LMF Tips and Tricks

[Hawthorn1213]

Gearing up to do my first barrel with LMF (CVA Kentucky Rifle) - I'm going for rust bluing and looking for some helpful tips/lessons learned from anyone willing to share.

I also had a question regarding the humidity: I just so happen to have a walk in humidity controlled closet for my acoustic guitars which is at a constant relative humidity of 45-50. Will this work for the LMF application as well or does the humidity need to be higher? (FYI it's about 72° in my house currently.)

Thanks as always in advance!

 

[fishmusic]

My trick for humidity is to hang the barrel over a bucket of wet (damp, actually) rags with a trouble light on top pf the rags. This produces sufficient humidity to make the barrel rust. Are you going for a blue by steeping the barrel in very hot water? I haven't tried that yet.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

My trick for humidity is to hang the barrel over a bucket of wet (damp, actually) rags with a trouble light on top pf the rags. This produces sufficient humidity to make the barrel rust. Are you going for a blue by steeping the barrel in very hot water? I haven't tried that yet.

Yeah, that's the plan - My next step while waiting for the LMF in the mail is to make a trough do dunk the barrel in.

Does anyone have any advice on getting around the dovetails for the sights and pin tenons? I'm trying to figure out how to cover those areas when the directions say to hit everything in one even pass.

 

[fishmusic]

How about some roof gutter material sealed at both ends? Or, PVC Pipe cut in half and sealed at the ends. Pour the hot water into it and dunk your barrel. If you search the posts you might find these suggestions.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

How about some roof gutter material sealed at both ends? Or, PVC Pipe cut in half and sealed at the ends. Pour the hot water into it and dunk your barrel. If you search the posts you might find these suggestions.

I was able to find the PVC type fixture (can't remember original post) but that's what I'm shooting for.

 

[rchas]

Does anyone have any advice on getting around the dovetails for the sights and pin tenons?

On the top of the barrel, I do an even pass down to the sight, then continue. I go back and lightly blot around the sight. As long as the steel is evenly and lightly moistened you'll be fine.

Be aware, though, that "evenly and lightly" is important. if you get any kind of bubble, drop or heavier concentration of the solution it will eat through the earlier layer of oxide and leave a blotchy appearance. I don't bother bluing or browning the underside of the barrel

 

[geb324]

Use a Q-tip go around the sites and tenons first then do the barrel easy!! hang it from the breech plug I use a coat hanger thru the bolt hole.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

On the top of the barrel, I do an even pass down to the sight, then continue. I go back and lightly blot around the sight. As long as the steel is evenly and lightly moistened you'll be fine.

Be aware, though, that "evenly and lightly" is important. if you get any kind of bubble, drop or heavier concentration of the solution it will eat through the earlier layer of oxide and leave a blotchy appearance. I don't bother bluing or browning the underside of the barrel

Thanks so much for the response - Is that to say you have the sight and tenons installed when you are applying the LMF?

 

[Vaino]

The only items attached to the bbl when browning are the tang and the bbl lugs. ,,,I don't brown the bottom and oblique flats. The 2 sights are browned more easily when done separately. A cloth patch is barely saturated w/ LMF and lightly drawn down the bbl from the tang....the patch is brought up to the rear sight dovetail and continued on the other side. I usually rewet the patch halfway down the bbl and continue to the front sight dovetail and continue from the other side to the muzzle.
The rewet halfway down the bbl is done at slightly different spots on the bbl.

I use a "sweat box" w/ hot, wet towels on the bottom. Shown is a fixture that holds the bbl for wetting...the bbl is easily rotated and stays in position. .....Fred

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I've done many barrels, both browned and blued with LMF (I know, I'm the one who hates acronyms!) so I think I have some good ideas. Others may disagree and that's fine. First, I doubt that 40-50% humidity will be enough but I haven't tried it so I don't know. I have used a humidity box I built out of plywood, 6"x6"x48" that I kept wet towels in to maintain the humidity. In the winter in AK when the temps were low I set it by the wood stove in the shop. One of the best and fastest jobs I did was last fall here in high and dry AZ during the end of the monsoons when it was warm and the humidity was high. I just hung the parts in the shop with no humidity box needed.
Don't believe the instructions that tell you that you can handle the parts with bare hands. Wear disposable rubber gloves and degrease the metal with acetone or naptha.
I use a clean piece of cotton cloth to apply the solution. It's VERY IMPORTANT to not put too much solution on the metal. It really slows down the process. What I do is dampen the cloth with the solution, wad it up, and put it it a baggie a few hours before I apply it to the metal. This lets the solution even out in the cloth and avoids the bubbles that will form if you get too much solution on and then squeeze it. I add a very little bit of the solution after I dampen the metal and put the cloth back in the baggie. If you can barely see any solution on the barrel when you wipe it you've got the right amount on. Remember that the more you try to rush the job the longer it will take.
Don't rub a spot! It puts a copper coat on the metal. If you miss a place don't worry, you'll get it the next time. I run a pass down and back then rotate the barrel then do it again until I've covered it all. I use a devise similar to Vaino's. Small parts I hold with a wire or hot glue to a dowel to hold them. Take the sights out of the barrel and do them separately. It makes it much easier to do the barrel.
I card with green or grey scotch brite since I sold my expensive carding wheel setup and steel wool makes a mess. The smoothness, or roughness, of the job depends on how long you let it work between carding. This depends on the temperature and humidity. If you want a smoother finish card sooner even though it may take a few more coats. You'll get a feel for it as you go along.
If you want a blue it means you'll have to rig up a setup to boil the parts. I have hung the barrel in a piece of 2" black iron pipe with a cap on one end and boiled with a blow torch. This was back before I knew about propane weed burners. It's important to wipe all the drips and runs off the barrel as soon as it comes out of the boil. This avoids water spots. To protect the bore I give it a good coat of auto wax. It beats trying to keep the water out of the barrel by using wood plugs and I have never lost a bore using this method. Of course I run a couple of dry patches down the bore as soon as it comes out of the boil.
It usually takes 6-8 coats for me to get a good job. When it looks good I give it a coat of mineral oil and let it set for a day. Whether or not this helps I don't really know but it seems to.
I've gotten some really good looking and very durable browns and blues using this method. My unmentionable moose rifle took several trips down the river and a whole lot of use over many years and the blue held up well.
If I've left anything out here just ask.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

Thank you all so much! Exactly the insight I was looking for

 

[rchas]

Thanks so much for the response - Is that to say you have the sight and tenons installed when you are applying the LMF?

Yes, I prefer to sight in my rifles while the barrel is in the white. That way I can file sights to my hearts content and not have to worry about scratching an already blued/browned finish, or trying to reinstall sights.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

What is everyone's thoughts on how to rust blue the drum? My thoughts are to find a screw I can use to plug up the nipple hole and then somehow coat/cover the threads that would go into the barrel. Likewise, I had planned on finding a bolt to plug up the hole in the barrel side as well. Are there any better ways to do this?

 

[Hawthorn1213]

Yes, I prefer to sight in my rifles while the barrel is in the white. That way I can file sights to my hearts content and not have to worry about scratching an already blued/browned finish, or trying to reinstall sights.

That's a great call and I think I now know how I'm spending my haha.

 

[rchas]

What is everyone's thoughts on how to rust blue the drum? My thoughts are to find a screw I can use to plug up the nipple hole and then somehow coat/cover the threads that would go into the barrel. Likewise, I had planned on finding a bolt to plug up the hole in the barrel side as well. Are there any better ways to do this?

Your choice, but I would just install the drum, sights, tenon's, etc. and not try to blue them all separately. The metal must be absolutely clean, anything you put on it will interfere with the chemical process. In fact, I don't even bother plugging or waxing the bore.

 

[BEP]

The best advice I ever got when using LMF browning was from a now-departed friend who told me that, after doing the proper metal prep, when I applied the first coat I would feel certain that I'd somehow ruined any chance of a decent finish when I saw the first coat results. He told me to just ignore how it looked and procede on. Man was he right!

 

[Hawthorn1213]

The best advice I ever got when using LMF browning was from a now-departed friend who told me that, after doing the proper metal prep, when I applied the first coat I would feel certain that I'd somehow ruined any chance of a decent finish when I saw the first coat results. He told me to just ignore how it looked and procede on. Man was he right!

Thanks! I'm sure that's going to save me a lot of heartache and worry after that first coat!

 

[Hawthorn1213]

After heading to ace hardware today, I have screws to plug up all the holes in the drum and the barrel. Currently I'm thinking about using plumbers tape on the threads to keep everything water tight. I may do a test piece with the LMF to see if it produces a bad reaction. I'll keep everyone posted.