Adam5
Member
I just a got a RIA 1911 that is my first parked gun. How much oil do I need to put on the finish and how often do I need to do it?
Parkerized finish care?
- Thread starter Adam5
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BCRider
Member
The strong point of protection from the Parkerizing is that the finish is porous which holds onto oil even when the surface is rubbed against other stuff. Because the surface tends to hold the oil you can wipe it quite "dry" looking after applying an oily patch or rag and it's still well protected.
You'll want to re-apply some oil and wipe it down to avoid an overly oily look any time you get the gun wet from rain or sweaty hands or after using cleaning solvents.
There's nothing special about this. Just SOP for any steel implement you want to keep in good condition. It might be a garden hoe or a handgun. If it's steel it's worth a wipe down, oiling and wiping away any excess.
You'll want to re-apply some oil and wipe it down to avoid an overly oily look any time you get the gun wet from rain or sweaty hands or after using cleaning solvents.
There's nothing special about this. Just SOP for any steel implement you want to keep in good condition. It might be a garden hoe or a handgun. If it's steel it's worth a wipe down, oiling and wiping away any excess.
Rom828
Member
My new RIA I picked up a couple of years ago had a uneven park finish. I soaked it with rem-oil so that it was almost dripping every day for almost a week. The finish evened out nicely and still looks good today. It's my go-to favorite outdoor pistol now.
JTQ
Member
Here is an interesting blog post on parkerize care from, I believe a former moderator here at THR.
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/02/parkerizing-truth-vs-tales.html
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/02/parkerizing-truth-vs-tales.html
wow6599
Member
I remember reading something similar years ago about Col. Jeff Cooper "seasoning" parkerized firearms with repeated oil and heat treatment.
dfariswheel
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Vaseline is not a particularly good rust preventative.
The old grease and bake treatment took advantage of Cosmoline's excellent rust proofing nature, coupled with the fact that when baked it tended to harden up in parkerizing.
For some strange reason a few people decided that Vaseline would work as well.
This is all rather outdated considering modern highly rust resistant lubricants.
Once you impregnate Parkerizing, any lube is almost impossible to get fully out of the sponge-like structure of the finish.
The more modern technique is to liberally soak the finish with something known as a good rust resisting lube, like CLP Breakfree.
Let it soak in for 30 minutes, then wipe off the excess.
If the gun is heavily handled or gets wet, simply apply a little more.
This is what Remington used to recommend be done on the parkerized Police shotguns to remove the factory shipping preservative and impregnate the finish to prevent rust.
Another interesting trick salt water duck hunters use is to liberally apply a coat of Johnson's Paste Wax to a gun and warm it up with a hairdryer until the wax melts. Wipe of the excess, and a shotgun was good to go for some time in salt water spray.
This may not be as effective on a pistol due to the more handling a pistol gets.
Bottom line, simply applying a coat of a modern rust resisting lubricant works extremely well.
The old grease and bake treatment took advantage of Cosmoline's excellent rust proofing nature, coupled with the fact that when baked it tended to harden up in parkerizing.
For some strange reason a few people decided that Vaseline would work as well.
This is all rather outdated considering modern highly rust resistant lubricants.
Once you impregnate Parkerizing, any lube is almost impossible to get fully out of the sponge-like structure of the finish.
The more modern technique is to liberally soak the finish with something known as a good rust resisting lube, like CLP Breakfree.
Let it soak in for 30 minutes, then wipe off the excess.
If the gun is heavily handled or gets wet, simply apply a little more.
This is what Remington used to recommend be done on the parkerized Police shotguns to remove the factory shipping preservative and impregnate the finish to prevent rust.
Another interesting trick salt water duck hunters use is to liberally apply a coat of Johnson's Paste Wax to a gun and warm it up with a hairdryer until the wax melts. Wipe of the excess, and a shotgun was good to go for some time in salt water spray.
This may not be as effective on a pistol due to the more handling a pistol gets.
Bottom line, simply applying a coat of a modern rust resisting lubricant works extremely well.
BSA1
member
Oh Woe is me! Cosmoline is no longer made.
However Brownell's sells Rust Veto which is described as a soft, medium dark industrial-grade grease with a powerful combination of highly refined petroleum oils and waxes, plus corrosion and oxidation inhibitors, that preserves and protects stored firearms from rust and corrosion for years.
http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...ants/rust-prevention/rust-veto-prod26344.aspx
However Brownell's sells Rust Veto which is described as a soft, medium dark industrial-grade grease with a powerful combination of highly refined petroleum oils and waxes, plus corrosion and oxidation inhibitors, that preserves and protects stored firearms from rust and corrosion for years.
http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleani...ants/rust-prevention/rust-veto-prod26344.aspx
smalls
Member
My carry gun is parkerized. Normally when I clean it I let the oil soak in for a while, then wipe clean with a Hoppe's rag. Leather absorbs oil quite a big, so I run the same rag over it every week or so. Every other day in the summer, because my sweat seems pretty acidic.
the.batman
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I've always oiled and wiped off my Parkerized guns like the guys above. Works good for me.
dprice3844444
member
Willie Sutton
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"None" and "Never".
That's the point of the finish......
With that said, it's got "tooth" and soaks up oil. Use anything, It'll not soak up more than it can soak up. You can scrub all of the oil out of the porosity with automotive brake-kleen from any auto parts store. It'll look almost white when it's fully degreased.
Willie
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That's the point of the finish......
With that said, it's got "tooth" and soaks up oil. Use anything, It'll not soak up more than it can soak up. You can scrub all of the oil out of the porosity with automotive brake-kleen from any auto parts store. It'll look almost white when it's fully degreased.
Willie
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F-111 John
Member
Coyote3855
Member
Or you just buy a Mosin and get the comoline for free!
BSA1
member
Brownells website says cosmoline isn't being made anymore and it selling Rust Veto as a substitute. The link you provided is also for Rust Veto. Cosmoline is merely a registered trade name.
BCRider
Member
Willie Sutton said:
Well that depends on the finish doesn't it? Blueing and browning are finishes too but we don't see folks suggesting that those finishes be left dry.
With modern paint on finishes like Gun Kote or Dura Kote I'd agree that no oiling would be needed. But on Parkerizing? It's got a porous makeup which still provides a route to the base metal. So it's best teamed up with oil to provide proper protection from corrosion.
From the Wikipedia page on Parkerizing;
Hurryin' Hoosier
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Rust-Veto is just one product manufactured by the E F Houghton Company. "Cosmoline" is their registered trademark.
Last edited:
Willie Sutton
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"Well that depends on the finish doesn't it? Blueing and browning are finishes too but we don't see folks suggesting that those finishes be left dry."
The point is that it is a very tolerant finish, and unless it's going to be exposed to continuous salt water spray or similar enviroments, no special magic oil needs to be used on it. Yes, as Wikipedia says, *maximum* corrosion protection is obtained with additional oil added into the finish. See "salt water environment" above as an example for when maximum corrosion protection is needed. Sweat in daily holster use is an example. Any sort of light oil will do. For range guns and safe queens you can just let 'em be.
Willie
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The point is that it is a very tolerant finish, and unless it's going to be exposed to continuous salt water spray or similar enviroments, no special magic oil needs to be used on it. Yes, as Wikipedia says, *maximum* corrosion protection is obtained with additional oil added into the finish. See "salt water environment" above as an example for when maximum corrosion protection is needed. Sweat in daily holster use is an example. Any sort of light oil will do. For range guns and safe queens you can just let 'em be.
Willie
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