MTFCA Forum

I have some tools from tool kit that are rusting. I would like to protect them and make them look original. Did they come from the factory parkerized, or some other finish?

You can take them to a gun shop and have them blued. ("Cold bluing" doesn't work nearly as well.)

Have a look here, at the 3rd posting from the top...

https://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1& ... blackening

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:55 am

Have a look here, at the 3rd posting from the top...

https://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1& ... blackening

Do you think the factory dropped them into oil hot right off the forge?

I wonder if they had the same treatment as the raven finish nuts and bolts, and then I would wonder how they did that too. Anyone know how bolts got the raven finish? Getting a tool red hot and quench in oil will make it turn black. I will try that on one of my surplus wrenches and report back.

This was a fun experiment. I took a rusty wrench, lightly went after loose rust with a wire brush, heated it with a rosebud torch until it turned a dark red color, immersed it in engine oil, and success, rust gone and a nice black finish.

Have the factory prints and Record of Change on two tools, the early '09-'12 Plug Wrench, socket type, symbol T-2178, and that prints states " Black Enamel"

The other is the Pliers, T-1903-A1 and neither the print or the Record of Change mentions finish. However print and record are spec'd "Heat Treat 1470 F - Quench in solution, then 600 F- Draw. Brinell 364-444".

Maybe that left a black like finish from the solution?

Oh, head slap. Seen this finish after heat treat. Never thought of using to re-black tools or hardware intentionally.
A light sand blast before heat might improve the neat finish.
Something neat learned. Another great day on the forum.

Yes, this seems to be a very simple answer with a complex solution. I don't foresee myself reheat treating and tempering all the tools

You might try a "rust restorer" (aka "rust reformer"; "rust converter"). Basically a phosphate solution that combines with the rust to for a protective coating (black). These are different than Evapo-Rust or a "rust remover" type products that just dissolve rust. I have uses Krud Kutter Rust Restorer which has been harder to find. Rust-Oleum has a spray product that might work very well @ under $6 its worth the try
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Instantly convert a rust-covered surface to a protected, paintable surface! Rust-Oleum® rust reformer instantly bonds with rust and transforms it to a non-rusting, flat-black paintable surface and prevents future rust. The spray can be easily applied from any angle and saves you the effort of sanding rust all the way down to the bare metal.

Most plating shops can do black oxide, which looks similar to Parkerizing. There are several black oxide kits on the market that work quite well.
Heating a part red and dunking it in oil will pretty much guarantee that any previous heat treating done to the part will be altered or destroyed, so be aware.

Thanks for all the help. Since I can't go original I will lean toward Parkerizing. I have the stuff to do it as a home project and with a rub down of oil afterwards it will be excellent protection.

Gator wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:23 am

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:55 am

Have a look here, at the 3rd posting from the top...

https://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1& ... blackening

Do you think the factory dropped them into oil hot right off the forge?

Gator,

The particular posting I was referring to, (3rd from the top), used a blackening solution and not the "oil blackening" that others were discussing.

Gator wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 29, 2021 5:14 pm

Thanks for all the help. Since I can't go original I will lean toward Parkerizing. I have the stuff to do it as a home project and with a rub down of oil afterwards it will be excellent protection.

I have parkerizing chemicals also for restoring harley parts. The process is a PITA. Involving a temperature controlled pot, no touch of blasted parts, cleaning & oil baths. A bunch of specific steps. Depending on expected storage or tool usage I have used lazier methods.
Wire wheel or bead blast & paint flat black or wash in my greasy solvent sink. Repeat as needed when they get too ugly.
That Rustoleum product looks interesting for use on cleaned metal.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 29, 2021 5:38 pm

Gator wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 29, 2021 5:14 pm

Thanks for all the help. Since I can't go original I will lean toward Parkerizing. I have the stuff to do it as a home project and with a rub down of oil afterwards it will be excellent protection.

I have parkerizing chemicals also for restoring harley parts. The process is a PITA. Involving a temperature controlled pot, no touch of blasted parts, cleaning & oil baths. A bunch of specific steps. Depending on expected storage or tool usage I have used lazier methods.
Wire wheel or bead blast & paint flat black or wash in my greasy solvent sink. Repeat as needed when they get too ugly.
That Rustoleum product looks interesting for use on cleaned metal.

I usually soak parts of a 1/2hour or up to 24hrs depends on thickness of rust. Cleaning grease and old paint will prolong the use of the product. I use a variety of methods to de-rust (except sandblast). Evapo-Rust when I want to preserve paint, a dissolver, reformer or electrolysis tank . This is an example of using Krud Kutter Rust Remover soaked for 24 hrs (they also have a spray). Just before I pulled it out you could actually see an impression of the plate made by the rust scale floating on top, wish I took a picture. So it wasn't cleaned before, wouldn't come off. I did need to wire brush the soft black residue after I took it out to get what you see. I did that 3 days ago, picture was taken Today. --
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Hydrolysis Tank used for larger parts and to dissolve rust from inaccessible areas like jacks, rim spreaders, door locks . Cheep way to derust them

There is a company in my area called Wright Metal Finishing. They do aluminum anodizing, but also apply black oxide coating to tools and metal hardware. he will blast everything that you send him, if needed as the surfaces must be clean to accept the black oxide coating. I plan to send him all my T tools once I gather them all up.

Parkerizing is an effective rust preventive treatment that leaves things black or grey. You can but it on eBay or amazon.com and do it at home. The solution is mixed with water and can be reused.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264552830164?h ... Sw0Udd4~ec
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=parkerizing+ ... doa-p_3_11

Use brake cleaner to get rid of all oil, Boil in water for one hour, rub down with 4/0 wool that has been cleaned of oil in acetone. Then soak up to 8 hours or more in kerosene . Then wipe and wax. If tool isn’t black enough reboil

For my tool kit, after removing rust and grease, I painted with black rustoleum paint. When the paint was dry, I used 0000 steel wool to remove the paint gloss, leaving a nice matte finish. The results were, to my eye, very satisfactory. You probably already have a partial can of rattle paint, and the steel wool, so test this method on your band wrench, and judge for yourself.