BC Plum Brown Help

[Zimsky]

I'm hoping to find some advice with what is turning into a mess. I've applied several coats of BC Plum Brown solution to my TC barrel, carefully following the directions, as well as some tips I've read here. The metal is "slightly" brown, but with several areas of inconsistent color. Also, when I apply oil after the browning process, the browning fades and the barrel almost looks blued. I've recoated the lighter areas, as well as the entire barrel at least eight times and I'm just not getting the color or consistency I want.

Is it too late to switch to a cold brown process, and if not, would this likely "clean up" the inconsistent colors and also give me a deeper brown?

 

[varsity07840]

They changed their formula some time ago, which in turn means you have to apply more coats to get good results.The barrel has to be throughly degrased. Brake cleaner works well. Don't handle it bare handed after doing so. Get the barrel hot enough so that the solution sizzles on it. Work small sections of the barrel.

 

[lonewolf5347]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a380/lonewolf5347/P1040007.jpg
here is a renegade 54 cal. flinter kit gun I redid a few years back with LMF browning chemical.
I used BC back in the 80's seem to me you may have to degrease the barrel and heat then apply,I do remember it did a nice job and a lot faster then using LMF .
I think I myself like the LMF better then the BC cold browning

 

[Zimsky]

LoneWolf,

That's exactly the color I'm looking for. With the BC product, I'm NOT EVEN CLOSE to that shade. As I said, once oiled, it almost looks like a blued barrel. I have THOROUGHLY, degreased the barrel using Gun Scrubber and BC Degreaser. I have also been heating the entire barrel in the oven to approximately 300 degrees, so I know it's hot enough with no cold spots. The BC just isn't browning.

 

[Birddog6]

My suggestion is toss the Plum Brown in the trash can & buy some Wahkon Bay Tru-Brown, sand the barrel, degrease it, take it to the bathroom, steam it up good & brown the barrel in 24 hrs. Been doing them a long time that way & get a deep even rich Durable browning job.

:thumbsup:

 

[bub524]

I would clean your barrel w/lacquer thinner and throughly degrease it. Heat it and brown it one more time. then leave it sit for a few days. It will get a dust like rust on it. Wipe this off with a very light oil. let it sit and it will rust again. Keep letting it rust and wiping it until the finish is even. Then wipe it down real good with a baking soda solution and rinse. Then oil well.
I have done many, many barrels like this and they always turn out nice.
Never had much success with Wahkon Bay, but others swear by it. LMF is a very good cold solution as well.
But, whatever you use you will have to go thru the rust/oil phase. Its not an overnight process like blueing.

 

[jtmattison]

I used the BC Plum Brown to do all of the small parts on my GPR and I used Laurel Mountain Foundry Barrel Brown & Degreaser for the barrel. The LMF is very easy to use and leaves a nice chocolate brown color. See my pictures in the photo section of my finished GPR.

HD

 

[George Holton]

:hatsoff: Bub ; You have it exactly right on plum brown, the new formula throws people who used the older formula . But you have said it all and just right. Thank you. old Bob :applause:

 

[Birddog6]

Never had much success with Wahkon Bay, but others swear by it.

You are the first person I ever heard say that. I have used it for years & just love it. Brown a rifle in less than 24 hrs withoiut a sweat box..... and it is a deep rich durable brown.

But anyway ya go about it, all of them are all cheap to try & if ya don't like it just sand it off & do it over with something else.

Hunting Dawg: Just out of curiosity, why did you use one type of browning solution for part of the rifle & another kind for the barrel ? Seems like you would want all the browning to be the same depth & texture & color, etc.

 

[paulvallandigham]

DON'T throw away the Plum Brown. All you need to do is heat that barrel up, after degreasing, before putting on the solution. The bare spots can be from impurities in the metal used to make the barrel. It happened on a 12 ga. double barrel shotgun I put together, and I had to go back and really heat up some of the patches to get them to take the solution, and brown. Today, I defy anyone to find where those patches are. I can show you, but finding them yourself will take a good eye, and lots of experiencE browning barrels to see them.

Just get out a propane torch and heat up the areas that are resisting the process, and swab on the solution while the barrel is hot. Do it in open air, and don't breathe the fumes. I used needle nosed pliers to hold a cotton swab to put the Plum Brown on the barrel, at arm's length, and it worked fine. I used a coat hanger run through a tang screw hole to hold the barrel up hanging off my garage door rail.

When you put the solution on when the barrel is hot, steam will rise almost instantly. And, there will be a yellowish residue on the barrel. It dissolves with more of the solution, and comes off later with plain water, so don't worry about it. Just keep reapplying the solution until you get the color you want. Let the barrel cool for an hour our so, then wash off the residue, and do a good inspection of it in natural light. If you find areas that need more color, degrease it again, suspend it from you coat hanger hook, and heat it up to put on more solution.

I have a deep chocolate brown on my barrels that have drawn nice comments from several shooters over the years. When they find out how I put the Plum Brown on, and they saw how durable the brown finish is, compared to their efforts, they head home to try it again my way.

 

[Zimsky]

Thanks Paul.

I have heated the barrel to 300 degrees in the oven. I gather from your post, you're suggesting that I heat it to a much higher temperature with the propane torch. We'll give it a try this evening.

 

[Runner]

I did not want a perfect even brown on my last barrel I used BC on, and it was a good thing. The color is different than the old formula, but the color now is a true Plum Brown. It doesn't work as well as the old stuff did. On my gun with it rubbed back to white corners, it does very well in recreating that old gun look. I would not choose the current formula for a gun I wanted perfect. It can be done, but there are easier ways to get to the same place. I have a 50 pistol barrel here somewhere that I used the old BC on that is still looking good after being in a parts box for years. It is the brown color most are looking for, but it is no where near plum brown. The new formula is a very good color, if you want Plum Brown!