Lock and barrel finish for fowler?

[DillyJamba]

What's everyone doing for a finish? currently I'm considering bluing a rubbing back with scotch brite to give an aged look.

I intend to shoot the gun in matches so I can't really go for the mirror finish, I'd like something that protects without being too out of place. Anyone know what Kibler used on his example gun? Other suggestions?

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

I brown everything but I like the look. But do whatever you want and comfortable doing.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@DillyJamba, and you didn't ask any of us at the match yesterday for our opinion?

Actually, there would have been a fair amount of support for the bluing and rubbing back as a protection. The various cold blues will take effect quicker than the cold browning methods and it's starting to get cold enough that using the interior of a van as a browning oven is getting too far into fall.

My fowling gun that I shot at the match is browned. I have a 12 gauge fowling gun that is blued.

I would think that bluing and rubbing back to a dull protective finish is a good look.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Polish your lock if you haven’t already. After that take a green scratchy pad and blend all metal to a dull gray. Let it age with honest use and in a few years it will look very nice.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I did the gray thing on my fowler but left the lock bright but not polished, more of a satin finish bright.

The gray finish is not durable, it will rub off with use, particularly on the butt plate.

Ten years down the road a patina has formed on the barrel and lock, even with the parts well oiled. I like the patina look.

 

[acavdragoon]

Anymore I just leave everything in the white and polish it up some. I personally don’t care for the age look, blueing, browning, and rubbing it back. Just too fake looking to me.

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

Anymore I just leave everything in the white and polish it up some. I personally don’t care for the age look, blueing, browning, and rubbing it back. Just too fake looking to me.
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My next one where that's period correct will be done that way. Wasted way too much time and money on finishing metals that didn't need it to begin with.

 

[ZUG]

On a fowler that I made some years back I used a rust removal spray on product that was mostly phosphoric acid. I cleaned the metal with a degreaser then rubbed it down with a Scotch-Brite abrasive pad (maroon color pad) then cleaned it again. I put on a pair of nitrile gloves, sprayed down the parts and left it on for 15 minutes. I then sprayed the parts again and left it on for another 15 minutes. I then washed all parts with water and dried everything really good. I warmed the parts with a heat gun and applied a paste wax. When the paste wax was dry I buffed it with a soft cloth. I looks good to my eyes and has a non-reflective light gray finish to it. This finish will not last forever so you will have to keep at it if you want to maintain that look.
Naval Jelly has phosphoric acid in it and can be used but I had the spray-on stuff so that's what I used.

 

[Rob M.]

Everyone is different ...each style of gun different ... I love my N.W. trade guns like they came stock ...browned barrel , polished lock ...

 

[Clark Badgett]

Everyone is different ...each style of gun different ... I love my N.W. trade guns like they came stock ...browned barrel , polished lock ...

Everything I have found says the barrels were originally rust blued from approximately 1780ish onwards, everything else natural.

It could be a terminology difference. The Brits called their P.53 barrels browned, when they were very much rust blued.

 

[Rob M.]

Everything I have found says the barrels were originally rust blued from approximately 1780ish onwards, everything else natural.

It could be a terminology difference. The Brits called their P.53 barrels browned, when they were very much rust blued.

Depends on the time period among other things ... I have an order from the HBC in the 1780s where they ask for half of the order of guns to have brown barrels and the other half blue barrels ...

 

[Tenring]

I enjoy looking at guns in the bright natural finish and then there are times that the rubbed back look and the browned look has a certain appeal also.

 

[waksupi]

I like cold blue, then steel wool to take it to a French grey.

 

[DillyJamba]

From reading I think I'll go with the rubbed back and polish the lock, I tend to clean well but at times laziness gets the best of me. biggest concern for me is leaving it the barrel polished and it instantly rusting in the Missouri humidity and it flashing in the sun while trying to shoot.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Trust me, @DillyJamba, I have watched my highly polished King's Musket rust in my hands in a fine misty fog. It's still pretty bright, but I can't call it polished anymore. Your barrel may still aquire some rust, but that rubbed back blueing will provide some protection.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Trust me, @DillyJamba, I have watched my highly polished King's Musket rust in my hands in a fine misty fog. It's still pretty bright, but I can't call it polished anymore. Your barrel may still aquire some rust, but that rubbed back blueing will provide some protection.

I’ve seen rubbed back cold blue rust just the same. Only rust blue or brown will actually resist rust to some degree, at least enough to give one a chance to recoat the metal with oil

 

[PathfinderNC]

Like others have said, rubbed-back browned steel for a hint of aging.