Browning/Bluing box

[flatsguide]

I’m making a box, 12x12x48 from 1/2 ply for browning and was wondering if there are any holes in the box for any reason. My plan now is just to have a door of 12x48 and a wood dowel hanger With a couple of latches. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thank you Richard

[smylee grouch]

I made one out of rough lumber about the same size. Just a lid for the top. I have a small hole in it for an electric cord for the cheap light bulb fixture and 60 watt bulb. I line the bottom with a sheet of plastic and put a damp cloth in it when using it.

[c deperro]

I use a 4"piece of pvc  for the barrel . Wired to a wall in the shop . The barrel is wired thu the tang hole and a block of wood to seal off the the top. works great and does not take up much room. Small stuff goes in a plastic container with a wet rag and a cover.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Richard:  I built my box according to John Bivens' instructions, ie:  15 1/4" x 15 1/4" x 66 1/2" (found some 3/4" ply shelving at the dump one day..  I have a 150 watt bulb in the bottom to heat a stainless steel bowl of water, and a 100 watt bulb on the side about the middle, both on a dimmer switch to regulate the heat and humidity.  I drilled three 3/4" holes on one side at the top to vent.  You don't want to hit the due point where droplets of water form on the metal...that ruins the browning surface.
The bulbs are set in ceramic fixtures, and the bottom compartment is lined with asbestos sheeting.

I have my .60 cal barrel, tang and rear sight in mine right now, and so far, it's turning out great.  Just applied my last coat of solution...barrel comes out in three hours for carding, flushing with boiling water, and oiling.  Should be able to sight it in this week...yipppppeeeeeee!

[davec2]

I've never had room for a damp box, so I make one out of a cardboard box and throw it away after each job.....here is an old post....

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=21382.msg203054#msg203054

[flinchrocket]

All you are trying to do is trap the warm moist air to encourage the rust to form. Whatever that takes.

[curly]

I have piece of closed sell foam about 4' long, wrapped around in a circle, with an old coffee maker, filled with water at the bottom. Barrel hangs from the ceiling off a wire. Works great!! Water evaporates in about a day. Safe too.

[Scota4570]

I have tried to to make a humidity chamber using the regular instructions.  I usually got condensation on the parts or no rust.  The bathtub with warm water worked better. 

IN my area it is both cold and dry.  I think that the humidity chamber would need both humidity and temperature to be controlled electronically.  I could certainly make such a box, electronics is another hobby of mine, but, that is more trouble than I want to go to for a few jobs a year.  Therefore, I use BC plumb brown.  IF I lived in a place with favorable weather I'd use a slow brown. 

[Daryl]

Richard:  I built my box according to John Bivens' instructions, ie:  12" x 12" x 72".  I have a 150 watt bulb in the bottom to heat a stainless steel bowl of water, and a 100 watt bulb on the side about the middle, both on a dimmer switch to regulate the heat and humidity.  I drilled three 3/4" holes on one side at the top to vent.  You don't want to hit the due point where droplets of water form on the metal...that ruins the browning surface. 

I have my .60 cal barrel, tang and rear sight in mine right now, and so far, it's turning out great.

This system has been working for many years & many guns, pistols, rifles, smoothbores and shotguns.

Our average humidity is around 50%, however in the winter time and mid summer, can see humidity approaching single digits.

[john bohan]

I set 2 coolers end to end ,put a gallon of hot water in each one then lay my barrel across them. Close the lid and cover with a towel or blanket . The water will stay warm for a long time this way, keeping the humidity high.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Just finished the barrel that was in my damp box.  Carded with a hard roll of canvas, scrub brush and baking soda/water solution, flushed with 1.7 l boiling water from a kettle, dried and oiled with motor oil.  Barrel unplugged and cleaned - nothing got into the bore.  Installed breech plug, sights, and into the rifle.  Here's some pics...this is a Chambers' Virginia (Mark Silver design).  Now I have a .50 cal and a .60 cal barrel for this fine rifle...sight in soon.

[moleeyes36]

I live in a “damp box” called Florida close to the ocean.  If I don’t wipe down all the steel parts with a good coat of oil each day when I’m done working on them, the next day the browning process is well underway without any browning solution.

Don Richards

[mikeyfirelock]

It’s pretty dry here in NW Indiana in the winter and my Bivins style damp box  with a 100 watt bulb under the dish won’t quite cut it this time of year, so I put an extra hook in one corner at the top of the box and hung a 4 foot strip of saturated wet T shirt from it each time I filled the bowl in the bottom.   Worked like a charm.....every time I opened it I re wet that strip and the process went from barely happening to a lovely plum brown ( LMF browning solution was used).  The strip,  several inches wide and about 4 feet long hold a lot of water and raises the humidity a significant amount by all appearances.   Cheap ( like me ) and faster ( unlike me) and no extra heat needed which I feel is a safety plus.

[flatsguide]

Thanks guys, I’ve got it almost finished 9”x9”x48” just need a few hinges. Thanks for all the help. I know what the rust is like in Florida, lived in the Florida Keys for about thirty year. The salt was always in the air, but the fishing and sailing was super.
Cheers Richard

[jerrywh]

About 25 years ago I made a damp box according to John Bivin's instructions.  After using it a couple of times I decided it did not work well at all.  My advice to any new gunmakers is to remember that things you read in a book are not always correct.  That is why I say nobody is always correct not even me.  In my opinion, damp boxes are lousy for browning and I know at least a dozen guys who tried them. They tend to sweat on the metal and leave water drops. Like many other good makers, I have found that nothing works better than a cardboard box that has been dampened.  Another good way is an opened tank with about 1/2" of water in the bottom and newspaper on top dampened with a spray bottle. The barrel can be suspended with wires Also most new makers let the barrel rust too much before carding but that can be a matter of personal taste. Even Albert Einstein was wrong once in a while.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

That's interesting Jerry.  I've been using my Biven's box for many years now...likely browned thirty barrels in it, and only had one occasion when water droplets formed on the barrel.  I cured that by raising the inside temp and venting the top left hand side.  I have a thermometer/barometer inside and the temp settles at around 100 F and the humidity at around 35%.  Over the bulb in the bottom is a stainless steel bowl with 1" of hot water.  I reverse the barrel end for end every time I apply an application.  I get a very fine grained brown that when carded with a canvas roll yields a very fine matt brown.  Carded hard, with the wheel or with 0000 steel wool, I get a polished brown.  Boiling the barrel in distilled water for 20 minutes yields a dark even polished blue, after carding.
I couldn't be happier with my arrangement.

[Daryl]

That rifle looks pretty good now, Taylor.
 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Let's take it out and sight it in!

[jerrywh]

Taylor.
 I always say. it's the finger that picks the guitar that makes the music, not the guitar. I guess it's the hand that works the hot box that makes it work.
   

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Jerry, that's a lovely analogy.  Before I made the box, it would take two weeks applying one app a day to get a brown to take ... very dry here in the winter.  Wood in the rafters of my shop stabilizes at 7.5%.  Now I brown or blue a barrel in 1 1/2 days.  And the results are more controllable.

[Woodsrunner79]

Taylor  - That rifle get prettier every time I see it. Don't forget to let us know how she shoots with that .60 on it.

Jordan

[rmnc3r]

I haven't browned a barrel in a long time, but I had a plastic box I got from Walmart inexpensively for about $10 if I remember correctly (half off of holiday stuff). It was originally used for storing fake Christmas Trees, like this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Tree-Box-Elf-Green/593702787

I never used a bulb - I just set it out in the sun to warm up and use a couple of wet paper towels to provide the humidity.