Barrel pitting

At what point do you give up on a pitted barrel? Is there a way to fix the pitting, other than liner? When I say pitting, I'm talking about pitting on the outside of the barrel.

why give up?

once had a gun that was so pitted i used some jb weld to fill up the pits. then sanded it down. After that i took some VH Engine paint and painted it black. Still have the gun in my safe today. Hardly shoot it that much but is still a shooter

outside pitting = non slip, anti glare surface

If the barrel has flats then it could be filed smoother, or recontour it.
But be sure to consider how it will fit in the barrel channel.

Here is a picture of the pitting. This is the only spot that concerns me.

That barrel looks terrible and possibly dangerous. Terms describing the potential condition of the metal include fatigue, embrittlement and cracking. Some of the steel appears to not be ductile any longer. There's no telling how deep the cavities extend below the surface and how badly the strength of the metal is compromised.
As far as being used as a working barrel, my totally layman's opinion is that it should never be loaded and fired again.
It looks like it's either part of a wall hanger or a tomato stake. :rolleyes:

Apart from the localized loss of thickness, corrosion pits can also be harmful by acting as stress risers. Fatigue and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) may initiate at the base of corrosion pits.

One pit in a large system can be enough to produce the catastrophic failure of that system. An extreme example of such catastrophic failure happened recently in Mexico, where a single pit in a gasoline line running over a sewer line was enough to create great havoc to a city, killing 215 people in Guadalajara.

http://corrosion-doctors.org/Forms-pitting/Pitting.htm

Spray it down with some rustoleum rusty metal primer then paint it the color that best matches your decor. It is now a wall hanger. Please dont risk life and limb over a piece of rusty metal replace it.
SORRY
T

clean it wire wheel it let it soak in penetrating oil. then spend $15 on sand paper, bondo spot putty and krylon black paint. fill up the holes sand them down. repaint the barrel then hang it on a wall. Depending on what kind of gun you may be able to replace the barrel.

I looked at the enlarged view of the pits, and well, a question came to mind. I thought I would go ahead and ask, (even though I expect it's really a dumb one). "What if a person used a wire wheel, or grinding wheel, (carefully, of course), and cleaned it up, not grind it all off, just cleaned out the pits, and then arc welded into and over them? I expect that would not return the barrel to full strenth, but would it make the barrel safe, or at least marginally safe? Perhaps for light or reduced loads.

Arc welding would definately change the temper in the barrel as well as ruining the alignment.
I would not do this without the ability to anneal and then evenly retemper the barrel. Not saying it's not possible but unlikely due to the expence.
Now I guess it could be turned down to good metal xrayed and then sleeved externally but you could probably replace it more economically.
As for reduced loads the problem is that the next owner may not know to use them. Just not worth the risk to me but that's only my opinion.
Hope this helps.

Depending on the alloy, there's not any heat treatment or temper to worry about, if welding it up.
The pic looks like a Damascus/twisted steel barrel. That could be a problem.
If it's just plain wrought iron or low carbon steel, there most likely won't be any heat treatment.

Mustanger, I have thought about cleaning the pits and tig welding over the area. I know barrels that have been demilled have been "fixed" by threaded plug and weld.

How old is the barrel?
Is it antique wrought iron? Damascus steel? Modern mild steel? Modern Chrome Moly steel?
That has an effect on how/whether you should try to repair or just hang it up.

I'd probably hang it up. That's an awful lot of pitting.
But, I don't know the wall thickness of your barrel, either.

yep lost cause. please sell it to me. I'll cash you out.

Jaymo, it is in fact a Damascus barrel. The more I look at this barrel, the more I think it will be ok. The worst of the pitting is about half way down, but the inside of the chamber and the rest of the inside of the barrel looks good for being 120+ years old.

I think you are borrowing trouble if you try to repair a Damascus barrel by welding it. The corrosion could possibly have traveled between the laminated layers of metal and actually extend far beyond the visibly affected area. Unless you have access to expert X-ray and welding facilities, please don't try to repair it and shoot it. You run the risk of hurting yourself and/or others.

What acorn mush said.

Jaymo, it is in fact a Damascus barrel. The more I look at this barrel, the more I think it will be ok. The worst of the pitting is about half way down, but the inside of the chamber and the rest of the inside of the barrel looks good for being 120+ years old.
Most guys won't shoot Damascus even if it looks OK. Problem is, corrosion can penetrate unseen into the space between the steel layers. There is no way anyone in their right mind would shoot one in that condition.

If you don't believe me, I'd strongly suggest taking it to a gunsmith.

If you do decide you're right and we are wrong, please have someone video while you shoot. That way, the survivors can put it on YouTube.

I missed the damascuss part when I first looked at the picture. Most people, (that I've heard) say a damascuss barrel IS a wall hanger. Band seperation, hidden corrion, and such you just don't know. I know that good ones can be safely shot, if shot according to the way they were shot back then. But knowing they're safe to shoot is hard. Thank you guys for comenting on my question.