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Browning or blueing???

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tx50cal

40 Cal.
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What time period did the barrel process go from Browning to Blueing? Was it before or after the Hawken Bros. I am needing to finish a barrel on a Hawken Rifle and I am undecided on which to use. I know that the browning will be much more rugged and hold up better.Thanks for the help.
 
If it fits your time period, I wouldn't sell rust bluing short. It's far more durable than modern hot bluing and a really pretty finish. It's my personal favorite, actually, and is about as easy to do as rust browning.
 
Ok, Plink

you got the gears in my head turning again. i have one gun that needs the barrel refinished. i have had pretty good luck with some of the cold blues. was considering that,or the brownig from birchwood. Now you had to bring up the rust blue and browning. I have been interested in these process's for a while. Do you have any suggestions or links where one could explore these options.

sorry, for bumping into your thread.

duke21
 
Rust bluing is different than heat bluing. To Rust blue, use any browning solution to brown the barrel, then dip the barrel into a trough of boiling water. in the boiling water, the rust color will turn blue. The blue will be as durable as the rust finish is.

Heat bluing requires a barrel length trough filled with coals so you can heat the entire barrel up to temperature at once. Many smiths cover the barrel on all sides with burning coals to reach that critical temperature, and get that even blue color without spots or blemishes. Sometimes the bluing has to be redone, after blemishes are polished, or removed. The trough can be a long channel dug into the ground, if this is a one time deal. Otherwise, you may want to find a machine shop that will weld up the ends of a piece of sheet steel long enough to use for this purpose, and find some kind of steel stand to put it on.

The real problem is working with the heat, to make sure the barrel is being heated the same its entire length, and on all sides of the barrel at one time. Gas burners underneath the steel trough, as you would see in bluing tanks, are probably the easiest way to insure even heating, even if you do use hardwood, or charcoal inside the trough and around the barrel.
 
I saw an original Hawken that had not seen a lot of use. There were still traces of blue on the barrel in protected areas, so a rust blue is historically correct for a Hawken/plains/mountain rifle.

Rust blue does not look anything like modern blues, so if you want something that is historically correct, ya gotta do the rust blue thing.

As has been mentioned, Laural Mountain Forge degreaser and brown is probably the best and most versatile product out there. Be aware that you will need 80 degree temps and about 80% humidity to make it work.

I don't have a lot of experience with LMF, however, I am told that you can get many different finishes by varying the application, so if you don't like the result, just sand it off and try something a little different.
 
The results you get from rust bluing depend a lot on the solution and technique you use. You can get anything from a dark black, to a stunning satin blue like you'd see on a high grade double barrel. I didn't care for the results I got using LMF browning solution for rust bluing. It may be a more period correct finish though.

The look I get with Mark Lee Express Blue is really nice on muzzleloaders. It's a satin black with just a hint of deep blue showing through. It's also the easiest solution I've found so far. Paint it on hot metal, let it rust a few minutes, boil and card the rust off. Repeat 10-12 times and it's done. You can finish the project in just a few hours that way. I just warm the metal over a stove burner since I have the water boiling anyway.

Pilkington's rust blue has a similar application except the rusting period is longer. About like LMF. I prefer this finish above all others, but it looks a little too "high grade" for all but the fanciest muzzleloaders. Sure gives the perfect finishing touch to a custom modern gun though.
 
for Hawkens rust bluing is the "correct" finish on barrels and generally on the other hardware, breechplugs and locks were case hardened - every still existing Hawken shows signs of being originally rust blued.
As to how old are the methods? There is documentation that the English were using browning and rust bluing from the late 1600's, but current research shows that it did not become "popular" until around 1780. Research though is on going....

Many old rifles we think of as being browned were originally rust blued - over time the blue form reverts to the red form.

Hope this helps......
 
Yeah I guess I didn't finish my story... blue, then brown, then blue comes back in style.
 
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