blueing or blacking a barrell

[BLACK3]

Hello All, can anyone help me with info to eithe blue or black my raw T/C 56 cal barrel. I am getting ready to start the process , however I haven't done anything like this in 40 years and have forgotten how. IS there a book I could read? Most of the componants I have are T/C factory black, so I am thinking thats the way I should go. After I get this project done I plan to start casting my own r/b . I figure by then it will be warm out and I will be able to do it outside as I live in a small apartment.
THANKS
WARREN

[wch]

I'd check Brownells for various bluing solutions.

[nhrifle]

I've built several muzzleloaders and the last one I blued was done with Birchwood Casey's cold bluing solution. Has been quite durable and looks pretty good. However, take a look at their Plum Brown metal finish. It is easy to apply and on a muzzleloader it is just beautiful.

[docone31]

Browning is the way to go. I have used a few Browning solutions and I have found The Dixie Gunworks home brew the best and easies to use. It makes a deep rich brown. Not Plum Brown, just plain brown. With some oil to fix it, it is a very pleasant finish. Easy to apply, self healing, and it works.
Browning is the way to go.

[oldred]

Those browning solutions are the way to go if a brown finish is desired but if you want blue then take it a simple step farther and just rust blue it. Use a solution such as Laural Forge and follow the simple directions which are the same as browning but the part is boiled in distilled water for a few minutes before carding off the rust, rust blue is easy to do, looks great and is the toughest blue finish you can do. Laural Forge has the directions for their product on their web site or several different solutions are available from Midway or Brownells (Brownells should be the first choice) along with any other items you might need for doing this. Rust blue is easy to do and is the traditional way of bluing classic guns.

Bluing/browning solution and directions here,

http://laurelmountainforge.com/barrel_brown_inst.htm


Rust blue is a durable long lasting finish and is not to be confused with simple cold blues which tend to rub off and offer almost no protection for the metal.

[nhrifle]

I've never done rust bluing, but I have seen a couple of well-executed examples and they were some of the most beautiful bluing I had ever seen.

[gnoahhh]

I'll second the motion for rust bluing. Just follow the directions for whatever solution you get. Knock together a plywood cabinet out of scrap plywood with a hot plate inside and a pan of distilled water (low,low heat) to induce rusting (unless you have some other high humidity environment), and use a PVC tube to 'boil' it afterward. (Suspend the barrel in the tube and pour full of boiling hot distilled water, cap it and let sit for 10 minutes.) Pull out and card with de-oiled 0000 steel wool. Repeat as necessary.

I think a lot of guns back in the day were left bright, and took on a patina of fine rust through normal use.

[10 ga]

Dittos " " to docone31

Browning is the way to go. I have used a few Browning solutions and I have found The Dixie Gunworks home brew the best and easies to use. It makes a deep rich brown. Not Plum Brown, just plain brown. With some oil to fix it, it is a very pleasant finish. Easy to apply, self healing, and it works.
Browning is the way to go.

It looks really good. It is very authentic. Many original guns were left "in the white" by the builders and were "browned" by the purchaser, as per gnoahhh post. I have even browned the barrel/action of some of my inlines and it looks good, I think it looks much better and more authentic than blue. Just my $.02 worth.
10 ga

[Fly]

I rust blue alot.It takes some time and work, but the results are out standing.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i384/Fly61/DSCN0015.jpg
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i384/Fly61/DSCN0017.jpg

Fly