Very nice work! I really like the simplicity of your carving, it definitely adds to the finished rifle. Mind if I ask whose kit you started with???
My Latest Kit Build
- Thread starter kje54
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If you don't recognize the production kit right off the mark then I accomplished what I set out to do which was make it look closer to what the unaltered piece kinda sorta looks like.
It's the Pendersoli Kentucky Longrifle Kit in .45 caliber. My goal was to make it look as much like a Bucks County flintlock as possible.
I understand but for the time being all of mine are just wall hangers until I can get my life back in order again, it's been at least a decade since I shot any paper targets in anger......... Or in friendship..........
Besides I live in a big city and have to find a place to shoot BP other than my back yard which will upset my neighbors and bring the law down on my head.
I'll get to it eventually.
Okay, my first attempt at barrel browning failed miserably. I used Laural Mountain Forge Browning solution and degreaser, followed the instruction carefully though I did my final sanding with 1000 grit. Even cleaned the barrel off with alcohol the day before. When I applied the solution I followed the instructions to the letter and mine came out blotchy and streaked. When I carded it it it almost all wiped off showing bare metal. Currently sanding it back down with 220 grit. May try it again, may not.
For me, the Laural Mountain Forge browning solution always takes at least 4 applications and cardings to even out and look right.
Then, I don't use sandpaper or harsh abrasives to card with either.
Carding is supposed to remove the rough, soft rust that forms and leave the hard brown rust behind. Sandpaper will remove it all, both soft and hard rust.
Try using a very rough cloth like denum to card off the loose rust and repeat the process at least 4 times or more to get an even coat on the barrel.
Also, make sure there is enough humidity around the barrel while it is "working" so a good layer of hard rust can be made.
Then, I don't use sandpaper or harsh abrasives to card with either.
Carding is supposed to remove the rough, soft rust that forms and leave the hard brown rust behind. Sandpaper will remove it all, both soft and hard rust.
Try using a very rough cloth like denum to card off the loose rust and repeat the process at least 4 times or more to get an even coat on the barrel.
Also, make sure there is enough humidity around the barrel while it is "working" so a good layer of hard rust can be made.
Humidity? In the high desert.......? Well I might have to make my next attempt in the bathroom........ and run the shower hot from time to time. I used an old rough cotton washcloth to card with and finally decided to re-sand the barrel after 5 coats. When I wiped on the first coat, heavy as the instructions said, the solution appeared to bead instead of coat. I'm wondering if using 1000 grit was just too smooth.
I'm a noob but recently did this kit in a .50. 1000 sounds way too fine. At that fineness aren't you creating a barrier? I sanded mine to 400 grit and exposed it to lots of humidity between applications of Dixie's solution. Made errors while installing front sight and needed to sand a smaller area back down, afterwards. Rather than trying to exactly match the rest of the barrel, I did a little testing. Basically, 4 or 5 days worth of applications gave me a smooth brown. I'll post some pics so you can see what I'm referring to.
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Try 250-300 grit ,1000 is way to fine . nothing to lose but time ,but it works for me/Ed
Also I had applied three coats of tung oil to the stock and it still looked "dry", ended up adding three more coats yesterday and now it looks fine. That walnut stock must have been stored for a while and dried out before I got it.
Browning works best for me if I stop sanding the barrel when I reach the 320 grit level. The 220 grit is even a better point to stop at.
Yes. Humidity is the thing that makes the whole process work. Without it, there is nothing to create the brown rust your after.
Some folks do use their bathrooms and run the shower for a few minutes to steam it up but it is easy to get too much steam in the air and if you do, some of it will concence on the barrel. That will cause streaks.
If you have access to a vaporizer, the kind your "significant other" uses in the kids rooms when they catch a cold, it will do a good job of moisturizing the air. Just make sure there is no Vick's Vaporub or other oil like stuff in or on it. Like the shower, if it's in a small room, it's easy to get too much moisture in the air and get runs. Oh, also make sure the barrel is warm when you put it in the room to stop the condensation from forming drops.
Actually, I built a steam cabinet to use when I brown barrels and the like. It makes a warm, humid place to do the browning.
Didn't occur to my but yes I have a one room humidifier that I have only used water in for the wife. The kids were all furry, four legged and meowed sometimes. It's been sitting unused since the wife passed away this last August.
troy2000
45 Cal.
Don't need detailed history and analysis. Would just like to know whether it reliably goes 'bang,' and makes holes in a relatively small space. Pretty sure it will, but it's always nice to hear anyway.
I use Laural Mtn Forge for both blueing and browning. I built a 6"x 6" x 48" plywood box and put some wet towels in the bottom. I suspend the barrel in the box and put a lid on it. In the winter I set it by the wood stove. I card with a fine wire wheel at a slow RPM or use steel wool. Sanding beyond 320 grit is a waste of time. I use acetone to clean the grease off. I recently finished a Rolling Block barrel for a friend. (I'm talking about the barrel finish, not the unmentionable action). I browned the barrel first to give it a good etch and then rubbed it down hard with cold blue. It gave a really nice finish that looked like a blued barrel that had aged a few hundred years.
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Ha … your office is immaculate. My secretaries used to call my first wife [deceased] to ask permission to clean my desk.. always NO or he won't find anything for aa week.. Today my wife said "you have to clean up your desk."
Hmmm?
hanshi
Cannon
Dang, that's a good job!
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I have a quote in my office "If a cluttered desk is sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign of?" Albert Einstein. I'm not sure the quote is from him, but it is a fun one. My work bench is definitely a sign of a cluttered mind. It is interesting how we all are made differently.
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