barrel finish

[mwojack]

I have never put a finish on a barrel before. I am looking at a muzzleloader to buy that has two coats of browning on it. Not sure what was used, but it looks like a rusty piece of iron. Is there a trick to get it to look a smooth chocolate brown or would I have to strip it and start over?

 

[rich pierce]

A lot depends on what surface preparation was done and whether or not there is deep pitting. A light workover with green scotchbrite followed by beeswax is a good first try.

 

[Old40Rod]

You might want to post some pics. If it is "orange" rusty, you probably have genuine rust or an incredibly poor browning job. If that is the case, if it were mine, I would sand or strip it all down and start over. Its more work, but then you know what is there. Its up to you. I guess it depends on how much fussing you want to do with it.

Once you get it stripped back, use LMF browning solution to brown it. There are lots of posts here for using LMF. Its relatively inexpensive and very easy to do.