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this sound perfect for the tops of leaf springs that are not painted..!
I think this will work well for the slotted nuts and the large flat washers for the rear leaf spring support too. I had them sandblasted. NCRS books says they are natural but being ferrous metal I am concerned that these washers and slotted nuts would just rust again in no time. Anxious to try the Fluid Film Corrosion Inhibitor that PJO suggested. after 24-hour soak large washers and slotted nuts after sandblasting
Before I bought the Fluid Film Corrosion Inhibitor recommended by PJO, I tried an experiment on the newly sandblasted large flat washers and the slotted nuts which are all "natural finish" per the NCRS book. I was concerned they would rust again soon with no protection so I cooked the parts in clean motor oil at 250 F for 3-hours yesterday. After sitting now for 24-hours drying out on my shop towel, they look very slightly darker gray to me. Surface of the parts does have a slight oily feel to them.
Don't know if this helps protect the parts or if it was a waste of time and my brain and imagination are playing tricks on me. Going with I think it worked for now and the surface of the parts did seem to soak up some of the oil during the cook process.
Interested in what you think? It's perfectly okay to tell me I'm full of it, it was a waste of time. I have thick skin like a rhino.
hard to get the light exactly the same from day-today for comparison of before and after but they look slightly darker gray.
Note that sandblasting is not a natural finish. You’ve now added a new rough texture when the original part was smooth. So, you’re already differing from original. It can be difficult (or impossible) now to go back to the correct smooth finish.
Evapo-Rust works great for removing rust. Use that, then spray with satin or matte clear and you have a natural appearing finish on these parts. Don’t put on too much clear or it will be detectable.
CRC SP-350 works well if you can’t find PreLube 6.
I have done my own black phosphate for 20 years. Palmetto Enterprises sells the material on eBay in various sizes
Sandblast, rinse, cook in 185 degree phosphate bath until the bubbling stops, rinse, dry and coat with SP-350. I often coat when they’re in a Ziploc, and let them soak in it for a while.
Note that sandblasting is not a natural finish. You’ve now added a new rough texture when the original part was smooth. So, you’re already differing from original. It can be difficult (or impossible) now to go back to the correct smooth finish.
Evapo-Rust works great for removing rust. Use that, then spray with satin or matte clear and you have a natural appearing finish on these parts. Don’t put on too much clear or it will be detectable.
CRC SP-350 works well if you can’t find PreLube 6.
I have done my own black phosphate for 20 years. Palmetto Enterprises sells the material on eBay in various sizes
Sandblast, rinse, cook in 185 degree phosphate bath until the bubbling stops, rinse, dry and coat with SP-350. I often coat when they’re in a Ziploc, and let them soak in it for a while.
Good Morning PHulst,
Thank you for the feedback. I believe I can fix the sandblasting texture on the large washers. 73L82AIR was kind enough to share with me a similar system (process) he was using to clean and polish bolts, nuts, washers, etc. Seems like this would work for "natural finish" parts too. Basically: Wire brush, evapo-rust soak, wipe clean, vibrator tumbler with abrasive media and then polishing media, and then light coat of preservative rust inhibitor.
10-4 on the evapo-rust and not too much clear. I'm trying to target a dull, flat satin look and not a wet, glossy sheen to the parts. I do have some professionally restored black phosphate parts to use as my gold standard and would just need to touch those with Fluid Film, CRC SP-350, or PreLube 6 to keep them looking nice and prevent corrosion in the future.
Working on a C2 right now and trying my hand at black phosphate, or Parkerizing, (NOT black oxide) and having good results. As Patrick said, blast (I use glass beads at the lowest effective pressure), degrease then cook in the solution for the desired finish. Finish off with oil bath.
Keep in mind, many of the nuts and lock washers were cad plated or natural - not black phosphate coated. Get a copy of the judging manual and use that as a guide as to what finish to strive for.
Working on a C2 right now and trying my hand at black phosphate, or Parkerizing, (NOT black oxide) and having good results. As Patrick said, blast (I use glass beads at the lowest effective pressure), degrease then cook in the solution for the desired finish. Finish off with oil bath.
Keep in mind, many of the nuts and lock washers were cad plated or natural - not black phosphate coated. Get a copy of the judging manual and use that as a guide as to what finish to strive for.
Tom
Hi Tom,
My first challenge / opportunity is getting the parts clean, rust free and looking nice. Evapo-Rust Soak, Evapo-Rust Gel, and WD-40 Rust Remover Soak all do a nice job of getting the big stuff off. Wire brush gets a little more off. I do not have a sandblasting cabinet. I wished I did. Unfortunately, I don't have the space for one in my garage and honestly the ones I've looked at are cost prohibitive for my budget.
I do have the NCRS 1968-1969 Technical Information Manual and Judging Guide. I also have the Corvette Chassis Restoration Guide 1953-1972, which has a lot of information in it regarding finishes.
I'm good to go on this end. The only way I can truly maintain NCRS correct black phosphate parkerized nuts, bolts, washers, etc. is to buy the heaters and chemicals that I need to cook parts or continue sending parts to a professional which I think will eventually just be too expensive to keep doing.
Hi Tom,
black phosphate parkerized nuts, bolts, washers, etc. is to buy the heaters and chemicals that I need to cook parts or continue sending parts to a professional which I think will eventually just be too expensive to keep doing.
I bought a hot plate off ebay for $30 and a pot from the local thrift store for $6. Got the chemicals from calvan.com - their black "auto-moto" kit.
Besides using the bead blaster - which I just got - I would also use a wire wheel on my grinder which works well.
02-13-2022, 12:12 PM
