One more time, or strip and start over?

[Gadsden]

I figured you guys didn't want another thread with the word 'browning' in it...

I did two coats of BC Plumb Brown. For the most part it looks really nice, but there are a few spots where it looks like the chemical dried, like an outline of an area.

Should I strip and start over, do one more coat, or is there a way to repair them?

I'm afraid if I do another coat it'll end up too dark.

Thanks.

 

[rafterob]

For a barrel it usually takes 3 coats to get an even coverage. Might take more. Then you need to properly cure it and finish it, The BC plum brown is just that, a dark "plum" brown. After your final coat wash according to the instructions. Dry it well and rub it with oil. Let it sit one day and then card the fuzzy rust off by very lightly rubbing with steel wool. Repeat this step for 3 days. Then once again wash the barrel very well, dry and oil. Let it set for one week. Wash it again, dry and then wax it with a nice paste wax. It will continue to age for a number of months till it settles into the final color. Lightly oil after your routine cleaning when shooting. Maybe once a year re-wax it.

 

[Vaino]

I've used both BC Plum Brown and LMF and the LMF is nearly "foolproof" whereas the BC product is much more demanding in achieving a nice brown. My suggestion....go to the LMF......Fred

 

[wulf]

I made a humidity box and can control it to any
color I wish. Takes maybe two days....

 

[Zonie]

If the spots have a copper color, the metal wasn't heated hot enough so the BC PB deposited a layer of copper on the steel.

If this happened, no amount of additional coats will cause the area to brown so the answer is to lightly sand these places and then start again.

You won't have to sand the entire barrel.

If the metal was heated too hot the BC PB will boil off almost instantly leaving a crusty unbrowned area.
A through washing of the area should allow a reheat and reapplication of the PB to get it to "take".

If the barrel just has some streaky lighter areas among the darker browned areas, wash the barrel and apply another one or two coats of the PB.

Eventually it will even out.
After it does, allow it to rest overnight or even 24 hours. Then rub the surface with some course denim or burlap to remove any loose rust that has formed.

Follow this with a heavy coating of petroleum oil and again, let it rest overnight.

The oil coating will even up the general appearance.

PS: You've discovered why I don't brown large surfaces like barrels with Birchwood Casey Plum Brown.
The Laural Mountain browning solution is much easier to use (even if it does take longer).

 

[Gadsden]

If the spots have a copper color, the metal wasn't heated hot enough so the BC PB deposited a layer of copper on the steel.

If this happened, no amount of additional coats will cause the area to brown so the answer is to lightly sand these places and then start again.

You won't have to sand the entire barrel.

If the metal was heated too hot the BC PB will boil off almost instantly leaving a crusty unbrowned area.
A through washing of the area should allow a reheat and reapplication of the PB to get it to "take".

If the barrel just has some streaky lighter areas among the darker browned areas, wash the barrel and apply another one or two coats of the PB.

Eventually it will even out.
After it does, allow it to rest overnight or even 24 hours. Then rub the surface with some course denim or burlap to remove any loose rust that has formed.

Follow this with a heavy coating of petroleum oil and again, let it rest overnight.

The oil coating will even up the general appearance.

PS: You've discovered why I don't brown large surfaces like barrels with Birchwood Casey Plum Brown.
The Laural Mountain browning solution is much easier to use (even if it does take longer).

Thanks, good info.

This is a Traditions "Kentucky Long Rifle" kit that I built 20 years ago. At the time it was finished with a blued barrel and a natural colored stock with no stain, just for something different. Never did like it, so I decided to disassemble the rifle and refinish the whole thing. If the gun were more important to me or if I were doing a lot of this I'd have tried the LM product, but figured for the sake of one barrel this would be fine, especially it being cold and the furnace keeping the air dry. Setting up a whole process for humidity didn't make a lot of sense for this limited use.

At any rate, I did the barrel again last night and was able to get some of it cleaned up. After reading this I might try some spot repair on the bottom flats to see how it turns out. If it improves things then I'll do the visible areas. If not, then it'll stay as-is as a reminder to never use this stuff again.

Thanks!