Finish coming off T/C barrel?

[Bigblue250]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this question, but since it is a percussion gun here goes. I just followed the recomendation of a few of the"old timers" at the range and soaked my .56 cal barrel in hot water and vinigar. It took all the powder fouling out and then some......., what apperaed to be a nice black T/C finish came off down to bare metal except for the sights. I mean, it was only white vinigar and water, about 1 quart to 5 gal of water. Is the finish of a late 70's early 80's T/C that bad????? Any help would be great. Thanks, John. :huh:

 

[RedFeather]

Whew! I would hazard a guess that T/C uses a standard hot blue bath. Who were the "old timers" who put you on to this? I would wrap them on the noggins with that barrel until THEIR heads turned gray! Seriously, that vinegar, although seemingly diluted, must have been acid enough to strip your blueing. I do know that commercial strippers such as Birchwood Casey are some kind of acid solution. Those boys really owe you an apology.

You have two courses of action. A) Have it reblued for a price or B) consider something like a browning solution. There are probably a couple guys here who could guide you through the steps.

For cleaning I have always used really hot soap and water. May not be state-of-the-art, but leaves my barrels ok.

Good luck. BTW, the .56 T/C is a very nice gun. Will look very nice browned.

RedFeather

 

[Bigblue250]

OK, I soaked my berrel in a lukewarm bath of 1 quart vinager to 5-6 gallons of water. The powder fouling came out and the black finish came off. I am not to worried about it, I am gonna' case harden the barel( don't worry I know how). I am just dissapointed in the T/C finish, I always thought it was a hard black like parkerizing. :cry:

 

[Bigblue250]

P.S. forgive me for the modern talk, but I can run my Glock through a high temp dish machine with no ill affects :huh:

 

[roundball]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this question, but since it is a percussion gun here goes. I just followed the recomendation of a few of the"old timers" at the range and soaked my .56 cal barrel in hot water and vinigar. It took all the powder fouling out and then some......., what apperaed to be a nice black T/C finish came off down to bare metal except for the sights. I mean, it was only white vinigar and water, about 1 quart to 5 gal of water. Is the finish of a late 70's early 80's T/C that bad????? Any help would be great. Thanks, John. :huh:

There's nothing wrong with TC's barrel finishes at all...they are simply not meant to be soaked in acid-baths of Vinegar...no body's barrels are.

Vinegar is a known acid based solution, and is a great finish remover...ie: if you ever get some old brass that is severely tarnished, put it in a pan, pour a bottle of white vinegar over it and let it sit over night...it'll be showroom ready the next morning...done that a couple times

 

[Stumpkiller]

I am gonna' case harden the barrel( don't worry I know how).

:shocking:

You have the equipment to get the whole barrel orange/red hot in one heating! That's some oven!

 

[Big John]

Hey BigBlue, Sorry to hear about the barrel bluing, re-blue or brown it yourself. As for cleaning the bore, cheapest method is hot water and a drop of dish detergent, then dry patch and lube.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Yep Vinegar is excellent at removing bluing right down the bare metal. Sorry to hear about he mishap. I'd enlist the help of the knowledgeable folks that suggested using vinegar for cleaning. I'd say they have a stake in restoring your finish.

Nothing to do with a T/C finish or any other. Vinegar will screw up any blue or brown finish.

I'd give the birchwood casey cold blueing kit a go or the plumb brown. They work pretty well if you take your time.

 

[mowolf]

I have found that the Dangler's cold browning solution is very easy to use and hard to screw up. Results in a very good looking finish.

Waya :imo:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I've been using Van's Instant Gun Blue for quite a while now. It works on everything from spotting in bare areas to entire locks and barrels. Easy to use, too. It has the interesting property of matching up to whatever bluing you are trying to repair. Seems to wear pretty well too.

 

[montanadan]

STUMPKILLER- Are you fimiliar with Uberti's charcoal bluing? Would the vinegar and water solution be safe to remove this type of finish? I really dislike this finish and I would like to have a plain in the white(better yet dull grey).The reason I am asking you because you are the chemical guy,and I do not want to pit the metal. Thanks in advance...Respectfully Montanadan(not trying to hi-jack this post)

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I too have this finish on one of my Walkers. I plan to use Naval jelly to remove it, but if vinegar will do it, I might give it a shot.

 

[montanadan]

Russ t Frizzen-Uberti says coca-cola will take this finish off.This is out of the Uberti owners manual,I sorta laughing at myself. We actually pay more this finish(roughly $50),now, I just hate it. I am going to wait and see what Stumkiller has to say,before I do anything. Respectfully Montanadan.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Montana- I know what you mean, it looks nice in pictures and totally bogus in reality. I'm thinking of refinishing mine as a somewhat aged specimen-not abused but one that has seen a few skirmishes and some bad weather out on the plains. The finish is phony, but this is a very accurate gun
and doesn't suffer from dropping lever syndrome. If they ever make handgunning for deer legal, this is the gun I would choose.

 

[Zonie]

Although I think the two guys who suggested the neat way of cleaning the barrel owe you something for the grief they caused you, Don't let them "fix" it for you.
You would probably get it back with 3 coats of gloss black spray paint on it. :curse: :curse:

If you liked the blue color the barrel used to be, get some something like Birchwood Casey Cold Blue.

If your willing to take the time, go with Laurel Mountain Browning or some other cold rusting process.

I really don't recommend Birchwood Casey Plum Brown for large objects like a barrel, but it can be done.
This is a hot process where you have to heat the barrel to about 275 degrees F.
IMO, it would take at least 3 coatings. :shocking:

 

[Stumpkiller]

STUMPKILLER- Are you fimiliar with Uberti's charcoal bluing? Would the vinegar and water solution be safe to remove this type of finish?

:redface: :redface: I'm not familiar with Uberti's particulars, but charcoal bluing is authentic . . . and much less durable to frictional wear than rust bluing. There are also at least two procedures called "Charcoal Bluing", and one of those is nitre bluing and I believe that is what Uberti uses.


Here's a run-down of the differences.

http://www.ronsgunshop.com/carbonia.html

Here's an image showing rust bluing (barrel) vs. real charcoal bluing (forend cap). Charcoal bluing was popular with the original lever actions, and would wear off with persperation and rubbing (and is why you see so many gray leveractions with no pitting but no bluing remaining).

As to what is the best way to remove it? Boy, I gotta tell you I never tried. I would pull the grips and experiment in a spot it won't show.

Muriatic acid will remove bluing. A product called RB-17 Bluing Remover uses that. The vinegar was news to me this week.

http://www.pjsproducts.com/RB-17%20products.html

Good luck. :redthumb:

 

[Rebel]

I would try some Birchwood Caseys Bluing and Rust remover. It will take bluing off down to the bare metal.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

This so-called charcoal bluing looks nothing like the charcoal bluing that Doug Turnbull put on my '60 Army. This
has an almost neon look to it. It looks nothing like the color on guns I remember as a boy--old Winchesters and Remingtons and such. It has to be seen to be believed--or dis-believed--as the case may be.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Blue like the blue extractor in the image above. That is nitre blue. It's decidedly blue and not black, like other bluing processes. Go figure.

 

[flaming canvas]

Well, that's good information. I have a Lyman Plains Pistol that I'm redoing as a full stock. I wanted to take the blue off and brown it. Guess I have a way to do it now.