LMF-Rust Blue
"here is a long post on how this guys blue a barrel it is a long post
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I do not recommend cold blue at all. While there are commercial grade, "for gunmsiths" grade liquid cold blues, many lads use Birchwood Casey's liquid or paste "cold bluing," which temporarily imparts of very thin, uneven, and fragile "dirty black" to steel. (Which, IMHO, gave our hobby the myth that Enfields had thin and fragile finishes.)
As manufactured, original Enfields were "rust-blued," a type of "blackening." "Hot bluing," "acid tank bluing," "chemical salt blue," etc., can be done to simulate the rust-blue of the period originals, but the gunsmith needs to know one does not want a coal black, wet black ink, extremely high gloss "modern blue" look.
From a previous archived thread:
"Different gunsmiths, and different lads will all have their own personal
favorites and methods. This is just once that is affordable, easy, and
reduces many of the problems associated with the first-time user.
There is a great deal of misinformation concerning the period Enfield
factory "rust blued" barrel finish. Most of it is due to "reenacting lore"
where lads have removed the modern spurious Italian markings from their
barrels and reblued the barrel with liquid or past bluing. Both liquid and
paste bluing is a poor, thin, and easily worn off surface finish which has
given rise to the lore that original Enfield "blue" was thin and easily worn
off. The second is partly due to looking at once "Arsenal" of "field bright"
original Enfields that have taken on a brown age patina (rust brown) over
the past 150+ years, or, were factory blue where the "black" has naturally
changed to brown over the years as well.
My technique can be done for about $20, if you have to buy all the
"chemicals," depending upon prices where one lives. A bottle of browning
will do 2 or 3 barrels, so it gets cheaper if one goes in with a pard or two
and split the costs. It generally takes 4-6 "treatments" that each take less
than five (5) minutes, once every 12 hours. Depending upon the time of
year and humidity inside, I have stretched the 12 to once every 24 hours
with the same results.
Without building a "sweat box," this process entails using a liquid, "cold acid" browning solution but modifying the atomic reaction to produce a black rust-blue (so-called "blue" in America) instead of a rust-brown finish.
The finish is deep, durable, and long lasting as was the original.
1. There are many acid browning liquids on the market that will work. For
beginners, I recommend Laurel Mountain Forge's "Barrel Brown &
Degreaser." The reason why is that a good finish is highly dependent upon
degreasing the barrel. Laurel Mountain is self-degreasing, which eliminates any traces of oil or grease one may have missed!
2. The barrel needs to be stripped of its modern bluing. Birchwood Casey
makes a good rust and bluing remover. Brush it on, let it set, steel wool
and/or Scotch-Brite it off. It usually takes 5-6 times to fully strip the old
bluing. A buffing wheel with emory grit is faster, but takes more time being sure all traces of grit residue is removed as it will interfere with the process and leave spots and streaks. Warning: steel wool tends to be oily as well.
3. The barrel needs to be removed from the stock, the nipple and muzzle
plugged. I use my daughter's Play-Doh. One does not want acid to get
inside the bore.
4. Wearing latex surgical gloves, or clean work gloves, wipe the barrel
down with a soft cloth and a solution such as paint thinner, paint remover,
acetone, automotive carburetor degreaser, etc. When done, wipe it down
with rubbing alcohol .
5. Take a 48 inch section of white 2.5" PVC "plumbing" and two end caps.
Measure in about 2 inches from the end caps, and then cut a 2 inch wide
section from mark to mark with a saber saw. This makes a scalding trough.
Some lads with no tools use the PVC with only one end cap. Others can use their bathtub when their wife is out shopping. A "trough" is not required, it just makes it easer.
6. Never touch the degreased barrel with your hands (fingerprints are oil-
wear gloves or use a cloth or clean rag). Lay the barrel up on top of a
piece of wood at either end.
7. Pour a little Laurel Mountain solution into a Dixie cup, lid, or even a small
bowl (this keeps the main bottle uncontaminated.
8. Using a wool swab, or just a little folded square of lint-free cloth, apply
a light coating of solution to the barrel being sure to cover uniformly and
evenly.
9. Return in 12 hours. The barrel will have turned orange and yellow in
places. The places you missed will be silver still.
10. Repeat Step 8 and Step 9. (putting a little extra on where you missed.)
11. When you return, the barrel should be orangery "brownishish."
12. Boil a tea kettle or pot of water.
13. NEVER TOUCHING THE BARREL WITH BARE HANDS, put the barrel in the
scalding trough, or bath tub, and pour the boiling water over it to scald it.
14. When cool enough to hold with gloves or a cloth, rub a cloth briskly
over the barrel to remove build up and "rust scale."
15. Repeat Step 8, 9, 12, and 13 applying LM solution, letting it work for
12 hours, then scalding, de-scaling, and repeating Step 15.
16. The barrel should have turned black. When a deep, dark, uniform black,
you are almost done. You can go back and repeat the process for spots
that did not take.
17. Rub the barrel with baking soda to "kill" the acid.
18. "Paint" the barrel with oil (car oil works well) and let set overnight to
soak into the pores of the steel.
19. Wipe off the oil. Clean out the semi-stiff Play-Doh.
20. Wax the barrel inside and out with beeswax/tallow.
21. Enjoy your correct "rust-blue" barrel. With a little care, it will last
longer than you. (If after many years, it does not, simply REDO it...)
Again, this is one way of many, but it works well. If it doesn't, strip it and
start over... ;-)
And, if 2 or 3 pards pitch in, the "share" can drop down to about less than
$8 or $10.
I am rusty (no pun intended) on the atomic/chemical process at work. If I
remember high school chemistry well enough, the acid solution accelerates
the oxidation (rusting) of the iron in the steel by adding an electron to
the iron atom (which makes ferrous oxide, or "rust"). The scalding adds an
extra electron, making ferric oxide, or "black"). Over time, the extra
electron is lost to the environment, which changes the ferric to
ferrous, and black to brown (brown patina). At any rate, high school
chemistry teachers out there can correct that..."
Laurel Mountain Forge Barrel Brown & Degreaser is available from most
muzzleloading or blackpowder shops and mail order businesses. Around
here, it sells for about $7 a bottle."
Hope this helps! :grin:
