LMF Browning

[Kentuckywindage]

I just got a bottle of LMF browning solution and was wondering how long it takes for the part to start to brown? I applied it almost 2 hours ago and right now its actually a beautiful dark gray.

 

[BrownBear]

Depends on your setup, the temp and the humidity. Two hours is a lot faster than I ever get to the same stage, so I'm betting yours is going to be done in a couple of days. Mine usually take 4 or 5 days to go all the way to where I want them.

 

[Vaino]

I use a horizontal "sweatbox" w/ a cardboard cover and lay wet towels on the bottom. LMF in this box produces a light red rust coat in 2-3 hrs, but the bbl is left for 12 hrs and w/o carding, another thin coat of LMF is applied and left for another 12 hrs. The bbl is then carded w/ denim and coated w/ LMf every 4 hrs w/ carding in between. Usually takes 3-4 applications every 4 hrs to produce a nice dark brown color.The {2}12 hr. periods are necessary to achieve a matte texture. In the wintertime I can't even brown w/o a "sweatbox" because of the 35 relative humidity. Just finished a bbl in 40 hrs..Good luck....Fred

 

[mykeal]

Yes, flehto's experience is the same as mine.

Flehto - how do you suspend the parts inside the sweatbox, please?

 

[jtmattison]

Mine only took about 36 hours start to finish. I had cool humid conditions and I had rust within 2-3 hours.

It all depends on the humidity level.

I think thoroughy degreasing the barrel first speeds it up also even though they say it's not needed.

HD

 

[Osprey]

Wow, it only took overnight to do mine. Put a coat on every three hours, 5 coats total, carded with a wet piece of cloth and it came out a beautiful, smooth brown. Hung the parts in the furnace room, but did a load of laundry in there and hung the wet clothes to dry in the same room, so I probably had 99% humidity.

 

[smokehouseman]

I had the same experience as you but it did start off slow and would not turn brown after the second coat. I had just about given up when it really popped! I used a crock pot in a shower stall completely sealed up and the crock pot going full tilt. The end result was perfect and I continue to be happy with it. :thumbsup:

 

[Vaino]

My "sweatbox" is a cheapo made from a length of 2x4 w/ a vertical 2x4 on both ends and the middle. Wire is strung and plastic sheet is taped on forming a trough. The end 2x4s have a notch cut in to accept a dowel at the muzzle and a rod "fixture" that bolts on the breechplug underneath the tang using the drilled hole that is clearance for the rear lock bolt. A 7/8"-1" rod has a groove cut in the end and a transverse hole for the screw which is tightened w/ a nut.The bbl sits approx. 7-8 inches off the bottom. Tried a plastic sheet cover but the moisture condenses on it and falls onto the bbl....cardboard works fine.....Fred

 

[pegro1]

I used LMF Browning on my barrel and it worked wonders after the second app. What I did was put it on with a cotton ball and then turned the shower on only hot and shut the door, when the hot water turned cold (after an hour maybe an hour &a half) i took the barrel to the basement and put the dryer on with vent going into a bucket of water, that made humid in the basement. After 2 hours I then let sit in normal room temps for an hour and then carded it off with a old piece of raw leather, that worked wonderful and then did it all over again. The look I got after the second app. was dark caramel color that I liked so I kept it, the lock was also done and after it sat for 2 hours I hit with a propane torch lightly (real lite) and got an aged finish that I polished off some with the leather.
Jim

 

[Kentuckywindage]

i woke up this morning with and the under rib had rust all over it! There were area's that were pure black so i put it in the bathroom with the heat on 80* and ran the shower for almost an hour to let it steam up. Almost passed out when i walked in there :haha:

So far it looks like its working.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

Just finished putting on the second coat. Its a nice dark rich chocolate color. The steamy bathroom really sped up the process.

I am getting the barrel ready now.

Question, Why do i need to plug the end of the barrel? I am going to use a good coating of crisco down the bore and i dont see the need to plug the end

 

[BrownBear]

I call it insurance against rust in the bore. No big deal. I got a bag of assorted corks from a craft shop a few years back, and there's some in it that fit almost any bore, plus some small enough for sealing the nipple fitting. Done deal and no concern.

 

[Old40Rod]

I use bees wax to plug the barrel and flash hole, works well.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

So whats the trick to making this stuff turn brown? All i am getting is black/dark gray.

i'll give it a total of 4 coats, after that i'll be going back to birchwood casey Plum brown. Having to wait all these hours and then find that its not doing what it should be, kind of crawls deep under my skin.

 

[jtmattison]

So whats the trick to making this stuff turn brown? All i am getting is black/dark gray.

i'll give it a total of 4 coats, after that i'll be going back to birchwood casey Plum brown. Having to wait all these hours and then find that its not doing what it should be, kind of crawls deep under my skin.

Sounds like you may have gone past browning and are now bluing it. Did you read the instructions thoroughly? I recall there are instructions to rust blue with the LMF solution. Might be what's happening.

HD

 

[Kentuckywindage]

read them multiple times. First coat i put on evenly. After letting it dry for a 4 hours i put a thin coat on "#2 coat" and after that was on for a little over 3 hours, i washed it off with hot water like it said and used a rough cloth to wipe it down. Dried it, and then added another thin coat. The 3ed coat has been on for a little over an hour and a half and the barrel is ditch black. Along with the under rib. The under rib this morning was rusty, after #2 coat it turned pitch black.

 

[jtmattison]

:hmm:
I'm stumped.
Maybe try putting on a good coat of LMF and just leaving it alone for a day or so. Don't touch it, just check it every once in a while to see how it looks.
Maybe you got a bad batch of LMF?

HD

 

[pegro1]

read them multiple times. First coat i put on evenly. After letting it dry for a 4 hours i put a thin coat on "#2 coat" and after that was on for a little over 3 hours, i washed it off with hot water like it said and used a rough cloth to wipe it down. Dried it, and then added another thin coat. The 3ed coat has been on for a little over an hour and a half and the barrel is ditch black. Along with the under rib. The under rib this morning was rusty, after #2 coat it turned pitch black.

I wiped mine back after every coat, after the first with a piece of leather, after the second with a piece of leather, and it was the nice dark caramel brown. Hunting Dawg may be right about getting a bad batch although I've never had that problem, If you put too much on it will darken to a black, the first coat should be a thick even coat, then card back the rust dust, 2nd coat should be thin and then card back. If it keeps getting blacker & blacker then there's too much on the barrel, what you can do is either sand back with 0000 steel wool and start over or use LMF to wipe it off, if you kinda polish it with LMF it will all come off.
Good luck bro,
Jim

 

[pegro1]

Just finished putting on the second coat. Its a nice dark rich chocolate color. The steamy bathroom really sped up the process.

If it was a rich dark chocolate why did you go further, this may have blackened it, plug the barrel so the inside doesn't rust, just stick a cork in it or cram a rag up it, both ends.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

The under rib was a chocolate brown, i was just going by the book and wanted it slightly darker. I'll get some pics of what i woke up to this morning.