Browning....

[Red Badger]

I need some advice...     OK settle down....  An Amateur radio operator friend of mine calls me up last night and wants me to help him re-brown a set of double barrels he got in the late '70's or early 80's from cabella's or somewhere like that...  I am going to go look at the thing this week sometime, but need to know what I am getting myself into.  The gent has done me some favors in the past on HAM gear so don't want to lead him astray....  I have been told this is going to be a wall hanger project and he just wants it to look nice... (I am planning on convincing him otherwise... after all he just retired and needs a new hobby right?)

Any ideas would be helpful at this stage...

Red Badger

[hotfxr]

Plum brown for the double barrel. Quick & easy. Just my opinion.

[old salt]

I agree Plum Brown,  If he really wants to get involved we can get him info on a sweat box

[Patocazador]

Just use any hot-bluing solution but don't put in a hot water bath after. Card it off and oil it down. .... Voila! Authentic period browning.

[Winter Hawk]

I've had good results with Laurel Mountain Forge brown & degreaser.  It takes four or more applications, carding in between and it helps to leave the metal parts in a humid place - a bathroom is great if the rest of the family doesn't complain.

http://www.laurelmountainforge.com/barrel_brown.htm

Good luck with that!

~WH~

[graybear]

I used the Laurel Mountain Forge brown and degreaser on a CVA Big Bore kit. The more you apply and card the darker it gets. Really liked the results. Plum Brown does especially good if you apply it to heated metal. An electric automotive dipstick works well for heating rifle barrels, not sure if it would be too hot for soldered bbls. but you could stop when you felt the bbls. were getting warm.

[Dogshirt]

Ok, I started a build and am browning all the steel furniture  I currently have the buttplate with it's
first coat of LMF browning hanging NOT my wife's bathroom.    So what do I use to card it tomorrow?
I've blued before, but the only thing I've browned was a 'hawk head that I boiled for a rust blue.

[hotfxr]

When I used LMF, I used some denim from an old pair of Levis. My results were not as good as hoped, it is just not humid enough here.

[graybear]

When I used the LMF browning solution I used burlap that I "liberated" from my wife's fabric supply. I pretty much followed the instructions that came with the solution. I know, I followed the instructions, really scared my wife.

[Dogshirt]

I ended up using an old wash cloth that was in my rag box because I couldn't find the burlap sack that was sitting on top of the dryer. 

[Patocazador]

Carding is usually done with a fine wire brush. It usually takes several applications and cardings to get a good result.

[hotfxr]

I do know that if you want a heavy duty brown/black finish that really holds up, Brown it with plum brown then without oiling it, use a good cold blue. I have done this on several friend's pistol barrels and most everyone loved it.
Just an aside, I have been Parkerizing stuff lately. Not exactly historically correct, but who knows. I might add that any barrel I get now will have a matte finish instead of polished. I just like the look better and it holds the finish longer. IMHO   

[graybear]

Technically , using the burlap isn't carding, but it evens out the finish w/the LMF and it's what they recommend using. I found that I could blend the finish pretty good with it.

[Dogshirt]

So, after 4 coats of the LMF browning solution, and following the directions and most of the advice, I am TOTALLY unhappy with the results. What started out as nice iron furniture is now a pitted mess. The results achieved are absolutely nothing like other brown finishes I have seen. If I knew where these parts came from, I would pitch them in the trash and start over. REALLY glad I didn't do the barrel yet.

[Patocazador]

Is the furniture actually iron? It may be some potmetal mess.