Cleaning fasteners
 

In Vern's recent book on rebuilding the flathead, he said on page 178 that they had the fasteners "professionally cleaned" and Parkerized". I know what Parkerizing is, but what does he mean by "professionally cleaned" ?
Is there some form of Ultra Sonic cleaning method or ? Thank you Fordbarners.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Yes
You can now buy ultra-sonic cleaners. MOST professional platter's use a form of muriatic acid to clean scale, rust etc off the metal before plating/coating metal.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

If you call Micheal Driskell at Thrid Gen Automotive he has already gone to the trouble of cleaning the fasteners and having them plated. You can purchase the correct hardware from him.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Seth has a great point. Buying the fasteners already cleaned and properly plated is cheaper than buying the materials, etc. to do it yourself. It also saves you a lot of time.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

I also do not throw away original hardware/fasteners. I save them and plan on giving them to Micheal so he can clean them and have them plated. It's a way to keep original Ford bolts in use.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

It's a great deal of expense and work having bolts cleaned, plated and often times made new and plated. I'm thankful there are people like the late Roy Nacewicz and now Micheal Driskell that care enough to provide this service. Those guys don't do it because it's making them rich.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

I do not buy new fasteners to replace Henry's unless necessary. The question was related to cleaning existing Ford fasteners as Vern did. If ultra sonic is the method to clean fasteners to re-use, I will check with plating shops. Thank you Fordbarners.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Russ,

I've tried the Ultrasonic method. I bought the small Harbor Freight unit. It worked OK. I think the more expensive, professional type of cleaners do work well, but come at a cost.


I have an industrial plater by me. I throw all my old bolts into a bucket and bring them to him. They acid dip them and then plate them. I get black zinc plating. Generally cost me $75-$100 bucks for a 5 gallon bucket.

Look in the yellow pages or on line for industrial plating. That's how I found my guy

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

For the do it your selfer’ I have soaked in Purple Power & scrubbed to degrease, media blasted or tumbled with small steel rods . I used metal prep to coat bare fasteners or parkerized with a kit purchased. I have also zinc plated a few at home (Eastwood kit) and send some off to a cad plater (really expensive).
I will double what Seth has stated, this is a timely process to do small batches. Rewarding but not cost effective.
Thank you Michael for carrying the Nacewicz business on.....

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

I have read where guys have had good results with the Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner. https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lit...ner-63256.html

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

that's the one I have. The ultrasonic part stopped working at around a year old.

When working, it worked great for carbs, etc. Not so much for really greasy, rusty bolts.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

I have a tumbler that uses plastic media (and sometimes walnut shells) to clean a few odd bolts when I need them in a hurry. It works good, but takes a while. If the bolts are rusty, I soak them in Evaporust overnight first.

I agree with the others that if you have the time and money, it's easier to just buy them, given the number of good sources,

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

What I use to prep bolts for plating may be a bit unrealistic for the average hobbyist. It is a automatic barrel media blaster. Turn it on and walk away. They come out beautiful and are ready for the platers.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Evaporust in a ultrasonic cleaner works great !
It´s like doing a timewarp on the process.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

I have always used a phosphoric acid solution and a wire wheel. Head bolts get painted anyway. If it's a body bolt, I sometimes get them cad plated if not painted. They still look perfect even though some were done 20+ years ago. Old cars stay garaged and seldom driven.

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Is your guy in Montclair?

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Yes. I'll get his information. Highly recommended.

Here is their website. Alcaro & Alcaro in Montclair, NJ

http://www.alcaro.com/index.html

Re: Cleaning fasteners
 

Thanks! They did all of the zinc plating for my Corvette. The company I worked for did a lot of business with them.