Brown finish on a kit gun

[RandolH]

This is a bit of a cross post with the muzzleloading board but I figured this would be the best place for it.

I recently purchased a Traditions flintlock pistol kit. I've had a professional do some tapping and threading for parts that don't fit properly but everything else I'm doing myself.

I purchased a bottle of Birchwood-Casey Plum Brown finish for the barrel. I put the finish on without any major troubles. The thing is that the finish is quite uneven, areas that only got a thin coat f the finishing fluid are a chocolate brown and reflect the light nicely. I believe I overapplied some of the stuff in an effort to make the finish look more even and the result is that the overwhelming majority of the barrel has some really heavy surface rust on it since the finish I applied is basically super ruster

I've been able to get some of the rust off and the finish is there, but I'm not sure what I can do to remove the stuff without damaging the finish underneath and having to go through the mess of reapplying it. It also seems that surface rust is accumulating over time, is there any kind of finish protector I can get to keep this from happening?

 

[Old Fuff]

I think gunsmiths discovered browning when their unfinished iron barrels rusted. Modern browning chemicals work in different ways, so the first step should be to carefully read the directions. The next most important step is to make sure the barrel (or whatever other part) is ABSOLETELY grease and oil free. After that it is best to handle it with cotton gloves or a wood peg driven into the muzzle

The barrel should be uniformly heated, and the best way is to use a tank of boiling water.

After applying a coat of the chemical it should dry instantly. Then rub it down with fine steel wool and then return it to the boiling water. Repeat until you have the color you want, the oil it and let it sit for at least 24 hours. Then wipe off the excessive oil and you're done.

If the instructions say too do it some other way - do what the manufacturer says, and forget all of this.

One last hint: Go to: www.dixiegunworks.com and order a copy of their approximately 700 page catalog. It costs $5.00, and is filled with a lot of information you need to know.

 

[RandolH]

Thanks!

I actually used an oven to heat the barrel up, the instructions say at least 375 degrees and I couldn't see another way of reliably getting the barrel that hot. I've done a bit more research and I think I'm going ot have to use some slightly rougher steel wool than the 0000 that I'm using now to get the rust off. It didn't mention much about what to do after the coat is finished, just apply Sheath or whatever B-C's rust protector is called, but I don't want to do that till I've got all this other stuff scraped off.

 

[Old Fuff]

375 degrees seems far hotter then I would think was necessary. The only purpose of the heat is to make the chemical dry as quickly as it is swabbed on. I suggest again that you get the Dixie Gun Works catalog and look over some of the different barrel browning options. I have examined original guns where the color ranged from a deep plum to a dark chocolate brown.

One thing I forgot to mention. If you use steel wool be sure to degrease it. Otherwise I can understand why you'd get streaks in the finish. Old time gunsmiths often rubbed down the barrel with a block of bee’s wax after the last coat of finish rather then use oil.

 

[Mike Irwin]

How did you degrease the barrel before trying to brown it?

I've always boiled my parts in water to which a very healthy dose of dish detergent has been added.

After rinsing thoroughly, I then boil them in a pot of distilled water. For small parts at least 5 minutes to make sure they're at an even heat, for thicker, larger parts, as long as 20 minutes.

I've also used a sand tank to heat parts before, and as long as the sand is washed and totally dust free, that normally works fairly well, too.

 

[BigG]

When you get the brown you want, with all the loose rust removed, you must boil it again to stop the rusting. THEN you oil it. Otherwise it will keep rusting till kingdom come. By doing this you will get the smooth brown finish similar to what you are expecting.

 

[DeBee]

Simple Green in the boiling tank makes a fantastic degreaser- you can be generous with the stuff because it's relatively cheap...

375 is way too hot- the solution should evaporate instantly but not cook off.

I'd repolish the barrel and do it again.

This is, by the way, excellent practice for slow rust bluing- essentially the same process but you leave the solution on for a few hours and then boil then card and repeat.

Most times however, its grease that buggers the job like Old Fuff said...

 

[Gewehr98]

The deep brown finish comes only after several applications...

And you have to "card" the finish between each application sequence, too. Don't get upset if the first few layers look uneven. I was hesitant after doing a CVA Hawken kit that way years ago, but I persevered.

 

[Alex]

Be careful with the boiling water, you can easily change the brown to a blue. Rust Blueing is simply browning that has been boiled in water for awhile. If you want the best brown possible, try using a cold brown, they are not as finicky as the hot browns and give more even coverage. In my experience hot browns are best used on smaller parts such as locks and screws.

 

[enfield]

I had my T/C Hawken kit gun professionally blued, but this thread prompts an interesting (to me) question -- is there anyone who does professional browning?