browning the lock

[Philip63]

I browned the barrel on my TC Hawken and it turned out nice. I have yet to do the lock as it seems to be case hardened and I didn't know how it would turn out. Does anyone have any advise on browning the lock as well?

 

[crockett]

I'm not certain many locks were ever browned. I think most were just case hardened. Sometimes the coloring wasn't so great and the case hardening was just sort of grayish. Browning a lock might be the NON-pc option plus the inner surface on the lock plate ought to be smooth, the browning might cause troubles.

 

[Spikebuck]

plus the inner surface on the lock plate ought to be smooth, the browning might cause troubles.

Not sure why browning the lockplate on the outside would cause issues on the inside surface. Lots of locks are browned with no issues. I have not seen any issues with any of mine.

I cannot talk to browning a surface that has already been color case hardened. If it has a beautiful color case hardened finish, I'm not sure I'd want to brown it.

I use Birchwood Casey Plum Brown (hot) and it works great on locks.

 

[LRB]

If using a cold process brown, paint the back side of the lock plate with a laquer or polyurethane based paint, and the inside of the tumbler and screw holes. This will help prevent unwanted rusting in these places. I browned mine years ago by prepping the case hardening with naval jelly. Came out very well with a good match to the barrel color.

 

[Philip63]

What about using B-C's Plum Browns?

 

[Philip63]

Oh! Never mind.

 

[Lock Nut]

Not a problem. I've done several with excellent results. Remove all the parts and take the plate, hammer (cock) and screw and put them in a container with some sno-bowl toilet bowl cleaner. Maybe alittle scrubbing with a stiff brush. It will take the bluing right off. (use gloves in a well ventilated area of course) Degrease and rinse well and your all set to brown.

 

[galamb]

If you have a factory T/C lock it did originally come with (at least the appearance of) colour case hardening.

I would suspect that this was a "faux" finish given the price point of the rifle.

Unless you can get a definitive answer as to actually how it was treated and the best method to remove enough of the original finish etc to get it to brown effectively, I would be tempted to leave it alone.

You could end up with an ugly mess.

Alternately, you could use this opportunity to upgrade to an L&R replacement lock. It comes "unfinished" and would brown rather nicely.

 

[Philip63]

Thanks for the advise fellows. I will carefully consider what to do before I do anything.

 

[Birddog6]

I would glass bead it & brown it as I would any other metal I want browned. Doesn't matter if it is case hardened or
not. All that means is it may take a tad longer to brown, as the metal is harder & reacts slower.
By glass beading the metal, it opens up the pores on the metal so the browning solution can get in better & start the
rusting process.

I would use Wahkon Bay Tru-Brown or Laural Mtn. Forge browning solution.

Keith Lisle

 

[LRB]

Plumb Brown is fine. I just prefer the slightly rougher finish of the cold browns, and it is hard to keep the Plumb Brown out of threaded holes, though very little damage is really done. Toilet bowl cleaner is not really necessary to remove bluing or colors. Muriatic acid, common cheap pool acid, or Naval Jelly is almost instant for removal.

 

[rusty]

I have actually browned a rifle barrel with muriatic acid,it worked fine..

 

[Shifty]

I am sure that a lot of original guns had Browned locks,maybe not when new but after time they became Brown from use,Color Case Hardening is not a real durable finnish for a gun that is really used a lot. :stir:

 

[LRB]

Probably true as far as color goes, but well done case hardening will prevent premature wear of the lock plate and any other parts it is applied to. As far as I know, color casing was not commonly done to gun parts until the 19th c. Earlier they were cased to a gray finish and left as such, or polished bright afterwards.

 

[matt denison]

I am sure that a lot of original guns had Browned locks

tut tut tut, not so fast there...

There is no documentation, only your statement. I can't think of any original guns that I've seen with browned locks.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I am sure that a lot of original guns had Browned locks

tut tut tut, not so fast there...

There is no documentation, only your statement. I can't think of any original guns that I've seen with browned locks.

What do the locks look like on originals in museums? Here is one from a museum. I have pics of about a dozen original ml's from one museum. None have browned locks. Indicative that browning was not universally used. But not a broad enough brush to say "never". I've seen a lot more guns in other museums but that was one detail I did not pay much attention to.

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[Col. Batguano]

That's a cool museum gun. Do you have more pics of it? I don't much care for the architecture of the lock panel margins (just a preference thing), but it's certainly well done, and, of course, correct.

 

[Shifty]

I think you should read my statement again.

 

[Rifleman1776]

That's a cool museum gun. Do you have more pics of it? I don't much care for the architecture of the lock panel margins (just a preference thing), but it's certainly well done, and, of course, correct.

I'll check for more pics. It is a Jaeger. I think the lock is convertible. It is, or was, in a museum at the School of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri. That is very close to Branson. I was told the guns were taken out and there is no longer a gun display at the museum. There were many hundreds of fine guns on display there, including several fine Jaegers and a well known Hawken.

 

[Rifleman1776]

That's a cool museum gun. Do you have more pics of it? I don't much care for the architecture of the lock panel margins (just a preference thing), but it's certainly well done, and, of course, correct.

Found some:

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Sorry just this one additional.

Nope, one more. :grin:

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