barrel how to plum or who can

[leserz]

 i picked up a ultra-hi by maroku .45 cal percussion cap  some may know of them  it was a kit rifle made in the 1970's  from the looks don't think it was ever fired. they did a poor job on the stock. even worse on the barrel what they did was put the barrel on the stock then put the plum or what ever they used on only the  barrel only on the metal that was not covered by wood. thing is not a speck of rust any place amazing. now i have the barrel all stripped nice and smooth looks like stainless now. now this is what scares me. i did a old cva barrel a few weeks ago did not turn out very good. i used the birchwood-casey  plumn was streaked uneven coloring. now that barrel would fit into my electric oven. this one won't 3-4" to long to close the door. i kind of don't want to use a propane torch  well i'm scared i will screw it up. love the looks of this rifle. thing is i seen sites that will plum a barrel but gees i don't have that kind of money seen up to $200.00 just to plum, no metal prep at all. some one know of a place or person who might do it for a lot less. or steer me in the right direction on how to do it my self ?  think i might have got the barrel on the CVA to hot. but what i did not like at all was i followed the directions to a T and next day there was like crudded up rust bu the bore crown even when rinsed with water real good and oiled . i used remoil. i don't like that stuff but what i had  i like oil to stay wet not dry out in a few hrs.  any pointers?

[Dryball]

What I've done in the past was first degrease the barrel thoroughly, use a propane torch and heat a small part till it sizzles a drop of water instantly, use a clean patch to dab a little Plum Brown on it, then heat another section. Keep doing over and over till you have a pretty thick coat of brown then wash it and wipe with 0000 steel wool to smooth up the rust. If still not brown enough, repeat till it is. Then gently use 0000 steel wool for final smoothing and spray with WD-40.

Ned

[leserz]

 my problem with the cva i think i got it too hot  did some boiling when i put it on then down the barrel just sizzle i used a sponge. to apply plum. used same spunge to do three coats. i used a oven because at the gun shop i bought the plum fron told me that if i did it in sections it would not turn out good he said you would see where it was started and stopped and restarted again.  i might not have de greased it good enough. only used dish soap and water . how about brake cleaner to de grease?

[Dryball]

I always used alcohol to degrease and a propane torch for heating, you cant get a barrel too hot with propane and yes it will streak for the first few coats. I used to make muzzleloaders for a living and whenever I used Plum Brown that's the way I did it. Normally I would much prefer a cold brown as it does a better job. But Plum will work if your patient.

Ned

[leserz]

 thanks. then three coats were not enough then? use rubbing alcohol or denatured ?

[Dryball]

You will probably need 6-8 coats for a decent finish, but the more you use the better the finish. Rubbing alcohol will work but denatured is a bit better. Just take your time and she will take a beautiful finish. Good luck.

Ned

[leserz]

 hay thank you for your help. need to get some propane and some alcohol  then.

[Dryball]

No problem. I'm going to move this topic to General Gunsmithing as it really belongs there. If you need more help we are always willing to help.

Ned

[FrankG]

Another little trick is to use some metal coat hanger and bend them to form a cradle to hold barrel at each end then you can heat the barrel evenly and wipe the brown on several times while it still evaporates and sizzles going full length strokes.

[leserz]

 thank you for the tips.

[Ranger]

Be aware with that Miroku barrel. It is not a true 45cal. Every Miroku that I have had I have had to use a thinner patch material. A .015 patch is too thick. Use a .007 patch instead. My current Miroku 45 flinter shoots dead on at 50 yards using 50gr 3f and a .007 (I use 22cal precut cleaning patches from ox yoke) patch. It's a great shooter but can be very cantankerous about the patching. Use the same thickness of patching for cleaning too or you will loose your cleaning jag! Learned that one the hard way.

[leserz]

 i seen on a different forum that's it's closer to a .44 cal  thanks for that .22 patch trick. i like the idea of using same patch.

[FrankG]

If I remember right they took a .435 ball instead of .440 ball.

[Dryball]

That's what the old Numrich barrels liked.

Dryball

[Spitunia]

Anybody have home made browning solution recipes?