Vinegar/Peroxide browning solution (pictures added)

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Keep in mind I did the carving with a $30 tool set and just sat the stock on my lap.  Perhaps my workshop will improve. 
It seemed to be taking forever getting the surrounding area smooth using small chunks of sandpaper and my fingers.

I'll gladly take suggestions and criticism.  I can already see that I've screwed up the lines and angles from which some of the "leaves" depart.  I think I will also need to work on sharpening my knives/V-gouge.  I don't know if walnut is harder to work with than maple or not.

More pictures

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

The browning did not seem to be as even on the tang and ramrod thimbles.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Overall I think the peroxide/vinegar/salt recipe shows promise.  It makes a smooth even brown although there were some spots that could have used more attention - this is just a result of my impatience I am sure.  The short-barreled carbine will eventually get a similar treatment and my "second" attempt usually show improvements since I'm not in any eager rush to see the results.

Things I learn with this browning technique:

• Use the peroxide/vinegar/salt recipe found on "Instructables".  This included 16 oz Hydrogen Peroxide (3% solution), 2 oz White Vinegar, 1/2 Tbsp  Salt.
• The iron should be etched with straight vinegar first and prepped by degreasing and such.
• The solution should be sprayed on and allowed to dry completely
• Do not card the iron before it is dry
• Do not boil water in the same room you are trying to brown in.  The iron won't dry completely

The importance of letting the stuff dry completely is critical.  The vinegar and salt can actually act as a rust remover when they are wet.  So when the solution is wet the rust is not yet "set" and can be wiped off fairly easily.  If the environment is too humid or if you don't let it dry completely, all you will do is rust the surface, then wipe it off leaving the surface a blotchy aged gray similar to the tang  in the above photos. 

[rich pierce]

Black Jaque,
You've got the bug.  Skills can be developed if you've really got the desire.  I'd take time to plan and study a bit.  You've customized your rifles, but what were your goals?  Most folks here prefer to do work that emulates originals of whatever period fits the build.  If you chose that approach, you may have worked on the lock panels, worked the comb, rounded the fore-arm, etc.  There have been some nice examples of folks doing that successfully with factory "Hawken" or "Mountain" rifles here.

[Long John]

Jacque,

When browning a barrel the first couple of applications of agent do "seem" to completely wipe off.  that is unless you use a microscope to see what is actually happening.  You would find tiny specks of brown iron oxide on the surface of the steel.  With each application of agent more specks form.  If you don't card off the steel those specks become pits.  If you do card then the surface slowly, over a number of successive applications and cardings becomes more and more densely covered with specks until the specs cover more of the steel than not.  Then the barrel appears to be "taking on" the brown color.  Eventually the steel becomes totally covered with brown ferric oxide.   Boiling in water converts the brown Fe₂O₃ ferric oxide to Fe₃O₄ ferrosoferric oxide hydrate which is black in color.

Best Regards,

JMC

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Rich,  I tried searching for some of these examples of factory hawkens but I am not coming up with much. Can you suggest some keywords to search for? 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Well.  My youngest son has begun complaining that the Cabelas Hawken Carbine is slapping him in the cheek now.  That is the gun pictured above that I did not modify.  It looks like I will be taking down the comb on this gun also. 

I may give another try at relief carving.  Someone here suggested looking in the tutorials for proper designs for a "hawken" style gun.  Any ideas for search terms?  I am at a loss.

[Mauser06]

I know soaking rusted steel in vinegar will take the rust off...


At the end of trapping season I pressure wash my used traps and run them through a quick boil if they still have wax on them...


I then hang em till I get around to prepping for the next year...for canine trapping I ike clean traps...i dye and wax them...

I toss them in buckets of vinegar and it removes all the rust...


I pressure wash again...they are usually down to bare steel.....then spray them with vinegar a few times over a day or 2  to get them to take on a nice rust...then mix up my dye and boil them..i typically use "logwood crystals" to dye them...they turn jet black...I've also used brown oak leaves...can use walnut hulls etc.. anything high in tannins....

I don't do the metal prep or carding...but I bet if you did it'd work on a gun...


Now that I know boiling rusted steel blues it I wonder if the logwood does much??  I know it turns the water black.....