where the metal is heat treated, so do not panic if it is not a perfectly even color.

Compare the cost of a SS tank vs parking the inside of the black iron tank, and have at it (with good ventilation).