Age

[Mr Woodchuck]

What are the "tricks" too adding an aged or patina of sorts too metal surfaces like barrels n locks.
That dull grayish black appearence

[mongrel]

I'm assuming you're not talking about an extremely dark browning job, but something more like polished but unfinished steel gone dark with age -- like old hammers and such.

Unless asked to do otherwise, I leave the barrels and sometimes the steel hardware on guns I build "in the white" -- completely unfinished except for a good smoothing and polishing early on in the building process, then any clean-up of nicks and dings and such that might be necessary at the end. Then, I leave them alone, except to oil the metal and use as little abrasion as possible to remove rust that might start, particularly in the vicinity of the pan on flinters and the drum/bolster and nipple on caplocks. The brightness almost immediately begins to dull down. I live in a fairly humid area and within a few weeks the metal is graying up nicely -- kept oiled and free of rust, within a few months it's going dark. My one ex-brother-in-law has a steel-mounted rifle I built him about ten years ago; the oiled walnut stock is almost black and the steel has darkened to somewhere between purple and black. The thing looks ancient.

In other words, at least where I live, there's no need to artificially age a rifle. A fairly short period of time and honest use will take care of that.

Frank, Karwelis, or one of the other builders might know the sort of trick you're looking for, but this is the best answer I have.

[Chaffa Hosa]

This pic is a little darker than actually but this is a two day soak in white cider vinegar, 0000 steel wool lightly and oiled

[mongrel]

Okay, now that there's cool, I don't care who you are....

[Mr Woodchuck]

Mongrel your way is the easiest ... Jerry once agin has pulled a wabbit outta de hat.
nice Jerry very nice
thanx

[fd-ems-emt]

Good tips to know !!

[karwelis]

i cut tshirts into strips soaked with white viniger and wrapped my parts, laid them out in the sun and let the viniger "burn" in got a nice irregular finish. then i used wd-40(miracle stuff) and 0000 steel wool VOILA! oh yeah the longer you let it go the darker it gets. also the last couple of week i been getting the barrel hot from shootin and with the oil from my hands its getting darker. if you got any questions just ask for my phone # and i'll galdly walk you trough

karwelis

[bull frog]

This is along the same lines, I have used dill pickle juice off of an empty gallon pickle jar.  But here again, we are back to vinigar.  Makes whatever you put in it smell bad for a while but really works on carbon steel.  Never tried a gun barrel though. .....................Bullfrog

[karwelis]

hey kids i went out not 5 mins ago and took some close ups of my barrel so you can see how its aging. also i did all the furniture the same way im very pleased with the results.

karwelis

[FrankG]

I use Birchwood casey super blue slathered on and immediately follow up with a spray bottle of purex and water mix 50/50 spritzed on and keep it damp with spritz for a couple hours then just let it work for a day .Be sure to grease anything you dont want to rust. then use steel wool and a bucket of water to clean it up and oil well . turns a nice mottled grey .

[Mr Woodchuck]

Thanks for sharing ... aged a new hawk head   came out purty nice...
workin on it   trial n de error
lol

[FrankG]

If you leave it go and spritz it for a couple days it will etch into the metal some.

[bull frog]

Looks really great,  will have to try that........Bullfrog

[RoaringBull]

TakingNotesTakingNotesTakingNotesTakingNotesTakingNotesTakingNotes

[Chaffa Hosa]

If you leave it go and spritz it for a couple days it will etch into the metal some.

And if you want it to really etch into the metal wet the blade, sprinkle salt all over it and wrap it in a worthless piece of cloth soaked in bleach and keep moist for a few days