Lmf barrel browning help please

[skota]

Hey there folks,

I'm working on my first barrel browning and using the LMF solution. I first started with the barrel set up in the garage. I have a ventless gas heater that puts out a lot of humidity. I had the surface of the metal how I wanted and used acetone to degrease. After two coats I went to take the scale off as the directions said with hot water and a corse cloth and there where a few spots on the barrel an inch long or more where almost all the brown would come off. The only thing I can think that I did wrong was apply too much solution on the first coat.

After several more tries at getting the brown to take I resanded the barrel and started over. This time inside over the laundry tub in the basement filled with hot water. Results are better but I'm still getting an area the doesn't want to take and won't work.

Any advise would be great. Thanks
Steve

 

[BrownBear]

My solution has been more humidity than you're probably managing. Of course I was trying to speed things up, but a more even coating was the result.

One thing to check on. Are the spots that are slower to take finish sanded a little smoother than the others? I find that uniform sanded texture is important, because it really does affect rate of browning. I went with pretty fine sand paper the first time, and never liked the results. Going coarser (220 in my case) not only sped up the browning, it also results in a more pleasing result.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I get a GREAT Take by doing it in the shower, hanging parts from the shower-rod, with just the HOT water running. Makes a real "sauna" and the brown comes out NICE!
NOTE: "Danger Will Robinson" the drippage will forEVER stain the tub and APPARENTLY that is grounds for physical and emotional abuse from the wife.. just FYI.
Put a plastic sheet in to protect the tub!!!

 

[M. De Land]

I've had some trouble with it myself and use a bluing cabinet with controlled heat, humidity and a circulating fan. I found it was usually due to surface contamination or improper first application. Most of these solutions do not suffer drips very well. I found some swabs used for windshield primer application with wire handles that work the best of anything I have found. I just dip them into the neck of the bottle and when you pull it back through let it stay in the neck for a minute to squeeze off the excess. Make long overlapping swipes and keep going until it looks even and wet all over. Don't rub it on just keep going the same direction all the way around and over lapping. I also card with a six inch wire wheel from Brownell's just for this job. It has bristles of .003 and it will blend bluing better than any other method I have found. I also use there hand brushes of the same wire diameter for irregular surfaces.
I know it says there is a degreaser in the solution but I to have had areas of steel mostly on receivers and frames that would not take the first time or two. Finally it just took so I had to conclude some type of oxide or other contaminate was preventing it on the first applications.
Also, I've been starting to use brake cleaner in aresol cans to degrease before bluing, browning or case coloring with good results. I also use vynle gloves for this operation along with solution coverage and clean cotton gloves for the carding. MD

 

[skota]

Wow, thanks guys. My initial impression was that this LMF solution was easy to work with. I'll see what I have when I get home and go from there. Keep you posted.

 

[Bill Hall]

I had the same result as you in my early days, spotty bare spots. I found out it was from too much humidity. If there is water beading up on the surface, the metal will turn brown but the brown won't stick to the metal and is easily wiped off.

When I used my extra bathroom as my sweatbox, I would use a humidifier and monitor the mirror to discern how much humidity was in the air. If the mirror fogged up like when you take a shower, the browning would come out fine. If water was running down the mirror, it meant that water was accumulating on the metal and the browning would behave exactly as you describe, spotty bare areas.

The other causes mentioned previously can have the same effect, everything must be just right to get a good brown going. I just thought I'd throw in another potential cause for your bare spots. Check the humidity level in your sweatbox, if there is visible water on your metal, the humidity is too high. Good luck. Bill

 

[chuck-ia]

I have browned a barrel in the summer on a hot humid day in 8 hours, this winter it took about 3 days. flinch

 

[M. De Land]

Yes, I have learned the hard way not to let my cabinet humidity reach the dew point. Just below leaving sweat on the side walls seems to work best. MD

 

[GANGGREEN]

Geez, now we have to worry about too much humidity as well as not enough. :wink:

I'm building my third muzzleloader, this one's a flintlock fowler. On each of the previous two, I got a bit of help and had a friend finish the rifles for me so I've never browned the metal parts. I've been scared to death that I wouldn't get it right or that I'd need to build a sweat box or something since I intended to brown it in my barn during the wintertime. I figured that if I got lucky and it took an even coat of rust/brown, that it would take a couple of weeks.

Man, much to my surprise, I only applied the LMF Browner and Degreaser a few hours ago and the barrel and other metal parts are already taking an even and obvious coat of corrosion. Too cool........

 

[Zonie]

Wattsy
When you said, "I get a GREAT Take by doing it in the shower..." it reminded me of something.

Probably one of the most dangerous things about building a muzzleloader is browning a barrel next to a shower.

All that steam and hot water needs to be thought about.

I heard of one gun builder who was using this method to brown his barrel and he obviously forgot about the dangers and he ended up very wet.

That hot water washed off at least 3 years of built up dirt before he could scramble to safety! :shocked2:

He was just lucky that he didn't get sick after loosing his protective coating. :wink: :grin:

 

[skota]

Good news folks, I've gotten the brown to take finally and it's looking acceptable.

Any recommendations on how you soak the barrel in oil?

 

[Little Wattsy]

Good news folks, I've gotten the brown to take finally and it's looking acceptable.

Any recommendations on how you soak the barrel in oil?

Open a quart of motor oil and slather it it up... You'll see it "soak in".

 

[Little Wattsy]

Wattsy
When you said, "I get a GREAT Take by doing it in the shower..." it reminded me of something.

Probably one of the most dangerous things about building a muzzleloader is browning a barrel next to a shower.

All that steam and hot water needs to be thought about.

I heard of one gun builder who was using this method to brown his barrel and he obviously forgot about the dangers and he ended up very wet.

That hot water washed off at least 3 years of built up dirt before he could scramble to safety! :shocked2:

He was just lucky that he didn't get sick after loosing his protective coating. :wink: :grin:

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
I was busy dodging a broom handle didnt hardly nowtice the clean comming through.