True-Oil

I just stripped my Jaeger of the polyurethane finish that I originally applied and restained it dark and I'm using BC's True-Oil for a finish. I love this stuff and I got the aeresol can. So far I've applied about 10 coats and it looks almost like black glass. Beautiful! I will top it off with BC's gunstock wax. I really like the reflective finish and my question to you fellows is about this being a possible PC appearance for an American Jaeger. I say American Jaeger because I used curly maple instead of walnut and pretend a German gunsmith immigrant built it and used curly maple instead of what was used mostly in the Germanic lands back home which was walnut according to my readings. Two more questions. Didn't some germans brown their barrels? I've left mine in the white so far. And how can a man simulate the fire-blued finish on lock bolts and screws without going through a difficult mystical process?

 

James
Now I may get some flack here but here we go.
I will also first state that this is my opinion and nothing more.
Polished metal will over time rust "called brown maybe if it goes far enough"
Now while many of the originals were polished, I think over time they would have gotten a patina. On top of that if we consider what these guns were used for, a polished shinning barrel and hard wear is not what you want unless you

 

[robertl]

My word....common sense....where have I heard that before?

I have read several books regarding the building trade of muzzleloading rifles, mostly for the 'white man' trade but some for the Indian trade and the Indians at least were very fond of the blued barrels on the muskets they traded for with the Dutch and French.

I have often wondered just how many rifles were left in the white. I would think not many but I have no documentation to establish statistics from.

As I recall all references to this, that I have read, used some kind of finishing process on the metal parts. I have a book of nothing but recipts for bluing/browning mixtures. As dated by the book they go back a long way. Well into the flint era. If leaving the barrels and locks in the white ( aside from the military muskets) was the trend, someone devoted a lot of time to thinking up these formulas when they could been pushing finished pieces out the door.

 

[Doc Arroyo]

And how can a man simulate the fire-blued finish on lock bolts and screws without going through a difficult mystical process?

I have had good luck with putting a blue color to a screw with a propane torch and a can of motor oil. Heat to red, quench, ehat (burning the oil off) and quench. Buff with a soft cloth.

I also have played with Oxpho Blue from Brownell's

Browning seems to come into fashion around 1810. Fire blueing is slightly mystical, and time consuming. Browning is time consuming, but pretty hard to get wrong. In the white is cheap for the gun builder. So you have to ask yourself...When was the gun built? How much did the purchaser pay for it? Answer those questions and they will tell you how to finish your rifle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Donny]

Tru-oil can't be beat. I blue screws just by using a propane torch. One method is to is the sand in the oven method, the fine sand must be baked first to eliminate impurities. Then the screws are placed on in the sand and baked. This is supposed to be the method clockmakers etc. used. Don

 

[Zonie]

If you want an absolute mirror like finish on the True Oil, after the final coat, lightly wet sand with 600 grit or finer wet/dry paper just enough to remove the little uneven high points.
Buy (or steal your wifes) Wright's Silver Polish. I like the paste type but the liquid will work.
Useing a soft cotton cloth rub the stock with the polish. This takes fairly heavy rubbing in small overlapping areas.
It takes a little time, but when your finished, the finish will look like a deep mirror with all of the color and grain of the wood showing with crystal clarity.

To heat blue screw heads and other small items I use a propane torch.
Polish the screw head. Get a bright light and a small bowl with some motor oil in it and some pliers.
With the torch turned as low as it will go, hold the screw head about 2 to 3 inches from the pointed blue flame. Watch it closely and you will see it change to yellow (430 F), then straw (470 F), brown (500 F), purple (540 F), then to blue (570 F).
The reason for holding it beyond the flame is the screw will heat rather fast and you want to slow the process down so you can watch for when the stopping point is reached.
When the blue color has been achieved, plunge the screw into the oil to cool it. (Notice there is only 30 degrees F temperature difference between the purple and the blue. For this reason, I usually quench just about the time the purple is fading to blue. It seems to give a darker color).
You now have a true heat blued screw head.

If you leave it in the heat too long, it will start to turn a blue gray, then a gray color. If this happens, just repolish the surface and start again.

This bluing is rather thin and doesn't wear real well, but for screw heads which aren't constantly being rubbed it will last for years.

 

[Chris Evrard]

As far as a shiny finish being pc on and American Jaeger, I'd have to say yes.

Many of the finishes used back in "the day" were varnish or some type of varnish derivitave. Many of them left a shiny finish when they were dry.

Maybe some gunsmiths knocked down the shine some when they were done, maybe they didn't.

I think it is a safe bet that many of them left the shop with a shiny finish which was eventually worn down with use and cleaning, etc.

Chris E.

 

[Doc Will]

J JAmes do you use the B/C filler-sealer before you put the TruOil on? I always do to help fill the grain, but I think there is a lot of builders that do not. Just curios as to what method you use. I have never used the aresol, but I think since you have good luck with it I will give it a try.
Keep Yer Powder Dry
Doc Will

 

Yes Chris E. I also polished my brass and now I'll let her age gracefully and naturally. Doc Will, I sprayed my stained stock with Laquer Sanding Sealer made by Deft. Then I sprayed about 10 light coats of the True-Oil with about 4 hours drying time in between. I don't have a dust-free environment so I had to pick a few stray cat hairs off of the stock. Keep in mind that I learn as I go and it's been the hard way so ask others before following my path ( just read my posts about glas bedding a barrel if you don't believe me). With that said, I'm very pleased with the overall look of my gun. Someday I'll post a photo or two for everyone's critique.