black barrel

[John Tice]

Last weekend I went to the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut, there is a temporary exhibit on early shipbuilding now. In one of the exhibit cases was a fine New England fowler, French style stock, some home made parts, steel ramrod, the works. It looked to date to around 1770 or so. One thing I noticed was the barrel, it was black, and seemed to be thinly coated with something, like a black laquer. It looked like an original finish to me as it was even, smooth and well patinated. Does anyone know what I was looking at? Were barrels ever covered with Japanning or a type of asphaltum? Any thoughts?

 

[Many Klatch]

The English gentry were known to take their guns back to the builder once a year to be cleaned, repaired and japanned. Japanning is a type of lacquer, a couple of coats and you don't have to worry about rust on the outside of the barrel. Possibly what you saw was one of those preserved lacquered barrels.

Many Klatch

 

[wallgunner]

I've read that forged iron barrels will turn a blackish color, like patina, as it ages. Not necessarily brown. Sometimes you find old guns with a variety of treatments to the furniture to help perserve it from rust or corrosion. It could be wax, laquer,jappaning, or any number of modern chemicals to help keep the metal in good shape. I've heard of people putting light coats of beeswax on metal. Furniture wax, Rennisance wax is another name brand. But none of them really make it look shiny, just a dull finish. They used period varnishes and shellacs, and it sounds like it was a better quality gun, so it could be the original finish. Hard to say what it was without having it tested. I'm sure they won't mind letting you scrape some off the barrel :winking:

 

[Dave K]

One of my old rifles, had what appeared to me, to be boiled linseed oil coated on it. I would assume that the years of dirt etc. would turn this black.

 

[Pigman]

I have heard that as late as the Civil War small arms on ocean going ships had their metal parts painted black to prevent corrosion. I have never seen one but it may make sense.

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster

 

[lockjaw]

...black rustoleum... :winking:

 

[Mad Monk]

When the guns would see duty on ships they would be painted with an asphalt-based coating.

 

[benvenuto]

A variety of black finishes were used on metal, from the sensational to the woeful. Some were lacquers, some aspheltum paints, other finishes were formed by heating and then treating with wax or linseed oil.

Black japan lacquer started to be used on weapons around the time of the english civil war. There is a fine sword in the royal armouries collection supposedly owned by Cromwell with a hilt finished in black laquer and gilt.

Don't confuse the black japan lacquer used on fine european metal goods with the finish sold today for woodworking use (a penetrating stain, not a lacquer)

 

[tg]

Browning, Japanning and Blueing of barrels was advertised in the late 18th century, it may have been Japanned, which I think has been explained already.