Correct finish for southern mountain rifle.

[JNG3]

I will be ordering a Jim Kibler southern mountain rifle kit very soon. I'm no expert and don't claim to be, just trying to learn. I've scoured a lot of data on the internet. From what I can tell, in general, locks from the early 1800's were case hardened ( not necessarily COLOR case hardened) then polished to an in the white condition. Barrels and other metal work was charcoal blued or left in the white. Is this mostly correct and if so does this apply to rifles from Appalachia? If not please 'school' me. As for the stock, I intend on ordering the kit in walnut. From what research I've been able to accomplish, it seems to be a toss up between walnut or maple for rifles from this region. Once again is this correct or not? Thanks.

I should add that I want to finish the rifle as it would of been as it left the builder in the early 1800's. Not aged.

[DFHicks]

I had the good fortune of spending a week with Hacker Martin in June, 1969 while he made me a flintlock pistol.   I wish I could have recorded all of his comments while  there.  One thing I do remember is that he said the old time gunsmiths he knew in eastern Tenn. rubbed a really sour apple over the barrel of a new rifle.  That was just to dull the glint that would interfere with sighting.  I think sour apple juice is mild acetic acid.   Should  have tried this myself but never have.
Greg

[rich pierce]

I am not expert in Southern mountain rifles but in general a rifle with the narrowness and buttplate curvature of the Kibker kit would be a late flint gun, maybe 1820's or possibly later. Help me out here. If that is the correct timeframe then I would brown the barrel and furniture and for aesthetics blue then polish the lock back till it just has enough color to dull it. Personal preference on the lock.

[moleeyes36]

I am not expert in Southern mountain rifles but in general a rifle with the narrowness and buttplate curvature of the Kibker kit would be a late flint gun, maybe 1820's or possibly later. Help me out here. If that is the correct timeframe then I would brown the barrel and furniture and for aesthetics blue then polish the lock back till it just has enough color to dull it. Personal preference on the lock.

Rich, you're correct that this gun was based on a later period.  My copy of Ivey's book is over in my shop at the moment, but I believe the rifle Jim based his kit on was from the the mid-19th century.  If anyone has a copy of Ivey's book handy, I think the rifle is number 207 or there about.

Mole Eyes

[Mark Elliott]

There is some evidence that those iron mounted guns were charcoal blued.    However,  not really knowing how they might have been originally finished,   I normally age them to look like they would look today.    That basically means browning the barrel and mounts and slighting oxidizing a highly polished lock so that it is gray/blue/brown.    Actually, I age all the parts with cold blue and tincture of iodine until they are crudy and and them scrub them back with Scotchbrite pads to taste.

[elkhorne]

Mark,
We might have talked about this before but it will help those following this thread no maybe. I want to experiment with your cold blue/tincture of iodine aging technique. Could you explain the procedure a little in sequence of events and what brand of cold blue you prefer. There are a lot of cold blues out on the market and I would imagine some work much better than others. Thanks and looking forward to learning some more from you.
elkhorne

[Mark Elliott]

I just use Birchwood Casey.   You can pick it up most anywhere.    You do have to degrease well.    I find that Dawn detergent works pretty well.  I use acetone, if that doesn't work.   You apply the tincture of iodine while the blue is still wet.   Please note that is "tincture" of iodine.   It comes in small bottles.  I use foam applicators.   The iodine is an oxidizer the puts the blue in overdrive.   You should have a rusty, cruddy mess after leaving the parts overnight.   If you leave it too long, you get pitting.   I scrub back with green and light gray Scotchbrite pads.   How much you scrub off is a matter of taste.   You don't want to leave red rust.  On polished parts, you should get a nice gun metal gray that I really like.  I leave barrels as draw filed.   

[Tim Crosby]

 "Correct Finish For Southern Mountain Rifle" made me think of the Wood finish, now that the metal finish is covered, what are you going to put on the stock?

  Tim C.

[JNG3]

I called Mr. Kibler this past Thursday and ordered a .32 in walnut. Should be ready to ship in 3-4 weeks. As for metalwork and stock finish, well let's just say I've been keeping myself busy reading everything I can find on the 'net. Never realized there were so many conflicting opinions on this subject (and that's being diplomatic!).

[Pete G.]

I have always finished my locks with phosphoric acid. you can find it as a rust remover in most hardware stores. It give san antique gray finish that is a little more rust resistant than bare metal.

[Mark Elliott]

I would just put oil on walnut.    I use a mixture of equal parts boiled linseed oil, tung oil, and danish oil with Japan dryer.   It has worked well for me for years.    If you put it on thin, it dries relatively quickly and builds up relatively fast.   That said,  there is nothing really fast about oil.    It helps to put the stock in the sun after a coat.   In full sun,  a coat should dry in two hours.    Walnut will require a lot of coats.    Once you start to get a semi-gloss finish on the stock, you are done.   You just need to rub out the finish with a white Scotchbrite pad

[JNG3]

Oil finish with no stain for the walnut. I will likely make no great effort in filling the grain either. Still have not come to any conclusions for the metal work.

[KentSmith]

I always fill my walnut stocks with Chambers black wood seal mostly because I like the look.

For SMR barrels and iron hardware I brown very heavily and don't card at all.  When done they very much resemble an original.  It's a matter of taste and the effect you are after.

[John Archer]

I'm with KentSmith on this. I brown heavily probably four times a day for at least a week with no carding. Then into boiling water for 20 minutes. Nice rough black finish...card off the loose black powder and then give it a couple of WD40 slatherings. This works well on the coast of British Columbia....no after rust at all.

John.