Question on barrel finish

[rainmkr]

Hello all. I'm new to all of this and have been reading and absorbing everything I can here. I received an insert in my TOTW catalog regarding the House Brothers rifle that the CLA is raffling and would like to inquire bout the finish on the barrel and other metal parts:
http://housebrothersproject.com/gallery/index.php?action=view&gll=1

I understand that these parts are hand made, but can someone explain to me how they may have achieved the aged/pitted look visible on the barrel and other parts? Thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to impart.

[Dave B]

Hi Rainmaker,
You are looking at the aging process that some gunmakers used to etch the surface of the steel with water mixed with cloreane bleach and brought to a boil in a closed off aluminum rain gutter placed on a two burner stove out side away from the family. You want to stay away from stainless steel with this concoction it will eat right through your nice stainless pans. Ask me how I know this . Several minutes in the boiling soulution will pit any metal you place into the soultion if its got iron in it. You must take precautions to use masking for the areas not wanting to be etched including sealing off the bore with a wooden plug driven into the muzzle and no touch hole drilled yet. You cant just walk away from it while this is being done it can get out of hand in a hurry if your not careful.

[erdillonjr]

What is the ratio of bleach to water? Ed

[P.Bigham]

 A cold bluing solution put on a barrel followed up with bleach. leaves a aged look. Repeated applicants with deepen the look.

[rainmkr]

Incredible. Thanks!!

[David Rase]

What is the ratio of bleach to water? Ed

In one of the Hershal House video's he uses a 50/50 mixture to obtain the desired finish.
DMR

[Pete G.]

I'm still not totally convinced that it looks like an aged finish. Still looks like a boiled in bleach looking finish to me.

[David Rase]

I'm still not totally convinced that it looks like an aged finish. Still looks like a boiled in bleach looking finish to me.

Pete, You are so right.  Back when I was into the boiling parts in Clorox/H2O I always draw filed the parts back so all I had were small pits, not big Clorox splotches.  Glad I'm through that phase of my gunbuilding career.
DMR

[Don Getz]

My advise...forget the bleach.    For the unknowing, when you boil this mixture you are cooking off some violent gas.
I would advise you to merely cold blue the barrel, rub it back with OOOO steel wool, and live with that.   What you are looking for is kind of '"grey" colored barrel, or you can rub it more and get back closer to where you started, it will eventually take on a finish of it's own..............Don

[Jerry V Lape]

I know this a matter of personal taste, but when I examined the House Bros rifle at the NRA Convention in Phoenix, I came away less than impressed by that aspect of the rifle.  Basically, I did not think it looked at all like a naturally aged finish on the iron work and barrel.   It appeared more like an applied  artificial finish, like nothing I have ever seen on an antique..   Otherwise the rifle was very well done and certainly up to the best in all the other aspects of it's construction.  Don's suggestion to blue the barrel and then rub it back to the thin grey as occurs with time and handling is a much more attractive finish in my very humble opinion. 

[rainmkr]

The pitting aspect of the House Bros rifle was what interested me. Thanks again for everyone's comments.

[rich pierce]

I think the pitting looks correct when it's in the right places, not everywhere on the gun metal.  On original barrels, pitting is heaviest on the lock side of the breech. There is often gunk around the rear sight where moisture collects.  The area between the lock and rear sight is often smoother from carrying there.

On the lock, the pan, the frizzen pivot area, the lockplate area between the cock and pan and the frizzen spring top arm all collects and holds fouling and is hard to clean and dry well.  These show pitting, as will the hard-to-clean top jaw and  lower jaw and post on the cock.

On double set trickers or single trickers, all the nooks and crannies will rust and the pad you squeeze will be bright.

On iron mounts, there should be pitting on an iron nosecap and some crannies on the guard but not on the grip rail whrere it will be smooth.

[Roger Fisher]

Well now, I'll take an unpitted gal anytime over one thats been used and abused by someone else!!   I'll do my own abusing and hope she acts the way I want!! (on the line)

[Stophel]

Generally, pitting around the breech end of the barrel is from corrosive percussion caps, not flintlocks.

I don't really see "pitting" on old guns (like bleach pitting).  Old iron turns brown and rusty, but doesn't really pit, unless something unusual has acted upon it (as in a leather scabbard will eat up a sword blade).  When a gunbarrel gets to the point of being pitted, it is pretty durn brown and rusty.

When I do a "slightly used" finish, which seems popular, I just let the parts rust naturally, and scrub them smooth.  Believe me, by the time I get done with a gun, the barrel has rusted plenty on its own.