Removing the shine on a musket

[Florida airgunner]

Hi

I have a charleville musket (from india) and the metal is just so shiny and polished and I don't care for it. I want the barrel to look aged and have a dull grey finish. What is the easiest way to accomplish this?

Thank you

 

[SDSmlf]

Hi

I have a charleville musket (from india) and the metal is just so shiny and polished and I don't care for it. I want the barrel to look aged and have a dull grey finish. What is the easiest way to accomplish this?

Thank you

From your forum handle, guessing you live in Florida. Make sure the bore is well protected with a good rust preventative, then store the gun outside. Check every week or so, wiping the exterior with oil when you check it if you like. When you have the look you want, bring the gun back inside to stop the ‘aging’ process. I am assuming your ‘inside’ is an air conditioned environment.

 

[necchi]

Next time ya shoot and clean it,, take one of the dirty cleaning patches and rub it on the shiny parts.
It'll tarnish.

 

[JeffG]

Try degreasing with alcohol, and wiping with a cloth and white vinegar. Rinse with clear water, and repeat until you get the finish you want.

 

[Larks]

Have you considered rubbing it down with fine steel wool??

 

[kyron4]

Naval jelly.

 

[Tumbledown]

Naval jelly will give a nice gray finish.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Clean and degrease the barrel with acetone or alcohol. Then swab on instant cold bluing like Birchwood Casey's Super Blue. Turn it dark with the bluing and then simply rub it back to the level of tarnish you want with a green Scotch Bright pad. You will have instant tarnish.

dave

 

[64Springer]

Paint it with black powder fouling and stick it in a humid area. Bathroom, outside, etc.

That metal will not be bright and shiny in short order.

I've done it numerous times. It works well.

 

[Florida airgunner]

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Florida airgunner]

From your forum handle, guessing you live in Florida. Make sure the bore is well protected with a good rust preventative, then store the gun outside. Check every week or so, wiping the exterior with oil when you check it if you like. When you have the look you want, bring the gun back inside to stop the ‘aging’ process. I am assuming your ‘inside’ is an air conditioned environment.

yes, both of your assumptions are correct. Thanks for the help

 

[Florida airgunner]

From your forum handle, guessing you live in Florida. Make sure the bore is well protected with a good rust preventative, then store the gun outside. Check every week or so, wiping the exterior with oil when you check it if you like. When you have the look you want, bring the gun back inside to stop the ‘aging’ process. I am assuming your ‘inside’ is an air conditioned environment.

Hi, I'm about to use your method, but do you think the stock will be ok outside in the humidity. I'm afraid it might warp the wood. Thank you

 

[tenngun]

I got birtchwood casy perma blue. Wiped down with light application. Then navy jelly and 0000 steel wool

 

[springfield art]

I second that Naval Jelly proposal. I've found it to work. Don't do the "store outside" thing, all due respect!

 

[Florida airgunner]

I second that Naval Jelly proposal. I've found it to work. Don't do the "store outside" thing, all due respect!

I see a lot of naval jelly, I will do more research on it and give it a try.

 

[Jhightow]

Hey saw you're trying to remove the shine on the musket you've got. I figured I'd let you know my method for the matchlock I have.

I removed the barrel from the gun.
Plugged the front with a synthetic wine cork. What caliber is the gun?
Plugged the touch hole with a toothpick. If you haven't drilled the touch hole already, even better.
Then got a tube of PVC in a dimeter and length that could completely submerge the barrel and a cap for one end.
Buy store brand tomato juice. Mine was Piggly Wiggly brand.
Sand blast or scotch brite(green) the entire barrel, making sure to have all the lines run the length of the barrel if you go the scotch brite route.
Wipe the entire barrel down with acetone or rubbing alcohol and a clean rag. Acetone will be better.
I didn't do this part but I recommend doing it, seal the threads at the breech with clay or wax. Just enough to fit in the gap of the breech plug to barrel. Clay probably works best.
Oil the bore heavily.
Then, you might test the seal of your pick and cork by submerging the barrel for 20 minutes in water. If it gets any in the bore, you know you have a leak somewhere.
After confirming barrel is sealed, fill up the tube with the tomato juice and submerge your barrel in it for 20 minutes.
Remove for 5 minutes.
Repeat until desired gray color is achieved.
Rinse thoroughly with water.
Then make a baking soda paste and rub down the barrel with it and a toothbrush.
Rinse with water.
Repeat until you don't see the paste react anymore.
Then oil the barrel. The longer the time from baking soda rinse to oil, the more brown the color will change to. Realize this will promote rust in the future(similar to how browning solution encourages rust) so grease on the underside of the barrel and a good preserving oil, like ballistol, will prevent rust from getting too bad. If it ever gets fine surface rust, wipe it back with a rough cloth, and reapply oil.
Don't be afraid of rust as long as you keep oil on it, it will not grow.
Biggest thing is to clean the tomato juice out well and enusre that the gun is oiled.

I also scraped the varnish off my stock and gave it an oil finish.

 

[Florida airgunner]

Hey saw you're trying to remove the shine on the musket you've got. I figured I'd let you know my method for the matchlock I have.

I removed the barrel from the gun.
Plugged the front with a synthetic wine cork. What caliber is the gun?
Plugged the touch hole with a toothpick. If you haven't drilled the touch hole already, even better.
Then got a tube of PVC in a dimeter and length that could completely submerge the barrel and a cap for one end.
Buy store brand tomato juice. Mine was Piggly Wiggly brand.
Sand blast or scotch brite(green) the entire barrel, making sure to have all the lines run the length of the barrel if you go the scotch brite route.
Wipe the entire barrel down with acetone or rubbing alcohol and a clean rag. Acetone will be better.
I didn't do this part but I recommend doing it, seal the threads at the breech with clay or wax. Just enough to fit in the gap of the breech plug to barrel. Clay probably works best.
Then, you might test the seal of your pick and cork by submerging the barrel for 20 minutes in water. If it gets any in the bore, you know you have a leak somewhere.
After confirming barrel is sealed, fill up the tube with the tomato juice and submerge your barrel in it for 20 minutes.
Remove for 5 minutes.
Repeat until desired gray color is achieved.
Rinse thoroughly with water.
Then make a baking soda paste and rub down the barrel with it and a toothbrush.
Rinse with water.
Repeat until you don't see the paste react anymore.
Then oil the barrel. The longer the time from baking soda rinse to oil, the more brown the color will change to. Realize this will promote rust in the future(similar to how browning solution encourages rust) so grease on the underside of the barrel and a good preserving oil, like ballistol, will prevent rust from getting too bad. If it ever gets fine surface rust, wipe it back with a rough cloth, and reapply oil.
Don't be afraid of rust as long as you keep oil on it, it will not grow.
Biggest thing is to clean the tomato juice out well and enusre that the gun is oiled.

I also scraped the varnish off my stock and gave it an oil finish.

Thats an india musket right? I like how you did the stock. Can you tell me how you did it?

 

[Jhightow]

Yes, it is. Thanks!

I think I started with the back of a butter knife for scraping it and then found that a cheap stamped spoon, like the ones from Dollar Tree, worked worlds better and I could use the curve of the spoon to get the funny nooks and crannies. Don't apply too much pressure. Your goal is just to flake the varnish or paint off. Start in a small area and test it. Once you get it scraped, lightly sand with 300 grit paper. Then oil finish. I used linseed and acetone with honey stain. Mix of 50/50 with stain for color.

 

[SDSmlf]

Hi, I'm about to use your method, but do you think the stock will be ok outside in the humidity. I'm afraid it might warp the wood. Thank you

Leave the stock inside. You get the wood swelling up and you will have new challenges.