Alternative to Dixcel Wheel for Carding?

[Mattole]

I will soon be browning the barrel etc of my Lyman Plains Rifle using Wahkon Tru-Brown. I do not have a Dixcel wheel for carding between coats of Tru-Brown and am wondering what I can use instead. Many thanks.

[Jerry V Lape]

Green Scotch brite works for me. 

[smylee grouch]

Do you prep the scotch pad in any way before using or use as is? Do you continue to use as is for second and subsequent aplications of brownig or rinse it off or whatever?   Smylee

[flehto]

I also use the green "Scotchbrite" for carding and use the same small piece  approx. 4-5X on a bbl.....Fred

[Don Getz]

In cold browning a barrel, I have never used scotchbrite to card off.   You have to be very careful or you'll be down to bare  metal before you know it.   I normally just scrub the barrel with a piece of terry cloth and very hot water.  When the
barrel is wet you can tell how it will look when finised.   When I have achieved the right brown, I scrub the barrel with a
piece of terry cloth using hot water and lava soap.   Work up a good lather and really scrub the barrel, then rinse with
real hot water,  I then apply some heavy oil and work it with my hands, kind of messy but it seems to work..........Don

[B.Habermehl]

I use a fine hardware store wire wheel on the drill press running slow. You have to be carefull as this is agressive. BJH

[mattdog]

I agree 100% with Don.  The use of a Drexel wheel is unneccessary and a waste of time.  Scotch pads are too agressive.  I simply "card" with a course shop rag - a clean one - under running water.  The idea is to remove the loose rust scale so that sugsequent coats of browning solution can get to the metal and do its job and to end up with a smooth finish.  Browning is really a simple operation.  I have browned perhaps a hundred barrels and have tried a dozen different techniques and the simplest ones work the best.  

After getting the finish that I want I kill the solution with baking soda.  I put one heaping teaspoon full in a 6 oz. yogurt container of water and wash the barrel (and other parts) with it using the course rag and scrub it into the work, rinse, coat with good gun oil smeared on liberally with my hand and let sit over night.  

[JDK]

Just cut off your Levi's where you wore the holes through the knees and you will have enough denim to card at least two barrels and you are ready for summer in your new shorts .  Seriously though, denim is great for carding and is usually abundant and free or cheap.  J.D.K.

[David Rase]

Like BJH, I too use a fine wire wheel from my local hardware store.  I brown and card approximately 7 times before I am complete.  The first couple of times the wire wheel removes 70 to 90% of the brown.  Follow on coats continue to cover more of the barrel.  Once I get to the coat where the wire wheel does not remove any of the color and I have 100% brown, I apply and card one final time.  I am finished when the wire wheel will not remove any of the browning color, even on the corners of the flats.  I figure that if the wire wheel will not remove the brown color, only the scale then normal use will not remove it either.  I use this same carding method for rust bluing.
DMR

[Mattole]

Thanks very much for the excellent information, gentlemen. I will post results in the hopefully near future..

[Leatherbelly]

  Dave Rase,
 Do you use a steel wheel or brass?

[TPH]

You can also use the same type of card that you use to clean files. It can be aggressive if you go at it too hard but still very effective and controllable. Because it is wide and flat, it doesn't tend to knock the brown off the corners.

[FRJ]

A second on JDK's post.   Frank