Letter 34084

Black Oxide Finish - cleaning allowances [Massachusetts] 

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Does anyone out there have any information about MIL-DTL-13924D?

This is a Black Oxide coating standard. I am especially interested in Class 4. We received the parts in an odd-smelling oily substance. (It was not unlike a mixture of a cutting fluid and WD-40. It was extremely lubricious.) This was an outside vendor operation (the final step before shipping to our customer.) Wiping the parts clean by hand is really not feasible. By cleaning the product chemically, do I risk removing any of the black oxide finish?

Ryan Spaulding
Manufacturer - Southboro, MA, USA

You can download this spec for free from the page referenced at finishing.com/faqs/milspecs.html. Class 4 applies to corrosion resistant steels which are supposed to be able to pass a 96-hour salt spray without any oil. Solvents should be able to remove the oil without removing the black oxide, but it's not clear if you would be within spec in doing that.

Any oiling and post treatment should be covered clearly by the customer spec, as 13924D does not specify oil or freedom from oil, only that it be done per other instructions.

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

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