The Parker Metal Finishing blog
Notes from the tank
Zinc plating is an unglamorous trade that we happen to love. Here is where we talk about rust, finishes, specs, and forty-plus years of doing one thing well, with more jokes than the subject probably deserves.
40 Years of Zinc and We Still Show Up (Just Not Fridays)
Four decades, one family, one process, and exactly zero interest in plating anything but zinc.
Read the post → September 15, 2026Call Us. A Human Answers. We Know, It's Wild.
Turnaround, hand inspection, and the radical customer-service innovation of picking up the phone.
Read the post → August 15, 2026We Plate Parts That Outlive Their Owners
Mil-spec zinc plating is for the parts that have to work after everything else has stopped.
Read the post → July 15, 2026ASTM B633: The Most Romantic Document You'll Read All Year
A spec sheet does not sound like a love letter until you realize it always tells you exactly what it wants.
Read the post → June 15, 2026Hexavalent vs Trivalent: The Chromate Glow-Up
How zinc plating quietly upgraded its chemistry, and why most of your parts now go green without anyone making a fuss.
Read the post → May 15, 2026Clear, Black, or Gold: Pick Your Zinc's Personality
Same protection, three very different vibes. A field guide to choosing your finish without overthinking it.
Read the post → April 15, 2026Trivalent Yellow: The Finish That Looks Like It Owes You Money
It shimmers gold like buried treasure. It is actually corrosion protection in a very good outfit.
Read the post → March 15, 2026Rack Plating, or How We Babysit Your Fussiest Parts
Some parts are too big, too pretty, or too important to tumble. Those get the white-glove treatment on the rack.
Read the post → February 15, 2026Barrel Plating: Where Small Parts Go to Tumble
Got ten thousand tiny parts and no patience? Barrel plating is the high-volume mosh pit your fasteners have been waiting for.
Read the post → January 15, 2026Rust Is Coming for Your Parts. We Plate to Kill It.
Steel has one mortal enemy and it is everywhere. Here is how a thin layer of zinc throws itself in front of the bus for you.
Read the post →