Metal finish on fowler

[bamamarine]

I'm sure this has been covered many times but I've been away from a bit. I'm just about to finish my fowler and I was wondering how you are supposed to finish the barrel and lock. I brown my rifles but I read somewhere that most fowlers were left in the bright. How do you keep it from rusting? Should I brown it anyway because I do plan on using it for hunting? Is this PC?

 

[Many Klatch]

I never browned my fowler when I built it about 20 years ago. I oil it and attempt to keep it from rusting. Occasionally when I do get some red rust I will do a bit of light polishing with a 0000 steel wool. The only finish the barrel has ever had is a wiping of 1/2 Kerosene and 1/2 2-stroke motor oil.

Today the gun has a steel gray color that I have never seen anywhere except on old guns in museums that have been used a lot.

 

[BlackNet]

do this, get you a can of rennisance wax and put on that. I read this article by the springfield armory smith on katrina. bottom line the wax stuff applied to metal will let you throw it into saltwater for an extended period of time with no damage.

Ed

 

[tg]

Wiping the metal down with an oily cloth at the end of every day will discourage rust, I have several un browned barrels that have aged a bit with naval jelly or one of many methods and the routine oiling and a bit of steel wooling prevent any rust of a damaging nature, you can also polish the metal till it shines, this also helps prevent rust.

 

[wallgunner]

What time period fowler are you recreating? I've always been told that browning is appropriate for longarms from the 1790's onward. I'm pretty sure I read that Colonial Williamsburg fire blues barrels on a variety of guns including fowlers. P. Alexanders book tells you how to do it. It would work on other parts as well. There's a lot of accounts of men hunting with military muskets in the 18th century that had bright armoury finishes, so you can hunt with a bright finished longarm :shocked2: Just my two cents

 

[BlackNet]

doing a search for other things on this forum I ran into some VERY intersting things that is so fitting to this topic.

corrosion testing

Check out this test and check your bags

Ed