Home refinishing

[want2race]

Harbor Freight has a hand held, vertical feed (hopper) media blaster. Normally sells for about $20. Add some compressed air, aluminum oxide (they sell those too) and some free area to blast in (back yard) and you're set.

Not ideal, but it will work for a couple pistols. The media is use and lose since it's not in a cabinet.

Here's a before and after. Blued turned to black via Brownells Manganese Phosphate at 190* for 6-8 minutes.

[Dave Gundry]

Do I have to blast off the old park?

Could I possibly get the blasting done somewhere else, oil it, bring it home, then degrease it and park it from there?

[Dave Gundry]

Has anyone used the Lauer park solution? I need a few things from Midway and they have it in stock...

[want2race]

With a good degreasing, that should work. Park takes better to metal that has been blasted. That is what's recommended anyway. I don't blast the frame rails or inside the slide (under bushing) and the park holds "ok".

[Dave Gundry]

With a good degreasing, that should work. Park takes better to metal that has been blasted. That is what's recommended anyway. I don't blast the frame rails or inside the slide (under bushing) and the park holds "ok".

Which method? Blast-oil-clean then park? Or doing the new park over the old?

[want2race]

Blast then park = preferred. The last time I reparked a part, only the areas of exposed metal were affected by the solution. I was using the same solution so it came out great. If you are starting with a worn finish, I'd blast (oil, clean) then park. Dip it in boiling hot water after the degrease, right before dunking into park bath.

[Carlos]

Hi Krautwagen - you definitley need to blast away the old park; there is supposed to be a chemical remover for park but I've not tried it. The $20 Harbor Freight gun should work fine. As far as media, if you don't have a cabinet, then forget about expensive glass bead (though the finish it leaves is the best). Oxide is also on the expensive side for "single use" - no argument the finish is OK though. If you are just going to use it in the backyard or driveway & then hose it into the drain, then regular Home Depot sand would work (but wear a mask to avoid silicosis.

I would try the Lauer Manganese park over any of the current Brownells solutions; I find Brownells over priced and until recently, their park was Zinc based with a "pre-blackener" - no thnaks, I'd prefer as REAL manganese black park. Please post a pick or two & let us know how it turns out.

[Dave Gundry]

Will do - thanks for all the help guys. I'll have to hire the blasting done - no room or money for a setup in a crappy college apartment.

[JThompson]

Great thread and info... they look nice Carlos. Is the finish even on all the surfaces? In that one picture there looks to be a color shift from black to gray, but that could be the lighting.

JT

[Carlos]

Will do - thanks for all the help guys. I'll have to hire the blasting done - no room or money for a setup in a crappy college apartment.

Hi JT - the finish came out even. I think its my photography skills that are lacking.

Krautwagon - I recently parked one of "GotM4?" s 1911s that he had blasted months ago at some Harley Davidson shop & then coated with chain-wax (it took us hours to get rid of all that *&!@* chain wax!). But once the metal was fully de-greased, the 1911 park turned out great! Keep the parts suspended in the solution and don't let them rest on the bottom of the container.

If you park indoors, use VERY STRONG ventilation; the fumes are not that bad (nothing near as toxic as say, hot bluing chemicals) but also not something you want to inhale constantly in an enclosed space.

Edited April 2, 2008 by Carlos