M1 Garand finish

[UndeadSlayer]

I am curious about what kind of parkerizing was used on M1 Garand rifles during WW2. Did Springfield and Winchester use a manganese phosphate or a zinc phosphate on their M1 Garands? 

[blind pew]

The Manganese finish is more darker grey to black, while the Zinc parkerizing is lighter grey. Apparently the earliest Garands had Zn park treatment, while the vast majority are Mn. 

 

The greenish hue sometimes seen is due to longer storage in cosmoline. 

 

The longer the park bath time, the darker the finish for each respective cation (Mn or Zn). 

 

I parkerize WW2 weapons which have essentially complete loss of finish that are going to be used as shooters. Parking is a VERY EASY process to perform- as with anything, prep is the key. You have to heat the solution to 180 degrees. I do it on my kitchen stove top on the farm, but would be neutered if I even suggested it at our home!

 

It's one of the few chemical treatment finishing processes that is hard to screw up if you follow the rules. I even parkerize some old auto parts that have become corroded and they look pretty good. Degrease parts, then Sandblast them to get all the rust off and then finish with a chemical rust remover (evaporust), rinse, then park, rinse at the end, bake in oven to remove all water and then heavily spray on oil. Park surfaces are very thirsty for oil.