BArrel browning without solution?

[Steamingspud]

Yea, it's not because I'm cheap. I cannot get a solution for barrel browning for undisclosed reasons.
I need to brown my barrel, and I have no idea how to do it without solution. I know,' get the solution, it's worth the money.' Money ain't the issue.
Either way, Any ideas?

[Dphariss]

Yea, it's not because I'm cheap. I cannot get a solution for barrel browning for undisclosed reasons.
I need to brown my barrel, and I have no idea how to do it without solution. I know,' get the solution, it's worth the money.' Money ain't the issue.
Either way, Any ideas?

Lots of things will rust steel. Getting a uniform rust is the key.
Salt water etc. But some things may be too aggressive, spotty.
Can you get battery acid?
Some battery acid on a number of pieces of cloth in a horizontal "damp box" with some water containers  to increase the humidity might do the trick.
It needs to be in 4-6 locations (depending on barrel length) 4-5" under  the barrel to get uniform results.
Should work.
Dan

[billd]

You may be able to do it with aquafortis. It sure rusts files when you spill it on your bench, at least that's what I've been told. 

Bill

[caliber45]

Hey, Spud -- Early-on in my interest in black powder, I read of a browning process involving water and iodine. Tried it, and it worked fine. Purchase a large bottle of iodine (medical supply place should have it), or two or three "regular" bottles. Swab the iodine over the barrel with cotton balls (wear rubber gloves unless you want to walk around with red fingers for days and days and days . . .), swabs, whatever. Place several small bowls or one large one of water on a safe (something you don't want rusted . . .) surface, suspend the iodine-swabbed barrel over them, cover the whole shebang with a piece(s) of plastic (dry-cleaning bags, trash bags, whatever) and wait a day or two. Remove plastic cover, wipe off the rust scale, assess the degree of browning, re-swab barrel with iodine, if necessary, and repeat. To check progress, use some 0000 steel wool to remove the rust scale to see how the browning progresses. Repeat process until the browning is acceptable, remove the rust scale with the steel wool, oil the barrel, and you're there. Worked fine for me. -- paulallen, tucson

[Michigan Flinter]

If you live out in the country or know someone who does take your barrel, plug the bore and touch hole or drum and stick it in a manure pile for a few days. I haven't done this but read somewhere that it has been done this way.

[Acer Saccharum]

If you live out in the country or know someone who does take your barrel, plug the bore and touch hole or drum and stick it in a manure pile for a few days. I haven't done this but read somewhere that it has been done this way.

What's brown and sounds like a bell?

DUNG!

The cold blue 44-40 will rust anything it comes in contact with. swab that on your barrel, damp box, and voila! You've got rust! card, re-apply, damp box, card, etc, until you get the color you like.

Vinegar might work, um, pickle juice, tomato juice, lemon juice.....

catsup.

mustard.

I'm avoiding polishing my buttplate casting.

salt? I guess so, look under your car if you need proof.

Almost anything saline or acidic will work.

coke?

[J.D.]

Try rubbing the flats with an onion or tomato. Some folks use mustard for an aged finish, so that might work, depending on the finish you want.

I seem to remember someone's posting about using alternative browning techniques in the archives. Might be in the archives of the old board. Either way, it's worth a search.

God bless

[smshea]

You could heat up the barrel with a propane torch and swab it with clorox. 

[Steamingspud]

I really like caliber 45's idea with the iodine. I think I can get some pretty easily. Should I degrease the barrel first? It got handled a little at a camp but I didn't get to fire it. Wasn't happy with the range officer.

[frogwalking]

Anything acedic.............I had a mail girl friend once (before email) who had a garden.  I lived in an apartment near Omaha.  She sent me a big box of tomatoes via UPS.  I worked in a motorcycle seat factory that shipped seats out by UPS every day.  The UPS guy kept leaving notes on my door at the apartment.  I could not get him to understand that I worked, and no one was going to be home during the day to accept the box.  Oh.  It was mid summer.   The last day he left a note that the package was damaged and he was returning it to the sender.  In loading motorcycle seat boxes in the truck one day I noticed the aluminum floor of the truck was eaten all to $#*! in one area.  When asked, I discovered that it had been my box of ripe tomatoes riding around Omaha in the truck for three days.  I guess tomatoes would rust iron just fine. They eat up aluminum.  

[Bentflint]

Put the gun together and use it, it will turn borwn.

[Randall Steffy]

Whether you live in the city or in the country, there is one solution I think most anyone can obtain. Urine. I feel certain that degreasing would be an important step, and heating the barrel some may speed the effect. Placing the treated hardware in a high humidity box may may also save time, but adds to the effort involved and defeats the ultimate simplicity of this method. Application should be simple enough, we all have had practice. And if you try this method, I sure would love to hear your results. Could it be more simple?

[Acer Saccharum]

Ever cook tomato sauce in cast iron? The sauce turns black, and the pot is etched completely clean.

[caliber45]

Hey, Spud -- Yup, you should degrease the barrel before the iodine treatment. I forgot to mention plugging the ends of the barrel to keep the "internals" from rusting. Be sure to do that with any procedure you decide to try. Also, as mentioned in other posts, it might speed things along to heat the barrel (propane torch?) while applying the iodine -- though it will brown either way. Good luck! -- paulallen, tucson

[Steamingspud]

Thanks a lot! I might have done it without degreasing it and ended up in a mess. Coulda been bad.

[t.caster]

I go one step further....besides plugging the muzzle & touchole. Grease the inside, plug it and then degrease the outside. Just in case the plug leaks or falls out! Just a little extra insurance! Grease can be as simple as a little vasiline on a cleaning patch.

[Jim Chambers]

We've got a @#$$%&* tom cat here that does a fine job at browning barrels if I don't keep a close eye out for him when he sneaks into the shop.  One day I'm going to have a cat fur lined bullet bag... just got to wait 'til Mother goes on vacation again!!!  If the little Pisser (that's what I named him) wasn't so fast the coyotes would help me out but the darn little rascal can run over 20 miles an hour (not that I chased him on my four wheeler or anything to know of course!!  )

[b bogart]

Well jim
Teach pisser to fill bottles and I believe you have a new product to add to the line (or is that feline).
Glad I got plenty of brown.
Bruce

[omark]

last rifle and pistol i built, i used a plastic pipe with caps. degreased with alcohol, (rubbing, not drinking), then used vinegar. worked so good i think i'll use it from now on.        mark