browning of damascus

[bouldersmith]

Gentlemen,
I'm doing a bit of research on both the brown and white and black and white methods of refinishing damascus barrels.I have read the articles Dr. Gaddy published in the Double Gun Journal and a short article by Tom Flanigan about Parker barrels and black and white methods he uses. I'm using radio shack circuit board etchant cut 6 to 1 and pilkingtons rusting agent. So far the brown pattern on my piece of english twist is comming out very slowly, but it is comming out. I was wondering if you gentlemen who have done a bit of restoration work on original damascus barrels would care to share your methodolgy? Thank you,
Steve

 

[BlackNet]

lemon juice and water, neutralize with baking soda.

Ed

 

[paulvallandigham]

You probably need to do some testing on either other damascus barrel pieces, or at least on scrap iron and steel pieces to see what give you the quickest and best color before working on the gun. The barrels shown in Oscar's article were pieces, about 8 inches in length, from Double Barrel guns he had saved over the years, and carried to every gun show where he set up his table. He showed people the different colors that could be achieved by rust browning, or rust bluing.

Oscar was diagnosed with Cancer about a year after that article was published and died only a few months later. If he were alive, I am sure he would be full of suggestions. You might contact Turnbull's to ask your question, as they took Oscar's work and ran with it. Re-read Oscar's articles again, and see if you can't glean a bit more information out of them, now that you have tried this on your own. There are lots of browning agents out there, and I would try them all if I were you. Just try them first, as Oscar did, on scraps.

 

[Dave K]

You are doing OK. Slow is the best way to get the contrast in the different metals to show of the metal pattern. If it goes too fast it just loses all the contrast and is brown. It may easily take 6 "rustings and cardings" to get the contrast you want.

 

[Tinker2]

I have used radio shack circuit board etchant on damascus.
Worked well.


Tinker2