1803 Harpers Ferry wood and metal finish

[Elk Hunter]

I haven't found any information about the finish on an 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle. I suspect that the barrel was left in the white and the wood finished with oil and the lock case hardened. I'd like the one I'm building to be as reasonably close to the original finish as my limited skills will permit. Any information would be appreciated.

[BadDaditood]

I also thought they were in the white but a collector told me they were browned. 
Somewhere in The Rifle Shoppe’s online catalog it’s mentioned the original rifles he’s inspected appeared to have a dark stain added to the oil finished walnut.
Im interested in anything you dig up as I’m starting an 1803 myself and can’t seem to find any pics that clearly show the forend “concavity” mentioned in the TRS drawing.

http://www.therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/us_arms/(500)_History_Facts_Description.htm

[Clark Badgett]

Browned does not exactly equal the color. The process for bluing arsenal arms was called browning even through at least the 1890s

[Elk Hunter]

Thanks for the replies but, I'm still un-certain about what to do. All the on-line pictures seem to show a somewhat rusted barrel that appears to have been left  in-the-white originally. I think I'll leave the barrel in-the-white for now as I can brown/blue it later if I find more information.

[fahnenschmied]

I can't find any documentation at the moment, but I think the barrels were supposed to be browned or russetted, the locks left in mottled case hardenening and the screws heat blued.  The only old one I handled was hard to say - I remember the barrel was brown under the stock, but the interior of the lock was polished bright. 

[emmagee]

I asked this same question some time ago.

What I was told was that the barrels were browned, the lock case hardened and then polished bright, and the screws blued.

[WESTbury]

Hi Guys,

Cover and page with HF M1803 Type II from C.Meade Paterson Collection. This rifles were in mint condition.

Kent Johns






photo save app

[Clark Badgett]

Might just be the coloration of the pictures but those barrels look blued.

[WESTbury]

Clark,

I should have included the descriptions in my first post.

Kent

[Elk Hunter]

Might just be the coloration of the pictures but those barrels look blued

Maybe it's just my eyes, but I agree, to me they look blued.

I'm still uncertain about what I need to do to at least look somewhat right.

Thanks for the replies.

[Daryl]

The top one certainly appears rust-blued to me, while the bottom rifle is lighter and brown(ish) on my monitor.

[Clark Badgett]

I guess we can safely consider the M1803 to have had the barrel and rib browned (regardless of the coloration), and the locks case hardened (again coloration undetermined). I mainly say the caveats due to the past tendencies for the Ordnance Dept to simply say browned and cased. Both of which could be black or brown or blued or mottled. It does look as if the locks were not taken back to bright.