Refinishing with BC Plum Brown

[EricinFla]

I purchased a TC Renegade Kit gun that was fired but never properly assembled or finished and am in the process of rehabilitating it.

The barrel and metal parts will be finished with a BC Plum Brown finish.

After progressive sanding to remove rust- 220, 400, 1000, 2000 the barrel is mirror bright yet still has some small lines in it that will not sand out. All in all I am very satisfied with the condition of the barrel, yet am curious if anyone can offer guidance from experience on what the barrel condition should be to achieve a good finish with the BCPB?

[gnoahhh]

I wouldn't take it past 400 grit myself. That seems to be the magic number for all the browning and rust bluing I ever did, with several different solutions. Finer than that and the stuff will bead up on the surface instead of flowing out evenly, making for more difficulty in achieving a splotch-free finish. In the end, a 600x or 800x surface won't be materially shinier than if done with 320 or 400x anyway after the rusting process is completed.

[fouronesix]

Absolutely right about the grit. I don't go past 320 grit either. "Correctly" browned metal is not shiny anyway and by leaving at say 320 grit or even a little coarser, the "rusting" chemical has more raw surface metal area to react with. Also, if those remaining scratches are coarse and deep you might have to start over and get below them. Maybe start back at 150 grit and work up to 320 until an even finish is achieved.

The secret to using BC Plum Brown is correct temperature and application. Heat the entire barrel to a temp that just barely sizzles when the solution is applied. Any hotter will be counterproductive. Very much cooler and the reaction will be too slow and not work right. You can see the rich brown colored oxidation form during application if the temperature is correct. You may have to card, rinse and heat more than once to get coverage and color desired. IF done correctly, BC Plum Brown works very well. IF done incorrectly it's like anything else.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I'm a firm believer in Plum Brown, especially for old guns or reproductions. With enough applications, and the parts boiled afterwards in clean water, it goes an extremely attractive slightly warm brown. It is far more protective than anything with a bluish tone. Iron oxide is black, not blue, and bluishness comes from a trace of transparency.

I agree that it is a waste of time to go to really fine grades of paper, since the treatment is going to give it a very fine satin texture anyway. I would go to about 600 grit though, and very fine ones don't actually do any harm if they make you happy, since unlike most rust bluing processes, Plum Brown doesn't have to form a film, or indeed stay liquid for more than a moment. I have found it supremely foolproof. Once I glass-bedded a rifle with the screw-holes filled with wax from an Edam Dutch cheese. I omitted to clear one hole, and saw melted wax covering the surface as I applied Plum Brown. I just wiped it away with another swab, and as it was the first application I could see that the finish took just as much as anywhere else.

[johnson1942]

if you can find a auto repair center or some where that has a bead blaster have it bead blasted for a matte finish. make sure to seal the muzzle and nipple area. the plum brown will work out much much better if the steel is bead blasted. what i do also when you have the finish you want put in hot water for a bit. how i do it and it is easy and cheap is i bought a piece of 3 inch pvc pipe about 40 inches long and capped it with a pvc cap. i set it vertical so it is secure. when the barrel is ready, boil some water enough to fill it so it will be close to boiling. tie a string to your barrel and put in the pipe and cover with a couple of wash cloths to keep the heat in. also as you filling the pipe with boiling water put in some bakeing soda also. that will stop the acid action of the plum brown. these extra two steps can make you barrel look as possiblely good as it can get. leave in about at leaste 1/2 hour. take out and wash and dry off. oil heavily and let the oil soak in good. rub down with a dry cloth and reoil if you have to. their you are a very very good finish.

[KCSO]

Whoa partner... you really don't want to go much beyond 220 for browning. You NEED a rougher surface to get the rust to take well. If you polish the barrel too much it will just take a lot longer for the rust to bite and the barrel will not be any smoother when its rusted anyway. Now as to Plumb Brown I use it all the time as an adjunct to slow rust browning. I do the prelim=minary brown with PB and then use a humidity cabinet to finish the job. I kill the brown by washing well in hot soda water and then drying and heating the barrel and working in oil till the oil is well cooked in. I then rub well with burlap sacking and finish by re heating the barrel and rubbing in bees wax. The brown lasts for 4o years that I can vouch for as of now.

[EricinFla]

A bit of background for you gentlemen......Up until I saw this renegade a few months ago and thought "I could do better than that" and bought it to try, I had never been a serious gun hunter much less black powder enthusiast. For the last 20 yrs I have hunted everything bigger than quail with a recurve. Helped a friend take an antelope in Nebraska last year with his ML and thought I might want to try that. So bought the renegade to rehab then found the threads on paper patching and am also building another renegade with a fast twist GM barrel to paper patch. Should have that done next week.

Everyone here has been very helpful, generous with their knowledge and in many instances quite humorous. I read a lube recipe with patchouli oil, something about smelling like a grateful dead concert when fired... . For someone new to this I have really enjoyed what I have learned here and feel like I am with "my kind of people".

Thanks to all of you.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

mirror brite means problems!

I actually only use up to 150 grit for a nice matte brown finish.

[bedbugbilly]

I've used the BC Plum Brown on a number of rifles I've built over the years. I like it and it gives a good durable finish.

A couple of years ago, I wanted to "antique" my Uberti 1851 Navy - I stripped it down and told all the blueing off. I figured I would brown it with the BC Plum Brown and then hit the high spots where holster wear would be, etc. Well . . stripped it down, browned it and I liked it so much I just left it as it turned out. It looks great and the finish really holds up. I take the barrel and cylinder off to clean, toss them in a bucket of hot soapy water, clean them and then heat them up with a hair dryer. A light coat of oil and it looks slick as a whistle when all back together.

It sure beats the old "rust browning" I used to do on the rifles I built when I first got started. With the BC Plum Brown - just make sure your metal is clean - I use hot soapy water followed by a rinse and then dry it - a final rub down with alcohol and then heat and apply the Plum Brown. Follow the instructions and you'll et a nice job!

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I don't think it beats the very best kind of slow rust blue. But that is far more difficult and time-consuming, and if you pay for it to be done, it takes a while to know if you got it.

[johnson1942]

ive read before that before you start the rust blue, do one coat of plum brown. tomorrow im going to rust blue a trigger guard and a lock plate and i use my oven and do the same process that you would plum brown. im going to the local black smith shop to bead blast the metal first. the barrel im sending off to glen rock blueing in wyoming. if my oven was larger i would rust blue the barrel my self also.

[rfd]

having done both bluing and browning to 18th and 19th century replica ml's, these dayze i prefer to do what was mostly done back in the day - nothing. just allow the metal to patina on its own, it's a very pc and hc treatment for barrels.

[EricinFla]

Today is the day. Prepping everything now. What have you found best to apply the PB solution with sponge, brush...?

[johnson1942]

i rust blued a lock, trigger guard, lock side plate and a piece of shaped metal under the front part of the trigger guard yesterday. i bead blasted them first and boiled them when done for a hour. washed them good and heated them at 170 degrees for a while then soaked them in oil for a couple of hours. they turned out perfect and very very nice to look at. i would do the barrel also but it wont fit in my oven. i used a wadded up paper towel to dab the solution on. plum brown is a good solution that is about the same as the rust blue i use. if you want a black finish mix rust brown and rust blue together and it comes out black. my rust blue is very very dark and deep in color. do all the steps and you will be very very pleased with the results.

[mooman76]

Sponge will work fine and I have used cotton balls too but they are smaller and pack down. You will need some good gloves because the heat will go through the sponge into your hand. You will have to do quite a few coats until you get it looking the way you want. Clean between coats just like the directions say and you will be fine. Remove the nipple and plug with something like a screw and plug the bore cavity too.

[Gunor]

Do you remove the front sight? (Dovetail) before bluing. Rear sight is a TC - so removable.

[bubba.50]

since there could be oil/dirt/grease or other unknown contaminants under the front sight in the dovetail that may keep yer finish from taking, i'd remove it & clean that area along with the rest.

[Huntsman]

Today is the day. Prepping everything now. What have you found best to apply the PB solution with sponge, brush...?

I used a 'wool' sock for application.

[EricinFla]

Thanks to the guidance I received here, the Renegade has turned out nicely.

First, a couple of "Before" photos.

150891150892

This was how the rifle looked when I purchased it.

[rfd]

great job, sir!

[EricinFla]

Not how I wanted that to post, but it is all there.


When I was ready to apply the PB, I attached a 2x8 to my saw horses and drilled a hole for a 1/2" dowel I had tapered to fit into the barrel.

When the barrel was heated I put it on the dowel and began to apply the finish. INSTANT change.
It had begun to rain when I started so remembering the suggestion to use rainwater, I captured a few gallons of rain water to use in the rinse phase and the final step with baking soda.

The first application went on well with a few spots less dark than others.
Keep Calm and Plum Brown on!
Rinse, rub with steel wool and back to the oven.
Second application brought everything to a very consistent finish.
By the third application I could see no difference in finish.

Into the PVC tube with the boiling rainwater and baking soda.

After an hour there I removed the barrel, allowed it to cool and then began a rub down with steel wool and oil.

This yielded a very smooth, deep finish that I am very pleased with.

Same process for the furniture.

Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions. I believe I have found a new favorite finish.

[fouronesix]

Excellent. Thanks for the follow-up report.

[johnson1942]

now you can teach others and dont have to pay someone to do it for you. the good thing about the trigger guard and such you can put that in a big pot on the stove and boil it good.

[mooman76]

The oven is an excellent way to do it if your oven is big enough to handle it. I did my first(pistol) that way and it came out real nice. Later I tried a couple rifles but too big for the oven. I tried putting it on the gas grill outside with lid closed most the way but that didn't work so hot even though it was summer. It's so hot here in summer you can't pick up metal sitting in the sun. Not quite hot enough or too slow so I had to switch to a torch. I just hung it up in the garage. First rifle I did I made the mistake of doing it on my reload press and the liquid dripped down so now I have a nicely browned .223 set of dies.

[Fly]

I rust blue almost all my guns. Every now & then I rust brown one, but mostly for a customer.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i384/Fly61/DSCN0015.jpg[/URL

Fly

[johnson1942]

good job fly, thats the way a rust blueing should look. would it help the finish to coat with microlon gun juice.? ive been reading about the stuff but want to hear from others on it.

[Gunor]

I have a TC Hawkin barrel, so the oven should work. What temp?

And i I have Birchwood Casey plum - will that work ok?

[mooman76]

Follow the directions, it has the temp on it. BC is the Birchwood they are speaking of.

[Fly]

I never used microlon gun juice, so I can't be of help. Sorry!

Fly

[johnson1942]

ive only used mark lee. i heat so the part sizzles when the soulution is applied. that i dont think it is recommended but it works very well to me. i have the oven at set at 350. i have never used the product you have so cant comment. plum brown birchwood casey and mark lee i have used and again i heat more than recommended and again it works very well for me. the prep and the boiling in soda water is very important. for the rifle barrel it will have to be a hot bath but that works also. when all is said and done and you get the finish you want, a floor paste wax applied can seal the finish and make it water proof. im investigateing the microlon gun juice to seal the finish when i can figure out where to post the question on this site. it may have a lot of merrit or may not.

[Boaz]

Looks nice !

[Boaz]

I rust blue almost all my guns. Every now & then I rust brown one, but mostly for a customer.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i384/Fly61/DSCN0015.jpg[/URL

Fly

Turned out nice .

[Fly]

Thanks Bob.
Fly