Another question

[SamDBL]

How do you touch up a parkerized finish? I just got my 870 and I notice a couple of very small scratches (probably from hanging on a rack in the store or being taking down and looked at). The parkerized finish actually seems kind of fragile? Anyway, what do you guys recommend for touch ups?

[remington600]

I really have not found anything that touches the black parkerized finish. I had a Weatherby with the same finish and it almost seems that running your finger nail across it will burnish it, and the more you rub it the worse it gets. I wish I could help. Maybe try a little black colored cold blue from your local gunshop. Welcome back.

[SamDBL]

Thanks. It's not really that big of a deal. I just thought I remembered someone somewhere mentioning a method of touch up (saw it while I was 'researching' ). If it's there, I'll do it. If not, I don't really mind.

[Virginian]

First, be sure it is Parkerizing; most of them (all?) are merely bead blasted and flat blued. Remington did make quite a few Special Purpose 1100s and 870s that were indeed Parkerized, and while it is not a tough finish either, it is recognizable by a gray green appearance. Parkerizing is a phosphate compound that holds oil really well. It can be touched up by a plating process. I got one of the first Expresses in the late 80's and it was not Parkerized, but it was a lot smoother finished inside and out then the ones you see these days.

[SamDBL]

This is a police magnum model. So I'm guessing it's actually parkerized. Just a little surprised at the fragile state of it.

[Virginian]

Yes, as you have found Parkerizing is not really very hard, and if you get it wet with salt water it will come out of the case with as much orange rust as any blued gun, but the Parkerizing surface does hold the heavier gun oils, like Browning or RIG really well, and that will prevent corossion/rust. The military specified that a lot of the steel not be smoothly finished so it would hold the Parkerizing better.
I forget the chemical plating process exactly, but I have seen it done with a car battery. Gold and silver can also very easily be plated onto a surface, but the plating solutions are pretty expensive. We used to plate electrical contacts and I think a small bottle was around $800.