I'm building my first Kibler kit. Thought I'd relay what I've found about Jax black finish on the steel parts.
Back story is I always loved the browned rifles I'd see in the magazines in the 70s-1990s. I still do like browned, and really wrestled with whether to brown or blue or "black" the rifle. I was on the fence until just last week. While browning looks great, and like a lot of my antique, worn originals, this forum convinced me that is just "patina" from the past 100 years, not an original Appalachian finish from the 1840s. The other argument made sense too, that it would look disjointed to have really nice finished wood with no dents or scratches, and old, rusty brown metal. So I decided to use the Jax.
I've been very pleased. It works quickly, almost too easy (I was prepared to do a rust blue too). I'd heard that if things are polished too fine, it won't take very well. With the lockplate, I did not find that to be the case. I polished it quite a bit, down to maybe 500 (was using a diamond stone), then finished it up with some Mothers polish. The lock got a very nice, black color with a deep blue look to it.
Then I moved to the triggerguard, which I also polished pretty finely, but not quite as fine. Didn't use a diamond stone, just files, then 220. Followed that with Mothers, just because I like Mothers. The triggerguard did not get as black, using the same technique. That is one coat with grey scotchbrite, spray down with water, assess. Then another or 2 more. It looks great, but just a more "french gray" color. I wonder if the steels are different, between the lock and triggerguard?
I also did the triggers/plate with very little polishing. Just hit it with gray scotchbrite. It didn't seem to to want to take much....I think polishing to fresh steel works better with Jax than the pebbly "as cast." I'll post pictures later.
