A Browning Experiance

[Zonie]

I have used Birchwood Casey Plum Brown for most of the guns I've built in the past, but this time I wanted to use Laurel Mountain Barrel Brown and Degreaser.

Because it is so dry here in Arizona, I also decided to build a modified Bivins style Damp Box.

Except for one thing, things are working well. In fact the thimbols, nosecap, sideplate and butt plate came out perfectly. Very smooth dark brown finish on all of them.

The barrel on the other hand has been an experiance so I thought I might pass on a comment to save you some grief. This applies whether your using a damp box or your steamy bathroom for the moisture.

Make sure your barrel is warmer than the air in the box or bathroom each time you start the process. If it is cooler, the moisture in the air will condense on the barrels surface and create one hell of a mess.
I even managed to get a nice rusty streak where the moisture condensed and trickled down the side.

If this happens, the only solution is to sand the surface back to bare metal and start over.
Hopeing it will go away with more coats of browning is just a waste of time. All that does is to make the bumpy crappy surface look like a browner bumpy crappy surface.

The barrel doesn't have to actually be "hot" but it should (IMO) be "very warm" to the touch.

Zonie

 

[tg]

It sounds like you may have more moisture than you need if it is condensing and running, I have use that product on several barrel with good results, but have never used an invironment that caused water to bead on the metal, just a thought.

 

[Vaino]

Have been using LMF browning solution for years and never had condensation form on a barrel or any other part while in a sweat box. I use some wet towels on the bottom of the box and suspend the barrel approx. 10" above. No heat is used. I did find that using a tight plastic sheet to cover the box produced condensation on the plastic which could drip onto the barrel but using cardboard solved the problem.For smaller parts a covered cardboard box is used and the parts are suspended approx. 6" above cake pans filled w/ hot water. No condensation here either. Have tried most of the browning solutions and only use LMF because of excellent results and just a soap wash and hot water rinse for a prep. When carding, I handle the parts w/ bare hands and have never had uneven results....Fred

 

[Zonie]

It's part of the learning curve with something new.

For those not familure with Bivins Damp Box, it is a vertical box with a door.
There are several removable shelves in it and two light bulbs.

One light is in the area where the parts are located. It's purpose is to warm the chamber and create circulation of the air.

The other bulb is in the bottom chamber serving as a warmer for a pan of water which is located just above it. This bulb is controled with a variable light switch which controls the amount of evaporation from the pan.
The bottom chamber is not sealed tightly from the upper chamber, but the air gap between the two is only about 1/8 inch wide.

In the upper chamber is a humidity and temperature gauge so you know what's happening there.

I got the condinsation when the upper chamber was at 90 degrees F with a humidity of 82 percent.

The barrel was probably at about 72 degrees when I put it into the box.
I believe the problem is the barrel is thick, so it takes some time to warm up. While it is warming, it "steamed up" just like a mirror does in a bathroom when the hot shower is turned on.

With pre warming the barrel so it is around 100 degrees F when I put it into the box, I have had no more condensation problems.

 

Zonie, yer best solution would be to have the barrel in there when you start up the box. Now that yer among those of us that have six Saturdays followed by a Sunday. (being retarded, er retired that is) Ya don't have to geter done today, there's always tomorrow. Maybe ya got the A/C on to high, or are ya storing the barrel in the fridge. If ya made the sweat box a little bigger ya could have yer own sweat lodge.(a multi-purpose room of sorts, where ya see visions, talk to the dead, brown barrels, and other parts) :haha: Bill

 

[54JNoll]

Thanks for the heads up. It might be something to watch for. Having done several barrels in a damp box with LMF I have yet to run into this problem but that is not to say I won’t. I made my damp slightly different than the Bivins Version. My box sits horizontal with a single bulb placed in the center. I secured two dowels to either side and wrapped foil between them to diffuse the heat more evenly around the box. Small wet towels or small pans of water sit to either side of this. I fitted a loose fitting lid. A small shelf was built to hold small parts and the barrel is suspended by two more dowels near the top of the box. The box is made from thin plywood with no sealant. This allows heat and humidity to build but also to escape.

 

[BS]

The upper light is Temp, the light under tha pan determines humidity, and some temp.........if you are getting water, your bottom bulb is too hot. I had to go twos sizes smaller on mine.

I never preheat the barrel, but it should help the process.

Do not use tap water, it gives weird results. Use distilled or water out of the dehumidifier, or rain water.

Link to my swampbox

 

[oldarmy]

that's an awsume box. I use the cardboard shipping cases, put a few damp rags in the bottom, suspend the barrel with wooden slats and put it on top of the old oil furnecs. Works for me.

 

[Bill Bryan]

If you moved to south Georgia next to the Okefenokee Swamp you wouldn't have to worry about too little humidity.

 

[Zonie]

BS: "or rain water..."

Rain water in Phoenix costs more than that water you get at the Baseball games!

Now that I have this box and have used the LM Brown I must admit it gives a fantastic smooth, fine grain, uniform brown I've been looking for for a number of years.

I'll continue to use the Birchwood Casey Plum Brown for small parts like lock plates where I want to control the application, or on polished parts where I want a polished brown finish but the LMF stuff is Goooooooooood.

 

[wszumera]

I read somewhere that the fumes from Navel Jelly will rust everything in a shop. Has anyone ever put some steel in a bag with some NJ in the bottom to see the effects?

Clutch