Reading a June 1998 issue of "Muzzle Blasts" the other day, I came across a feature about barrel finishes in the Stump the Experts column. Several things were mentioned that I though were interesting.
Bob Harn (a custom gunmaker and former Chairman of the Gunmakers Hall Committee had these comments, speaking of a Pre Revolutionary era gun:
"...What we do know is that on some surviving guns of this period the barrels show signs (usually on the bottom of the barrel where it is covered by the stock) of being charcoal blued, but some show no sign of any finish at all. Browned barrels begin to show up in the 1790's. Lock plates were case hardened and were probably then polished and left bright.
'What is charcoal blue?' you might ask. It is a method of bluing iron wherein the object is heated in a metal container surrounded with powdered charcoal. The object is removed from the charcoal periodically and carded with tow or burlap and lime to keep the scale buildup fine....The process produces an almost black, very opaque, finish..."
He goes on to say:
"If you don't have the time, inclination, or facilities to attempt charcoal bluing by the original method, there is a way to approximate the color and finish of a good charcoal blue, if you aren't too picky about "originality" in your gunbuilding method. Of course as I said, leaving a barrel bright (just plain polished metal) is one valid option, but leaving a whole barrel bright just looks to unfinished to me. The method I would use if I were making a rifle of this period would be a slow rust blue, which is applied as follows.
I use Mark Lee's Express Blue #1 which can be obtained from Mark Lee Supplies, P.O).Box 20379, Minneapolis, MN. 55420.
This bluing agent is easy to use and provides good color.
Depending on how the Express blue comes out, I then may want to go over that finish with a coat or two of Brownell's Oxpho Blue (Bronell's, 515-623-5401. Screws, pins and such small parts I would heat or "fire" blue..."
Who knows? Things like this may cause a number of newly made guns to be blued rather than browned.
