Refinishing an M11

**hertz** · January 23rd, 2012, 05:18 PM

I recently acquired a rough SWD M11/9. I have to replace a few parts, one of which being the rear sight plate. I have already removed the parkerizing all around the area with a wire wheel, preparing it so I can weld the new piece on. I believe what I'll do is strip the entire firearm of the current coating and refinish it with duracoat or a similar product.

My questions are: What is the best way to remove parkerizing? I don't want to potentially disturb the engravings with something like a wire wheel which wont get it out of the engravings anyway. Also, I'm concerned with duracoat being too thick and the serial number not being legible. Is this a viable concern or am I way off base? It's already kind of hard to read and I have to assume duracoat is thicker than parkerizing.

Thanks for any Input.

**red dog** · January 24th, 2012, 10:19 PM

i suggest you leave the parkerizing on. do a total degreasing and remember the oil on your hands is a no no as well, use gloves. durakote the rascal in a color of your choice. i would be partial to a flat or matte black but hey go crazy. durakote sticks to parkerizing just fine, actually better than it would to raw metal. btdt works great. good luck with your project and do not forget the pics when your done. btw i know of two in the white unfinished receivers for m11, any takers? red dog almost forgot your concern about thickness. durakote is as thick as you need it for coverage it should not fill in your markings but if your worried remove the existing finish in just those areas.

**hertz** · January 25th, 2012, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by red dog

i suggest you leave the parkerizing on. do a total degreasing and remember the oil on your hands is a no no as well, use gloves. durakote the rascal in a color of your choice. i would be partial to a flat or matte black but hey go crazy. durakote sticks to parkerizing just fine, actually better than it would to raw metal. btdt works great. good luck with your project and do not forget the pics when your done. btw i know of two in the white unfinished receivers for m11, any takers? red dog almost forgot your concern about thickness. durakote is as thick as you need it for coverage it should not fill in your markings but if your worried remove the existing finish in just those areas.

All fine and dandy. My concerns now are the new rear sight plate is bare and about an inch around where it attaches is bare. Also if I remove the parkerizing from the areas around the markings, that will be bare too. I'm afraid the texture will be different or it wont stick as well.

**bac0nfat** · January 25th, 2012, 01:39 PM

I would get it re-parkerized. It could be sandblasted and reparkerized without damaging the engraving, and if done properly it could look like new. If you ever decide to get a Lage upper or some thing like that, I think a parkerized lower would match best.

**hertz** · January 25th, 2012, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by bac0nfat

I would get it re-parkerized. It could be sandblasted and reparkerized without damaging the engraving, and if done properly it could look like new. If you ever decide to get a Lage upper or some thing like that, I think a parkerized lower would match best.

I may just have it re-parkerized. I never planned to do anything wild anyway, just matte black. I don't know that I'll ever put anything like a Lage on it. It's just a puny SA. I've just always been interested in them and this one needed rescued. Heck I doubt I'll ever even shoot it. It was used heavily and abused. The reason I need to replace the back plate is because it was shot for who knows how long without a buffer.

Anyway, sandblasting is the way to do it?

**bac0nfat** · January 25th, 2012, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by hertz

I may just have it re-parkerized. I never planned to do anything wild anyway, just matte black. I don't know that I'll ever put anything like a Lage on it. It's just a puny SA. I've just always been interested in them and this one needed rescued. Heck I doubt I'll ever even shoot it. It was used heavily and abused. The reason I need to replace the back plate is because it was shot for who knows how long without a buffer.

Anyway, sandblasting is the way to do it?

Yes, sandblasting will do it BUT there are a few important things to consider. For one, if you get it re-parkerized, it needs to be sandblasted RIGHT before going into the parkerizing solution. Which means if you sandblast it yourself, and then send it out, it will end up being sandblasted twice, which could result in removing enough metal to obliterate the engraving.

Also, there are many different kinds of media used in sandblasting, and some are more abrasive than others. You can also adjust the pressure. If you don't use the right media or use pressure too high, you could literally cut right through the metal. If you don't know what you are doing I would leave it to a professional.

If it comes down to it, you could always have it re-engraved, but that should be unnecessary if everything is done properly.

BTW a Lage wont work on a semi anyway, as they are an open-bolt design.