wwii axis reenactment forum

"Parkerizing, bonderizing, phosphating, or phosphatizing is a method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating."

I know that the practise was common in the US during the war, but would the Germans have used it? The only reference I have seen was one source talking about Panzer armour. Would the Germans have used it on other equipment such as Helmets, gun parts, artillery etc?

redsun wrote:"Parkerizing, bonderizing, phosphating, or phosphatizing is a method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating."

I know that the practise was common in the US during the war, but would the Germans have used it? The only reference I have seen was one source talking about Panzer armour. Would the Germans have used it on other equipment such as Helmets, gun parts, artillery etc?

How do you think German weapons became black?
If its black it parkerised, but the colour changes depending on the method used (among other things)

I was under the impression the Germans blued most steel items.

Blueing steel consists of boiling steel in a caustic solution of Sodium Hydroxide and a nitrate salt such as Potassium nitrate.

Colours can depend on temperature, time and exact composition of the solution.....

how about personal equipment like Helmets, mess kits, canteens etc?

I believe I'm right in saying helmets, mess tins, canteens etc were painted rather than parkerised.

very late war guns were also parkerised,

German mine components were parkerised too (springs, detonator pins, plungers etc ) because parkerisation offers better protection for things "buried"

I would agree regarding Parkerisation, which can vary in colour, black, blackish-brown, through to orange, on flare pistols and late war steel cased ammunition. Apart from chemical composition and temperature, just adding dyes can give a colour change.

Compare a Wehrmacht P08 to a heavily blued Waffenfabrik Bern one.