Anybody do rust browning?

[ghostdncr]

I've been doing rust browning for years. I've always been somewhat turned off by the plastic appearance of the Plum Brown finish and haven't seen this "LMF" brown that so many of you guys talk about.

I place all my thoroughly degreased parts in a box with an open baby food jar of muriatic acid and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Removing the acid, I let it sit for 6-24 hours (depending on the humidity) and then card the parts down with 0000 steel wool. Three to five cycles of this usually produces a beautifully rich brown finish that looks both new and old and is tough as nails.

I'm just wondering if anyone else fools with it?

 

[Little Wattsy]

I like the brown look and finish..I use LMF as its very easy to use and virtually bullet proof.
Its all Ive tried so I dont really have opinion on the other.

 

[Onojutta]

Try Homer Dangler's cold brown.

 

[Capt. Fred]

Have you got any pics? I'd be interested in seeing the finished product using that method.

I've only done two and I used the LMF. It can be finnicky stuff but looks good to my eye when it's done. I've been leaving it on long enough to get kind of a coarse finish. Just my taste though.

The next gun I'm thinking of trying to rub it out a bit to show some lighter spots through and I'm wondering if your method may lend itself to that goal.

 

[Mulebrain]

If you do your part, LMF rust solution works like a champ! The last barrel I did, I just cleaned it well and set it outside. It came out very nice.

 

[Onojutta]

How many of you guys just leave the barrel unfinished like was done originally?

 

[skunkhead]

I do both in the white or browned . What ever the feller wants. I use Dangler's with a diffrent twist . I use a damp box and really card with 0000 steelwool. It comes out brown with a red tint. If any one tries this make sore you rinse your steel wool with alchol it has a lot of oil in it.

 

[Onojutta]

When you leave it in the white, how long does the barrel take to build up a natural petina? Or do you polish it to keep it shiny?

 

[ghostdncr]

I've got three different rifles I'll be doing in the next couple of months. How about I photograph the whole process from start to finish and post it here for all to see?

I've got one rifle I've left in-the-white for almost fifteen years and it's just a dirty light gray now. I don't think I'm going to live long enough to realize the desired patina! :haha:

 

[Capt. Fred]

That would be great. Regarding the white rig, I guess you just need to wander in the mountains for a few years to age it properly. :grin:

 

[Onojutta]

So when you guys set out to replicate a historically correct gun, do you leave them in the white as if it is currently 1780, or do you brown it so it looks like it was made in 1780?

 

[Fishhog]

I've been doing rust browning for years. I've always been somewhat turned off by the plastic appearance of the Plum Brown finish and haven't seen this "LMF" brown that so many of you guys talk about.

I place all my thoroughly degreased parts in a box with an open baby food jar of muriatic acid and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Removing the acid, I let it sit for 6-24 hours (depending on the humidity) and then card the parts down with 0000 steel wool. Three to five cycles of this usually produces a beautifully rich brown finish that looks both new and old and is tough as nails.

I'm just wondering if anyone else fools with it?

I would like to see some pics of the process myself..Might mess around with some scrap steel and see how it works..Any extra precautions on keeping the rust out of the barrel or threaded holes?...Ray

 

[Tumblernotch]

I've been doing rust browning for years. I've always been somewhat turned off by the plastic appearance of the Plum Brown finish and haven't seen this "LMF" brown that so many of you guys talk about.

I place all my thoroughly degreased parts in a box with an open baby food jar of muriatic acid and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Removing the acid, I let it sit for 6-24 hours (depending on the humidity) and then card the parts down with 0000 steel wool. Three to five cycles of this usually produces a beautifully rich brown finish that looks both new and old and is tough as nails.

I'm just wondering if anyone else fools with it?

I use Tru Brown browning reagent from Wahkon Bay Outfitting. Rub on with a cotton swab and let hang for from several hours to a day, depending on humidity. Card off and repeat until you get what you want. For a deep brown with an almost velvet finish this might take 5 applications, maybe 6. On my last rifle, I wanted something like a patina on a well used barrel. I treated it twice and got pretty close to what I was looking for.
:thumbsup:

 

[skunkhead]

It all depends a lot on weather conditions, humidity how well you oil the barrel . I have heard of people who take a polished barrel and rubbing bleach on it which is highly corrosive.Buy all means I am not suggesting anyone do this. I have never done it myself. It just seems foolish to me to drawfile and polish it and not finish or leave in the white. Just like fiishing a stock and beating it with a chain. I say let nature take its course. It took acouple hundred years to get a finish and petina like that is on the originals

 

[aloyalistdawg]

ok guys here it is in a nut shell We need pics of these finishes :rotf:
I have been reading and the browning was actually done on some of the fire arms before sale... so no need to wait a couple of hundred :rotf:
But seriuosly could you guys post some pics on this thread
Cheers and my deepest respect.. a loyalist Dawg :hatsoff:

 

[tg]

I have used a couple of rust browning solutions and settled on LMF if done right you can get anything from a smooth brown to a rough brown to a blue I have done at least a dozen barrels with it I don't think this LGP is close enough to give any detail I might have some other pics but this is the only one in the machine now

". It took acouple hundred years to get a finish and petina like that is on the originals '

we really don't know how a rifle that was made in 1770 looked like 5/10/15 years later, there are to many variables for those in the re enacting it is quite ligit to add some patina if their gun is older than their persona this can vary as well, I have a Fusil circa 1730 and do a 1760 ish time frame, a brand new gun would look kind of odd, this is another issue that is entirely a matter of choice for someone to get the look they want, you cannot look at the finish of a gun and say it looks 200 years old there is a wide range of appearances in the originals from hunk of junk to nearly new depending on usage and storage over the years, many use mustard,naval jelly and other methods to take the "new" off a gun some boil the barrel in bleach which can be tricky so as not to go to far. some make the gun look new and keep everything cleaned and polished this was likely done in the past as well.

 

[Texasrick]

Wish I was home and could go through my library. There was an older gunsmithing book I read where the smith gave his method of "browning" a barrel.

Quite simple really!! Wait for a day with high humidity (not too hard to do on the Gulf Coast of Texas)....preferably a misty, semi-rainy day. Then open your fly and pee on the barrel......then sit it outside under the roof overhang. Later, card off the rust and repeat until finish is to your liking.

If that's not a "traditional" method.....I've never heard one!

 

[Goldhunter]

ok guys here it is in a nut shell We need pics of these finishes
I have been reading and the browning was actually done on some of the fire arms before sale... so no need to wait a couple of hundred
But seriuosly could you guys post some pics on this thread

OK OK! :rotf:

Here is my browned barrel. LMF.

 

[Little Wattsy]

ok guys here it is in a nut shell We need pics of these finishes :rotf:
I have been reading and the browning was actually done on some of the fire arms before sale... so no need to wait a couple of hundred :rotf:
But seriuosly could you guys post some pics on this thread
Cheers and my deepest respect.. a loyalist Dawg :hatsoff:

Here are the pics of my efforts with LMF browning: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/231297/