Laurel mountain forge browning question

[Leatherbark]

I just rebuilt a contemporary build Ohio style percussion longrifle and browned the barrel with LMF browning.  It is really dark brown and has sort of a sandblasted finish and really looks good.  I scrubbed the finished barrel with a baking soda concoction and warmed the barrel and let it be drenched in motor oil for few days.  Got her up and shooting and after I clean the thing and leave it set for even after curing a  month later when I wipe the outside of the barrel after I leave it alone for a week I get red rust on my rag.  I keep it oiled good on the outside hoping it will cease.  Will it eventually stop leaching rust?

Thanks

Bob

[Joey R]

May try washing her down with ammonia. It's worked for me on stubborn rust blues. Good luck.

[Jerry V Lape]

You didn't say anything in your description about carding of the barrel between coats of rust solution.  Could it be you missed that step?   My use of the same rust solution doesn't have a coarse grain at all.

[JBJ]

Agreed - carding is critical AND to what degree was the barrel "polished" before starting the browning process. I have experienced everything from a smooth purple brown to a quite course granied brown that even feels course to the touch. It all got down to how much prep was done and how well I followed instructions.
J.B.

[flehto]

My bbls and parts are finished by draw filing w/ a light rub w/ 220 grit paper.  Found that w/ LMF, a wash w/ Dawn and a hot water rinse is sufficient prep.

Carding between coats and how it's done  can make a big difference and I've mostly   used coarse denim, but sometimes have used green Scotchbrite if the scale is stubborn...this is rubbed very lightly.

I prefer an etched, light matte finish because the slightly rough surface retains the lube better.

Have found a pretty wet slurry of baking soda to be ineffective in neutralizing the LMF ...household ammonia straight from the bottle really does the job.

Of course others might do it differently...so whatever suits is the right way to go....Fred.

[Pete G.]

My bbls and parts are finished by draw filing w/ a light rub w/ 220 grit paper.  Found that w/ LMF, a wash w/ Dawn and a hot water rinse is sufficient prep.

Carding between coats and how it's done  can make a big difference and I've mostly   used coarse denim, but sometimes have used green Scotchbrite if the scale is stubborn...this is rubbed very lightly.

I prefer an etched, light matte finish because the slightly rough surface retains the lube better.

Have found a pretty wet slurry of baking soda to be ineffective in neutralizing the LMF ...household ammonia straight from the bottle really does the job.

Of course others might do it differently...so whatever suits is the right way to go....Fred.

Same here. The baking soda did not seem to work as well as it should.

[L Moler]

To late now, but boil it for over 5 minutes then apply your oil (I use boiled linseed) while it is hot.  After a few hours, wipe it as dry as you can with burlap.

[moleeyes36]

Don't boil it too long or the rust brown becomes a rust blue finish.

Mole Eyes

[rogerpjr]

I also prefer the coarser mat finish. I just either barely wipe the rust off between coats or just paint on another coat without wiping.  I have never gotten red rust later and I usually neutralize the barrel with a thin paste of baking soda that I rub in and let sit a few minutes. Then I wipe down with hot water, dry and rub down with Rig gun grease.

[Leatherbark]

Thanks everyone

I definitely carded between coats.  I may have let it set too long between coats as I would put a coat on and in the morning and card it when I came home from work.  Another coat before bed, card when I awoke and another coat when I arrived home, etc.  I'll  work with it a while and try the ammonia.

Bob

[Pete G.]

Depending on humidity 8 hours or so can be a long time between coats and will give a somewhat rougher finish, which some like. The good news is that if you don't it can be sanded smooth and refinished, but if you do decide to go that route, you may also try sanding it lightly, removing about 1/2 to 3/4 of the finish, then apply a coat of cold blue and then scrub back with fine steel wool. This gives a finish that looks like a well used but not abused gun that a lot of folks seem to really like these days. If you don't like that look you could sand back to bare metal and start over.

[PPatch]

Thanks everyone

I definitely carded between coats.  I may have let it set too long between coats as I would put a coat on and in the morning and card it when I came home from work.  Another coat before bed, card when I awoke and another coat when I arrived home, etc.  I'll  work with it a while and try the ammonia.

Bob

The LMF is pretty forgiving but how quickly the browning solution works is all about the ambient humidity and how long you go between cardings and recoating. The rough finish was very likely caused by leaving it to work too long before carding. I have had the LMF get thick with rust and begin flaking within 3 hours on a humid day.

The ammonia should do the trick.

dave