How bright were they?

[yakimaman]

From what I've read, infantry soldiers spent a good deal of time polishing/burnishing their muskets. How bright are we talking about?

 

[DUSTY 14]

shiny bright. camo was not an issue when you are advancing shoulder to shoulder wearing a bright red coat or similar. the leather shirts were probably a different matter

 

[54ball]

I'll use 1812 as an example. The core, the musket line, had their musket barrels polished bright along with the bayonet. The flash of light from the barrels and blades was meant to intimidate the opposing line.

Rifleman on the other hand, acted as scouts, spies and flankers and their rifles were browned and the furniture finished to reduce glare for those special troops.

 

[pargent]

Barrel was a satin matt finish and bayonets were polished bright shiney.This referes to British troops.

 

[yakimaman]

My repro of the French 1728 is polished pretty bright and I was inclined at first to take a green pad to it and scuff it up a bit but might leave it as it is if it's a fair representation.

 

[pargent]

Once you start to shoot it in sun light you will notice the need for the correct semimatt finish to the barrel. :thumbsup:

 

[Ike Godsey]

it is known from some german units in the AWI that each soldier carried 2 pound of red stone "sand" (sorry, don't know the correct word in english)to polish their weapons.

that is one of the reasons why todays german historians refer to a good used preussian musket a "geputzt" meaning not alone the barrel, but also the wood was "polished". you can see that if the thumbpiece and the wood around it is higher than the rest of the stock

 

[yakimaman]

would that "correct semimatte" finish be correct with French guns as well as British?

 

[Grenadier1758]

it is known from some german units in the AWI that each soldier carried 2 pound of red stone "sand" (sorry, don't know the correct word.

The "red stone sand" is brick dust. Bricks were ground to a powder. A cloth would be moistened, dipped in the dust and used to polish the metal parts. This result in a highly polished but slightly matte finish.

 

[Ike Godsey]

thank you! "dust" jepp - thats the missing word. :bow:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Barrel was a satin matt finish and bayonets were polished bright shiney

Since we don't have any artwork to show us, and of course no photographs, we can only guess, but I would make an educated guess that since I was able to get a polished surface using actual brick dust and a cloth with some sweet oil, on better steel than used in an original barrel or bayonet, they did get a polished result, BUT...,
although it is shiny, it is a shiny, light gray, not similar to a chrome or nickel finish. It can catch the light at a distance, but it's not like a mirror reflecting the light. In my opinion the folks who use jeweler's rouge, or other modern products, to produce something akin to a chrome Chevy bumper finish on their musket barrel are going too far.

LD