Color finish on barrel

[ukwildcat53]

I have a muzzleloader that has an orange color barrel and some of the finish is coming off. I have searched the web and cannot find any information about how to color a barrel in orange. Does anyone have any ideas for how to do this?

 

[wmaser]

Browning solution applied to a barrel that has not been properly cleaned and degreased will turn it orange and spotty looking. I have seen this happen with Plum Brown. Plum Brown makes a beautiful finish if you prep the barrel properly but if you don,t , it will turn orange.

 

[Zonie]

ukwildcat53
Welcome to the forum.

I've seen a factory made Pedersoli Queen Anne pistol that had a rather orange looking "browning" applied to the barrel. It almost looked like they were trying to make it look like it was bronze.

What kind of gun are we talking about and what kind of appearance do you want to have when your finished "fixing" your gun?

 

[ukwildcat53]

I don't know who the gun was made by. I bought it last year at Friendship, In. at the national muzzloading spring shoot. It was my first time there and I didn't have a gun so I bought it. The stock and barrel are both orange and it looks really good except for the fact that the color is coming off of the end of the barrel which may have been caused by some of the cleaners I have used. I would like to redo it in orange but I haven't found out how.

 

[Zonie]

For what it's worth, do not use any kind of acid or solution that contains an acid on your metal parts.

That includes vinegar, lemon or orange juice, tile cleaners or toilet cleaners.

The finish on most guns is a form of rust and these acids will destroy them.

As for a true orange color I don't know of any metal finishing process other than painting that would produce it.

I also can't imagine anyone at Friendship who would sell a orange painted gun.
Most of the vendors there are very knowledgeable about traditional guns and finishes.

It would be helpful if you could post a color photo of your gun.
To do that, you will have to upload the picture from your computer to a site that specializes in storing photos. This is usually free and one place that comes to mind is Photobucket.

 

[ukwildcat53]

I didn't buy the gun from a vendor. I bought it from a friend of my brother. It was not an expensive gun because I wanted to see if I enjoyed it and would want to get into shooting a muzzleloader on a regular basis. I am having a gun made for me now by Tip Curtis and can't wait to get it. I went to Friendship twice last year and twice this year and have really enjoyed it. After I get my new gun I may never shoot this gun again but I would like to get it back to the way it was. Actually I guess it is more of a bronze than an orange.

 

[ukwildcat53]

I followed the instructions for uploading a photo and it didn't work. I will have to see if I can figure it out. Sorry.

 

[ukwildcat53]

 

[50cal.cliff]

I followed the instructions for uploading a photo and it didn't work. I will have to see if I can figure it out. Sorry.

Was this what you were trying to post? I think you clicked on IMG Thumb, you need to click on IMG, click on IMG and you will see copied take that to your post and paste it in!





You posted while I was trying to get this together for you but you got it that time!

That is very strange! That looks like gray primer paint! :idunno: I am not sure what I am looking at!
If that barrel had been browned it should wear off, not like that. A barrel that has been browned if you get a scratch it will rust back and be almost unnoticeable.
That barrel doesn't look like plain steel under that! :hmm:

 

[necchi]

Now that you have your photo's up,
It looks like the guy used Laurel Mountain Forge Browning solution and made a common mistake many make when they use that product, it's almost part of the learning curve.

If you "rub" it on the solution get's a copper color. This is what is say's in the instructions;
"Rubbing the surface with Barrel Brown can cause a metallic copper colored film to form, which will impede the browning process." http://www.laurelmountainforge.com/barrel_brown_inst.htm

If it was my rifle, I'd pull the barrel and re-do the entire thing. It really is a simple process.
Re-doing it would be a lot easier than trying to match what's already on the barrel.

 

[ukwildcat53]

I don't want to try to match it. I plan on taking the barrel off and redo it but I was wanting to get the same color but I may just brown it instead since it sounds like there is no proper way to do it and get that color.

 

[Zonie]

necchi is correct.
You have a copper plated barrel. The copper plating at the muzzle was removed by whatever you were using leaving the dull bare steel showing thru.

Like the instructions necchi posted say, once that copper plating is deposited, there is no way to get the barrel to actually form the brown rust that most of these guns have without sanding the copper off. That leaves the barrel steel exposed so the process can be started over.

If you want the barrel to look like it presently does you can buy some Laurel Mountain browning solution. Put on some latex gloves and get a small cotton rag.
Wet the rag with the solution and rub it rapidly back and forth on the unplated area, applying pressure while you do this. That should lay down a layer of copper so it looks pretty much like the rest of the barrel.

You didn't ask about it but IMO, your front sight is a hazard. It is a front sight blank that was supposed to be filed to a proper shape.

The proper shape (most will agree) has a nice gentle curve that approaches the barrel towards the muzzle. The rear can either be rounded or left square.

This tapered area will deflect your hand rather than gouge into the flesh if it strikes the sight from the front during loading.

By the way, if the gun was mine I would use some 180 or 220 grit black "Wet/Dry" sandpaper and sand off the copper using long strokes that are parallel with the length of the barrel.

Then I would apply some LMF Browning the right way (without rubbing or overlapping multiple coats) and let the humidity turn the steel into a nice hard brown rust.

 

[ukwildcat53]

I will work on the front sight and round it like you said. After the responses here I think I will take the barrel back to bare and brown it the correct way. I think that would be the best in the long run. Thanks to everyone for the input. I really appreciate all of the advise I have gotten here.

 

[Black Hand]

I don't want to try to match it. I plan on taking the barrel off and redo it but I was wanting to get the same color but I may just brown it instead since it sounds like there is no proper way to do it and get that color.

The orange color on the barrel, by all appearances, appears to be the result of a very poor browning job. I would strip it off and leave the metal to age on its own.

The orange color on the stock appears to be from an alcohol-based dye. I'd strip the finish and use Aquafortis reagent to color the stock as it should be.

 

[Zonie]

To each, their own.

Personally, I like the light stain on the stock the way it is.

ukwildcat53:
I didn't say anything before but your decision to remove the existing barrel finish and to rebrown it allows me to say, "You really need to get rid of that copper and rebrown the barrel.
As it is, it looks like it was done by someone who didn't know what they were doing."

I think you've made the right decision. :thumbsup:

 

[necchi]

I think I will take the barrel back to bare and brown it the correct way.

:thumbsup:
The stuff comes off easy, 220 sandpaper and a block so the flat edges don't round and your good to go. 220 will clean it up in just minutes, :wink: