Horrible experience with Plum Brown

[Lead Nuggets]

Lmf, 4 coats running the shower every 45 minutes with a heat lamp clamped to the toilet seat. came out a little dark.

 

[oldwoodchas.]

Any time you use steel wool , make sure to drink it in acetone , and then dry it w/ rags. Many times steel wool comes soaked in oil so in storage , it won't rust. Degrease it as the oil preservative , will affect wood or metal finishes.

 

[bpd303]

I have found using latex or nitrile gloves caused me problems with an even coat of plum brown. Seems there is some coating on them, so I use cheap cotton gloves which cured the blotchy problem. Also I use a commercial heat gun to warm and keep the barrel warm throughout the application.

 

[Philip Lebow]

Use PB at the shop, because it's fast..get good color I can touch it up. Cleanliness is critical. I have a helper with a second propane torch and
a non contact thermometer to judge temperature. Put it on with long strokes of a wet cotton pad. Don't get impatient.
When I can I abrasive blast the steel and acetone wash before using PB.
Laurel Mountain takes longer..
Just FYI: some steels have alloying elements that resist browning.
I had a customer want his modern cowboy double side by side browned. I stripped the blue. Tried Laurel Mountain, as I did not want to put the torch
to the barrels. Nothing happened.
Realized the bbls were chrome moly.
Chrome was preventing browning.
So, painted the bbl with a dilute solution of nitric acid in alcohol, and let it sit overnight.
Next day, bbls were green! That was the chrome etched out of the surface!
Cleaned the bbls of chrome, without burnishing with steel wool.
Then Laurel Mountain browned the bbl very nicely in several coats with usual carding in between.
Neutralized finish with baking soda, and then oil soaked.
Still looks good 18yrs later...customer is a regular.

 

[LME]

Any time you use steel wool , make sure to drink it in acetone , and then dry it w/ rags. Many times steel wool comes soaked in oil so in storage , it won't rust. Degrease it as the oil preservative , will affect wood or metal finishes.

I have used a ton of 0000 steel wool and never thought about it not rusting? You make a lot of sense! I got lucky by using acetone as the last step in my process before browning. Thanks!