Quote:
Originally Posted by lancerdg
I was under the impression that Black Magic was a black oxide applied over a sandblasted surface that was used prior to the short-lived Parkerizing process used in 1942 which infringed on the Parker Rustproofing Company's patent. Thereafter, a different phosphate process was used called Military Midnight Black. I got this information from a 10 year old post. Is this still correct?
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Lancerdg:
No, it is not correct. Further research and analysis on the Victory Model, facilitated in large measure by the S&WHF's document digitization project, has revealed additional information that changes what was thought to be the case years ago.
In February, 1942 the Hartford Ordnance District approved a change in finish to the use of Black Magic after sandblasting with 120 grain media. That is what was used until the end of the War. Several terms have been used over the years to describe this finish ("military midnight black finish"; "rough military finish"; "blued, sandblast finish"; "parkerized finish" - note the lower case p; "military black magic finish", "non-light reflecting finish"; etc.) but after the aforementioned date all were Black Magic.
Parkerizing was only used for about one week during June of 1942, and its use was exclusive to DSC shipped guns.
Regards,
Charlie