I tried my best to take some better pictures of the Philadelphia Derringer I've been working on recently. I really should invest in a real digital camera but these pictures will have to suffice for now.
I have dabeled in rust bluing with limited success but have never had the need to brown something until this Derringer showed up. Someone else had assembled the kit but hadn't finished the metal. Figuring it couldn't be that hard I bought some Birchwood Casey Plumb Brown and followed the directions. Well mostly. There are no instructions to card the product but I did. I polished the metal to 600 grit, degreased, heated with a heat gun and applied. And I like the results.
I find the brown quite Attractive aand could see applications on firearms other than period appropriate firearms. I figure it isn't as durable as a rust blue but I think it could be used on more modern firearms to good effect. Maybe in combination with a blue in a two tone affair. Or alone/as it is on a more modern firearm.
After the brown was carded and color was even I oiled it and wrapped in an oil soaked cloth for 24 hours. After that I drenched the unit in oil and heated it with the heat gun again hoping some more of the oil would penetrate the pores of the steel. Not sure that worked but I like the finished product.
I have dabeled in rust bluing with limited success but have never had the need to brown something until this Derringer showed up. Someone else had assembled the kit but hadn't finished the metal. Figuring it couldn't be that hard I bought some Birchwood Casey Plumb Brown and followed the directions. Well mostly. There are no instructions to card the product but I did. I polished the metal to 600 grit, degreased, heated with a heat gun and applied. And I like the results.
I find the brown quite Attractive aand could see applications on firearms other than period appropriate firearms. I figure it isn't as durable as a rust blue but I think it could be used on more modern firearms to good effect. Maybe in combination with a blue in a two tone affair. Or alone/as it is on a more modern firearm.
After the brown was carded and color was even I oiled it and wrapped in an oil soaked cloth for 24 hours. After that I drenched the unit in oil and heated it with the heat gun again hoping some more of the oil would penetrate the pores of the steel. Not sure that worked but I like the finished product.
