Machine gun belt links have been zinc phosphate coated per DOD-P-16232 for over 40 years. The specification requires abrasive blasting as a pretreatment prior to phosphate coating. Decarburization requirements during heat treatment have resulted in the use of controlled
atmospheres to prevent oxidation. Heat treat scale is also minimized in these controlled atmospheres. Testing was performed to determine if chemical cleaning methods would be adequate. Blasted and chemically cleaned links were zinc phosphate coated and evaluated for coating weight and corrosion resistance. Keywords:p hosphate coating, zinc phosphate, abrasive blasting, chemical cleaning, corrosion resistance, decarburization.