Rust resistant/proof finishes or coatings for meta in a harsh environmentl?

ScrapMetal

ScrapMetal

Active User
Registered
I have some freshly machined parts, particularly transmission mounting plates for a couple of my motorcycles, that are still "in the raw". Before I go and install them on my bike builds I would like to find a durable finish for them. Painting is an option but not a very good one. These plates will be on the underside of the bike and will be drenched with motor oil and tranny oil (they ARE shovelhead Harleys :p :biggrin:) as well as road grime, gravel, etc. from below.

Any suggestions for what kind of finish/coating would make them more durable or at least minimize the possibility of rust?

Thanks,

-Ron
 
How about Parkerising? It worked well on Springfield rifles in the salt/sand/mud of WW2, and from what I've seen it looks like a pretty simple process - phosphoric acid, some spare wire wool and the manganese dioxide from an alkaline battery seems to be the chemistry, heated stainless tank to put it all in and it gives a nice durable military-looking finish on steel that (once wiped over with oil) resists corrosion pretty well. I've been thinking about using it on parts of my VMax :)
Ready-made solutions are available from Brownells and other gun supplies outfits, but may be a bit pricier than mixing up your own?

For aluminium parts, anodising isn't that difficult - I've had some success anodising parts for my son's guns using carbon rods as the Cathode, a battery charger and battery acid (diluted a bit) as electrolyte - the key is the preparation, *scrupulous* polishing followed by a quick etch in caustic soda (lye) and a rinse, then into the tank. Once it's all "wettable" in *cold de-ionised* water, either dye and boil for half an hour, or just boil for a clear coat - the surface is harder than steel, and resists corrosion really well - there are different types, you'd probably want to "hard anodise", just the same process but needs some experimentation with current densities and electrolyte strength, once you have it right *make notes* and let us all know!

I discovered that black inkjet-refill gives a wonderful coppery colour :) NOT what I expected!

Dave H. (the other one)
 
You could powder coat the parts, you could epoxy paint the parts, you could Parkerize the parts (if they are ferrous).

I set up a Parkerize system here, and can tell you that the batteries as a source of Manganese dioxide leaves a little to be desired. Better source of it is pottery supplies, since it is used as a coloring agent in glazes. Works good.
 
Ron,

Another option would be to have them galvanized. It's an inexpensive hot dip process that is cheaper than plating and the ultimate in corrosion protection on steel.

Tom
 
ScrapMetal said:
.......These plates will be on the underside of the bike and will be drenched with motor oil and tranny oil (they ARE shovelhead Harleys :p :biggrin:) as well as road grime, gravel, etc. from below.
Click to expand...


Gee man sounds like you got bigger Problems, My shovel Never leaks :) :) :) :) :) :lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
rickard said:
Gee man sounds like you got bigger Problems, My shovel Never leaks :) :) :) :) :) :lmao::lmao::lmao:
Click to expand...

Funny guy! :rolleyes: :lmao:


Okay guys, a lot of good answers given the lack of information. My fault. Part of the problem with what ever I use is that there are some moving parts and there will be sliding type contact at times. Here's a pic of the "plates"...



The metal is ferrous whatever kind of steel it may be.

If I were to paint or powdercoat these I would still have to leave some surfaces bare so that they could function properly. Also, when mounting a tranny and shifting it around and bolting/unbolting paint and even powdercoating is bound to get scraped up and off exposing bare metal.

Chrome would work but I'm not really into chrome, especially the underside of the bikes.

Something like anodizing would be more the ticket as long as it didn't add a lot of thickness. Bill, that Anoblack SS certainly has a lot of the properties I'm looking for.

I had really wanted to do it myself but a lot of these coatings would require me to send them off to be done.

Is there something like the tenifer coating on the inside of my Glock's slide but that I can do at home?

Maybe parkerizing would be a good solution. I will check in to that whether I use it or not - I've got a couple guns that need to be re-finished. :eek:

So, what else should I be looking into?

Thanks guys,

-Ron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top