Metal Finish Options

[Carolina_Skinner]

Hey guys,

Just trying to be prepared for my next build, so just curious about all the different finish options y'all use on your guns. Including barrels, locks, brass etc. I want to make a good attractive decision on the finish on my next gun, so could you talk a bit about your own person decisions on finishes, pro-cons, and could I see some examples?

Thanks Guys.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I prefer, but don't need (meaning if I like the rifle I can live with a different finish) a rifle finished "in the white" for lock and barrel. I like a natural patina..., for my rifles and my trade guns. My persona as a civilian is an inn keeper [an "ordinary"] who hunts from time to time for hides..., and I'm nearer the frontier by far, rather than more settled areas, so the cheapest rifle for me would have a minimum of hardware and have been left without a finish (imho).

I prefer brass mounted rifles, though I have a steel mounted .40 that I also left the hardware to patina in a natural manner. One can speed the process by using an acid to cause discoloration of the steel, short of actually browning it. (Mustard works very well for this.)

As for the brass I buy it shiny, and then let it dull over time.

For military muskets I like the lock and barrel polished, but not "armory bright"..., the steel should be a dull gray with some staining, though no rust. It should not shine like a chrome bumper on a vintage muscle car.

I also like browning as a second choice. However, I've found it's tough to find folks who do a proper browning (as far as what I was taught was the proper browning). You see, I often find very nice rifles that were not polished before browning. Sorry, but browning a lock that still has the surface from being a cast part (when the locks were not cast back then) is what I consider a huge mistake. It doesn't make them look more "authentic", and not polishing the barrel before browning doesn't help the barrel either (imho). The steel should be polished, and THEN browned (as I was taught that was what was done back then)..., but that's extra, grunt work for some builders. Oh well, I'm just one "buyer" of many. So..., my one browned rifle, had a polished barrel and polished lock BEFORE it was browned. :wink:

An actual charcoal blue is very nice too, and would be my third choice. That may be simply because so few builders that I've found do such a finish, or so few did it when I was in the market to buy. I don't own any rifles or guns done with a charcoal blue, but I've seen several, and it is supposed to be an authentic finish for the 18th century. I have seen it very well simulated by using chemical blue, then "rubbing it back" to get a very similar finish. An actual, modern blue, hot or cold, no thanks.

Oh and I've seen a couple of factory rifles that were Parkerized. No foolin', modern Parkerized. They were both give aways from a widow to the late hunter's neighbor. He kept good care of the bores in both rifles, but ignored the outside of the barrels a bit. Rain and perhaps a little blood will really pit the outside of a barrel. Even when polished some, there were still obvious imperfections, so since they shot very well and were only going to be hunting guns..., he had the barrels Parkerized. An interesting solution..., but not for something historic eh?

LD

 

[Carolina_Skinner]

Thanks for the info! Looking back, I probably should have clarified what gun I'm actually building. I'll be building a Jim Chambers Penn Fowler.

 

[Col. Batguano]

the most common finishes are;

Cold Browning such as LMF
Hot Browning such as Birchwood Casey's Plum Brown
Barrle blackening (cold brown, then scorch dirty moror oil with a torch)
In the white as previously discussed
Barrel Graying (polish then blue with cold blue and then rub it back with steel wool)

Less commonly seen on American arms are the various bluing methods as discussed above. That's more of a European thing, but it did come over here in or around the mid 19th century.

My last gun I used a combination of finishes; the barrel was blackened and the lock grayed. I think it looks nice.

 

[rich pierce]

(In response to original poster)

Finishing the steel parts depends for me on the era of the gun and whether the gun is presented as new for that time, used, or well used. Also whether military or civilian.

Most originals now have a browned appearance on the steel parts but that is often the result of the centuries they have been around.

Surface preparation preceeds any steps conferring color. I too prefer a good polished surface on locks. 320 grit is fine. Same for triggers and trigger plates. For the barrel, draw filing of the top 5 flats is enough.

Then we have choices of further polishing, aging, applying s french gray, blues, or browned treatment.

1760-1790 long rifle presented as new? Polished lock and draw files barrel. Alternatively, fire blued barrel or a simulation of that.

Same era but lightly used? Repeated browning treatments of the barrel and lock, rubbed back almost to bright, leaving deep color in places like around sight dovetails, pan edge, under seat spring, etc.

Well used? Simulate repeated cumulative rusting by browning the barrel and lock. Rub back all the contact points and edges that get buffed naturally.

 

[Micah Clark]

Thanks for the info! Looking back, I probably should have clarified what gun I'm actually building. I'll be building a Jim Chambers Penn Fowler.

I am making a Penn Fowler now . . .so this is interesting of you to ask and helpful. I am not a fan of browned finishes . . .I'm somewhat new to ML's so while a lot of it I've grown to appreciate, that ain't one of them . I much prefer more of a black or blue. . which I did on a Late Lancaster. ---- I guess I can't get past the notion that browning is glorified rust. . and in my mind rust and guns just don't go together.

I think I am leaving my Chambers Fowler in white barrel or will blue then rub back to a grey.

 

[Black Hand]

Hey guys,

Just trying to be prepared for my next build, so just curious about all the different finish options y'all use on your guns. Including barrels, locks, brass etc. I want to make a good attractive decision on the finish on my next gun, so could you talk a bit about your own person decisions on finishes, pro-cons, and could I see some examples?

Thanks Guys.

Much depends on the gun, style/school and the era...

 

[Carolina_Skinner]

Hey guys,

Just trying to be prepared for my next build, so just curious about all the different finish options y'all use on your guns. Including barrels, locks, brass etc. I want to make a good attractive decision on the finish on my next gun, so could you talk a bit about your own person decisions on finishes, pro-cons, and could I see some examples?

Thanks Guys.

Much depends on the gun, style/school and the era...

Looking back, I probably should have clarified what gun I'm actually building. I'll be building a Jim Chambers Penn Fowler.

Era being around 1770.

 

[Black Hand]

Walnut or Maple stock?

 

[Carolina_Skinner]

In walnut, I just loved the color of the wood, especially on the example Jim showed me.

 

[Black Hand]

In walnut, I just loved the color of the wood, especially on the example Jim showed me.

Barrel - I'd suggest a natural gray or blued then scrubbed back to a gray color.
Brass - smooth finish allowed to age naturally. Walnut - finished with an oil-type finish that allows the grain to come through, maybe with a hint of red, though Walnut appears to age with sunlight.
Lock - left bright and allowed to age naturally or blued then scrubbed back to gray as the barrel (don't get cold blue on springs - it has been know to cause them to crack/break).

Just my thoughts...

 

[jmforge]

I use cold blue paste to get a "French gray" look when I use mild steel or even wrought iron for knife fittings. With wrought, I etch first then "color"

 

[Critter Getter]

[/URL][/img] Mike Brooks built my .45 caliber Virginia and he told me he paints the metal with black spray paint and then rubs it back for an aged appearance. Works for me! Greg

 

[Vaino]

Seeing I'm a hunter, my builds have finishes that endure inclement weather better than some other finishes.....all steel parts are cold browned, brass parts have somewhat of a polished surface followed by some shading w/ cold blue to darken the brass. The stocks have a finish that's quite water resistant and also look good.

Cold browning yields an etched, matte finish that "captures" the waxy lube I use and browning is neutralized rust which doesn't readily rust again....so w/ a minimum amount of care, the browning remains as when new. When hunting, the dull, matte finish doesn't reflect the sun.

The stock finish is on the dull side and no dulling has to be done to accomplish this....Fred

 

[Twisted_1in66]

With the help of a gun-builder friend of mine when I lived in Vermont, I pickled the barrel of the Traditions PA Longrifle I used to use for reenactments. It's a method he learned from Hershel House and done correctly it results in an aged barrel with tiny pitting in it like you'd see in a gun that had been used heavily for 20-years or so.

First I used Birchwood Casey Bluing and Rust Remover to remove the bluing from the barrel and it took all of about 5-10 minutes to get it "in the white" - took the bluing off in a snap. I had to wipe it down with alcohol first to remove any oil, but that remover took it down to bright in no time at all. Then I took it over to Ed's house. Ed's a farrier and blacksmith and has a shop out in the country.

Next we removed the vent liner and replaced it with a screw that matched the same threads. We wrapped teflon tape around it to make sure we got a good seal on it. Used a screw that would leave about an inch of the screw outside the barrel as we would need to use that to help lift the barrel in and out of the trough. On the muzzle we used a tapered wooden plugged. It had a slow taper on it so we could get a fair amount of contact once we tapped it into the muzzle. Then we put a cup hook on the end of the plug.

It's really important to be sure the muzzle and the vent are completely sealed because you will ruin the barrel if any liquid gets into it. REALLY IMPORTANT!!!

Then we practiced lifting the barrel in and out of the trough a few times using the hooks from a metal hanger to hold onto the screw in the vent and the hook in the muzzle. Worked OK, so next he filled the trough with a 50/50 solution of bleach and water. This MUST be done outside or in a very well ventilated area as boiling this solution produces chlorine gas. We did this in his open-roofed barn with the barn door open.

Ed had set up an ingenious burner system based on a gas grill. He had fabricated a burner that ran the entire length of the trough we used to hold the solution. After he lit it, this burner got the entire length of the trough (made from roof gutter) to come to an even boil. You want small bubbles not big ones if you can get it adjusted. Getting the entire length to boil at the same rate is key to getting an even finish on the pickling.

Once the solution was boiling we submersed the barrel in it. Pretty much as soon as the barrel hit the bleach/water solution, the solution turned red. Looked pretty scary! After 15 minutes, we lifted the barrel up and turned it around so the muzzle was in the opposite direction. Again, this was done to get the most even finish on it. After boiling in the second position for the same amount of time, we pulled the barrel out and set it on the bench.

After we turned off the gas and disposed of the bleach/water solution we went back to inspect the barrel. The barrel was totally covered with tiny round balls of rust. Really looked like we had ruined the barrel. Pull out the plug from the muzzle and the screw from the vent and inspected the interior of the barrel. Nothing had gotten inside and it looked bright and clean.

Next Ed took it over to the wire wheel on his bench grinder and started wire-wheeling the rust off. When he got it down to a flat brown finish he asked if I wanted to leave it brown or keep going. I said keep going and he took it on down until it looked like the barrel on my grandfather's rifle that had been used on his ranch for 40-years. Certainly not a bright finish but a faded patina look. Then we wiped down the barrel with gun oil and mounted it back in the stock.

With the brass furniture on the rifle blackened from heavy use at reenactments and the pickling on the barrel, it looks like an old and well used rifle. The pits are tiny and really make it look old.

Not sure you'd want to do that to a gun that has never been used, but I really like the look of it on my Traditions rifle. The rifle that I use all the time though is an Early Lancaster rifle. I did not put a finish on that barrel at all, just left it in the white and let it develop a patina over the years. I like the look that developed on it after a few years of use.

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

 

[Carolina_Skinner]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate all the input. If anyone has any more, feel free to keep adding, and don't worry about too many pictures.

 

[kruzer1]

Slow rust bluing was another popular method going back centuries... In fact many "browned" barrels started life as slow rust blued.

It is not expensive to do yourself but it is labor intensive. The results are gorgeous and it is a durable finish.

 

[jmforge]

Isn't an old fashioned browned barrel just a rust blued barrel that hasn't been boiled?

 

[rich pierce]

Generally speaking, yes. A rusted, "browned" barrel, when boiled, turns blue/black.

 

[kruzer1]

True but you have to do it for several passes to get a consistent rust blue- usually 5-15 acid application/ boil sessions depending on the steel and polish.

Some people also steam the finish as well.

I was told by a "Hawkens" expert who said all of the actual Hawkens were slow rust blued, not browned by taking them apart and looking at the original finish under the stock line. I suspect many of the "browned" firearms we see in museums started life as blued but worn down and took a browned appearance with use.... not to say that browning itself was not done.