3 Questions on Browning a Barrel

[BigDave_76]

Hey y'all,

Just browsing the internet trying to get ideas of what to do when finishing my barrel. It's a round barrel, so there are no flats. It's also a hooked screw breech English style barrel so the tang is separate. Barrel is held in the stock with tenons like a Hawken. I have browning solution and the tools to do it, but I have a couple of questions...

1. An old renown gunsmith told me that he used a substance called "Bisodium Carbonate" (exact words in person and in email) in order to neutralize the browning solution after he has finished browning his parts. He claims it's the best thing to use in order to fully halt the browning process, and that it was used in days of old as well. I cannot, for the life of me, find any mention of this stuff anywhere and wondered what y'alls' idea of it may be.

2. Do you brown your barrel with the dovetail sights in or out? If you brown it with them out, do you also take out the barrel tenons then before browning as well?

3. Touch hole before or after browning? (Not using a touch hole liner for historical recreational reasons).

 

[painter]

I think the old buck was mis-speaking. He was trying to say Sodium bi-carbonate...baking soda.

 

[BigDave_76]

I think the old buck was mis-speaking. He was trying to say Sodium bi-carbonate...baking soda.

That's what I thought too, but I swear he emphasized that he was not talking about Baking Soda. The only other thing that is coming up when I look through various chemicals is Soda Ash.

Edit: That being said, he could still be misspeaking.

 

[painter]

How about sodium carbonate, which is the disodium salt of carbonic acid? It has alkalinizing properties.

It just seems that there's no such thing as bisodium carbonate.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hey y'all,

Just browsing the internet trying to get ideas of what to do when finishing my barrel. It's a round barrel, so there are no flats. It's also a hooked screw breech English style barrel so the tang is separate. Barrel is held in the stock with tenons like a Hawken. I have browning solution and the tools to do it, but I have a couple of questions...

1. An old renown gunsmith told me that he used a substance called "Bisodium Carbonate" (exact words in person and in email) in order to neutralize the browning solution after he has finished browning his parts. He claims it's the best thing to use in order to fully halt the browning process, and that it was used in days of old as well. I cannot, for the life of me, find any mention of this stuff anywhere and wondered what y'alls' idea of it may be.

2. Do you brown your barrel with the dovetail sights in or out? If you brown it with them out, do you also take out the barrel tenons then before browning as well?

3. Touch hole before or after browning? (Not using a touch hole liner for historical recreational reasons).

2.If you want your sights browned, by all means have them in. Barrel tendons never come out in my book!
3 I use TH liners, but to me it make no difference before or after browning. Think of this: Before, you will have to plug the hole so solution does not enter the barrel. If you install the TH after browning you have to be more careful with a finished barrel. To me it is a toss up.
Larry

 

[The Crisco Kid]

It's a lot easier to do the carding with the sights out. I use epoxy to glue the sights to a dowel so that I can handle them easily and brown them separately. A little heat will release them from the dowel. I leave the tendons in since the carding doesn't have to be perfect on the bottom of the barrel anyway.

 

[BigDave_76]

How about sodium carbonate, which is the disodium salt of carbonic acid? It has alkalinizing properties.

It just seems that there's no such thing as bisodium carbonate.

It very well could be Disodium Carbonate

 

[Vaino]

I brown bbls w/ the sights removed and use hardware store ammonia straight from the bottle to neutralize....does a much better job. I would drill the TH prior to browning....the browning solution isn't slathered on so shouldn;t get into the TH......Fred

 

[Col. Batguano]

There are many things you can use to neutralize the acidity of the Aqua Fortis / Nitric acid / Ferric Nitrate you use to stain the stock. Left untreated, the stock will continue to darken over time as the acid continues to work in the wood.

What they all have in common, is that they are a basic in their PH to counter the acid PH of the treatment. Commonly used ones are baking soda (in sort of a paste form mixed with water), ordinary household ammonia (not the industrial strength stuff), and lye (either made yourself from wood ash, or hardware store drain opening stuff--food grade lye works too). The first two mentioned won't impart a new color to the stock, but lye will give you more of an orangish hue.

Original makers (200+ years ago) didn't necessarily always have access to baking soda and ammonia, but they did have access to wood ash. It's up to you what you want to use. I would suggest trying all of them on some test pieces to see which one you like the best.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I used a sweat box, I wooden box with moist sponges and a light bulb in it.
Its been so many years dont remember what sauce I used. its held up since 2005.

 

[Flintlocker.com]

Sorry I was going to say make a baking soda slurry and coate the barrel after a hot water flowing rinse.

Then …Carding the pedal power way!

 

[springfield art]

Hey y'all,

Just browsing the internet trying to get ideas of what to do when finishing my barrel. It's a round barrel, so there are no flats. It's also a hooked screw breech English style barrel so the tang is separate. Barrel is held in the stock with tenons like a Hawken. I have browning solution and the tools to do it, but I have a couple of questions...

1. An old renown gunsmith told me that he used a substance called "Bisodium Carbonate" (exact words in person and in email) in order to neutralize the browning solution after he has finished browning his parts. He claims it's the best thing to use in order to fully halt the browning process, and that it was used in days of old as well. I cannot, for the life of me, find any mention of this stuff anywhere and wondered what y'alls' idea of it may be.

2. Do you brown your barrel with the dovetail sights in or out? If you brown it with them out, do you also take out the barrel tenons then before browning as well?

3. Touch hole before or after browning? (Not using a touch hole liner for historical recreational reasons).

Baking Soda.

 

[Dale Lilly]

I have browned more than 20 barrels. I use baking soda and water to make a paste [batter] that will stick to the barrel until the browning is neutralized. Then wash it off. Polecat