AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: yip on April 01, 2025, 07:45:57 PM
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Whats your opinion on plum brown
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No where near as good as it was back in the good old days. I have some but rarely use it. Maybe I’m not holding my mouth right.
W
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If it's not as good as in the 70's, it's pretty bad because that stuff was bad, imho.
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It’s ok for screws, but not much else.
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Be thankful it is worse than the old days.
The old version contained mercuric chloride. Mercuric chloride used to be called corrosive sublimate. Mercuric chloride used to be a common ingredient in quick blues and browns. IT is an serious neurotoxin, avoid mercuric chloride. I suspect the old formula was a variation on express browns and blues that you saw around back then. Mercuric chloride, some oxidizers like potassium chlorate and perchlorate or nitrate. Avoid all of it. It will rust your brain too.
The new stuff?, I have no idea. I suspect part nitric acid, maybe a safer metallic salt and safer oxidizer. I have noticed that the steam from the new version seems very irritating, like acid. I do not use any of these anymore.
Slow rust solutions work much better for me. I buy them ready made. For barrels and such commercial slow rust solutions get me there fast enough and they look better. Old quick browns were tricky to make come out even for me.
I heat screws with a propane torch and dunk them in used motor oil. Sometimes I used cold blue.
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Only comment I've got is I still use it. Have had no issues and its held up well. BUT...!! Know use Stoner Creeks method in our tutorial section.
Simple, easy and looks really good..! Did I say I like it..😊
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Have a unopened jug. I got a Pipe Hawk from Track of the Woolf to build. Came as cast. Carlos Grove with curly maple drilled stick. { ;D she draws good! 8)}. Will give her a browned head. Don't mind screwing it up and doing it again. Any tips? Clean, heat ,apply ,scrub, repeat? I have learned SOOO much just lurking on ALR!
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I’ve been pleased with the results by simply following the instructions. Works well to rust blue as well.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258981230_c7d3f590f2_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nBWWrL)64ED00D8-3CD8-42B2-A041-A087E3DA85CE (https://flic.kr/p/2nBWWrL) by Oliver Sudden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/155475279@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52177124236_ec125b12fd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nuHpdh)2403B66F-2F84-4AA0-80EB-669B179F6283 (https://flic.kr/p/2nuHpdh) by Oliver Sudden (https://www.flickr.com/photos/155475279@N02/), on Flickr
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I'm not a master builder, and nothing of mine will go in a museum, but Plumb Brown works well for me.
(https://i.ibb.co/QvjbcbLk/27a.jpg) (https://ibb.co/23Yn6nxS)
picture upload site (https://imgbb.com/)
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thanks for the input fellas.
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Jeff, the lock and barrel on that rifle look blue on my 22" monitor.
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Plum Brown replicates the color of blued steel aging over time pretty well. Look at old military rifles like Trapdoor Springfields, many of them have gone brown with age. It just isn't as durable.
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I always liked the color the old stuff gave to the barrels, that reddish brown color. Al
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Only comment I've got is I still use it. Have had no issues and its held up well. BUT...!! Know use Stoner Creeks method in our tutorial section.
Simple, easy and looks really good..! Did I say I like it..😊
The SDS for BC plum brown is online
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Has the usually nitric acid + copper chloride and it also has sodium nitrate and potassium chlorate. Never used it myself. The “slow browns” likely have lower acid concentrations so the flash rusting takes a little longer.