Barrel Browning
- Thread starter Mike Webb
- Start date
- Location
- North-central Saskatchewan
Hey Guntech, I like BC plum brown, but have never tried it on a Damascus barrel. Does it show any pattern right off? Or do you etch it with ferric chloride or something afterwards?
Plumb Brown Barrel Finish will not bring out the damascus pattern you are looking for.
To achieve a real browning finish on damascus barrels, you need an altogether different browning solution (swabbed on fully de-greased barrels), letting the barrels rust overnight, then carding, then re-applying the solution, waiting, carding, repeating etc etc, until the pattern appears. It is a lengthy process similar to rust blueing (boiling water turns that finish blue-black instead of staying brown). Plumb Brown is a fairly instant finish that colours the metal, but does not bring up damascus patterns.
To achieve a real browning finish on damascus barrels, you need an altogether different browning solution (swabbed on fully de-greased barrels), letting the barrels rust overnight, then carding, then re-applying the solution, waiting, carding, repeating etc etc, until the pattern appears. It is a lengthy process similar to rust blueing (boiling water turns that finish blue-black instead of staying brown). Plumb Brown is a fairly instant finish that colours the metal, but does not bring up damascus patterns.
This is my experience as well. Plum Brown will turn the metal a coppery brown colour that darkens with repeated applications but will not bring out the damascus pattern. It’s easy to use however, so if you are just looking for brown colour it will work fine if the instructions are followed carefully. Pinfire described the original method that brings out the pattern while imparting colour into the steel and this colour varies with the solution used. The process is slow, dirty and requires both patience and skill. Not usually done satisfactorily by hobbyists, there are a few specialists among old time gunsmiths and the black powder crowd who can do a fine job. Expect to pay $600+ for the best or buy a $25 bottle of Plum Brown and accept it’s shortcomings.
It's probably all you will be able to get - all the muzzle loader supply places stopped shipping the browning solutions to Canada (something about Canada being lame with liquids and labels not being in French and English) ....
Slow rust browning is what you want to do by the way - same as slow rust, but no (or much less) heat. Heat over 200^ or so converts red oxide to black ... or somewhere in between. Steam does quite a job.
The thing about all the express/wipe on solutions is that they are not deep or durable - give the browning a try - if it doesn't work. you can just polish it out and try again.
the formulas in Angier's book on browning and bluing as well as in Foxfire 5 both use mercuric chloride as the principle rusting agent and alternate with ferric chloride solution plus hot water between stages and carding to bring out the pattern. You will also find a detailed description in a couple of old Double Gun Journal articles by Oscar Gaddy (now deceased.
the major problem is obtaining mercuric chloride although you need very little of it, in part because it dissolves in water poorly. I don't do the work commercially and don't sell the chemicals but I have done a number of damascus barrels; the results vary from barrel to barrel and the fancy figure 8 patterns are the hardest to bring out without browning everything.
cheers mooncoon
the major problem is obtaining mercuric chloride although you need very little of it, in part because it dissolves in water poorly. I don't do the work commercially and don't sell the chemicals but I have done a number of damascus barrels; the results vary from barrel to barrel and the fancy figure 8 patterns are the hardest to bring out without browning everything.
cheers mooncoon
I use muriatic acid, ferric chloride, isobupropyl alcohol and distilled water, I really don't know why people are searching for the "perfect" solution.... you can rust blue your entire shop by accident if you leave the muriatic acid container open too long....
Appreciate the input. Mine is not true damascus but twist or laminate. Being a lower priced gun for the Era it doesn't possess the beauty of the best gun damascus guns which are beautiful to my mind. Still like to get them browned though.
I have not used it on a twist barrel, but on a couple poor pistols,
Turned out OK, I used a real fine 6 in carding wheel at about 800?? RPM and it smoothed/ aged the job, don't know about the durability, was 15 or so yrs ago.
I still have a this , I will not use it now. But it's blue, not brown
Turned out OK, I used a real fine 6 in carding wheel at about 800?? RPM and it smoothed/ aged the job, don't know about the durability, was 15 or so yrs ago.
I still have a this , I will not use it now. But it's blue, not brown
Attachments
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Mike, you might check out the Mark Lee product. I believe I got mine from Track of the Wolf. I just did a spot repair and it was crolle damascus rather than twist but I fully intend to give it a go on a set of twist barrels in the future.
Thread is only a couple pages but if you start on page 1 you can see how unsatisfactory the browning looks if you don't do the acid step to get the contrast. https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...119-Dealing-with-pits-and-spot-refinish/page3
I've been shooting the gun for a couple years since the refinish and still looks like the day I did it.
Edit: found the pics
Before:
Browning only:
Browning solution and acid:
Thread is only a couple pages but if you start on page 1 you can see how unsatisfactory the browning looks if you don't do the acid step to get the contrast. https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...119-Dealing-with-pits-and-spot-refinish/page3
I've been shooting the gun for a couple years since the refinish and still looks like the day I did it.
Edit: found the pics
Before:
Browning only:
Browning solution and acid:
londonshooter; I am thoroughly impressed. That pattern is very hard (at least for me) to develop. I find that no two barrels are the same in terms of results ; some patterns just jump out and others not nearly so. The photo below is a bit amusing in that the gun maker appears to have grabbed two barrels out of large batch and when assembled, turned out to be different patterns
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Thanks Mooncoon. I've had 4 sets of barrels done by a couple of different smiths. One pair gave the guy fits trying to make them match as they behaved differently despite looking like the same pattern. He was so frustrated he took them down to the white again to start again but got similar result. Yet another smith looked at those barrels and said the first guy should have alternated which barrel he started with on each successive cycle. Lots of nuances like that, I'm sure.
In your case, should the rib inscription be London Fine & London Finer Twist?
A friend has metal tanks to do browning so I won't be etching the kitchen sink (again). Same friend for some gunsmithing purpose was heating vinegar on a hotplate - wife came home to find every single houseplant they had was dead.
In your case, should the rib inscription be London Fine & London Finer Twist?
A friend has metal tanks to do browning so I won't be etching the kitchen sink (again). Same friend for some gunsmithing purpose was heating vinegar on a hotplate - wife came home to find every single houseplant they had was dead.
