blueing and browning

[little joe]

Question is, in the late period 1735 or so were any of the iron work on Tulle smoothbores including the barrel blued? I have found references to many left in the white and some browned.

[54ball]

 Left in white or browned the end result would be the same given time. If you wanted new you could go in the in the white or French Grey(light coating of cold blue rubbed back) or just brown it for an aged look.

[jerrywh]

I doubt if they blued the originals but couldn't say for sure. Bluing in France then was not cheap and was done by a guild so it is not likely that a gun such as a work gun would have been blued. I think the browners were guilded also.  I know they were in 1630.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Muskets for trade in North America were shipped from Tulle and St. Etiennes France by the barrel full.  I would be surprised if they were not ALL bright finished, and rougher than we would tolerate too.

[jerrywh]

I think Taylor is correct.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I once restored a 3rde Model Brown Bess whose barrel;  the part exposed above wood - was as smooth as heck and a beautiful even brown.  But upon taking it out of the wood, the barrel's bottom was ground natural steel, and the grind marks crossed diagonally and were very very rough.  I'm sure the whole barrel started out issued life like that.