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Phosphate Party! Bring It!

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69z28freak

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Luke and I decided to have a Phosphate Party tonight and we invited some of our favourite fasteners to attend. Check it out…

Step One

Organize glass beaded parts.



Step Two

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. We used a hot plate and it brought the water to perfect temperature in about 15 minutes.



Step Three

Then add the Parkerizing Solution to the water. We just did a batch of dark Manganese tonight. Next we will do Zink, the lighter grey colour.





Step Four

Once the temperature is around 190 Ferinhieght it is time to drop the precious parts into the magic solution.



Step Five

Here Luke cradles the virgin, freshly blasted metal. All the kids into the pool.



Step Six

We left the parts in the solution for 15 minutes then removed them and Luke sprayed them with Boeshield.



Step Seven

Then we let the parts dry for a few minutes.



Step Eight

Next Luke touches up a few parts that were a bit dry with Boeshield.



Step Nine

The final product. Enjoy the fruits of your labour. Wonderful, glistening, freshly phosphated original parts. What could be more exciting thank that?

 
#5 ·
Wow, I learn something new every day on this site. I always thought this was a high tech process that could only be done in factories, I didn’t know you could do this yourself. Where do you buy the chemicals? Do they give you detailed instructions on ratios and times, etc.? Can you post some pictures of the Zinc parts?
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
#7 ·
I've told this story before, but not for several years.
When I phosphated, I had to use the kitchen stove, so wishing to remain happily married, I waited for my wife to be out somewhere, then I started the process. The process took longer than I expected, and my wife came home earlier than expected, and......you guessed it, walked in while I was still coating. She headed straight for the bedroom, and over her shoulder, snapped, "You know you're a *******, if you cook bolts on the kitchen stove!"
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
paulmanta said:
I got in trouble for putting a cylinder head in the dishwasher to clean it.

Came out as clean as new. dishwasher unaffected !
Click to expand...
Hey Paul I have heard that the dishwasher is a great place to clean parts. Finding a dishwasher that you can use to clean car parts in is another story!
 
#11 ·
used my dishwasher to clean up my seatbelts. they're cleaner. not perfect.

...but we're getting a brand new dishwasher this spring so...
 
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#12 ·
69z28freak said:
Click to expand...
Mike, not sure how you determined the 15 minutes but the longer you leave parts in the darker they become. What you used (manganese) can make some of the hardware too dark compared to originals. Once the parts stop fizzing & they look like the desired results have been met you can take them out. Did you do any cleaning of the parts after the phosphate bath other than spraying down with the rust preventative? The reason I ask concerns how sometimes white spots (salt residue) become noticeable if the parts were not neutralized properly. Glad you got it going but as others have said, if you can boil water you can phosphate parts.
Way to go......
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
68camaroz28 said:
Mike, not sure how you determined the 15 minutes but the longer you leave parts in the darker they become. What you used (manganese) can make some of the hardware too dark compared to originals. Once the parts stop fizzing & they look like the desired results have been met you can take them out. Did you do any cleaning of the parts after the phosphate bath other than spraying down with the rust preventative? The reason I ask concerns how sometimes white spots (salt residue) become noticeable if the parts were not neutralized properly. Glad you got it going but as others have said, if you can boil water you can phosphate parts.
Way to go......
Click to expand...
Thanks for the great info Chick. No I did not rinse the parts after taking them out of the solution. We just hosed them down with Boeshield. What did you use the clean the parts when they came out of the solution. I have more parts to do. So far I like the finish on the parts that I have done in the Maganese. Most of the parts were nuts and bolts etc. Next I will try the Zink. Seemed the me that with the Maganese, the parts turned quite dark right away. However you are correct as there was the odd bolt that developed white spots. All tips and feedback greatly appreciated and welcomed.
 
#14 ·
69z28freak said:
Thanks for the great info Chick. No I did not rinse the parts after taking them out of the solution. We just hosed them down with Boeshield. What did you use the clean the parts when they came out of the solution. I have more parts to do. So far I like the finish on the parts that I have done in the Maganese. Most of the parts were nuts and bolts etc. Next I will try the Zink. Seemed the me that with the Maganese, the parts turned quite dark right away. However you are correct as there was the odd bolt that developed white spots. All tips and feedback greatly appreciated and welcomed.
Click to expand...
When one orders the products from Palmetto he normally sends along instructions which are very informative to get started. He states using WD-40 and spraying down three times. That is what I use along with scrubbing with a soft brush. Another little thing that works well for multiple small parts is a Stainless Steel (cheap at WallMart) wire strainer as you can shake the parts every minute for a even color coating vs. possible blotching. Your correct the color will change pretty quickly but again if left in for a long time they become very dark or what I consider too dark. Also, Palmetto I believe stated they will or can darken further for some amount of time after taking out of the solution. Never personally noticed that issue!
 
#15 ·
I treat all my parts I have phosphated with "Rust Prevention Magic" as it leaves the parts in a natural looking state. I even tested it on a natural cast iron 427 alt. bracket I had treated and then sprayed the bracket with water. After three months the only place it formed some rust was in holes and crevices I had not coated. I even used it on my driveshaft! I have several friends using it now and even a NCRS judge who completed similar tests on cast iron parts with great results. Super easy to use and a jar will do loads of parts. For anyone interested just google "rust prevention magic" and you will find the supplier. I found it a few years ago via a thread here or on the CRG.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
68camaroz28 said:
I treat all my parts I have phosphated with "Rust Prevention Magic" as it leaves the parts in a natural looking state. I even tested it on a natural cast iron 427 alt. bracket I had treated and then sprayed the bracket with water. After three months the only place it formed some rust was in holes and crevices I had not coated. I even used it on my driveshaft! I have several friends using it now and even a NCRS judge who completed similar tests on cast iron parts with great results. Super easy to use and a jar will do loads of parts. For anyone interested just google "rust prevention magic" and you will find the supplier. I found it a few years ago via a thread here or on the CRG.
Click to expand...
Hey Chick I am going to get some "Rust Prevention Magic" and check it out. Here are some better pictures showing the results of our Phosphating Party last night. These bolts were all freshly sprayed with Boeshield. We are going to do another batch of Maganese soon as well as Zink. I will try your suggestions on the next batch as I did experience the salt film you were referring to on some bolts. I will also use a screen to put the parts in. How long do you normally leave your parts in the water for? So is the Rust prevention Magic the neutralizing solution?





 
#17 ·
69z28freak said:
Hey Chick I am going to get some "Rust Prevention Magic" and check it out. Here are some better pictures showing the results of our Phosphating Party last night. These bolts were all freshly sprayed with Boeshield. We are going to do another batch of Maganese soon as well as Zink. I will try your suggestions on the next batch as I did experience the salt film you were referring to on some bolts. I will also use a screen to put the parts in. How long do you normally leave your parts in the water for? So is the Rust prevention Magic the neutralizing solution?

Click to expand...
Mike, I utilize the fizzing and action of the bath to determine when to take out. No, rust prevention magic comes in a jar and reminds one of bees wax and is only the protector, not neutralizer. The WD-40 does that! To apply the 'rpm' you heat the part up with a heat gun (can get a cheapie at Harbor Freight for $10) and then brush on the 'rpm'. The heat of the part makes the 'rpm' wax like stuff melt as you brush it on and give a shiny extremely thin coating. Once the part cools the shininess is gone and the part looks natural. Protection complete with no oily residue!
Just a side note Mike, your screws shown are a early 70's design and were not used on a gen 1 Camaro's. A non issue if the head marking is acceptable and the thread ends are not seen but in some cases the thread end can be observed. No big deal but thought it might be worthwhile mentioning.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
Luke and I did a batch of the Zink Phosphating tonight. Turned out really nice I thought. The only thing we did different tonight, was we used compressed air to dry the parts before we Boeshielded them.

Here are the before pics of the glass beaded parts. Lower Hood Latch and Steering Arms.







Here are the Steering Arms right out of the solution and soaked with Boeshield.



Here are the parts drying after about 10 minutes. I will have to post pictures of the parts completely dried at a later date. I expect most of the Boeshield to soak in and evaporite.





 
#19 ·
Gbauer said:
used my dishwasher to clean up my seatbelts. they're cleaner. not perfect.

...but we're getting a brand new dishwasher this spring so...
Click to expand...
Go to Ace Hardware and get some TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate) make a thick detergent out of it (like dishwashing detergent), and use it in the dishwasher with your belts. Do this RIGHT before you replace it, as the phos is pretty gummy.

I had belts that I thought would need to be re-dyed, but I scrubbed them with a stiff brush and TSP. Came out like brand new--no need to dye them.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Unreal said:
Go to Ace Hardware and get some TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate) make a thick detergent out of it (like dishwashing detergent), and use it in the dishwasher with your belts. Do this RIGHT before you replace it, as the phos is pretty gummy.

I had belts that I thought would need to be re-dyed, but I scrubbed them with a stiff brush and TSP. Came out like brand new--no need to dye them.
Click to expand...
Thanks Gary I will try that. My belts are in pretty good shape, other than once broken plastic housing on one of the belts. However I was planning to clean them up.
 
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