[Healeys] Interesting Brake Fluid Reservoir finish - jag

[Alan Seigrist]

All -

I know this isn't strictly AH, but I know several of you would appreciate
this.

My Jag Mk9 brake fluid reservoir is a glass cup with a metal lid.  The
metal lid had alot of rust on it, and I wanted to clean it up before
heading into MOT.  I was really trying to figure out what kind of plating /
finish they had put on the lid and all of a sudden it hit me... they
Parkerized the metal lid!  This is a good thing because it means despite
all the rust, underneath much of the plating should remain (since it is a
chemical bonding process).

So, I cleaned it up as I would clean a rusted parkerized weapon - lots of
penetrating oil and using a soft brass brush back and forth for about an
hour, eventually most of the rust was removed and the parkerized finish was
maintained as best as possible, not perfect but the finish is restored and
looks almost like new (this lid was completely coated in rust brown before
I started):

[image: Mk9 Brake Master Lid.jpeg]

Some history of Parkerizing - it really became common toward the end of
WWII because it was excellent for protecting weapons from rust in
battlefield environments.  Makes sense that the British were trying to
repurpose this military process for civilian use after the war, and
parkerizing is an almost perfect solution for the brake fluid environment.

Cheers,

Alan
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