Browning a barrel?

[ncmtmike]

How much is involved in browning :idunno:
Is it as simple as wiping on coats or are there more?

 

[necchi]

this is right at the top of this section. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/212853/

 

[silly goose]

I found it surprisingly simple using lmf brown solution, only I boiled mine to turn it a blue/black. Love the result.

 

[rustyh]

Depends on how you are doing the browning, if using Laurel Mountain Forge see the Sticky post at the top of this section. In my experience LMF takes the longest. With LMF you need to have the right humidity and time to achieve the best finish. Birchwood Casey is faster but some say it isn't as durable as LMF. It can be difficult to get a good finish with BC if you don't get the metal warm (150-200 degree) enough or get it too hot (above 250 degree) it will take a little experimenting to get the heat correct. With either process you can't rush it.

 

[hypo]

Iv browned more than iv blued and I'm tellin ya its sipmle just clean the parts real good rub em down wait 3 or 4 hrs rub em down aging wait 6 hrs hit them with fine steelwool rub the parts down every 24 hrs after that till they look like ya want them to.also I'm using the browning made by dixie gun works but have used sat water in the past it also works well but takes weeks.

 

[silly goose]

Luckily my wife is very understanding, I took advantage of shower time to leave my parts in the bathroom and form a layer of good brown rust. Without the humidity of a hot shower things would have taken much longer. Overall, a pretty forgiving process. I only carded with a cotton towel in between boiling. Very happy with the result.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Luckily my wife is very understanding, I took advantage of shower time to leave my parts in the bathroom and form a layer of good brown rust. Without the humidity of a hot shower things would have taken much longer. Overall, a pretty forgiving process. I only carded with a cotton towel in between boiling. Very happy with the result.

I'm a bathroom browner also. When this question comes up I'm always in wonderment that so many want quick results. Their bizzness. I have used a variety of slow brown solutions and will usually reapply twice a day and let the barrel rest in the bathroom. Process can take several days. Don't start the night before deer season or leaving for a ronny.

 

[silly goose]

Yeah, I'd say the process was 4-5 days. Next one I'm not going to boil, though I love the way this one turned out. I just want a different look on my next one.

 

I use Laurel Mountain brown. Apply the first coat and try to get it all in one foul swoop instead of streaking it over and over again. Let it set for 3 hour minimum. Hot water on a towel, wipe it down and let it dry. Then repeat two more times. Then wipe it down with hot water with baking soda dissolved in it. Once dry. Coat of linseed oil. And you got your chocolate brown barrel everytime.

 

[Billnpatti]

I have found that Laurel Mountain Forge browning solution to be the easiest to work with. It is a rust browning solution so it is much slower than Birchwood Casey's Plum Brown but it requires no heat like the Plum Brown does. The Laurel Mountian Forge directions http://www.laurelmountainforge.com/barrel_brown_inst.htm are pretty clear as to how to get a nice brown but from personal experience, I can tell you that the first coat or two may take overnight to start leaving a nice coat of rust. It is important not to over polish your barrel before browning it. The LMF browning solution needs a less than brightly polished surface so it can get a start. If your barrel is polished too much, there is nothing for the LMF to work on and it will take much longer to start working and may not give you an nice even brown. A barrel with a satin finish will work best. Once you get a rust coat started on your barrel, the next coats will take much less time and you need to watch it so you don't get pitting on your barrel instead of a nice smooth rust coat. I found that after you get a rust coating started, the following coats will need to be watched almost every couple of hours so you can remove it from the humidity chamber and card off the rust before starting another coat. Keep applying coats of LMF, letting it work and then carding it off and washing the barrel until you have the depth of brown that you want. it is not hard, you just have to keep an eye on it so it doesn't get away from you.

I use a piece of 4 inch PVC pipe with a cap on each end as a humidity chamber. Glue the cap on one end and put a few inches of water in it. stand it up absolutely straight and hang your barrel down in the pipe, Put the cap on the other end to keep the humidity in. Put the pipe in a place that will keep it warm. Be sure that barrel hangs free inside the pipe and doesn't touch the sides. The first coat will take about 12 hours. The second coat may take just as long but by then , you should have a good coat of rust started. Each coat after that, will take no more than 8 hours. it usually takes about 5 to 10 coats to get the brown that you want but it is a very durable brown and I really like it better than the Plum Brown. It is more authentic, I think.

Buy a bottle and try it, What's the worst that can happen? If it doesn't look right, just use emery paper and take it off and start again. Even if you have to start over a couple of times, you will finally end up with a beautiful barrel if you stick with it. It's easy, you just have to watch it and not let it get away from you.

Good luck and post a picture of the finished product.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, Birchwood Casey Plum Brown works best at 250-280 degrees F.

Colder than this it browns very poorly and leaves copper plating on the surface. If the copper forms it must be sanded off before anything will brown the steel.

If it is hotter than this, the solution flashes leaving a blistered, mottled appearance.
If this happens, washing off the crusts that form and reheating and reapplying will even out the appearance.

This temperature is very close to the same as a iron gets too. Many of us remember our mom licking her finger and touching the bottom of the iron. If it went "Phisst" it was ready to go.
If it didn't make the sound (and steam) it was too cold.
The lick test works pretty good for the barrel.
When it goes "Phisst", start swabbing on the solution.

I will say the BC Plum Brown must have at least 3 applications to began to make an even color and even this can be streaky.
I use it often for small parts like a lock plate or triggers but I use the Laurel Mountain browning agent for large items like barrels.

 

[J D Hoffman]

degrase the barrel, plug both ends and the vent hole or nipple. I use a propane torch heat it up till a drop of water sizzles then wipe on the browning with a rag. Gives a good deep brown

 

[Davemuzz]

FWIW, and you may have your mind made up to do the browning (and if so, go for it”¦browning is very nice) but I did my flint pistol using the Laural Mt. but I followed the instructions for blacking the barrel\lock\furniture.

It came out great!! I use this for hunting and I didn't want anything shiny on it.

Dave

 

[Bobby James]

can you just put it in the oven at 280 and leave it for an hour and do the process?

Does it soften the barrel heating it up?

 

[AZbpBurner]

can you just put it in the oven at 280 and leave it for an hour and do the process?

Does it soften the barrel heating it up?

Ya - make sure to handle it fully supported. lest it droop on the muzzle end from being held by the breech, or droop at both ends from being held in the middle :wink:

... not ...

It' likely that if you go out for a hard day at the range, your barrel will get about as hot from
just shooting it.

 

[Zonie]

Course ole' AZbpBurner is pulling your leg.

Yes, you can heat the parts in an oven and it won't take an hour to heat them up.
If the oven is up to temperature maybe 15 minutes will be required to initially heat the metal.

No. Steel can be heated up to well over 300 degrees without effecting it if it is not hardened steel. Your barrel and lockplate is not hardened.

Things like the lock springs and the tumbler and sear are heat treated so they shouldn't be heated to over 300 degrees.